Page:Sir Henry Lawrence, the Pacificator.djvu/124

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
ANNEXATION OF THE PUNJAB
115

with the best men in India to help the Board; and thenceforth ensued a rule which was unsurpassed for efficiency, and unequalled for the rapidity and thoroughness with which a wild and disorganized State was brought into order and prosperity, and an embittered and turbulent race turned into a contented and loyal population. The main credit, without any invidious meaning, for the judicial organization rested with Mr. Mansel and Mr. Montgomery; the civil and district arrangements, and especially the revenue and financial, were due to John Lawrence; but the tone of the administration, the accessibility of the officials, and the frank intercourse between them and the people, had been inaugurated by Sir Henry when Resident at Lahore before the Múltán outbreak and the recent war. His injunctions in those days had been thus expressed in writing to one of his men: —

'In a new country, especially a wild one, promptness, accessibility, brevity, and kindness are the best engines of government. Have as few forms as possible, and as are consistent with a brief record of proceedings. Be considerate and kind, not expecting too much from ignorant people. Make no change, unless certain of decided improvement in the substitute; light assessment, considering the claims and privileges, even when somewhat extravagant, of the privileged classes, especially when they affect Government and not the ryots' (i.e. the peasantry).

It was this general tone, quite as much as the efficacy of the detailed arrangements, that led to the contentment and peace of the Punjab, though it was