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Sir Charles Trevelyan

Sir Charles Trevelyan was Governor of Madras from 1859 to 1860, just after the Crown took over from the East India Company. In September 1859 he toured the Godavari district, and his minute praised the delta's prosperity and urged more irrigation, navigation on the Godavari and a better port at Kakinada. One result of his visit was the redrawing of the coast districts into the Godavari and Krishna districts from 16 December 1859. His minute of May 1859 also set the rule for confirming inams.

Sir Charles Trevelyan became Governor of Madras in 1859, a few months after the Crown took over from the East India Company.1 In his short time he toured the Godavari delta, and his visit changed the map of the coast.2 The Godavari and Krishna districts date from his government.34 See British Crown (Madras Presidency).

Governor of Madras

Lord Harris handed over to Trevelyan on 28 March 1859.1 Maclean’s list of Governors shows him in office until 8 June 1860.5 In 1860 he was recalled.1

The tour of the Godavari district

In September 1859 Trevelyan paid an official visit to the Godavari district.2 Morris lists what most occupied him:2

  • the town and port of Kakinada (then Cocanada)
  • the full development of the irrigation works
  • the plans for navigation on the Godavari
  • the assessment on the newly irrigated lands2

He wrote down what he saw in a minute (official note) of 15 October 1859.6 He thought about 1,100,000 acres of the delta could be irrigated.6 “I have never seen, in any part of India,” he wrote, “such evident marks of personal comfort and advancing prosperity.”6 The smaller distributing channels, he said, were so profitable that it would pay to borrow money for them.6 Morris says his advice was followed.6 In 1864 a link completing the water route between the Godavari and the Krishna was sanctioned.6 See Dowlaishweram anicut.

Trevelyan also went a short way up the river.7 In his minute he warmly recommended the scheme for opening the Godavari to navigation.7 Morris notes that his “glowing anticipations” were not fulfilled, and that the works were abandoned as too costly.7

At Kakinada he recorded that the harbour had been improved by straightening the river’s mouth.8 He thought the old river bed could be used for docks.8 But in October 1859 the government put off a plan to improve the harbour.8 See Kakinada.

Two new districts

The old Rajahmundry and Machilipatnam (then Masulipatam) districts were tangled together.2 Patches of one lay inside the other “like islands”, and each irrigation engineer had to deal with two Collectors.2 Morris says that one result of Trevelyan’s visit was a new arrangement.2

The three districts of Rajahmundry, Machilipatnam and Guntur were made into two, divided by the Upputeru and Tamaleru rivers.2 They were named Godavari and Kistna, after their rivers.2 The change took effect from 16 December 1859.4 The Kistna manual says the new district was formed “under the orders of Sir Charles Trevelyan’s Government”.3 See Guntur and Rajahmundry.

The inams

Trevelyan’s government also settled the rent-free lands, or inams.9 His minute of 13 May 1859 laid down that land held without land-tax for fifty years should be confirmed as inam, whatever its origin.9

Footnotes

  1. C. D. Maclean (ed.), Manual of the Administration of the Madras Presidency, Vol. II (1885), p. 266, chronological annals, 1858–1863 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  2. Morris, Godavery District (1878), p. 302 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9

  3. Gordon Mackenzie, A Manual of the Kistna District (1883), p. 3 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  4. Morris, Godavery District (1878), p. 303 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  5. Maclean (ed.), Manual of the Administration, Vol. II (1885), p. 269, list of Governors of Fort St. George (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  6. Morris, Godavery District (1878), p. 162 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  7. Henry Morris, A Descriptive and Historical Account of the Godavery District (1878), p. 45 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  8. Morris, Godavery District (1878), p. 57 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  9. Maclean (ed.), Manual of the Administration, Vol. I (1885), p. 167, “Inam Commission” (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

Dynasties

British Crown (Madras Presidency)

1858–1947 CE

The government of the Telugu districts of the Madras Presidency by the British Crown, from the transfer of the East India Company's territories in 1858 to independence in 1947. Under a Governor in Council at Madras, the coast and Rayalaseema were ruled through Collectors, a Board of Revenue, district and taluk boards and municipalities. The districts were redrawn (Godavari and Kistna in 1859, Anantapur in 1882, Guntur in 1904, Chittoor in 1911, West Godavari in 1925), and the Nizam ceded the Bhadrachalam and Rekapalli taluks in 1860. The ryotwari lands were surveyed and settled, and the inams registered by the Inam Commission. The great zamindaris of Vizianagaram, Bobbili, Pithapuram, Venkatagiri, Kalahasti and Karvetinagar kept their permanent settlements. The Godavari and Krishna deltas were irrigated, and railways reached Bezwada and Waltair. The great famine of 1876–78 emptied the Ceded Districts. The Rampa rising of 1879–80 was the last that needed regular troops in the Presidency.

References

Sources (4)
  1. C. D. Maclean (ed.), Manual of the Administration of the Madras Presidency, Vol. II (Appendices) (opens in a new tab), Government Press, Madras, 1885, pp. 266, 269. [Public domain]
  2. C. D. Maclean (ed.), Manual of the Administration of the Madras Presidency, Vol. I (Digital Library of India scan) (opens in a new tab), Government Press, Madras, 1885, pp. 167. [Public domain]
  3. Henry Morris, A Descriptive and Historical Account of the Godavery District in the Presidency of Madras (opens in a new tab), Trübner & Co., London, 1878, pp. 45, 57, 162, 302–303. [Public domain]
  4. Gordon Mackenzie, A Manual of the Kistna District in the Presidency of Madras (opens in a new tab), Government of Madras (Lawrence Asylum Press), 1883, pp. 3. [Public domain]

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