In transcribing the following paragraphs from the Internet Archive online version of The Imperial Gazetteer’s entry on British India — modern South Asia — I have expanded the divided the long entry into separate documents, expanded abbreviations for easier reading, and added paragraphing and links to material in the Victorian Web. The charts are in the original. This discussion of British India has particular importance because it immediately precedes the 1857 Mutiny and the subsequent major shift in its status as it came under the direct control of the British government rather than that of the East India Company, a private company.— George P. Landow]
Government. By an Act of Parliament, passed in 1833, which subtracted materially from the privileges previously possessed by the East India Company, the government of British India was vested in that company as trustees for the Crown, subordinate to the Board of Control established by Mr. Pitt’s India Bill in 1784. The Supreme Government, which has generally its seat in Bengal, consists of the Governor-General, and a Council of five members, one of whom is the Commander-in-Chief; two are members elected from amongst the civil servants of the company, one from amongst their military officers, and one member is chosen who does not belong to the service of the company, but is generally selected for his acquaintance with British law. The Governor-General is nominated by the Court of Directors, his appointment being subject to the approval of the sovereign, salary, £24,000. The Governor-General has the power to declare war, conclude peace, and make treaties of com merce and alliance. In conjunction with his Council, he makes laws and regulations which have force throughout the whole of the territories of British India, and amongst all the servants of the Company within the dominions of the native princes; and he may sometimes, of his own authority, act in opposition to all the members of his council; but, in such cases, he must fully record his reasons for so doing, and all his orders are subject to revision by the Court of Directors and Board of Control. The other members of the Supreme Council, except theCommander-in-Chief, are appointed by the Court of Directors, and must have resided in India for ten years; salary, £9,000. The fifth member of the Council has not the privilege of voting with the rest, except on making laws and regulations for British India. The Supreme Council is also the Council for the Presidency of Bengal. The Presidencies of Madras and Bombay have each their Governor and council of three members similarly appointed; the Governor receiving a salary of £12,000 annually. The Presidency of Agra remained distinct from that of Bengal for a short period only, under the title of the North-westestern Provinces; that territory has been again united to the Bengal Presidency, and is administered by a Lieutenant-Governor.
The Board of Control, as originally founded, consisted of six members, but the chief authority exercised is vested in its President, who is a cabinet member, and, under another name, Secretary of State for India. The Court of Directors of the East India Company, which nominates the Governors and Members of Council of the different Presidencies, is elected by a certain number amongst the holders of the capital stock of the company, which consists of £6,000,000, shared, in different proportions, amongst 3600 individuals. Proprietors of £1000 stock have each one vote; of £3000 two votes; of £6000 three votes; and of £10,000 or upwards four votes in the election of Directors, and of committees to form by-laws, and for the control of pensions beyond a certain amount, and the bestowal of rewards. Persons holding less than £1000 stock have no vote, although they may take a part in the discussions of the court. The court consists of twenty-four Directors, who must be born or naturalized subjects of Great Britain, and possessed of at least £2000 stock. Six members of the court retire annually from the direction, but are re-eligible after the lapse of 12 months; each member of the court has a salary of £300 per annum (the chairman £500).
For despatch of business the court is divided into three committees, respectively undertaking the finance and home, the political and military, and the revenue and judicial departments. There is a secret committee, composed of the chairman, deputy-chairman, and another member, who decide concerning political proceedings to be undertaken by the company. From this court proceed, on all ordinary occasions, instructions relative to the management of our Indian empire; but a draft of every despatch sent thither must be first submitted to the approval of the Board of Control; and the court is bound to lay annually before Parliament an account of its revenue and expenditure for the preceding year. [II, 1271-72]
Bibliography
Blackie, Walker Graham. The Imperial Gazetteer: A General Dictionary of Geography, Physical, Political, Statistical and Descriptive. 4 vols. London: Blackie & Son, 1856. Internet Archive. Inline version of a copy in the University of California Library. Web. 7 November 2018.
Last modified 5 December 2018