Lord John Lawrence 1864-1869
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.
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 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 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.
