434 



INDIA, BEITISH. 



5.36, of whom 8,356 were wives, and 1,146 

 widows. 



British India is now governed in accordance 

 with an " Act for the better government of 

 India," sanctioned August 2d, 1858. This act 

 places all the territories hitherto subject to the 

 rule of the East India Company under the 

 direct government of the Queen, and all the 

 powers of the Indian Government are now ex- 

 exercised in the Queen's name. The powers 

 formerly belonging to the East India Company, 

 or the Board of Control, are now vested in a 

 special Secretary of State, called the Secretary 

 of State for India. At the head of the govern- 

 ment in India is a Governor-General or Vice- 

 roy, appointed by the Crown, and acting under 

 the orders of the Secretary of State for India. 

 The present Governor-General is Sir John Laird 

 Mair Lawrence, born March 4th, 1811, edu- 

 cated at Haileybury for the Indian civil ser- 

 vice, 1827-'29; Assistant, Agent, Collector, 

 and Magistrate at Delhi 1831-'48 ; Chief Com- 

 missioner of the Punjaub, 1849-'58 ; member 

 of the Council of State for India, 1858 ; ap- 

 pointed Governor-General of India November 

 28th, 1863. 



The Secretary of State for India is assisted 

 in the administration of the country by a 

 Council of State for India, consisting of fifteen 

 members, seven of whom are elected by the 

 Court of Directors from their own body, while 

 eight are appointed by the Crown. The ma- 

 jority of the council must be persons who have 

 served or resided ten years in India, and have 

 not left India more than ten years previous to 

 the date of their appointment. The Secretary, 

 as President of the Council, divides it into 

 committees, directs what departments shall be 

 under such committees respectively, and regu- 

 lates the transaction of business. He calls a 

 meeting of the Council whenever he pleases, 

 but one meeting, at least, must be held every 

 week. 



The Governor-General is assisted by a " Su- 

 preme Council," sitting in Calcutta, and con- 

 sisting of five ordinary, and from six to ten ex- 

 traordinary members. The " Supreme Coun- 

 cil" includes the ministerial departments of 

 foreign affairs, finances, the interior, military 

 administration and public works. 



The following table presents the revenue and 

 expenditure of India, in each of the years from 

 1858 to 18G3, the years ending April 30th : 



Land .... 19,570,1 4T 



Forest 520,580 



Abkaree 1.951,080 



Assessed taxes 1,882,212 



Customs 2,464,366 



Salt 5,244,150 



Opium 8,055,476 



Stamps 1,489,638 



Mint 871.116 



Post-office 425,528 



Electric telegraph 75,525 



Law and police 494,842 



Marine 189,046 



Public works 443,553 



Tributes and contributions 725,763 



Miscellaneous, civil 404,057 



" military. 802,309 



Interest 34,364 



45,143,752 



A return issued by the Secretary of State 

 for India in September, 1864, states the debt of 

 India at 116,721,122. The interest on the 

 registered debt amounted to 3,134,897, on 

 April 30th, 1863. 



The quantity and value of raw cotton ex- 

 ported from Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay, in 

 eleven months, from the beginning of May to 

 the end of March, in 1862-'63, and in 1863-'64, 

 was as follows : 



The following table gives a general state- 

 ment of the revenue of India for the year 

 lS62-'63. It appears from this list that the 

 receipts from land form nearly one-half of the 

 total income, and that nest to land stands opium : 



The annual report on Indian railways by Mr. 

 Juland Danvers for the year ending the 31st 

 of May, 1864, contains many interesting facts. 

 During the year 358J additional miles have 

 been opened, which is less than half the dis- 

 tance opened in each of the two preceding 

 years. Of the 4,786 miles sanctioned by Gov- 

 ernment, 2,688 miles are completed. The next 

 following year it is expected that 577 miles 

 will be finished. The capital raised by the 

 nine companies has been 54,285,088, and the 

 expenditure has amounted to 51,144,722. Of 

 the capital paid, nearly thirty-three millions 

 have been expended in India, and upwards of 

 eighteen and a half millions in England. That 

 the natives do not take a particularly lively in- 

 terest in undertakings from which they will 

 derive the principal benefit, is shown by the 

 fact that out of 33,358 shareholders, only about 

 one in a hundred is a native. 



The new Viceroy, Sir John Lawrence, as- 

 sumed charge of his office on January 12th, 

 1864. His administration soon elicited the 

 highest encomiums from the entire Indian 

 press. 



In April the Viceroy left Calcutta for Simla, 

 to which place the Secretary of State for India, 

 in accordance with a proposition made by the 

 late Viceroy, Lord Elgin, had removed the seat 

 of the supreme council. 



On the arrival of Sir John Lawrence in 

 India the insurrection of the Sittana fanatics 



