Regulating time

Blechynden was ready to appeal to law but, as said, distrusted it. Once, arguing against problems over removing obstructions in ‘this populous town’, including straw huts that turned roads into alleys, he exclaimed: ‘the natives of this country know no law paramount to Burra Sahib kha hookum ’ (the big man rules) and therefore ‘Why intrench ourselves behind Acts of Parliament and forms of English law?’ 1 We have seen that he also wrote about the inadequacies of British law in practice. Hearing of an apparent injustice to an Indian associate in the Court of Requests, he learnt that it had ‘tried’ 257 cases that day between 9.15 a.m. and 4.00 p.m., thus allowing about half a minute per case. ‘Mail coach justice’, he exclaimed, ‘Why do not the natives complain to Lord Wellesley of this mockery?’ Both of these views have been expressed in later discussions of British rule in India. 2 They remind us that contextualisation of both rules and impact is necessary in this book.