SOAS Research Online

Abstract

This is a study of British policies in Sind and their impact on the country during the period 1843-65. In 1843 Sind was conquered and added to the British dominions in India. The new rulers possessed little information about the country but were optimistic about the possibilities of reform which would transform the country from a backward 'oriental despotism' into a modem progressive state. Faced with the actual task of administration the British found the transformation more difficult to bring about than had been Imagined. Initial policies and preconceptions had inevitably to be modified in view of the prevalent conditions. The study is divided into the major fields in which government policy was formulated and applied. The first chapter describes the existing mechanics of administration and their adaptation under British rule. The second describes the policy towards the old governing class and the attempt to create a class of local coadjutors. The third chapter deals with the development of the policy of land revenue assessment and its effects on the existing system of land tenure. Closely interconnected with the question of land revenue was the problem of irrigation. The government policies with regard to irrigation are discussed in the fourth chapter. The efforts to develop trade and the consequent need to improve communications are discussed in chapter V. The establishment of the vernacular as the official language of administration and the development of the educational policy are discussed in chapter VI. The final chapter draws some general conclusions about the policies followed, the success or failure attending them and the trends of future development. The twenty years were a period of experiment. With certain key figures Napier, Frere, Jacob and Clerk as administrators, it forms a cohesive period during which fundamental, decisions of policy were made which were to point to the future development of the country.