The titular designations of the Mahomedan rulers of Southern Asia are almost all formed of Arabic words, with a few derived from the Persian; but in addressing the chiefs of British India, Arabic, Persian, Ilindi, and English words are now all intermixed. Along the borders and within, the ordinary royal titles of Mahomedan princes are amir, khan, khakan, malik, malikab (feminine), mir, nazim, nizam, padshah, shah, shabinshah, sultan, jung, khan, daulah, umra, jah, and nawab; royal Hindu titles being adiraja, jam, rae, raja; rao, rasa, rawal, maharana, maharawal, rama -raja, siwai, thakur, wall, zamarin ; and both Mahomedans and Hindus assume takhallus or literary titles.
The Indian Government addresses the Rajput ruler of Jummoo and Kashmir as ' His Highness Ranbir Singh Bahadur, Grand Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India, Com panion of the Indian Empire, Sipar-i-Sultanat (Shield of the Sovereignty), Councillor of the Empress of India, Honorary General in the Imperial Army, Chief of Jurnmoo and Kashmir ; ' similarly Kalab-ali-Khan, the Mahomedan ruler of Rampur, is styled His Highness Farzand-i-Dil-Pazir-i Daulat-i-lnglishia, Kalab Ali Khan, Nawab of Rampur, K.G.C.S.I. and C.I.E.,' the Persian words meaning Heart-loved Son of the British Govern ment. The Governors-General have always fol lowed it. In 1805 Sir George Barlow's seal was engraved with Persian words, signifying the cream of the princes, mighty in dignity, high in honour, exalted in position, the noble of nobles, Sir George Hilaro Barlow, Baronet, Bahadur, Go vernor- General of the Countries under the Government of the English Company in India, Devoted Servant of the victorious Emperor Shah Alam Bahadur, 1805, year 1220 Ilijri. The British Indian Government has now adopted the practice of the native princes in freely granting titles.
Administration. — In 1784, Mr. Pitt, while Prime Minister of Great Britain, brought in a bill to establish a Board of Control over the East India Company. It consisted of six members of the British ministry. It became known as the India Board, and the duties allotted to it were to check, superintend, and control all acts, operations, and concerns which in any way re lated to the civil and military government of the East India Company's territories ; and a secret committee was at the same time authorized, con sisting of the President of the Board of Control, with the chairman, or the deputy-chairman, or one of the East India Company's directors.
The directors of the Company consisted of twenty four members, elected by the votes of the share holders. The directors elected their own chairman and deputy-chairman, each of whom received a salary of .£500 a year, the pay of each of the other directors being £300. Their patronage was great. Governors for India, commanders-in-chief, judges, and bishops were nominated by the British ministers, but the directors _appointed all other covenanted and commissioned officers for the civil, military, medical, and naval services—and they averaged about 374 annually.
The mutiny of the Bengal army, and the rebellion in Northern India, was yet scarcely suppressed in 1858, when, on the 1st September of that year, the Court of Directors was abolished, and the government of British India was transferred from the East India Company to Queen Victoria, and a proclamation to the princes, chiefs, and people was made at Allahabad on the 1st November. A Secretary of State, a member of the British Cabinet, with a Council of fifteen members, took the directors' places. The Council is now ap pointed for ten years, but may be re-appointed for a further five years for special reasons. In 1861, the Indian Councils Act was passed, aug menting the Councillors by the addition of non official members, the Governor-General was raised to the rank of Viceroy ; and by another Act the supreme courts of Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay were amalgamated with the courts of Sadr Adalat of the three presidencies, and the united body designated the High Court of Judicature.
In the proclamation of 1858, Queen Victoria accepted all the treaties made by the East India Company, disclaimed all desire for extension of territory, or to impose the Christian religion on the people ; the public service was declared open to all the Queen's subjects, of whatever race or creed ; and royal clemency was extended to all,except such as had taken part in the murder of British subjects. In that proclamation, the British sovereign was designated,—Victoria, by the grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and of the colonies and dependencies thereof in Europe, Asia, Africa, America, and Australia, Queen, Defender of the Faith. And subsequent to this, on the 28th April 1876, Queen Victoria assumed the title of Indigo Imperatrix, Empress of India, with the royal style and titles of Nictoria, by the grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Defender of the Faith. Proclamation of this was made by the Viceroy on the 1st January 1877, in an imperial camp at Dehli, at which the princes of India were present. The maharajas Sindia of Gwalior and Itanbir Singh of Jummoo were raised to the rank of generals ; and the orders of the Bath were be stowed on Sindia and the rajas of Bondi, Bhartpnr, Benares, Kolhapur, Dhar, Drandra, the jam of Nawanagar, and the nawab of Banagana pilly. That part of the 1858 proclamation which related to employment in the public service was a repetition of 3 & 4 Will. Iv. c. 85, sec. 87, which declared that no native of the said territories, nor any natural-born subject of Ilia Majesty resident therein, shall, by reason only of his religion, place of birth, descent, colour, or any of them, be disabled from holding any place, office, or employ ment under the said Company.