Dr Peter Carey's Interview Transcript
( I got a chance to do a video interview with Dr Carey as well, [mentioned below] but here are the quick replies that he gave me regarding my website.)
Dear Aditya,
My quick replies to your questions below (BOLD directly into your text). We will meet tomorrow for half an hour and you can ask me further questions then.
Peter
_____________________________________________________________________________________
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: National History Day - Aditya Mathur
Date: Tue, 7 May 2013 21:14:52 +0800
Dear Dr Peter Carey,
I had written to you earlier regarding my website entry on the Battle of Plassey for the National History Day Finals. I would like to ask you a few questions.
1. I would like to know in your opinion how the Battle of Plassey was a turning point in the history of India.
See below 3.
2. How did it effect Britain?
In the 18th century – during its rise to great power status - Britain was a by-word for corruption – a situation made more acute by its acquisition of an extensive overseas empire in Asia and the influence of the system of governance there (India etc).
Robert Clive (1725-1774) returned to England from India in 1760 with a personal fortune equivalent to Sterling 90 million and an annual income equivalent to present-day Sterling 7.5 million from the quit rents of the lands he had acquired from Mir Jafar, the Mughal tax-collector of Bengal. When questioned by Parliament in 1772 about the extent of his personal wealth, he declared ‘I stand astonished at my own moderation’. But he also told his parliamentary accusers: ‘take my money but save my honour!’ The following year – 1773 – Parliament passed the Regulating Act which subjected East India Company (EIC) rule in India to parliamentary scrutiny and a year later Clive died by his own hand (22 Nov 1774).
3. What was the impact of this British victory on British Imperialism in Asia?
Not immediate but started a process confirmed by British victory over Mir Kasim's forces at the Battle of Buxar in Lower Bengal on 22 October 1764 which led to the establishment of the British Raj as a land-based power drawing revenues first from Lower Bengal then ftrom nearkly all the fotmer Mughal dminions in norhern India. Prior to thius the British - or more correctly the English East India Company had been a trader not a political/military power with a major land-based presence in India. Calcutta speedily became the main presidency - and seat of British Government in India - taking over from Bombay (which was more important commercially than Calcutta in the late 17th century -it had come in Catherine of Braganza, Charles II's Portuguese princess wife's, dowry in 1663) and Madras.
4. Lastly, I would like to know what role the British Army Troops had in South East Asia?
Very important from Java expedition of August 1811 to the actions of Field Marshal Slim's XIVth Army in Burma in 1945 - reconquest of Burma from he Japanese.
Raffles recognised that the ‘habits and manners’ of the sepoys were offensive to the Javanese and ‘often produced disturbances’, but he also stressed that they were ‘of the best service’ because ‘the Javanese stand in great awe of them’. Since
British power in Java was to a large extent based on their Indian – particularly Bengali – soldiery, the sepoys were not easily replaceable with European of Indonesian troops, especially at a time when intense debate was taking place in the lieutenant-governor’s council about force levels in British-occupied Java and the need to make economies.
I would be grateful if you could reply to me at your earliest as I need to finalize my entry by the 14th of May.
Thanking you in Anticipation,
Aditya Mathur
British International School, Jakarta
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Dr Peter Carey,
I had written to you earlier regarding my website entry on the Battle of Plassey for the National History Day Finals. I would like to ask you a few questions.
1. I would like to know in your opinion how the Battle of Plassey was a turning point in the history of India.
2. How did it effect Britain?
3. What was the impact of this British victory on British Imperialism in Asia?
4. Lastly, I would like to know what role the British Army Troops had in South East Asia?
I would be grateful if you could reply to me at your earliest as I need to finalize my entry by the 14th of May.
Thanking you in Anticipation,
Aditya Mathur
British International School, Jakarta
_____________________________________________________________________________________
From:Aditya Mathur ([email protected])
Sent: 07 May 2013 21: 14PM
To: Peter Carey ([email protected]); Peter Carey ([email protected])
Dear Dr Peter Carey,
I had written to you earlier regarding my website entry on the Battle of Plassey for the National History Day Finals. I would like to ask you a few questions.
1. I would like to know in your opinion how the Battle of Plassey was a turning point in the history of India.
2. How did it effect Britain?
3. What was the impact of this British victory on British Imperialism in Asia?
4. Lastly, I would like to know what role the British Army Troops had in South East Asia?
I would be grateful if you could reply to me at your earliest as I need to finalize my entry by the 14th of May.
Thanking you in Anticipation,
Aditya Mathur
British International School, Jakarta
_____________________________________________________________________________________
From: Aditya Mathur ([email protected])
Sent: 05 April 2013 12:16PM
To: [email protected] ([email protected]); Ryan Campbell ([email protected])
Dear Dr Peter Carey,
I am Aditya Mathur, from the British International School. Mr Ryan Campbell wrote to you about my National History Day website entry which has qualified for the finals in Washington.
I would like to thank you for taking time out of your schedule and helping me.
My website topic is the Battle of Plassey. I am pasting the link of my website for your reference as Mr Campbell wrote to you, the impact is weak and I would need your help and guidance to improve the same.
87327202.nhd.weebly.com
Looking Forward for Your Reply.
Kind Regards,
Aditya Mathur
My quick replies to your questions below (BOLD directly into your text). We will meet tomorrow for half an hour and you can ask me further questions then.
Peter
_____________________________________________________________________________________
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: National History Day - Aditya Mathur
Date: Tue, 7 May 2013 21:14:52 +0800
Dear Dr Peter Carey,
I had written to you earlier regarding my website entry on the Battle of Plassey for the National History Day Finals. I would like to ask you a few questions.
1. I would like to know in your opinion how the Battle of Plassey was a turning point in the history of India.
See below 3.
2. How did it effect Britain?
In the 18th century – during its rise to great power status - Britain was a by-word for corruption – a situation made more acute by its acquisition of an extensive overseas empire in Asia and the influence of the system of governance there (India etc).
Robert Clive (1725-1774) returned to England from India in 1760 with a personal fortune equivalent to Sterling 90 million and an annual income equivalent to present-day Sterling 7.5 million from the quit rents of the lands he had acquired from Mir Jafar, the Mughal tax-collector of Bengal. When questioned by Parliament in 1772 about the extent of his personal wealth, he declared ‘I stand astonished at my own moderation’. But he also told his parliamentary accusers: ‘take my money but save my honour!’ The following year – 1773 – Parliament passed the Regulating Act which subjected East India Company (EIC) rule in India to parliamentary scrutiny and a year later Clive died by his own hand (22 Nov 1774).
3. What was the impact of this British victory on British Imperialism in Asia?
Not immediate but started a process confirmed by British victory over Mir Kasim's forces at the Battle of Buxar in Lower Bengal on 22 October 1764 which led to the establishment of the British Raj as a land-based power drawing revenues first from Lower Bengal then ftrom nearkly all the fotmer Mughal dminions in norhern India. Prior to thius the British - or more correctly the English East India Company had been a trader not a political/military power with a major land-based presence in India. Calcutta speedily became the main presidency - and seat of British Government in India - taking over from Bombay (which was more important commercially than Calcutta in the late 17th century -it had come in Catherine of Braganza, Charles II's Portuguese princess wife's, dowry in 1663) and Madras.
4. Lastly, I would like to know what role the British Army Troops had in South East Asia?
Very important from Java expedition of August 1811 to the actions of Field Marshal Slim's XIVth Army in Burma in 1945 - reconquest of Burma from he Japanese.
Raffles recognised that the ‘habits and manners’ of the sepoys were offensive to the Javanese and ‘often produced disturbances’, but he also stressed that they were ‘of the best service’ because ‘the Javanese stand in great awe of them’. Since
British power in Java was to a large extent based on their Indian – particularly Bengali – soldiery, the sepoys were not easily replaceable with European of Indonesian troops, especially at a time when intense debate was taking place in the lieutenant-governor’s council about force levels in British-occupied Java and the need to make economies.
I would be grateful if you could reply to me at your earliest as I need to finalize my entry by the 14th of May.
Thanking you in Anticipation,
Aditya Mathur
British International School, Jakarta
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Dr Peter Carey,
I had written to you earlier regarding my website entry on the Battle of Plassey for the National History Day Finals. I would like to ask you a few questions.
1. I would like to know in your opinion how the Battle of Plassey was a turning point in the history of India.
2. How did it effect Britain?
3. What was the impact of this British victory on British Imperialism in Asia?
4. Lastly, I would like to know what role the British Army Troops had in South East Asia?
I would be grateful if you could reply to me at your earliest as I need to finalize my entry by the 14th of May.
Thanking you in Anticipation,
Aditya Mathur
British International School, Jakarta
_____________________________________________________________________________________
From:Aditya Mathur ([email protected])
Sent: 07 May 2013 21: 14PM
To: Peter Carey ([email protected]); Peter Carey ([email protected])
Dear Dr Peter Carey,
I had written to you earlier regarding my website entry on the Battle of Plassey for the National History Day Finals. I would like to ask you a few questions.
1. I would like to know in your opinion how the Battle of Plassey was a turning point in the history of India.
2. How did it effect Britain?
3. What was the impact of this British victory on British Imperialism in Asia?
4. Lastly, I would like to know what role the British Army Troops had in South East Asia?
I would be grateful if you could reply to me at your earliest as I need to finalize my entry by the 14th of May.
Thanking you in Anticipation,
Aditya Mathur
British International School, Jakarta
_____________________________________________________________________________________
From: Aditya Mathur ([email protected])
Sent: 05 April 2013 12:16PM
To: [email protected] ([email protected]); Ryan Campbell ([email protected])
Dear Dr Peter Carey,
I am Aditya Mathur, from the British International School. Mr Ryan Campbell wrote to you about my National History Day website entry which has qualified for the finals in Washington.
I would like to thank you for taking time out of your schedule and helping me.
My website topic is the Battle of Plassey. I am pasting the link of my website for your reference as Mr Campbell wrote to you, the impact is weak and I would need your help and guidance to improve the same.
87327202.nhd.weebly.com
Looking Forward for Your Reply.
Kind Regards,
Aditya Mathur
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