Dalhousie's Address to the Court of Directors

Paper Summary:

This paper is a close textual commentary of one part of Lord Dalhousie's address to the Court of Directors of the East India Company, written in 1856. It follows the main ideas of the text and is organized in three parts. The first one concentrates on the new British annexations in India, the second addresses the economic advantages of the situation and the reforms carried out. Finally, the paper attempts to reveal what Dalhousie has chosen not to say in his report. The purpose of this commentary is to show historical events under an unbiased light and at the same time to explain a text that does not take into account all sides of the problem of British Imperialism. Dalhousie text is included as an Appendix of this paper. This is a textual commentary and was written for an oral presentation during a history of the British Empire class.

From the Paper:

"The period 1943 - 1856 marked the end of the process of expansion and the consolidation of the British Raj. The second half of the 1850s witnessed the climax of mid-Victorian power, prosperity and enterprise. In England, the predominant philosophy was that of adaptation and improvement. After the definitive annexation of new territories, British power and prestige seemed to be finally asserted and the period is, therefore, often referred to as one of "British supremacy" or "British paramountcy". The political and economic philosophies that ruled internal affairs were exported within the British Dominions - it was the age of the new Indian schools, of the first Indian railway lines, of uniform postage, and of the Indian telegraph. The text at hand illustrates British attitudes to the Empire during that period and, as a primary source document, provides a detailed report on British activity in India. It is delivered by Lord Dalhousie to the Court of Directors of the East India Company. James Andrew Broun Ramsay Marquess and 10th Earl of Dalhousie (1812 - 1860) spent 8 years in India (from 1848 to 1856), fought two wars (the II Sikh and II Burmese wars), worked on a number of reforms, and occupied the post of Governor General."

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