GOVERNMENT. By an act of Parliament. which received the royal assent August 2, 185S. Queen Victoria was declared sovereign of India. and various regulations were enacted for the better government of the country. In 1877. in virtue of au act of Parliament, passed in ISM the Queen was proclaimed Empress of India. The Home Government of India is vested in a Secretary of State. who is a member of the English Cabinet. Ile is assisted by an Under-Secretary and a council of fifteen members. The Indian Executive Government is administered by a Viceroy or Gov ernor-General, appointed by the Crown. and act ing under the control of the Secretary of State for India. The Viceroy's term of office is for six years, and he is assisted by a council of five ordi nary members, three appointed by the Secretary of State, and two by his Majesty's warrant. Each of them has charge of a department of the executive. The Viceroy himself retains the over sight of foreign affairs, and can overrule a majority vote of his council. The commander in-chief is an extraordinary member of the coun cil. This council, whenever it acts as a legis lative body, is enlarged. It then has from ten to sixteen additional members who are nominated by the Viceroy for terms of two years. half of them being non-officials. Five of these coun cilors must be individuals who have been rec ommended, one each respectively by the un official members of the councils of Madras. Bom bay, Bengal. and the United Provinces of Agra, and one by the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce. Proposals to legislate upon subjects such as finance, religion. military and naval forces, or the relations of the Government with foreign princes or States, must first receive the sanction of the Governor-General.
For purposes of administration, British India is separated into a number of divisions or prov inces. They differ in the method of their govern ment. The two governments of Madras and Bombay are under the rule of Governors ap pointed by the Crown. and assisted by legislative and executive councils. The executive council consists of cnl• two men. From eight to twenty others are added to form the legislative council. These bodies communieate only with regard to important matters with the Dome Government through the Governor-General. As regards affairs of minor importance. they correspond directly with the Secretary of State for India. The Provinces of Bengal, the United Provinees of Agra and Oudh. the Punjab, and Burma are administered by Lieutenant-Governors appointed by the Governor-General. subject to the approba tion of the Secretary of State for India. These officers act without the aid of any executive councils. hut have legislative councils of not more than twenty members, nominated by the Lieutenant-Governor on the approval of the Gov ernor-General. There are a number of points upon which the local legislators in India cannot touch, and their proceedings are void if disap proved by the Governor or Lieutenant-Governor, the Governor-General, or by the Bottle Govern ment. The following divi•ions, viz.: Assam, Central Provinces, Iterar. Ajmere-Merwara, Ccorg, British Baluchistan. the Andaman Island:.
and the new Northwest Frontier Province, are under chief commissioners. There are no local for these provinces, such legislation as they may need being supplied by the I iliVI•1110T Gent`ral in legislative council. All the foregoing governmental divisions are subdivided into smaller divisions called districts, of which there are in all •50, varying both in size and popula tion. The exeeutive °dicer in (11•11 district is called the collector magistrate or deputy com missioner. This office is reniarkalile in that its powers extend over every department of admin istration. The officer has charge of the collecting of the revenue. of education, roads, sanitation, police, and jails, and lie is judge both of first instance and of appeals.
It has been the policy of the British Govern ment to try to awaken at sense of civic responsi bility among the natives, and it has encouraged the creation of the necessary machinery for local self-government. Much difficulty has attended the effort. owing to the absolute (lamina nee which class distinction holds over the social order. mak ing almost impossible the development of the idea of a mutual community interest. Sonic progress, nevertheless, is being made. Every province of India has since Isn't secured laws •hieli place the administration of municipal affairs in the hands of local bodies. In small pinees these Indies are nominated from among the townsfolk. but in large places they are mostly eleeled. Under speeitied regulations, the local bodies may raise fund- or receive grants of public money for local purpose:. In 1901 there were 7111 of these municipal towns. containing an aggregate population of 1(1,500,000. The total income of these towns for the year mentioned was The rural regions have also been supplied with district and local boards for pur poses of self-government. In 1901 there were 1101 of these boards, ineluding a total of 5553 ph.eted members and 10.1inl ex official and nomi nated members. The income of these rural regions for the year mentioned was 12.509,s,•9. The probability of the development of a national representative native government is scarcely con eeivable. The idea of a e01111111/11 eountry or a national life does not exist. The masses are ignorant of even the geographieal conception im plied in the name India. There is. it is true, a national native Congress. which meets annually. but it is scarcely representative in any true sense or indicative of any popular national ten deneies.
There are high mons of jurisdiction at Cal cutta, Madras, Allahabad. and Bombay. appoint ments being made to them by the Home Govern ment. These courts have a general oversight of the lower courts and are courts of appeal, but there is an ultimate appeal to the judicial com mittee of the Privy Council in England. The Punjab has a chief court. and the Central Prov inces, Ondh. and :Mysore have each a judicial commissioner. Burma has two judicial commis sioners, as well as a recorder. The great majority of the magistrates in the courts of original jurisdiction and of the civil judges are natives. Europea as have certain privileges in court not possessed by natives.