as the new power had risen, and there was no longer a question that, but for the English intervention, Tippoo Sooltan would inevitably have defeated both. Notwithstanding the just ground of the war and its necessity- -as well to preserve the Carnatic and repress ambitious violence, as to maintain a balance of power among the native States of India-the conduct of Lord Cornwallis was severely arraigned in England, where the idea of territorial conquest was still foreign to the people, and the peculiar political conditions of the several native powers necessarily very imperfectly known. Could it have been understood, that all, with few exceptions, were, so to speak, political adventurers; that the most powerful had, within a comparatively short period, obtained their dominions by usurpation and violence; that each was striving, or prepared to strive, for a general mastery—the position of England might well have been recognised as a military power, prepared to strike in the general mélée and win what it could. This however, could not be; and the national feeling against territorial acquisition, or aggression in any form, was sedulously maintained, and became modified only by necessities which could not be anticipated. No one had laboured more earnestly to impress upon Lord Cornwallis the necessity of avoiding war and conquest, than Mr. Pitt and Mr. Dundas, backed by the Court of Directors; and it was impossible for any one to have assented to their views more decidedly than Lord Cornwallis, when he accepted the office of governor-general; yet the violent ambition of one native power had rendered immediate action unavoidable, and in due time the war policy of Lord Cornwallis became thoroughly appreciated and approved by his country. The triumph of the Mysore war was, however, only an episode of Lord Cornwallis's administration. It is on deeper foundations that his reputation as a statesman deserves to rest. Warren Hastings, whose efforts in reference to executive government have already been detailed, had in effect done little more than prepared the way; and the first three years of Lord Cornwallis's incumbency had been devoted to checking abuses, and placing the duties and responsibilities of public servants on a proper footing. These measures had been attended with very satisfactory results and the field was open to the governor-general to proceed to further, and more enlarged, measures in relation to the collection of revenue, and the administration of justice. If Hastings had remedied some evils, by abolishing the double government, Lord Cornwallis was now to prescribe a future policy of more comprehensive executive administration. Land tenure It would be necessarily beyond the scope of this and revenue. manual to enter upon the varied and intricate ques recommend a ment. tions of the tenures of land in Bengal and the condition of its occupants. As in all other provinces of India, the Moghul settlements by survey and valuation of land in the time of the Emperor Akbur had decided the amount of revenue to be paid. So also in Bengal; but these settlements had become obsolete in most respects. Increase or decrease of population and cultivation, the value of produce and money, had affected all; and the hereditary position of the collectors of revenue, with whom the subsequent Moghul governments had not interfered, had given them those prescriptive rights of which they were found in possession. Such was the state of affairs when the English obtained the imperial grant of Bengal: and the subsequent regulations of affairs were a succession of temporary makeshifts to secure the largest amount of revenue from year to year. Inquiries had led to the collection of information; but it was ill-digested and only very par- The Court of tially understood in England. Nevertheless, on April Directors 12, 1786, the directors wrote a long and evidently land settledeeply considered dispatch on the subject, condemning many former practices, and recommending a settlement with the hereditary Talookdars, or revenue officers, for a period of ten years, to be made permanent, if it should work satisfactorily. This dispatch can hardly be termed the basis of Lord Cornwallis's proceedings, for his measure was founded upon independent sources of observation and inquiry; and he now proposed to bestow upon the Zemindars of Bengal the property of the soil, The perpetual and to fix the revenue to be derived from it in per- settlement. petuity, as far as the demand of Government was concerned. The only reservation was in favour of the cultivators, who were to be protected by leases: but were not thereby defended from increase of demand. Mr. Shore, to whose abilities Lord Cornwallis owed his knowledge of detail, opposed a permanent settlement very strenuously: and the question being referred for the decision of the Home Government, which approved of the perpetual settlement, the measure was finally proclaimed in Bengal on March 22, 1793. Although it relieved present apprehensions, and certainly inspired confidence, it is very questionable whether the ad- Merits of the vantages have in any degree counterbalanced the dis- measure. advantages which have proceeded from this measure. It established a local aristocracy and created immense private wealth. On the other hand, it depressed the cultivators to an extent hardly realisable. It secured the existing demands of Government without fluctuation; but provided nothing against the possible necessities of the State, while it alienated the prospective advantages, which would have been enormous; and it required additional legislation for years, to prevent that very oppression of the people which it was desired to avert. As to the native aristocracy, it is very questionable, except in a few instances, whether it has raised itself above its original condition; but the national covenant has never been infringed, all temptations and necessities to the contrary notwithstanding. The judicial reforms of Lord Cornwallis are in many respects open to objection; but were received, as was their due, with admiration for their advance upon existing institutions. He separated the office of judge from that of collector of revenue, and established separate civil courts in every district for the trial of native suits, with four general courts of appeal, and a final appeal from any one of them to the Sudder Dewány Court of Calcutta. The criminal courts were presided over by judges of the civil courts in rotation, who held sessions: and the Mahomedan law, as interpreted by native officers attached to them, became the basis of their decisions. Sir Elijah Impey's code was remodelled ; but it is doubtful whether it was improved, and the appointment of native officers, called daróghas, who had minor jurisdictions, proved in the sequel unfortunate. It was equally to be regretted also that the service was closed to all natives, except in the most inferior positions; but reform, in this material respect and others, was only to ensue upon the bitter experience of years. Lord Cornwallis, having concluded his administrative acts in Bengal, proceeded to Madras, intending to take command of au army against the French, with whom a new war had begun; but he found that his intended operations against Pondicherry had been anticipated, in the surrender of the town to Colonel Braithwaite, and he embarked for England in October 1793, and was succeeded by Sir John Shore, a civil servant of Bengal, in connection with whom the great land settlement of Bengal had been effected, and who, in virtue of the commission sent to him from England, assumed charge of his office on October 28, 1793. Meanwhile, the expiration of the period of charter had brought about new discussions in England in regard to the continuance of the company's monopoly of trade with India, and its extension was opposed by the mercantile interests of England, with much ability. The ministry, however, supported the claims of the company; and the prosperous state of the Indian finances justified Mr. Dundas in pointing to them as a result of good management with which interference would be inexpedient. The merchants of England were not, however, satisfied: and free trade to the amount of 3,000 tons per year became a clause in the new charter, Judicial questions. Lord Cornwallis returns to England. Sir John Shore succeeds. Opposition to renewal of the company's inonopoly. A limited free trade established. missions are which was to continue for twenty years. Hitherto all applications mitted. CHAPTER VI. MAHRATTA AFFAIRS, 1793 TO 1795. Hindostan. Holkar. SINDIA had not become a party to the treaty of Poona against Tippoo Sooltan. He had demanded the protection of Sindia's prohis territory by the English during his absence at the ceedings in war, and two battalions to be attached to his forces; and with these terms, which would have had the effect of neutratralising the good feeling of Nana Furnawees, Lord Cornwallis did not comply. On June 20, 1790, Sindia's forces had defeated Ismail Beg, who was still in the field on his own account, in a bloody battle near Pátun, with the loss of all his artillery and ten battalions of infantry, who laid down their arms. In 1791 the Rajpoots again took the field; but were defeated on September 12, when peace ensued, on their promise to pay an annual tribute. Sindia's prosperity and the completeness of his army were now viewed with intense jealousy by Holkar, and he took the Chevalier Dudrenec into his service, for the purpose of raising a Rivalry of similar disciplined force to that of his rival. Holkar was, of the two, the favourite at Poona, and was employed by Nana Furnawees to operate as a check against Sindia's power; but Sindia, who was perhaps apprehensive that a too prolonged absence from Poona might operate to his disadvantage, set out Sindia profor the Deccan, taking with him the insignia of the ceeds to the Péshwah's office, which he had obtained from the emperor. He reached Poona on June 11; and though opposed by Nana Furnawees, the permission of the Rajah of Sattara was obtained to the investiture of the young Péshwah with the honorary robes and jewels, and the ceremony was carried Investiture of out with gorgeous pomp ; but it was hardly questionable the Peshwah. that the representatives of the ancient Mahratta families viewed the reception of honours from a pageant emperor with dissatisfaction and contempt. Mahdoo Ráo Péshwah, a high-spirited and generous youth, was delighted with Sindia, whom he found to be Deccan. MM a frank, free soldier: and the intercourse with him was very different and far more agreeable than that with his guardian and minister, Nana. Sindia hoped to gain over the youth to his interests and policy; Nana's policy was to prevent his effecting this object. Holkar's by Sindia's. While these intrigues were in action at Poona, Sindia's and Holkar's forces, which had been acting in concert in Hindostan for the collection of tribute, came into collision on a division of plunder, and one of the severest actions on Mahratta record was fought between them at Lukhairee, near Ajmere. Holkar's forces were routed, and his disciplined infantry, under Dudreforces routed nec, almost annihilated, with the loss of thirty-eight guns. On receipt of this news at Poona, Nana called up Puréshrám Bhow with 2,000 horse; and, on the other hand, Sindia sent for an infantry brigade to reinforce the detachment which had accompanied him. What might have been the result of these movements it is difficult to conjecture; but at a crisis when Nana, despairing of recovering his authority, had besought the Péshwah to allow him to retire to Benares, Mahadajee Sindia died of fever at Wurólee, near Poona, on February 12, 1794. He left no issue, but he had declared Dowlut Ráo, son of his youngest brother, Anund Ráo, to be his heir; and this election, though it had not been consucceeds him. firmed by formal adoption, was recognised by the whole of the confederate Mahratta chieftains. At that time, Dowlut Ráo was less than fifteen years of age, and it would necessarily be some time before he could take a part in public affairs. Nana Furnawees, therefore, continued to exercise, now without interruption, the whole authority of the Mahratta nation. Dowlut Rán Death of There had remained many questions for settlement between the Nizam and the Mahrattas, in which no progress had been made since the interview between him and Nana Furnawees at Yátgeer, before their brief war with Tippoo, and many of these were of old standing. On the other hand the Nizam preferred claims upon the Mahrattas; and it is probable, if both had agreed to submit them to Lord Cornwallis, they would have been amicably settled; but there can be little doubt that each party was jealous of the English success, though both had benefited by it, and the English was the last power to be resorted to, as from its decision there could be no appeal. But after the departure of Lord Cornwallis, the Nizam, pressed by the Mahrattas for a settlement, applied for a treaty of guarapplication to antee to Sir John Shore, who, foreseeing that the grant of it would cause offence to the Mahrattas, refused to consent. This transaction became known to Nana The Nizam's Sir John Shore is refused. Disputes between the Nizam and the Mahrattas. |