'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [233r] (470/502)
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.
1
MEMORANDUM for reconstitution of Gaekwars
gent in Matty war.
The two leading facts about the Gaekwar's Contingent in Katty war present
this contrast, that whereas His Highness pays, (and pays regularly), nearly a
sufficient sum for efficiency, the Contingent is totally useless as a Military Police.
There is therefore no need for any large increase of recurring expenditure,
though a large sum will be needed to make up defects at starting.
There are two great causes of inefficiency in the Contingent:—(1), its want
of subordination to the Officers it serves with; (2), its bad organization and equip
ment.
First, as to Subordination.—The Contingent is commanded by a Gaekwari
Subah, and superintended by an Officer, who is also Assistant to the Resident
of Baroda, and has jurisdictional duties in His Highness the Gaekwar's Amreli
Mahals. The Head Quarters of the Contingent are at Manekwara, (not far from
Junaghad), in Eattywar, but the Superintendent as a fact lives at Amreli.
The Subah, (so Government has ruled), must continue to command. But it
Command and Snperintendence. j S . ^ g 0 « d to i ^ . an 0fficer ' ^ho takes
his orders from Baroda, and is not one of the Kat-
tywar Staff, to superintend or watch the Contingent, on behalf of those who
have to rely on it, viz., the
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.
and his Officers. And the Head
Quarters of the mounted Police should be at the Head Quarters of the
Agency
An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
at
Rajkot.
Government assumes that the New Special Officer of Police will command
the renovated Contingent in Katty war. He will certainly use them, but as he
will probably not be posted at Rajkot, and as he will be much on the move, I
suggest this alteration as preferable :—The Superintendent of the Gaekwar's Con
tingent in Katty war should be the personal Assistant of the
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.
, who
should be a Military Officer, and should also hold the office of Station Magistrate,
Rajkot. I would also stipulate, if the Subah is to be Commanding Officer,
that he should be invested with full powers under the observation of the Political
Agent and Superintendent, and not checked and trammelled by spying karkuns
and independent Silledars in the manner exposed in the papers appended.
The Superintendent should conduct the business of the force at Depot Head
Quarters, and the Prant Political Officers should
Distribution. communicate with him as the officer in charge of
this duty.
I would then have—
Depdt Head-Quarters Rajkot
Prant Head-Quarters—
Jhalawar W adwan
Gohelwar Songhad
Sorath Manekwara
Hallar Rajkot.
The Contingent should be divided into five troops, each complete with its
Formation officers. One to be at the Depot, and one in each
Prant.
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
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- 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
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