GOVERNORS-ENERAL During British Period

WARREN HASTINGS (1772-1785) He came as the Governor of Bengal for two years. In 1774, under the Regulating Act (1773), he became the Governor-General. The important events of his reign were: doing away with the system of dual government; transfer of the treasury from Murshidabad to Calcutta; collection of revenue taken over by the Company; appointment of the Board of Rev­enue; giving of land to the highest bidder; establishment of the Sadar Diwani Ada/at (Supreme Civil Court) and the Sadar Nizamat Ada/at (Supreme Criminal Court); compila­tion of a simple code of laws; reduction in the allowances of princely states; sale of the districts of Kara and Allahabad to the Nawab of Avadh; Regulating Act 1773; Rohilla War 1774; execution of Nand Kumar; First Anglo-Maratha War; Second Anglo-Mysore War; deposition of Chet Singh and affairs of the Begums of Avadh; Pitt's India Act (1784). Warren Hastings resigned in 1785. While in England, he was impeached under the charge of taking bribes. He was exonerated in the end.

LORD CORNWALLIS (1786-1793)

Lord Cornwallis suc­ceeded Sir John Macpherson (1785-1786). The important events of his reign were: abolition of all the superfluous posts; increase in pay of the Company's servants; ban on private trade; establishment of lower grade courts; appoint­ment of district judges; establishment of appellate courts; code of conduct for the police; abolition of severe punish­ments; the Permanent Settlement of Bengal (1793); giving of land on permanent basis to the zamindars instead of the highest bidder every year; and Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790-1792).

SIR JOHN SHORE (1793-1798) He is famous for his policy of non-intervention.
LORD WELLESLEY (1798-1805) He was a seasoned politician and a great imperialist. The important events of his reign were: Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799); Second Anglo-MarathaWar (1803); Third Anglo-Maratha War (1804­1805); Annexation of Thanjavur, Surat and the Carnatic; and the Subsidiary Alliance-a system to keep the Indian rulers under control and to make the British the paramount power.

SIR GEORGE BARLOW (1805-1807) After the recall of Lord Wellesley, Lord Cornwallis was appointed Governor­General for a second time. But he died after a few months and was succeeded by Sir George Barlow. He followed a policy of non-intervention and the only important event of his reign was the mutiny at Vellore in 1806.

LORD MINTO I (1807-1813) The chief events of his reign were: rebellion in Travancore (1808); unrest in Bundelkhand; Treaty of Amritsar (1809) signed with Ranjit Singh (by this treaty Sutlej was declared the southern boundary of Ranjit's dominions); and renewal of the Company's Charter 1813.

MARQUESS OF HASTINGS (1813-1823) He renounced the policy of non-intervention and instead adopted a policy of intervention and war. Some of the main events of his period were: establishment of several schools; appointment of Indians to high jobs of responsibility; regulations for the protection of tenants from the zamindars; war with Nepal (1814-1816); extermination of Pindaris; and Fourth Anglo­Maratha War (1817-1818).

LORD AMHERST (1823-1828) His administration is remembered for two events: the First Burmese War (1824­1826) and the fall of Bharatpur (1826).

LORD WILLIAM BENTINCK (1828-1835) He was the first Governor-General to take into consideration the duty of benefiting the people rather than mere expansion of power. His reforms included: prohibition of sati (1829); suppression of thuggee; banning of female infanticide and human sacrifices; imposition of tax on opium; reduction in salaries of civil servants; curtailment of Bhatta; abolition of appellate courts; creation of a new post of commissioner; addition of a law member (Macaulay) to the Executive Council; acceptance of English as the medium of instruction after Macaulay's recommendation; and opening of the first Indian medical college at Calcutta. His reign also witnessed the annexation of Mysore, Kachhar and Coorg; and treaties with Ranjit Singh in 1831 and with Amirs of Sind in 1832; and Charter Act of 1833.

SIR CHARLES METCALFE (1835-1836) He is remem­bered for removing the restrictions imposed on the vernacu­lar press.

LORD AUCKLAND (1836-1842) The most important event of his reign was the First Afghan War, which proved to be a disaster for the English.
LORDELLENBOROUGH (1843-1844) He brought end to the First Afghan War, annexed Sind to the Brit empire (1843), and invaded Gwalior.

LORD HARDINGE (1844-1848) He succeeded Willi, Bird who held the post for a very short period. The m important event of his reign was the First Sikh War (IS 1846). In the sphere of reforms, he exempted many co modities from excise and the tax on salt was also reduc to half. He further made eff0rts to abolish the sati sysb in the' Indian states.

LORD DALHOUSIE (1848-1856) He extended the e: pire. Events in his reign included: appointment of separc lieutenant-governor for Bengal; introduction of non-regu tion system in the newly-conquered territories and wi powers to the deputy commissioners; making Simla t summer capital; headquarters of artillery moved fr(J Calcutta to Meerut; shifting of army headquarters to Sim and formation of the Gorkha Regiment; founding of Pubi Works Department with the object of constructing at maintaining roads, canals, bridges, etc.; establishment the postal system on modern lines through the length at breadth of the country, which made communication easiE introduction of uniform system of postage; introduction the electric telegraph system; construction of the fir railway line in 1853 from Bombay to Thane; Sir Chari! Wood's Despatch on Education (1854) which recommende a graded educational system; and setting up of universitit at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras; beginning of competiti\ examinations for the Indian Civil Service; Widow Rema riage Act (1856); passing of law that if any person change his religion,. he would still inherit his ancestral propert.

Lord Dalhousie is famous for his Doctrine of Lapse. Th Second Anglo-Sikh War and the annexation of Punja (1849), Second Anglo-Burmese War, abolition of titles ani pensions, and Charter Act 1853 are other events.

LORD CANNING (1856-1862) The most importan event of his time was the First War of Indian Independeno or Mutiny of 1857. There were radical changes in the Britisl
administrative policies in India. After the Mutiny thi Government was transferred from the Company to thi British Crown. With the Queen's Proclamation of 1858 Canning was made the first Viceroy of India. During hi! time, a five percent income tax was imposed on all eariring beyond five hundred rupees a year; a uniform duty of ten percent was imposed on all important goods; levy on salt was enhanced; universities of Bombay, Calcutta and Madras were set up in 1857; High Courts were set up at Calcutta Madras and Bombay; a separate police department was se up in every province; and the Act of 1861 came into being.

LORD ELGIN (1862-1863) During his time, the Wahabis, a sect of the Muslims" on the north-western frontier of India rose in revolt, but they were suppressed.
SIR JOHN LAWRENCE (1864-1869) The chief events (Jf his time were: war with Bhutan (1865); famine in Orissa (1866); policy towards Afghanistan, known as the 'Policy of Masterly Inactivity'.