Question

Who said, “We have effectively crippled our enemy without making our friends too formidable”?
A) Lord hasting
B) Lord Wellesley
C) Sir john shore
D) Lord Cornwallis

Answer 1

Hint: He was in charge of establishing British power over much of peninsular India, laying the groundwork for the British Raj. He also played a key role in adopting administrative and legal reforms that drastically changed the country's civil administration and land management policies. He is also known as Bengal Presidency.

Complete answer:
The Third Anglo-Mysore War, which took place in South India between the Kingdom of Mysore and the East India Company and its allies, including the Nairs of Travancore, the Maratha Empire, and the Nizam of Hyderabad, is associated with the statement "We have crippled our enemy without making our friends too formidable."

Option A) Lord hasting: Lord Hastings or Lord Moira was Governor-General of India for ten years, from 1813 to 1823. His administration is remembered for its interventionist and war-mongering policies. During his reign, two major wars took place: the Gurkha War and the Third Anglo-Maratha War. He streamlined judicial procedures and repealed the Censorship Act.
Hence, this option is incorrect.

Option B) Lord Wellesley: Wellesley considerably expanded the British Empire in India as governor of Madras (now Chennai) and governor-general of Bengal (1797–1805), and as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, he strove to reconcile Protestants and Roman Catholics in a highly divided country. He was involved in the fourth Anglo Mysore war, not in the third Anglo Mysore war where Cornwallis said the given statement. Hence, this option is incorrect.

Option C) Sir john shore: From 1793 to 1798, John Shore, 1st Baron Teignmouth was the Governor-General of Bengal, a British officer of the East India Company. Despite the fact that Lord Cornwallis and his successor, Sir John Shore (governor-general 1793–98), were ready to comply, Cornwallis found himself embroiled in the third Mysore war (1790–92) with Tipu Sultan, who possessed his father's abilities but lacked his judgement. Hence, this option is incorrect.

Option D) Lord Cornwallis: Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis was appointed Governor-General of Bengal and Commander-in-Chief of British India in 1786. Cornwallis summarized the Company's achievements in the third Anglo Mysore war: “We have effectively crippled our enemy without making our friends too formidable,”. Hence, this option is correct.

Therefore, Option D) Lord Cornwallis is the correct answer. Since he said, “We have effectively crippled our enemy without making our friends too formidable”.

Note: The attack of Tipu on an English ally, the Raja of Travancore, who had irritated Tipu by some of his deeds, was the immediate cause of the third Anglo-Mysore war. In 1790, the English bought the Nizam's and Marathas' neutrality by promising them a share of Tipu's seized territory after the war.