Mss Eur F699/1/1

The bulk of the papers of the Governor General of India Charles Canning consist of private and demi-official correspondence written to Canning, and copies of his correspondence in reply. The correspondence was administered by the Offices of the Governor General's Secretaries. It is divided into 'Civil' and 'Military' correspondence, although matters relating to Military issues are not always confined to the 'Military' correspondence. The collection of Governor General's Civil and Military Correspondence was seen as the most important of the correspondence, and was bound into volumes. Where possible, individual letters in the Governor General's papers have been catalogued or listed. These include detailed descriptions generated by the West Yorkshire Archive service (WYAS). It is indicated in the catalogue where these detailed descriptions have been used. Contemporary indexes to the volumes have also been transcribed as appropriate.

The Governor General’s Papers contain the following sub-series:

Mss Eur F699/1/1/1: Civil Correspondence: Letters Received, 1856-63 (32 volumes) & Mss Eur F699/1/1/2: Civil Correspondence: Copy Letters Sent, 1856-62 (34 volumes)

'Civil' correspondence, both letters sent and received, includes important correspondence with significant individuals and post-holders. These include Queen Victoria, Ministers in Government, Members of the Court of Directors of the East India Company, the President of the Board of Control and later the Secretary of State for India, Sir Bartle Frere as Member of Council in India, and Regional Governors, Lieutenant Governors and Chief Commissioners in India. There is also a series of 'Miscellaneous Letters'.

Mss Eur F699/1/1/3: Military Correspondence: Letters Received, 1856-62 (12 volumes) & Mss Eur F699/1/1/4: Military Correspondence: Copy Letters Sent, 1856-62 (7 volumes)

'Military' letters sent and received includes correspondence with successive Commanders in Chief of the Army in India, namely Major General George Anson, Sir Patrick Grant, Sir Colin Campbell (later Lord Clyde) and Sir Hugh Rose. There is correspondence with Sir Robert Napier as Member of Council in India, and correspondence with Colonel Henry Durand relating to the reorganisation of the Army. There is also a series of 'Miscellaneous Letters'.

Mss Eur F699/1/1/5: Governor General: Copy Telegrams Received , 1858-59 (22 folders). These consist of a series of copy telegrams sent to Canning and his staff, generally for information, primarily during the period when the Governor General was based in Allahabad (1858-1859). These often refer to day to day Military matters. There are additional series of telegrams amongst the papers of the Private Secretary's Office (Mss Eur F699/1/2/7: Telegrams Received, Mss Eur F699/1/2/8: Telegrams Despatched) and the papers of the Military Secretary's Office (Mss Eur F699/1/3/11: Telegrams Received, Mss Eur F699/1/3/12: Telegrams Despatched).

Mss Eur F699/1/1/6: Governor General: Minutes, 1856-62 (7 volumes). Consists of Charles Canning’s copies of the Minutes of the Governor General in Council.

Mss Eur F699/1/1/7: Governor General: Administration of the North West Provinces, 1858-59 (3 volumes). Canning moved the seat of Government from Calcutta to Allahabad in Jan 1858, to be closer to the military operations of the Commander in Chief Sir Colin Campbell in Oudh. He also believed that by setting up Headquarters in Allahabad he would be able to deal directly with any unforeseen political questions that may have arisen as a result of operations in Oudh, particularly in relation to the force supplied by Jung Bahadoor. In a letter dated 25 Jan 1858 [Mss Eur F699/1/1/2/19, letter 22, Copy letter from Canning to John Peter Grant] he states "I think that the presence at Allahabad of authority in the last resort will be of an advantage to the Districts near to, and beyond Agra, whence there threatens to be a want of harmony between the Civil and Military Powers." As a result, Canning took direct responsibility for the administration of the North West Provinces for the period 9 Feb 1858 to 19 Jan 1859. The only surviving papers are three volumes, two registers and an index to correspondence (Mss Eur F699/1/1/7/1-3).