Madras Presidency

Madras Presidency

Madras Presidency, also known as Madras Province and known officially as Presidency of Fort St. George, was a province of British India. At its greatest extent, Madras Presidency included much of southern India, including the present-day Indian State of Tamil Nadu, the Malabar region of North Kerala, Lakshadweep Islands, the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh, and the Bellary, Dakshina Kannada, and Udupi districts of Karnataka. The capital was at Madras, now known as Chennai.

Early history

The first British settlement on India's east coast, known as the Coromandel Coast, was in 1611, at Machilipatnam (Masulipatam), even then celebrated for its fabrics. Farther south Fort St George, the nucleus of Madras city, was erected in 1640. Pondicherry was purchased by the French in 1762. For many years the English and French traders lived peacefully side by side, and with no ambition for territorial aggrandisement. The War of Austrian Succession in Europe lit the first flame of hostility on the Coromandel Coast. In 1746 Madras was forced to surrender to La Bourdonnais, and Fort St David remained the only English possession in southern India. By the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle Madras was restored to the English; but from this time the rivalry of the two nations was keen, and found its opportunities in the disputed successions of Indian politics. British influence was generally able to secure the favor of the rulers of the Carnatic and Tanjore, while the French succeeded in placing their own nominee on the throne at Hyderabad. At last Joseph François Dupleix rose to be the temporary arbiter of the fate of southern India, but he was overthrown by Robert Clive, whose defence of Arcot in 1751 forms the turning point in Indian history. In 1760 the crowning victory of Vandavasi (Wandiwash) was won by Colonel (afterwards Sir Eyre) Coote, over Lally, and in the following year, despite help from Mysore, Pondicherry was captured.

Territorial growth

The different territories which made up the Madras Presidency were acquired by the British at various dates. In 1763 the tract encircling Madras city, then known as the Jagir and later as Chingleput district, was ceded by the Nawab of Arcot. In 1765 the Northern Circars, out of which the French had recently been driven, were granted to the British East India Company by the Mughal emperor, but at the price of an annual tribute of 90,000 to the Nizam of Hyderabad. Full rights of dominion were not acquired till 1823, when the tribute was commuted for a lump payment. In 1792 Tipu Sultan of Mysore was compelled to cede the Baramahal (later part of Salem district), Malabar and Dindigul subdivision of Madurai. In 1799, after the defeat of Tipu Sultan, Coimbatore and Canara were appropriated from Mysore; in the same year the Maratha raja of Thanjavur (Tanjore) resigned the administration of his territory, though his descendant retained titular rank till 1855. In 1800 Bellary and Cuddapah were made over by the Nizam of Hyderabad to defray the expense of an increased subsidiary force. In the following year the dominions of the Nawab of the Arcot, extending along the east coast almost continuously from Nellore to Tirunelveli, were resigned into the hands of the British by a puppet who had been put upon the throne for the purpose. The last titular Nawab of Arcot died in 1855; but his representative still continued to bear the title of prince of Arcot, and was recognized as the first native nobleman in Madras. In 1839 the Nawab of Kurnool was deposed for misgovernment and suspicion of treason, and his territories annexed. In 1862 the district of Canara was split in two, and North Canara was transferred to Bombay Presidency.

Administration

The Madras presidency was administered by a governor and a council, consisting of two members of the civil service, which number may be increased to four. There was also a board of revenue of three members. For legislative purposes the council of the governor was augmented by additional members, numbering 45 in all, of whom not more than 17 may be nominated officials, while 19 were elected by various representative constituencies. Members of the legislative council enjoyed the right of interpolation, of proposing resolutions on matters of public interest, and of discussing the annual financial statement.
In 1911 the province was divided into 24 districts: Ganjam, Vizagapatam (Visakhapatnam), Godavari, Krishna, Kurnool, Nellore, Cuddapah, Anantapur, Bellary, North Arcot, South Arcot, Chingleput, Madras, Salem, South Canara, Malabar, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, Tanjore, Madurai, Tirunelveli, The Nilgiris, and Guntur. Each under the charge of a collector, with sub-collectors and assistants. The districts were not grouped into divisions or commissionerships, as in other provinces.
The principle of local devolution was carried somewhat further in Madras than in other Raj provinces. At the bottom are union panchayats or village committees, whose chief duty is to attend to sanitation. Above them came taluk or subdivisional boards. At the head of all were district boards, a portion of whose members are elected by the taluk boards.
Five princely states fell under the political authority of Madras Presidency: Banganapalle, Cochin, Pudukkottai, Sandur, and Travancore.