Identifier: shorterhistoryof00cros (find matches)
Title: A shorter history of England and greater Britain
Year: 1920 (1920s)
Authors: Cross, Arthur Lyon, 1873-1940
Subjects:
Publisher: New York, The Macmillan company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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and religious sect, organized into a great confederacy — resulted in the annexation of the Punjab, the region of the Upper Indus northeast of Sind. The second Sikh War was concluded during the governorship of the Earl of Dalhousie (1848-1856) who vastly extended the area of British rule by a series of notable annexations. An able, energetic ruler, his only defect was lack of imagination. Convinced that the British system was infinitely more enlightened and efficient than that of the natives, he failed to realize how it might run counter to their sentiments and prejudices. Perhaps his most momentous step was the annexation of Oudh, in February, 1856,where, it should be said, he followed the Companys wishes rather than his own. The native government was ineffective, oppressive and corrupt; on the other hand, the transaction was not only badly managed,but involved the revocation of Wellesleys treaty of 1801 with a Wazir whose successors had always been loyal to Great Britain. The appre-
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o cINDIA IN 1857 British Dominions I ,.l Protected States L__I Independent States I 1 Frenc/i 1 1 Portuguese I 1 A CENTURY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF GREATER BRITAIN 787 hension it aroused among the other native princes was increased by the Governor-Generals announcement that the British would take possession of all States where the ruler was without natural heirs, — a new policy quite at odds with a well-established Indian law and practice of adopting successors. Following the proclamation, several of the States of the former Maratha Confederacy were taken over, and NanaSahib, the adopted son of the ex-Peshwa, or former ruler of the Confederacy, was deprived of his pension. Also the Mogul at Delhi was informed that he could not hand on the titles and revenues which his degenerate line had so long enjoyed. All this contributed to prepare the way for the Indian Mutiny, which came as a sudden shock to the British people just after they had finished celebrating the centenary .of Plassey, 23 June,

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