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This series focuses on South Asia during the colonial period. It includes contemporary accounts of European trade and settlement there, from the arrival of the East India companies to the full-blown colonial administration of the Victorian period, as well as works describing the earlier history of the region for the benefit of European readers.

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97 results in Cambridge Library Collection - South Asian History

Page 4 of 5

The Agrarian System of Moslem India
  • A Historical Essay with Appendices
  • W. H. Moreland
  • Published online:
    05 February 2012
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1929
  • Like many British authors of books about India before independence, William Harrison Moreland (1868–1938) had worked as a civil servant in the subcontinent. He spent twenty-five years in the North-West Provinces, and for twelve years he was Director of Land Records and Agriculture. He was committed to improving the agricultural system of the region, and even established an agricultural college in Kanpur. After he retired, he decided to examine old land and revenue records, resulting in this work, which was published in 1929. Starting in the thirteenth century, the book gives a historical context to the changing land use and revenue practices in India. Moreland also examines the role of religious law and the influence of successive regimes and rulers on the development of agrarian practices as well as on the lives and work of India's peasantry.

Correspondence of Charles, First Marquis Cornwallis
  • Volume 3
  • Charles Cornwallis
  • Edited by Charles Ross
  • Published online:
    05 February 2012
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1859
  • Charles Cornwallis, first Marquis Cornwallis (1738–1805), was a highly influential colonial governor and British army officer, though he is best remembered for his role on the losing side in the American War of Independence (1775–1781). Cornwallis entered military service in 1757. Following the War of Independence, in 1786 he was appointed as first Governor General of India, where he instituted extensive military and civil reforms, and he became Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1797. These fascinating volumes, first published in 1858, contain personal letters and official dispatches written by Cornwallis during his long career. These letters vividly describe the historical and political context of events in which Cornwallis participated, and succinctly illustrate his character and personal motivations. These volumes are reissued from the second edition of 1859. Volume 3 contains correspondence from 1798 to 1805.

A Journey from Madras through the Countries of Mysore, Canara, and Malabar
  • Volume 2
  • Francis Buchanan
  • Published online:
    05 January 2012
    Print publication:
    09 June 2011
    First published in:
    1807
  • In 1800 Lord Wellesley, the British Governor General of India, appointed the surgeon and botanist Francis Buchanan (1762–1829) to conduct a survey of the kingdom of Mysore in the south of the country, which had recently been annexed by the East India Company. In the resulting three-volume report, first published in 1807, Buchanan (later known as Francis Hamilton) records the physical and human geography of this large area of southern India. He describes the agriculture, arts and commerce, indigenous religions and customs, natural history and society and antiquities of the regions through which he travelled, and illustrates his text with a map and engravings. Volume 2 covers Buchanan's travels west from Sira to southern Malabar and then northwards through that coastal region. Buchanan notes the breeds of cattle and sheep he observes there, and includes a detailed account of an iron mine and the smelting techniques it used.

A Journey from Madras through the Countries of Mysore, Canara, and Malabar
  • Volume 3
  • Francis Buchanan
  • Published online:
    05 January 2012
    Print publication:
    09 June 2011
    First published in:
    1807
  • In 1800 Lord Wellesley, the British Governor General of India, appointed the surgeon and botanist Francis Buchanan (1762–1829) to conduct a survey of the kingdom of Mysore in the south of the country, which had recently been annexed by the East India Company. In the resulting three-volume report, first published in 1807, Buchanan (later known as Francis Hamilton) records the physical and human geography of this large area of southern India. He describes the agriculture, arts and commerce, indigenous religions and customs, natural history and society and antiquities of the regions through which he travelled, and illustrates his text with a map and engravings. Volume 3 describes Buchanan's travels through the western coastal region of Canara, and his return across central Mysore to Madras. It contains an appendix on the state of commercial manufacturing in the region, the destinations of exports, and details of imports by land and sea.

A Journey from Madras through the Countries of Mysore, Canara, and Malabar
  • Volume 1
  • Francis Buchanan
  • Published online:
    05 January 2012
    Print publication:
    09 June 2011
    First published in:
    1807
  • In 1800 Lord Wellesley, the British Governor General of India, appointed the surgeon and botanist Francis Buchanan (1762–1829) to conduct a survey of the kingdom of Mysore in the south of the country, which had recently been annexed by the East India Company. In the resulting three-volume report, first published in 1807, Buchanan (later known as Francis Hamilton) records the physical and human geography of this large area of southern India. He describes the agriculture, arts and commerce, indigenous religions and customs, natural history and society and antiquities of the regions through which he travelled, and illustrates his text with a map and engravings. Volume 1 covers the early part of Buchanan's journey, from the British stronghold at Madras through Bangalore to Sira, an important strategic location for several earlier rulers. Buchanan focuses particularly on the agriculture of the region, noting the different varieties of rice under cultivation.

My Diary in India, in the Year 1858–9
  • Volume 1
  • William Howard Russell
  • Published online:
    05 January 2012
    Print publication:
    09 December 2010
    First published in:
    1860
  • William Howard Russell was sent to India by The Times to report on the conflict of 1857–1859 known as the Indian Mutiny. His previous work was in the Crimean War and his exposés of conditions there led to the sending of Florence Nightingale and her nurses, improvements to supplies and conditions, and to the demand for military and administrative reform. It was largely because of his contributions that war correspondence emerged as a branch of journalism. In his Indian diary, Russell criticises British snobbery as well as treatment of the Indians, and advocates leniency and conciliation. Volume 1 covers his journey to India and first impressions. It also contains some fascinating examples of first-hand coverage of the conflict and the reprisals following Lucknow and Cawnpore. Russell was horrified by such events, and concludes that only law reforms and non-military rule can ensure the prosperity of the Empire.

The History of British India
  • Volume 2
  • James Mill
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    02 December 2010
    First published in:
    1817
  • James Mill's three volume History of British India was published from 1817 to 1818 and became an immediate success. A friend of Jeremy Bentham and a follower of utilitarianism, Mill focuses more on historical processes than human interest. He uses extensive sources rather than first-hand experience to create, as his preface claims, an 'objective' yet 'critical' history, often making harsh judgements of the country and its people within the context of a wider theoretical framework. He also criticises the British involvement in India and the process of conquest, colonization, and administration, the intention being to encourage the reader to a greater understanding of historical processes, ideas, and institutions with a view to encouraging thorough reform. Volume 2 covers the period from the establishment of the Honourable East India Company in 1708 to East India Company Act of 1773, and from this to Pitt's India Act of 1784.

The Despatches, Minutes, and Correspondence of the Marquess Wellesley, K. G., during his Administration in India
  • Volume 3
  • Richard Colley Wellesley
  • Edited by Robert Montgomery Martin
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1837
  • Richard, Marquess Wellesley (1760–1842) became one of the most controversial politicians of his generation during his time as Governor-General of Bengal (1798–1805). Although this period saw him achieve territorial gains and military victories in India - including the defeat of Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore - the financial cost was considered too high. The East India Company Court of Directors in London disagreed with many of the changes he made, and Wellesley was forced to return to England. This five volume collection of papers, edited by the political activist and historian Robert Montgomery Martin (1800–1868), was published in 1836–1837 and documents Wellesley's period of office in India. Volume 3 covers the period 1802–1804, and focuses on Wellesley's turbulent relationship with the Court of Directors, to whom he had tendered his resignation, though he did not leave. It also refers to the ongoing conflict with the Maratha Empire.

Life of the Honourable Mountstuart Elphinstone
  • Volume 2
  • Thomas Edward Colebrooke
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1884
  • Mountstuart Elphinstone (1779–1859) was appointed through family influence to the East India Company, and arrived in India in 1796. He learnt Persian, and developed an interest in Indian literature and politics. After postings in Afghanistan and Poona he became Governor in 1819 of the recently acquired territory that became known as the Bombay Presidency. His biographer also had connections to India. Thomas Edward Colebrooke (1813–1890) was the son of British administrator and Sanskrit scholar Henry Thomas Colebrooke (1765–1837), and although he lived in England and served as an M. P., Colebrooke remained interested in colonial affairs. He had written about Elphinstone's life in 1861 for the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society and subsequently expanded his work into these two volumes, published in 1884. Volume 2 covers his years in Poona and Bombay, and his eventual return to England.

The Life of William Carey, D.D
  • Shoemaker and Missionary
  • George Smith
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    30 June 2011
    First published in:
    1885
  • George Smith (1833–1919) published this biography in 1885. Carey (1761–1834), a key figure in the nineteenth-century Protestant missionary movement and founding member of the Baptist Missionary Society, lived and worked as a missionary in India from 1793 till his death 41 years later. The biography is based on Carey's unpublished letters, personal papers, missionary records and the recollections of Carey's friends and colleagues in India. It focuses on Carey's educational work; his involvement in India's agriculture; the mission centres he established throughout India; and his translations of the Bible into Sanskrit, Bengali and many other Indian languages. Smith, a popular Victorian biographer and an expert on India and missionary activity there, paints a vibrant picture of Carey and his extraordinary life. The biography remains a key source for the nineteenth-century Protestant mission movement and for the work of one of its key figures.

Narrative of a Journey through the Upper Provinces of India, from Calcutta to Bombay, 1824–1825
  • Volume 2
  • Reginald Heber
  • Edited by Amelia Shipley Heber
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1828
  • Reginald Heber (1783–1826) was appointed as the second Anglican Bishop of Calcutta in 1823, having previously been connected with both the Church Missionary Society and the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge. At the time, the diocese of Calcutta covered all of India, and also southern Africa and Australia, and his short episcopate involved much travelling around his scattered flock. Heber's account of his travels in India and Sri Lanka was published by his widow Amelia in 1828, and expanded to three volumes in this third edition of 1828–1829, which provides a valuable description of the culture of India in the 1820s. Heber wrote positively about the moral character of Hindus, and identified faults as well as strengths in British rule in India. Volume 2 describes his travels from Cawnpore through Delhi, Agra and Jaipur to Baroda in north-west India, and includes much detail about Indian customs.

Narrative of a Journey through the Upper Provinces of India, from Calcutta to Bombay, 1824–1825
  • Volume 3
  • Reginald Heber
  • Edited by Amelia Shipley Heber
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1829
  • Reginald Heber (1783–1826) was appointed as the second Anglican Bishop of Calcutta in 1823, having previously been connected with both the Church Missionary Society and the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge. At the time, the diocese of Calcutta covered all of India, and also southern Africa and Australia, and his short episcopate involved much travelling around his scattered flock. Heber's account of his travels in India and Sri Lanka was published by his widow Amelia in 1828, and expanded to three volumes in this third edition of 1828–1829, which provides a valuable description of the culture of India in the 1820s. Heber wrote positively about the moral character of Hindus, and identified faults as well as strengths in British rule in India. Volume 3 covers his stay in Sri Lanka and his visit to southern India where he died, and includes a selection of his letters.

A History of the Mahrattas
  • Volume 2
  • James Grant Duff
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1826
  • One of the many famous 'administrator-historians' of India, James Grant Duff (1789–1858), Captain of the First Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry, first arrived in India as a cadet at the age of sixteen. Quickly mastering the Marathi, Urdu, and Persian languages, Duff became well known for his ability to cut through the cultural divide, and was regarded as a valuable resource for the East India Company's expansion of trade. His wide-ranging network of connections enabled him to obtain unrestricted access to state papers, documents and temple archives. Consequently, Duff's history is comprehensive and thorough; it served as the best history of its kind for decades. More specific than the first, this second volume covers the years 1740 to 1785, focusing on the increasing influence of Europeans, and the political relations between governors of different states and between the native population and the English.

A History of the Mahrattas
  • Volume 3
  • James Grant Duff
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1826
  • One of the many famous 'administrator-historians' of India, James Grant Duff (1789–1858), Captain of the First Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry, first arrived in India as a cadet at the age of sixteen. Quickly mastering the Marathi, Urdu, and Persian languages, Duff became well known for his ability to cut through the cultural divide, and was regarded as a valuable resource for the East India Company's expansion of trade. His wide-ranging network of connections enabled him to obtain unrestricted access to state papers, documents and temple archives. Consequently, Duff's history is comprehensive and thorough; it served as the best history of its kind for decades. This third and final volume covers the years 1784 to 1819, beginning with the dispute over Nurgood and ending with the final reduction and settlement of the Maratha territory.

A History of the Mahrattas
  • Volume 1
  • James Grant Duff
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1826
  • One of the many famous 'administrator-historians' of India, James Grant Duff (1789–1858), Captain of the First Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry, first arrived in India as a cadet at the age of sixteen. Quickly mastering the Marathi, Urdu, and Persian languages, Duff became well known for his ability to cut through the cultural divide, and was regarded as a valuable resource for the East India Company's expansion of trade. His wide-ranging network of connections enabled him to obtain unrestricted access to state papers, documents and temple archives. Consequently, Duff's history is comprehensive and thorough; it served as the best history of its kind for decades. This first volume includes preliminary observations on geography, climate, people, religion, and early history of the Maratha country. Its fourteen chapters detail the general history from 1000 CE to 1740, starting with the Islamic conquest of the Deccan.

A Short Historical Narrative of the Rise and Rapid Advancement of the Mahrattah State
  • To the Present Strength and Consequence it has Acquired in the East
  • Translated by James Kerr
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    27 January 2011
    First published in:
    1782
  • James Kerr, a captain in the East India Company, translated this Persian text on the history of the Marathas in India. Published in 1782, it was one of the first English works to appear on the subject. Its content was compiled for Kerr by a Hindustani using Persian manuscripts and oral tradition. The Marathas had replaced the Mughal emperors as controllers of a large part of the sub-continent by the beginning of the eighteenth century, and it was inevitable that they would come into conflict with the East India Company. At the time of publication, the first of the three Anglo–Maratha wars had just ended, and interest in Indian affairs was great. Kerr denies any claim to be a historian, or to offer an analysis of his sources. The narrative outlines the growth of Maratha power from the seventeenth century, and concludes with a glossary of Indian terms.

Trade in the Eastern Seas 1793–1813
  • Cyril Northcote Parkinson
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    10 June 2010
    First published in:
    1937
  • This 1937 work is framed as a maritime history as distinct from an economic history, and was highly acclaimed on first publication. Parkinson's focus is the activities of the East India Company in India and the East Indies between 1793 and 1815. Although a scholarly work, firmly founded on primary sources, it presents a potentially dry subject in a vivid and lively way which is extremely readable. Rather than narrating the history of the East India Company, Parkinson provides a series of descriptions of how it operated, the goods it traded, and the experiences of employees or passengers who sailed east. He reminds the modern reader of how fundamental the prevailing winds were to the trade routes, and the great discomforts of long sea voyages. This is a fascinating story of the realities of British economic involvement in India and the Far East during a key period of consolidation.

A Journey Through the Kingdom of Oude in 1849–1850
  • With Private Correspondence Relative to the Annexation of Oude to British India, etc.
  • Volume 2
  • W. H. Sleeman
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1858
  • Sir William Henry Sleeman (1788–1856) was a British soldier and administrator in India. While serving as Resident at the court of the King of Oude in Lucknow he travelled around the kingdom and made reports to the Governor-General regarding its proposed annexation by the East India Company. His letters and diaries reveal him as a capable and just administrator, who was at pains to weigh all the evidence for and against annexation, and who believed that reform of the existing administration would be possible. Sleeman described the kingdom of Oude as suffering from maladministration, lawlessness and corruption, but stressed that illegal annexation would lead to resentment and rebellion. This book, containing Sleeman's account of his journey and a selection of private correspondence, was originally published in Lucknow in 1852; this reissue reproduces the 1858 London edition. Volume 2 discusses the social and economic condition of the kingdom.

Sketch of the Political History of India from the Introduction of Mr. Pitt's Bill, A.D. 1784, to the Present Date
  • John Malcolm
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1811
  • This 'sketch' by John Malcolm (1769–1833), covers a relatively small period – from the introduction of the India Bill in 1784 to the book's publication in 1811. The bill marked the beginning of increased government control over the East India Company, and Malcolm had arrived in India the year before it was passed and had an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of British influence and ambitions in India. In over five hundred pages, he examines governance in India, covering the administrations of Lord Cornwallis, Sir John Shore and Marquis Wellesley, all of whom he served under in increasingly important roles. Malcolm went on to write other books about India and Persia, where he also spent several years, and in 1827 became Governor of Bombay. His Sketch of India gives an insider's perspective on a crucial period in the consolidation of British authority in large areas of the subcontinent.

Life of the Honourable Mountstuart Elphinstone
  • Volume 1
  • Thomas Edward Colebrooke
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1884
  • Mountstuart Elphinstone (1779–1859) was appointed through family influence to the East India Company, and arrived in India in 1796. He learnt Persian, and developed an interest in Indian literature and politics. After postings in Afghanistan and Poona he became Governor in 1819 of the recently acquired territory that became known as the Bombay Presidency. His biographer also had connections to India. Thomas Edward Colebrooke (1813–1890) was the son of British administrator and Sanskrit scholar Henry Thomas Colebrooke (1765–1837), and although he lived in England and served as an M. P., Colebrooke remained interested in colonial affairs. He had written about Elphinstone's life in 1861 for the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society and subsequently expanded his work into these two volumes, published in 1884. Volume 1 examines Elphinstone's childhood, education and early career, covering the period up to 1817.

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