Major General Sir Willam Henry Sleeman, KCB
This distinguished officer, whose career in India extended over a period of forty years, and whose services were highly appreciated by three Governors-General--Viscount Hardinge, the Earl of Ellenborough, and the Marquess of Dalhousie--evinced by their appointing him to the most difficult and delicate duties--was the son of Philip and Mary Sleeman, and was born at Stratton, Cornwall, 8th August, 1788. In early years he evinced a predilection for the military profession; and at the age of twenty-one (October, 1809), through the good offices of the late Lord De Dunstanville, he was appointed an Infantry Cadet in the Bengal army. Thither he proceeded as soon as possible, and was promoted successively to the rank of Ensign, 23rd September, 1810; Lieutenant, 16th December, 1814; Brevet-Captain, 24th April 1824; Captain, 23rd September, 1826; Major, 1st February, 1837; Lieutenant-Colonel, 26th May, 1843; Colonel, 24th November, 1853; and obtained the rank of Major-General 28th November, 1854. Early in his career, he served in the Nepalese war. The value of his talents soon became known, and in 1816, when it was considered necessary to investigate a claim to property as prize-money arising out of that war, Lieutenant Sleeman was selected to inquire into it. The report was accordingly made by him in February 1817, which was designated by the Government as "able, impartial, and satisfactory." In 1820 he was appointed junior Assistant to the Agent of the Governor-General at Saugur, and remained in the Civil Department in the Saugur and Nerbudda territories, with the exception of absence on a sick certificate, for nearly a quarter of a century. Here he manifested that, if he had been efficient in an inferior position, he was also an able administrator in a superior post. He distinguished himself so much by his activity in the suppression of the horrible practice of Thuggism, then so prevalent, that, in 1835, he was employed exclusively in the Thuggee Department; his appointment in the Saugur and Nerbudda districts being kept open, and his promotion going on. The very valuable Papers upon Thuggism submitted to the Governor-General were chiefly drawn up by Sir William Sleeman, and the department specially commissioned for this important purpose was not only organised but worked by him. In consequence of ill-health, however, at the end of 1836, he was compelled to resign this appointment; but on his return to duty in February 1839, he was nominated to the combined offices of Commissioner for the Suppression of Thuggee and Dacoity.
The Oudh - 1849
William Henry Sleeman was appointed the Resident of Lucknow (1849-156). His letters and diaries are full of information with regards to Awadh. “Journey through the Kingdom of Oude” was written in 1851 at the request of Dalhousie in order to obtain knowledge about the actual conditions of Awadh. That required a survey of the place and Bernard Cohn in his book-Colonialism and its forms of knowledge describes it as – “The word survey evokes a wide range of activities- to look over, examine something. For the British in India, it meant mapping of India for collecting botanical specimens, recording of architectural and archaeological sites.” But the survey done by Sleeman was more than this definition stated by Cohn. Following is the order in which the events unfold to throw light on this matter-
1847- Nawab of Awadh given two years’ time to improve his state of affairs
1848- Dalhousie asks Sleeman to visit the kingdom of Awadh
1849- Sleeman gives details of the anarchy and lawlessness prevalent in Awadh
Hence through his survey, Sleeman confirmed the inability of the Nawab to govern Awadh. Sleeman realized that the weakness of the Awadh government was the consequence of its relationship with the Company. The members of the aristocracy spoke with respect of the British government but also mourned the decay of all the ancient families. Nawab Wajid Ali Shah has been described in Sleeman’s book as leading a leisurely life and who lived in the society of “fiddlers, eunuchs, and women”. Sleeman found the aristocracy responsible for alienating the Nawab from the people. All the money from the public coffers was spent on processions, illuminations, and festivities and this is what made the people, according to Sleeman, respect the British government. He mentioned Nawab Saadat Ali Khan who gave up a life of indulgence to devote himself to public affairs and through this example, Sleeman wanted to show that not all the nawabs were unworthy of running the state. The present Nawab was indulgent and was wasting away all the money. His book which was ion written in the form of a diary has compared Awadh to that of England in the Middle Ages. He concludes his survey with the realization that – “ Lucknow is an overgrown city, surrounded by an overgrown court which has exhausted all the resources of this fine country.”
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