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Pranav Natarajan

Indian Civilization FC-003-2

Paridhi David Massey

Gopalkrishna Gandhi

06-12-2018

Lord Dalhousie

Born on 22nd April, 1812 as James Andrew Broun-Ramsay, in Midlothian, Scotland, Lord
Dalhousie was a statesman and a colonial administrator in the British Empire in India. He served
as the Governor-General of India from 12th January 1848 to 28th February 1856. Lord
Dalhousie achieved two significant things in his eight-year term as the Governor-General. First,
he managed to bring political unity to India, strengthening the British rule and laying the
foundation of future administration through multiple wars, conquests, policies, and reforms.
Second, he introduced many new systems and changes that paved the way for the modernisation
of India. Owing to the latter, he is often known as the Maker of Modern India. He believed that
the development of civilisation meant the promotion of western administration, reforms and
institutions. This belief led to a series of socio-economic changes in India. His first set of
achievements mentioned above benefitted the British imperialists, while the modernisation
yielded great results for our nation. He married Lady Susan Hay in 1836, and her companionship
was his primary support during his stay in India. He truly loved her and was heartbroken when
she died in 1853 on a sea journey back to London. She remains one of the most significant
figures in Lord Dalhousie’s life. During Dalhousie’s period, the British Empire touched the
Hindukush on one end, Burma on the other, and spanned the whole land from the Himalayas in
the north to Cape Comorin in the south. Annexations through wars and the doctrine of lapse, and
military and administrative reforms enabled this expansion.

Even though the English were victorious in the first Sikh war, Punjab was not annexed to the
British Empire. Duleep Singh, son of Ranjit Singh, was placed on the throne, but some English
men were positioned in Punjab to help the young king. Dalhousie's decision to place English
soldiers there humiliated the Sikh leaders, and in Multan, Dewan Mulraj revolted against his
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government, the Lahore Durbar. Dalhousie considered this to be an act of hostility and declared
the second Sikh war in 1848. Even the Sikhs fought with courage, the British, using their
superior arms, won the battle. In 1849, Dalhousie announced the annexation of Punjab to the
British Empire. With the conquest of the Sikh kingdom, the British Empire reached the natural
limits of India in the North West. He then turned his attention to the eastern frontiers. A few
years before Dalhousie's arrival, the English fought the first Burmese war that resulted in the
English traders being granted several trading facilities in Burma, under the Treaty of Yandaboo.
However, the Burmese king never treated the British well, and by the time Dalhousie reached
India, the relation had almost broken down. In addition to this issue, the French influence was
growing at an alarming rate in South East Asia. An alarmed Dalhousie waited to find the right
opportunity to declare war against the Burmese. Soon enough, the British merchants in Rangoon
issued a petition to Dalhousie that they were being oppressed and Dalhousie, in retaliation, sent
Commodore Lambert with three warships to demand compensation. The King of Burma
intended to settle it peacefully, unlike Dalhousie who wanted war. Therefore, he accepted some
of the demands, but the unsatisfied Lambert blocked the port of Rangoon. This order led to the
Burmese opening fire. Dalhousie demanded an indemnity of one lakh pounds, but seeing that the
king did not reply, he declared war in April 1852. The second Anglo-Burmese war began, and
General Godwin was sent to Rangoon to start the invasion. Martaban was easily conquered, and
soon after, Prome and Pegu fell. Dalhousie was so anxious to conquer Burma that he arrived at
Rangoon. In this manner, the British took the most fertile and prosperous parts of Burma. In
December of the same year, Dalhousie declared the annexation of the lower Burma region. After
this, the British held the entire eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal and the conquest of the
Burmese coast meant that upper Burma could no longer have international connections through
those ports.

Moving to the most controversial annexation policy under Dalhousie, the Doctrine of Lapse,
princely states were annexed to the British Empire when their rulers died without natural heirs.
The land was not to pass to an adopted heir as sanctioned by old tradition unless the British
authorities approved the heir earlier. Dalhousie did not author the Doctrine of Lapse; he only
gave shape and proportion to the idea. Through this doctrine, Satara, Jaitpur, Sambalpur, Bhagat,
Udaipur, Jhansi and Nagpur were annexed. The titles of the Nawabs of Carnatic and Surat and
the Raja of Tanjore were extinguished because Dalhousie disregarded the designations of ex-
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rulers and refused to pay their pensions. Nana Saheb, the adopted son of ex-Peshwa Baji Rao II,
did not receive any pension. The Nawabs of Awadh were obedient and had been allies to the
British from the battle of Buxar. For this reason, Dalhousie, who was intent on annexing Awadh,
found it difficult. The doctrine of lapse couldn't be implemented as the Nawab had many heirs.
However, Dalhousie, accusing Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh of misgoverning the state and
refusing to introduce reforms, annexed the kingdom in 1856. The reason behind Dalhousie's
keenness on adding Awadh to the British Raj was the immense potential Awadh had as a market
for goods from Manchester. He also took over the cotton-producing region of Berar from the
Nizam in 1853 to fulfil the growing demand for cotton. Tax revenue increased as a result of his
annexation policies. The government revenue turned from deficits to surplus in 1854 and 1855.
His annexation policies are considered to be the most notorious causes of the Indian mutiny of
1857.

Dalhousie’s primary aim was the consolidation of British rule in India. He carried out many
administrative reforms including the adoption of the principle of centralisation. He introduced a
non-regulation system, under which chief commissioners were appointed to deal with regulatory
issues of the state. They were made responsible to the Governor-General. The Parliamentary Act
of 1853 relieved the Governor-General of his duties as the governor of Bengal. Dalhousie
appointed a new Lieutenant Governor in Bengal. Among military reforms, Dalhousie changed
the selection criteria for military officers from being based on seniority to merit, and they had to
submit to civil authority. Also, he formed departments responsible for uniforms and horses.
Medics were also reorganised and trained to heal wounded soldiers more efficiently. Under
Dalhousie, the frontiers of the empire were extended, and military interest of India lay in the
North. Hence, he shifted the headquarters of the Bengal artillery from Calcutta to Meerut. The
army headquarters was moved to Shimla as the Governor-General lived there He created a
Gurkha regiment and an Irregular Force, and both these regiments assisted the British during the
revolt of 1857. He dealt with penal reforms too. Branding of prisoners was abolished, and regular
inspections were made to maintain order in prisons. Other changes included better pay and rights
for civil servants, an increased number of members in the legislature, and systemic filing of
administrative reports by local officials.
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Several of Dalhousie’s reforms have benefitted the Indians. He established public works
departments in each presidency. The department was responsible for constructing roads, bridges
and government buildings. Engineers were brought from England to work on projects. Dalhousie
extensively developed irrigation systems. The 350 mile Ganges canal was completed and
inaugurated in 1854. This project was beneficial for the predominantly agricultural India and
individuals living along the canal were better clothed and fed than those who were not.
Dalhousie made provisions for metalled roads and bridges. Dalhousie also took up the
construction of the Grand Trunk Road. With the vision of unifying the whole country, Dalhousie
introduced the railway system. The first line between Bombay and Thane was laid down in 1853.
Gradually, all important cities and towns were connected. The railways were brought under state
control in an attempt to bring a sizeable benefit to India. Besides railways, Dalhousie introduced
the Electric Telegraph in 1852. The first line from Calcutta to Agra opened in 1854 and by 1857;
it was extended to Lahore and Peshawar. Dalhousie is also credited for establishing the Postal
Department. In 1854, a new Post office act was passed, and a Director-General was appointed to
lead the work in all presidencies. For the first time, stamps were introduced. The post offices
were also a source of revenue for the British. The three great engines of social improvement
introduced by Dalhousie to modernise and unite the nation to make the administration easier
ended up benefitting the Indians. Nationalistic movements were born out of Dalhousie’s ventures
as these systems improved communication and transportation. Dalhousie carried out social
reforms like the abolishment of female infanticide and human sacrifice, and the Widow
Remarriage Act in 1855. Female infanticide was prevalent among the Rajputs as male children
were desired and human sacrifice was practised in Orissa and Madras, to increase the fertility of
the soil. The Widow Remarriage Act legalised the marriage of Hindu widows. Even though these
reforms angered conservative societies, the country was benefitted as advancements were being
made from the old illogical practices. Lord Dalhousie made several improvements in the field of
education too. Dalhousie completely reorganised the education department as suggested by Sir
Charles Wood, who recommended Anglo Vernacular schools in the districts, colleges in the
towns and a university in each of the three presidencies.

In 1856, Dalhousie’s term as the Governor-General of India came to an end, and he left for
Britain. On returning, he received a pension of 5000 pounds. However, he was not given a post
there, and he died an early death in 1860. His eight years in India were full of important events in
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every sphere. He remains one of the greatest imperialists the world has ever witnessed, and the
Sikh and Burmese wars are glaring examples of his naked imperialism. Even though his reforms
and annexation policies brought about many revolts including the Revolt of 1857, he was a
successful administrator. The railway, post, and telegraph systems indeed paved the way for the
modernisation of India. Many places in India have been named after Lord Dalhousie to mark his
achievements, and the most prominent one is a hill station in Himachal Pradesh.
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Works Cited

Das, M. N., and M. M. Das. “DALHOUSIE AND THE REFORM OF THE POSTAL
SYSTEM.” Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, vol. 21, 1958, pp. 488–495. JSTOR,
JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44145245.

Ballhatchet, Kenneth A. “James Andrew Broun Ramsay, Marquess and 10th Earl of Dalhousie.”
Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 15 Apr. 2018,
www.britannica.com/biography/James-Andrew-Broun-Ramsay-Marquess-of-Dalhousie.

Ghosh, Suresh Chandra. “The Utilitarianism of Dalhousie and the Material Improvement of
India.” Modern Asian Studies, vol. 12, no. 1, 1978, pp. 97–110. JSTOR, JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/311824.

Pollak, Oliver B. “A Mid-Victorian Coverup: The Case of the ‘Combustible Commodore’ and
the Second Anglo-Burmese War, 1851-1852.” Albion: A Quarterly Journal Concerned with
British Studies, vol. 10, no. 2, 1978, pp. 171–183. JSTOR, JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/4048341.

Gorman, Mel. “Sir William O'Shaughnessy, Lord Dalhousie, and the Establishment of the
Telegraph System in India.” Technology and Culture, vol. 12, no. 4, 1971, pp. 581–601. JSTOR,
JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3102572.