James Broun-Ramsay, First Marquess of Dalhousie

British colonial administrator

• Born: April 22, 1812
• Birthplace: Dalhousie Castle, Midlothian, Scotland
• Died: December 19, 1860
• Place of death: Dalhousie Castle, Midlothian, Scotland

In a long career as a colonial administrator, Dalhousie’s greatest accomplishment was the development of a communications system linking all of India while he was governor-general there.

Early Life

James Andrew Broun Ramsay was the youngest of three brothers. His father, George, the ninth earl of Dalhousie, served with distinction during the Peninsular War from 1812 to 1814, and from 1819 to 1828, he was captain-general and governor-in-chief of Canada. Christina, his mother, was the heir of Charles Broun of Colstoun. In 1816, the ninth earl became lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia, and Ramsay accompanied his father and mother to their new home. In 1817, the Ramsays learned that James’s middle brother, Charles, had died of the measles. Further sadness struck in 1832, when Ramsay’s elder brother died of rheumatism. Ramsay now became the heir to the title.

Ramsay received his early education from a private tutor, but in 1825, he entered Harrow. For the next two years, Ramsay was an energetic if not devoted student, occupying his time in playing cards, smoking, and drinking. These activities led to his withdrawal from the school at the end of 1827. In 1829, he entered Oxford, from which he received his B.A. in 1833.

Early in his life, Ramsay showed a predilection for introspection. In 1824, at the age of twelve, he began a diary that he continued until the end of his official career. Already, the sensitivity on which his contemporaries were later to remark was evident, as was a hint of melancholy. His physical appearance, along with this sensitivity, at first suggested weakness, for he was both short and small. His profile showed his true strength, however, in the aquiline nose, straight brows, and firm mouth. Ramsay’s melancholic temperament did show itself with time, spurred by the death of his two brothers, the paralytic stroke suffered by his father in 1832 and his death in 1838, the death the following year of his mother, and the untimely death of his wife in 1853.

During the mid-1830’s, Ramsay entered public life, standing as a Conservative candidate for the city of Edinburgh, where he was defeated. In 1836, he married Lady Susan Hay, the daughter of the marquis of Tweeddale, a political ally. Standing for election again in 1837, this time in Haddingtonshire, he was successful, but he was forced to give up his seat on his accession to the earldom at his father’s death in 1838.

Life’s Work

In the House of Lords, Dalhousie gained confidence under the eye of the duke of Wellington, whose personal regard for the ninth earl was immense. Sir Robert Peel appointed him to his first government position, vice president of the Board of Trade, in 1843. In this capacity, Dalhousie concerned himself with the burgeoning railway system in Great Britain. His abilities were recognized by the leaders of both parties, and in 1847, Lord John Russell appointed him governor-general of the British possessions in India .

Dalhousie immediately faced the problems created by the Second Sikh War. The question of the annexation of the Punjab was instrumental in setting Dalhousie’s policy of British expansionism for the rest of his term in office. Following the defeat of the Sikh army at Gujarat, Dalhousie decided that the British would rule the Punjab directly, rather than through a local prince, and on March 29, 1849, he declared the Punjab a British province. This move established a precedent, which was often invoked in subsequent years.

Dalhousie also took steps to abolish rituals and traditions fundamental to Indian society. The practice of suttee was suppressed and the right of Hindu widows to remarry established, as were the rights of converts from Hinduism. In addition, Dalhousie advanced a plan for a system of education that would extend throughout India, and he drew India together by erecting telegraph lines, building railroads, instituting a cheap postal service, and completing the Great Trunk Road that connected Peshawar, Bombay, Calcutta, and Delhi.

During the 1850’s, Dalhousie’s policy of outright annexation of territory proceeded apace. Upon the cessation of hostilities in the Second Burmese War in 1851, Dalhousie proclaimed Lower Burma a British province under the same guidelines as the Punjab. The province of Oudh also was annexed because of “misgovernment” on the part of its rulers. At the same time, Dalhousie declared that the traditional practice by which a childless rajah adopted an heir would no longer be recognized by the government. Any territory without a legitimate heir would automatically come under direct British rule. Nagpur, Jhansi, and Sattara fell to British control in this manner.

The annexation policies of Dalhousie contributed greatly to the general anti-British feeling in India. The suppression of both Hindu and Muslim traditions, especially his refusal to recognize the right of adopted sons to carry on royal lines, created a backlash against his policies. At the same time that Dalhousie was attempting to build what he considered a better society, Indians were preparing to reaffirm and, if necessary, reassert by force their age-old customs. The rumor that new cartridges for the use of the sepoys in the Indian Army in 1857 were greased with pig and cow fat was the trigger. The Indian Mutiny followed and Dalhousie was ordered back to Great Britain.

Dalhousie’s health suffered greatly while he was in India. His wife had died unexpectedly in 1853, and his habit of overwork drained his energies. The disappointment and anguish of the mutiny diminished his strength further and he went directly to Dalhousie Castle on arrival in Great Britain. He died there on December 19, 1860. He was survived by his two daughters.

Significance

The first marquis of Dalhousie’s reputation has suffered much from studies blaming him for the onset of the Sepoy Mutiny. While these works are not wrong in assuming that Dalhousie was largely unaware of the tremendous tensions developing in India through the 1850’s, many of the preconditions for rebellion existed prior to Dalhousie’s regime.

Dalhousie must also be considered as the architect of modern geographical India. The building of roads and telegraph systems as well as the beginning of railroad construction date from his tenure as governor-general and rank among his most cherished accomplishments. Although subsequent rulers developed this web of communication and transportation further, Dalhousie set out its parameters and planned its expansion. Nevertheless, Dalhousie was also an archetype of the British colonial administrator. His educational reforms aimed not at creating schools in which Indians might become literate but rather institutions in which future clerks and minor officials could learn English and join in administering the empire.

Dalhousie’s decision to put aside the inheritance rights of adopted sons of native princes spread direct rule by the British throughout India. In short, Dalhousie demonstrated his belief that Western, and specifically English, ways were inherently superior to those of India, and he set about, piece by piece, undermining all Indian customs he deemed either barbaric or detrimental to the proper workings of the empire.

Finally, Dalhousie was extraordinarily conscientious and hardworking. A day’s work was not over until his desk was clear. While this heavy load almost certainly contributed to his early death, colonial affairs proceeded more smoothly during his tenure in India than they ever had before, primarily as a result of Dalhousie’s intelligence and attention to detail. Dalhousie set an example for colonial administrators of every nation.

Bibliography

Bayly, C. A. Indian Society and the Making of the British Empire. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1987. Outlines British expansion and administration in India, including information on Dalhousie’s policies and governance. One of the volumes in The New Cambridge History of India.

James, Lawrence. Raj: The Making and Unmaking of British India. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1998. A history of British rule in India, containing information on Dalhousie’s administration and policies.

Lee-Warner, Sir William. The Life of the Marquis of Dalhousie K.T. 2 vols. New York: Macmillan, 1904. Although outdated in style and interpretation, Lee-Warner’s work remains the most comprehensive biography of Dalhousie. Lee-Warner had access to all of Dalhousie’s private papers and was himself stationed in India.

Lloyd, T. O. The British Empire, 1558-1983. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1984. A general account of Great Britain’s imperial expansion and decline. Allows comparison of Indian policies generally, and Dalhousie’s specifically, with other territories and times.

Mason, Philip. The Men Who Ruled India. London: Jonathan Cope, 1985. A study covering the period from 1600 to 1947. Mason’s work provides valuable material about the middle-level bureaucrats who carried out and often opposed Dalhousie’s policies.

Moore, R. J. Sir Charles Wood’s Indian Policy, 1853-66. Manchester, England: Manchester University Press, 1966. Provides an account of Indian policy from the point of view of the home government. Moore admits that Dalhousie must shoulder some of the blame for the Sepoy Mutiny but argues that his later years in office more than made up for his early stumbles. Valuable for its perspective of Dalhousie’s policies.