Volume 2

Sir John Malcolm (1769-1833) was a diplomat and administrator in India. He arrived there in 1783 as a cadet in the East India Company, was quickly promoted, and soon moved into political and diplomatic roles where his linguistic skills proved extremely useful. In 1799 he was dispatched to Persia by Lord Wellesley, and concluded two important treaties. He returned to India in 1801 and towards the end of his career became the governor of Bengal (1827-1830). He wrote several books on India and Persia, including this two-volume history, published in 1826, which documents the period Malcolm himself had spent in India. In Volume 2, Malcolm considers the changing nature of Britain's control in India, and in later chapters reflects on the type of governance that developed, examining the roles of governor-general and the issue of crime and justice, as well as observing the British community more widely.

Volume 2

A Memoir of Central India

by John Malcolm

Published 2 June 2011
Sir John Malcolm (1769–1833) was a soldier and diplomat in British India and Persia. He returned to India on the eve of the British conquest of Malwa, a region of central India previously little known to Europeans, in 1818. Malcolm studied the region's geology, its agriculture and the history of its ruling families in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. His reports were first published in Calcutta in 1821, and were revised and expanded for publication in two volumes in London in 1823. Based on interviews with native inhabitants and oral testimonies, Malcolm's work was the leading authority on Malwa until the 1930s, and remains valuable for its first-hand account of nineteenth-century Malwa's politics, culture and society. The most important chapter of Volume 2 contains Malcolm's recommendations for the future of British rule in Malwa. The volume also has an extensive appendix of over 200 pages of primary texts.

Sir John Malcolm (1769-1833) was a diplomat and administrator in India. He arrived there in 1783 as a cadet in the East India Company, was quickly promoted, and soon moved into political and diplomatic roles where his linguistic skills proved extremely useful. In 1799 he was dispatched to Persia by Lord Wellesley, and concluded two important treaties. He returned to India in 1801 and towards the end of his career became the governor of Bengal (1827-1830). He wrote several books on India and Persia, including this two-volume history, published in 1826, which documents the period Malcolm himself had spent in India. Volume 1 incorporates content from Malcolm's earlier Sketch of Political India (1811). It covers British expansion into Indian territory during the administrations of Lord Cornwallis, Sir John Shore, Marquess Wellesley, Lord Minto and the Marquess of Hastings, while Volume 2 discusses the changing nature of British rule.

Sir John Malcolm (1769-1833) was a soldier and diplomat in British India and Persia. He returned to India on the eve of the British conquest of Malwa, a region of central India previously little known to Europeans, in 1818. Malcolm studied the region's geology, its agriculture and the history of its ruling families in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. His reports were first published in Calcutta in 1821, and were revised and expanded for publication in two volumes in London in 1823. Based on interviews with native inhabitants and oral testimonies, Malcolm's work was the leading authority on Malwa until the 1930s, and remains valuable for its first-hand account of nineteenth-century Malwa's politics, culture and society. The most important chapter of Volume 2 contains Malcolm's recommendations for the future of British rule in Malwa. The volume also has an extensive appendix of over 200 pages of primary texts.

Sir John Malcolm (1769-1833) was a diplomat and administrator in India. He arrived there in 1783 as a cadet in the East India Company, was quickly promoted, and soon moved into political and diplomatic roles where his linguistic skills proved extremely useful. In 1799 he was dispatched to Persia by Lord Wellesley, and concluded two important treaties. He returned to India in 1801 and towards the end of his career became the governor of Bengal (1827-1830). He wrote several books on India and Persia, including this two-volume history, published in 1826, which documents the period Malcolm himself had spent in India. Volume 1 incorporates content from Malcolm's earlier Sketch of Political India (1811). It covers the administrations of Lord Cornwallis, Sir John Shore, Marquess Wellesley, Lord Minto and the Marquess of Hastings, which marked a period of extensive British expansion into Indian territory.

Sir John Malcolm (1769-1833) was a diplomat and administrator in India. He arrived there in 1783 as a cadet in the East India Company, was quickly promoted, and soon moved into political and diplomatic roles where his linguistic skills proved extremely useful. In 1799 he was dispatched to Persia by Lord Wellesley, and concluded two important treaties. He returned to India in 1801 and towards the end of his career became the governor of Bengal (1827-1830). He wrote several books on India and Persia, including this two-volume history, published in 1826, which documents the period Malcolm himself had spent in India. In Volume 2, Malcolm considers the changing nature of Britain's control in India, and in later chapters reflects on the type of governance that developed, examining the roles of governor-general and the issue of crime and justice, as well as observing the British community more widely.

Sir John Malcolm (1769-1833) was a soldier and diplomat in British India and Persia. He returned to India on the eve of the British conquest of Malwa, a region of central India previously little known to Europeans, in 1818. Malcolm studied the region's geology, its agriculture and the history of its ruling families in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. His reports were first published in Calcutta in 1821, and were revised and expanded for publication in two volumes in London in 1823. Based on interviews with native inhabitants and oral testimonies, Malcolm's work was the leading authority on Malwa until the 1930s. Despite more recent scholarship on the region, Malcolm's work remains valuable for its first-hand account of nineteenth-century Malwa's politics, culture and society. Volume 1 contains overviews of Malwa's geology, agriculture and the government of the leading families.

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.

Sir John Malcolm (1769-1833) was a soldier and diplomat in British India and Persia. He returned to India on the eve of the British conquest of Malwa, a region of central India previously little known to Europeans, in 1818. Malcolm studied the region's geology, its agriculture and the history of its ruling families. His reports were first published in Calcutta in 1821, and were revised for publication in two volumes in London in 1823. Based on interviews with native inhabitants, Malcolm's work was the leading authority on Malwa until the 1930s. Despite more recent scholarship on the region, Malcolm's work remains valuable for its first-hand account of nineteenth-century Malwa's politics, culture and society. Volume 1 contains overviews of Malwa's geology, agriculture and the government of the leading families. Volume 2 contains Malcolm's recommendations for the future of British rule in Malwa, and an appendix of primary texts.