The great arsenal of Delhi was in native hands. The North-West army was confided to veteran commanders; men of repute in their day, but now long past the vigour of their prime.
During his three and a half years of undisturbed rule, Mr. Colvin's efforts were directed mainly to three points — the improvement of the judiciary; reform in the police; and the resettlement of the Land Revenue of the Province. Before entering on his own work, it became his first duty to set the seal to the great enterprise which had long engaged his predecessor's attention. The Ganges Canal, schemes for which had as far back as 1838 been discussed with Lord Auckland, and which was first planned by Mr. Colvin's cousin, Colonel John Colvin of the Engineers, had been worked out and completed by Colonel Cautley and Major Baker of the same corps. The time had come in April, 1854, when the Canal was to be formally opened. It was hoped that Lord Dalhousie would be able to preside at the ceremony. But Lord Dalhousie had other affairs to attend to. and the duty devolved on his lieutenant.
Much at which Mr. Colvin laboured during the term of his Lieutenant-Governorship was cast into the furnace of 1857. From thence it re-issued, to be beaten out by the hands of his successors, but to take shape much as he had designed for it. His first aim was to strengthen the administration of the Courts which, in the North-West Provinces even more perhaps than in Bengal, had fallen into disesteem
