!['Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [‎218v] (441/502)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000001524.0x000381/Mss Eur F126_78_0441.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [‎218v] (441/502)")
'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [218v] (441/502)
The record is made up of 1 volume (249 folios). It was created in 1 Nov 1873-14 Feb 1874. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
2
3n?.—Motilal having gone away from Baroda without leave, and there being
no one in charge of his .shops and property in Baroda, they were put under
attachment. Locks and seals were put on, but no list of property was made out.
Information was given to the Resident 6 or 7 months ago that Motilal was at
liberty to come and take possession of his property, but he never came.
Mh. —The payments of sums guaranteed by the Government will be made
according to the terms of the guarantee.
5tJi,—The fees demanded from Motilal were usual, and such as it is customary
to demand in the cases of suitors in the Civil Courts. We deny that Khanderao
ever forgave the fees as alleged.
QtJi, The Gaekwar's Agents further state that in Khanderao's time the
question arose as to whether or no the State bankers should be allowed to bring
actions on plain paper or not, and that in several instances it was decided that
they shouldnot.
Final Statement by Resident.
1872.
This case was transferred to Schedule III. by the Commission.
2 The present representative of the Firm, Balaji Govindlal, of Ahmedabad,
was examined, on the part of the Minor, by the Commission, amongst the Sardars
(vide case No. 21), in consequence of the paga of 62 horses m the Kattiawar
Contingent having been arbitrarily confiscated by the
Durbar
A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family).
.
3. I have not received from the Commission a copy of the
Durbar
A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family).
s reply to
this statement No. 21, but I heard it delivered, and have a general idea of its
tenor.
4 The complete case, however, as set forth in Schedule III., Case 1, has
not been enquired into. There the character of the Gaekwar's^ personal treat
ment of the old Banker Motilal Samal (since dead) is fully set forth.
5. According to His Highness Malharrao's own account he found on his
accession to the throne in the beginning of 1871 that the State was 2 crores of
rupees
Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf.
in debt, and it appears that one of the many modes which His Highness
adopted of paying off that debt was to close accounts with the old State Banks,
and open Government ones in Baroda, Bombay, and Surat. It seems, however,
that though these State Bank accounts were closed, all, as a rule, were not settled,
for it is seen in the case under notice, that as an initiatory measure His Highness
at first endeavoured to make Motilal Samal pay him a sum of 1J
lakhs
One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
of
rupees
Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf.
in
full of all demands, which was afterwards reduced to Rs. 75,000. This arbitrary
and summary mode of settlement having been resisted as unjust by the_ Banker,
His Highness deliberately commenced to ruin the firm, by attaching their
immense household and other property, ignoring hona fide State debts and
responsibilities,* and finally confiscating Inams, Nimnoks, Pagas, &c.
6. Were this an isolated case of such treatment some doubt might arise
regarding the truth of it, but when considered in connection with the general
toSe of the present Gaekwar's rule in confiscating the property of all classes
without just grounds, its reality" may be accepted as matter of fact and is uttei y
unjustifiable.
7. During the last 8 months every effort has been made by the Resident to
obtain a fair settlement of accounts, but without success, and it is on record m
this office that the Mukhtiar who went to the
Durbar
A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family).
, in Septembei 1872, to
* Money lent to Sardars and others on Government Security.
About this item
- Content
Report of the Baroda Enquiry Commission on the administration of the government of Malharrao, Gaekwar of Baroda. The Commission comprised Richard John Meade (President), Edward William Ravenscroft, Mumtazul Dowlah Nawab An honorific title; an official acting as a provincial deputy ruler in South Asia; or a significant Muslim landowner in nineteenth century India. Faiz Ali Khan, Colonel Alfred Thomas Etheridge and Thomas Duncan Mackenzie (Secretary).
The report comprises a letter from the members of the Baroda Enquiry Commission to the Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign Department presenting their report on the results of the proceedings and submitting copies of correspondence, reports and statements relative to the enquiry (ff 5-19):
Appendix A, Part I
- Schedules I-III: Complaints and grievances against the Gaekwar's Government from individuals and groups (ff 21-78).
- Appendix B, Schedules I-III: Cases of complaint and grievance which the commission did not look into during the enquiry (ff 79-81).
- Appendix C: Letter from Colonel Richard John Meade, President, Special Commission of Enquiry on Baroda Affairs, to Colonel Robert Phayre, Resident at Baroda, 1 November 1873 (ff 82-83).
- Appendix D: Translation of an amended notice issued by the Resident to complainants desirous of appearing before the Baroda Enquiry Commission (ff 84-85).
- Appendix E: Schedules presented to the Commission along with Colonel Phayre's introductory statement regarding them. (ff 86-131).
- Appendix F: Letter No. 1128 of 1873 from Colonel Phayre to the President, Baroda Commission regarding the cases already submitted to the Commission, the List of undisposed petitions to be attended to by the Resident which could be used as additional cases if required and the statements that he had yet to make on cases under enquiry by the Commission (ff 132-133).
- Appendix G, Schedule I: Statements from witnesses with cross examination statements from the Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). on behalf of the Gaekwar and statements from the Resident as to the accuracy of the information provided (ff 134-229).
Appendix Part II (ff 231-245)
- Letter from James Braithwaite Peile, Acting Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Kattywar [Kathiawar] to T D Mackenzie, Secretary, Baroda Commission, 13 December 1873 regarding papers requested by the Commission and informing them that the outstanding paper will be forwarded as soon as they are received. Enclosed with the letter are a memorandum from Peile for reconstitution of His Highness the Gaekwar's Contingent in Kattywar, 13 December 1873 and Rule for the guidance of the Officers and Kamdars appointed to the Contingent of Horse of His Highness the Gaekwar, serving in the various Tributary Mahals according to treaty.
- Letter from Peile to Mackenzie, 6 January 1874, forwarding a report and returns received from Colonel Walker, Superintendent to the Gaekwar's Contingent in Kattywar and stating that he does not concur with the Colonel's opinion. Enclosed with this letter is a letter from Colonel Chamberlen William Walker, 30 December 1873, providing the information on the Contingent requested by the Commission and enclosing an extract of the Contingents annual report for 1871 and a statement of the men within the Contingent on duty under officials paid by Talukdars etc, 06 March 1872.
- Letters from John Whaley Watson, Acting Political Superintendent Pahlanpur [Palanpur], Captain Henry Nicholas Reeves, Acting Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. Rewa Kanta [Rewa Kantha] and Major Philip Harrison Le Geyt, Acting Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Mahi Kanta [Mahi Kantha] to the secretary of the Baroda Commission 19 December 1873 to 9 January 1874 reporting on the Gaekwar's contingents serving within their districts and commenting on numbers of men, pay and conditions. The letters all refer to enclosed returns, but only the return for Mahi Kanta is included in the report.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (249 folios)
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the main sequence of foliation consists of a small pencil number in the top front right hand corner of each folio enclosed in a circle.
There is also an original sequence of foliation which consists of larger pencil numbers also in the top front right hand corner of folios, however the sequence is not consistent and some of the numbers may be filing references rather than foliation numbers.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
Use and share this item
- Share this item
'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [218v] (441/502), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F126/78, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023442808.0x00002a> [accessed 8 June 2024]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023442808.0x00002a
Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.
<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023442808.0x00002a">'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [‎218v] (441/502)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023442808.0x00002a"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000001524.0x000381/Mss Eur F126_78_0441.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000001524.0x000381/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- Mss Eur F126/78
- Title
- 'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:248v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence