Lord Cornwallis reached Calcutta in 1786 as the Governor General. He was born in a family of landlords in England. Clive and Warren Hastings began their careers as the humble servants of the East India Company. Lord Cornwallis did not begin his life like that. He was not a servant of the company. He was selected by the British Cabinet to come to India as the Governor –General. The Company only gave him his appointment letter. Therefore, he was more or less free from the Company’s control. Lord Cornwallis belonged to the British army. As an army man, he came to India to work as the Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian army, besides the Governor-General.
He was new to India. He possessed very little knowledge of the country and its people. But he was intelligent enough to take advice from wise and experienced servants of the Company. It was to his advantage that there were such men as John Shore, James Grant, Jonathan Duncan, Charles Grant and William Jones to help him in administration.
Lord Cornwallis came with the instruction to follow a policy of peace. The greatest need of the hour was a sound administration. The Governor General was required to pay supreme attention to that subject. Among all administrative measures of Lord Cornwallis, it was his permanent settlement that stands foremost. His name is associated with that system.