The East India Company and the British Empire in the Far East.

Abstract

IN this attractively written volume Mrs. Wilbur traces the growth of European influence in the East with special reference to the development of the English East India Company. It is probably intended for American readers, and, as such, serves a useful purpose. After stressing the rivalry of the Portuguese, Dutch, French, and English in their quest for Eastern trade, she outlines the development of British paramountcy from the governor-generalship of Lord Wellesley to the assumption of control by the Crown in i858. Less detailed chapters bring the tale down to the present day. In attempting to compress within the limits of a single volume the whole story of British rule in India, Mrs. Wilbur has set herself a task whose complexity cannot be exaggerated. Her verdict is favourable and she has refrained from ransacking the polemics of Indian history for incidents discreditable to the British connection. It is when she attempts to portray the history of the real India beyond the walls of the English settlement that her narrative is weakest. The historical importance of the Deccan does not date from the twelfth century. This is hardly fair to the Andhras, Chalukyas, and Rashtrakutas. Neither is it correct to assert that the Deccan was absorbed by Vijayanagar. A well-deserved tribute is paid to Warren Hastings, but Cornwallis is given more than his due. When the evil effects of the Permanent Settlement of Bengal and the loss of prestige resulting from his policy of non-intervention are remembered, it is difficult to agree that his leadership was incomparable. A few minor slips will require correction in future editions. The Orissa of Clive's diwani grant was merely a small tract around modern Midnapore and not a rich province. No fine was imposed on Raja Chait Singh of Benares, although Hastings expressed his intention of doing so. On page 360, the Hindu raja of the restored Wodeyan dynasty in Mysore is given the Muslim name of Hyder Ali. Ranjit Singh's territories, in i8o8, did not include the whole of the Panjab. His important conquests came later. Finally, Dalhousie did not invent the doctrine of lapse. Neither was the annexation of O'Udh in accordance with this doctrine. With these exceptions, the author is to be congratulated on having produced a readable and unbiased account of British rule in India.