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Communicating Empire: Gauging Telegraphy’S Impact on Ceylon’S Nineteenth- Century Colonial Government Administration

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Communicating Empire: Gauging Telegraphy’S Impact on Ceylon’S Nineteenth- Century Colonial Government Administration COMMUNICATING EMPIRE: GAUGING TELEGRAPHY’S IMPACT ON CEYLON’S NINETEENTH- CENTURY COLONIAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION Inauguraldissertation zur Erlangung der Doktorwürde der Philosophischen Fakultät der Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg vorgelegt von Paul Fletcher Erstgutachter: Dr. PD Roland Wenzlhuemer Zweitgutachter: Prof. Dr. Madeleine Herren-Oesch eingereicht am: 19.09.2012 ABSTRACT For long, historians have considered the telegraph as a tool of power, one that replaced the colonial government’s a posteriori structures of control with a preventive system of authority. They have suggested that this revolution empowered colonial governments, making them more effective in their strategies of communication and rule. In this dissertation, I test these assumptions and analyze the use of telegraphic communication by Ceylon’s colonial government during the second half of the nineteenth-century; to determine not only the impact of the telegraph on political decision-making but also how the telegraph and politics became embedded together, impacting on colonial government and its decision-making and on everyday administrative processes. I examine telegraphic messages alongside other forms of correspondence, such as letters and memos, to gauge the extent to which the telegraph was used to communicate information between London and Ceylon, and the role that the telegraph played locally, within Ceylon, between the Governor General and the island’s regional officials. I argue that, contrary to conventional ideas, the telegraph did not transform colonial government practices. Rather, the medium became entrenched in a multi-layered system of communication, forming one part of a web of colonial correspondence tactics. While its role was purposeful, its importance and capacities were nevertheless circumscribed and limited. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have received support and guidance from many individuals and institutions while writing this dissertation. I wish to acknowledge their generosity here with humble gratitude. For advice on the structure, content, and language of the manuscript, I thank Amanda Kennedy, Barend Noordam, Gauri Parasher, Laura Salamero, Yannis Samantorous, Nina Sassani, Sandamalee Wijenayake, and Elise Wintz. I have benefited tremendously from their friendly willingness to read and comment on versions of my dissertation. Thanks especially to my colleague, Dr. Amelia Bonea, for her collaboration in subproject B9 and for all the wonderful moments that working together on similar topics can inspire. Thanks also to my mentors: James Arpe, who believed in my potential when I was a lost sixteen year old boy; Dr. Christopher Ely turned me on to history, showing me how exciting and engaging it could be. He has read versions of this text, and his comments have been very insightful; Professor Simon Gunn helped me apply successfully for this PhD stipend and has also contributed to the completion of this dissertation. He and Dr. Prashant Kidambi, who inspired me to study south Asian history and oversaw my fist project in the subject, have taught me the ropes of being a historian. Over the years, Professor Michael Mann and I have discussed telegraphy and colonialism, conversations which have been very fruitful. Finally, I am thankful to Dr. Melanie Higgins, who has acted as my personal mirror throughout these years, helping me to mature into someone I can be proud of. I am grateful to the staff at the National Archives in London, the Department of National Archives in Colombo, and the librarians at The Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka, as well as the members of the Social Scientist’s Association. There is nothing more rewarding for a historian than a library staff that shows keen professional interest in your subject; this was my experience at these institutions. I owe my deepest debt of gratitude to the Cluster of Excellence “Asia and Europe in a Global Context” and the University of Heidelberg for providing me with a workspace, a generous three-year stipend, research funding, and an engaging intellectual environment. Dr. PD Roland Wenzlhuemer, my primary supervisor at the Cluster, has been an invaluable source of support, inspiration, and guidance over the years. The project was his idea, and with his oversight I was able to turn the idea into a tangible reality. I wish also to thank him for giving me a chance and for always believing in my work. Finally, I am indebted to my second supervisor, Professor Dr. Madeleine Herren- Oesch, for her support of my investigation and her contribution to my dissertation. Above all, thanks go to my father and mother for all their love. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. ii LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES ................................................................................... vii DEDICATION ........................................................................................................................ viii INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1 CEYLON, COMMUNICATION, AND TELEGRAPHY ................................................................. 3 Telegrams and the colonial government ............................................................................. 7 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................. 14 SOURCES ................................................................................................................................... 30 METHODS ................................................................................................................................. 32 CHAPTER STRUCTURE ............................................................................................................. 36 CHAPTER TWO: TECHNO-SOCIAL ORIGINS AND STRUCTURAL OUTLAY OF CEYLON’S NINETEENTH-CENTURY TELEGRAPH NETWORK ................................................................................................................................ 38 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 38 PART 1: TECHNO-SCIENTIFIC CONTEXT OF CEYLON’S TELEGRAPH NETWORK ......... 39 Origins of Electric Telegraphy ........................................................................................... 40 The History of the British Empire’s Telegraph Network in India ............................... 44 PART 2: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL FOUNDATIONS OF CEYLON’S NINETEENTH- CENTURY TELEGRAPH NETWORK ....................................................................................... 49 Economic History of Nineteenth-Century Ceylon ......................................................... 49 The Rise of the Plantation System and its Social Effects ............................................... 53 Communication Infrastructure and the Colonial State ................................................... 56 The Connection between Telegraphy and Commerce ................................................... 59 PART 3: THE STRUCTURAL FOUNDATIONS OF CEYLON’S NINETEENTH-CENTURY TELEGRAPH NETWORK .......................................................................................................... 65 Section One: Material Overview of Telegraph Network ............................................... 66 Section Two: Construction of the Network .................................................................... 70 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 87 iv CHAPTER THREE: TELEGRAMS AND OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE. 88 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 88 Brief Overview of Ceylon’s Political History ....................................................................... 90 Official Correspondence ........................................................................................................ 94 SYSTEM OF COMMUNICATION ............................................................................................... 98 The Letter ............................................................................................................................. 98 Flow Between and Within the Colonial Office and Ceylon ........................................ 100 Bureaucratic Trail ............................................................................................................... 104 USES AND LIMITATIONS OF TELEGRAMS AS OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE ............... 107 Limitations of Letters ........................................................................................................ 107 Use of Telegrams ............................................................................................................... 124 Limitations of the Telegram ............................................................................................. 127 TELEGRAMS AND THE SYSTEM ........................................................................................... 133 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 138 CHAPTER FOUR: TELEGRAPHY AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT ................. 141 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................
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