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Lord John Lawrence 1864-1869

Published: October 17, 2011

Lord John Lawrence served as Governor General and Viceroy of

India from 1864 to 1869. The important aspects of his tenure include
Great famines of Odisha, Rajputana and Bundelkhand, Famine
Commissions, Opening of telegraphic lines between Europe and
India, enactment of Punjab Tenancy Act, War with Bhutan, the policy
of “masterly inactivity” etc.

Contents [hide]

Previous Records in Punjab

Policy Towards Afghanistan: The Policy of masterly inactivity
Bhutan War 1864-65
Orissa Famine 1866
Other events during Lord Lawrence’s time

Previous Records in Punjab

Lord John Lawrence was not a new face in India. He had brilliantly
organized the supply of the British army in Punjab during the First
Anglo Sikh war of 1845-1846 and was made the commissioner of the
Jalandhar. In the second Anglo Sikh War, he was appointed as the
member of the Punjab Board of Administration under his elder
brother Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence. Some reforms such as
abolition of internal duties, establishment of a common currency and
postal system, and development of Punjabi infrastructure made him
popular and he was ‘by some’ people called “the Saviour of the
Punjab”. He was partially able to prevent the Sikhs enter into mutiny
due to his popular image and a general Sikh detest towards the
Mughals.
While appointed at Punjab, Lawrence had made an agreement with
the Afghan leader Dost Muhammad Khan, but during his tenure as
Viceroy, he adopted a cautious policy and avoided the conflicts with
the Afghans and Persians.
Policy Towards Afghanistan: The Policy of masterly inactivity
Lord Lawrence was cautious in dealing with the Afghanistan and
Persia. On the death of Dost Mohammed, on June 9, 1863, Sher Ali,
the third son and acknowledged heir of the Dost, was recognized as
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Amir of Afghanistan by Lawrence, and his son, Mohammed Ali, as

heir apparent. But then there was a long civil war in Afghanistan in
which two older sons of the Dost, Afzal and Azum, obtained
possession of most of Afghanistan, and were partially recognized as
de facto rulers by Lawrence, who at the same time refused to
withdraw his recognition from Sher Ali. The latter soon won his way
back to power, and in 1869 was able to notify Lawrence that he was
once more in complete control. Lawrence’s policy had been ” that we
will leave the Afghans to settle their own quarrels, and that we are
willing to be on terms of amity and goodwill with the nation and with
their rulers de facto,’‘ This is known as policy of masterly inactivity.

Kindly note here that the policies of Lord Elgin (1862-63),

Lord Lawrence (1864-69), Lord Mayo (1869-72) and Lord
Northbrook (1872-76) are collectively called the period of
Policy of masterly inactivity. The main object of the British
policy during this period was let things go quietly on to give
the land rest. It was opposite to the “Forward Policy” of Lord
Lytton.

Bhutan War 1864-65

The British had established relations with Bhutan in 1826. The British
wanted to occupy hilly routes because the Bhutanis were raiding
Bengal and Assam through these routes. To start the negotiations,
Lord Elgin had sent Ashley, but the Bhutanese forced him to sign a
humiliating treaty whereby the British were to surrender Duars to the
Bhutan. When this was known to British Government, it immediately
repudiated the treaty and sent an army against Bhutan. The British
army received some setback in the beginning but later this Bhutan
war or Duar War ended in the defeat of the Bhutanese army. The
peace was brought by “Treaty of Sinchula” signed on 11 November
1865. Bhutan ceded territories in the Assam Duars and Bengal
Duars, as well as around 80,000 kilometers of Dewangiri (Deothang)
to British in return for an annual subsidy of 50,000 rupees.
Orissa Famine 1866
The Orissa famine of 1866 followed a severe drought and destruction
of the Rice Crop. The government imported rice but it reached only
when millions of people starved to death. This exposed the inability
of the government to deal with the famine situation in Orissa, resulted
in a fearful loss of life. The famine was followed by devastating
floods. The famine and floods claimed life of around 40-50 Lakh
people in 2 years, mainly due to outbreak of cholera and malaria. A
similar kind of famine affected Bundelkhand and Rajputana also. The

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government established the Famine Commission under Henery

Kempbell. Emphasis was laid down for infrastructure development
so that the relief reaches in time.
Other events during Lord Lawrence’s time
Submarine telegraphy system started in 1865 between India and
Europe via Persian Gulf. The Punjab and Oudh Tenancy acts were
passed in 1868. Sir John Lawrence retired in January, 1869. Lord
Mayo succeeded Lord Lawrence in 1869.

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