Every order issued from any of the secretariat departments of the supreme Government, runs in the name of the Governor-General in Council. Up to Lord Canning's administration, all matters were in truth so disposed of ; but Lord Canning remodelled it into the semblance of a cabinet, with himself as president, and each member of the _Government now holds a separate portfolio, and, with the permanent Government secretary, de spatches the ordinary business connected. with it on his own responsibility, only reserving matters of exceptional importance for the opinion of a colleague or the decision of the assembled Council. These bureaux, or secretariats, in 1882, comprise the military, financial, home, revenue, agricultural, and commerce.
The particular branch of administration which Lord Canning and succeeding Viceroys reserved for their own special charge, is the Foreign Office, the duties of which relate to all chiefs and princes in India, and all neighbouring foreign princes be yond the limits. With such nations as Persia and China, where there is a diplomatic representative of the British Government, the Governor-General acts in concert with the British Government.
Under the constabulary system introduced by Act IS of 1861, each district has a superintendent of police, and the districts are grouped for police purposes into circles, under deputy inspectors general, while the whole police force of each province is under an inspector-general. The con stabulary, except on the North-Eastern and Trans Indus frontiers, is a purely civil force, organized on the Irish system, and subject in all respects, except internal discipline, to the civil authorities, that is, to commissioners of divisions and deputy commissioners, or collector-magistrateiof districts. The districts are approximately as under :— In 1880-81, the Administration cost in India, £1,291,483, which included the salaries of the Governor-General, Governors, Councillors, Secre taries, Political Officers, and Revenue Boards.
The more eminent of the presidents of the Board of Control were, Viscount Castlereagh, the Earl of Minto, Robert Dundas, afterwards Lord Melville, George Canning, Earl of Ellenborough, Charles Grant, Sir John Cam Hobhouse, and Sir Charles Wood, afterwards Lord Halifax.
The famed amongst Governors and Governors General have been, Warren Hastings, Lord Clive, Earl Cornwallis, Marquis Wellesley, Mar quis of Hastings, John Adam, Lord William Bentinck, Sir Charles (Lord) Metcalfe, Marquis of Dalhousie, Earl Canning, and Sir John' (Lord) Lawrence.
Of the financial members of the Government of India may be named, James Wilson, Samuel Laing, W. N. Massey, and Sir Richard Temple.
The presidents of mark in the Council of the Government of Fort St. George, were Lord Mac artney (1781) ; Major-General Medows (1788 and 1790) at Bombay and Madras; Lieutenant-General Harris (1798); Lord Bentinck (1803); and Major General Sir Thomas Munro (1820). Bombay has seen Mountstuart Elphinstone (1819), Sir John Malcolm (1827), Sir George Clarke, and Lord Elphinstone (1856). Robert Lord Clive (1758 and 1765) distinguished himself alike as a soldier and in civil administration as Governor of Bengal; and since 1854, when Bengal was put tinder a Lieutenant-Governor, the most eminent have been, Sir George Campbell (1871), Sir Richard Temple (1874), and Sir Ashley Eden (1877 1882).
There were six Lieutenant-Governors of the Pan jab in the nineteen years 1859 to 1877, amongst them Sir John (Lord) Lawrence and Sir Robert Montgomery (1859-1865). Between 1856 and 1876 there were seventeen Chief Commissioners of Oudh ; and the distinguished Sir James Outram, Sir Henry M. Lawrence, Mr. (Sir) Charles Wing field, and Mr. (Sir) William Muir were amongst the number.
In the Central Provinces there were thirteen Chief Commissioners in eleven years, 1861-1872.
Amongst others of the officers who distin guished themselves in civil and political adminis tration, may be named Sir Bartle Frere in Sind, Sir John Peter Grant, Sir Henry Pottinger in Sind and China, Sir Charles Edward Trevelyan, Sir Arthur I'hayre in Burma, Sir George Balfour in the military finance and controul depart ments.
The appointments of governors, bishops, com manders-in-chief, judges, filled up by the British ministers, were highly paid, the Governor General's salary being £25,000 annually, but did not carry any pension. It was customary, how ever, when pre-eminent services had been rendered, for the Directors to reward them in that manner. Amongst civilians who were thus honoured, may be named Warren Hastings, Marquis Wellesley, Marquis Dalhousie ; and the following military officers had special pensions for distinguished Indian services:— Nott, Sir William, G.C.B., . . . 21000 Hardinge, Lt.-Gen. Viscount, G.C.B., . . 5000 Gough, Lord, G.C.B., . . . . . 2000 Pollock, Major•Gen. Sir George, G.C.B., . . 1000 Wilson, Major-Gen. Sir Archibald, Bart., K.C.B., 1000 Campbell, Sir Colin, Lord Clyde, . . . 2000 Outram, Major•Gen. Sir James, Bart., G.C.B., 1000 Stewart, Gen. Sir Donald, G.C.B., C.I.E., . 1000 Roberts, Major Sir F. Sleigh, G.C.B.,