UC-NRLF ITS 2 El THE GOVERNORS-GENERAL OF INDIA. FIRST SERIES. BY ' HENRY MORRIS, (MA j;iAs G. S. RETIRED.) Author */ u ^4 Manual of the Godavery District^ &c. PlffT EDITION, 3,000 COPIES. MADRAS: THE CHRISTIAN LITERATURE SOCIETY. S. P. C. K. PRESS, VBPEEY. 1894. Price 4 Annas. Post-free 5 As. " 1 ^we/ ^ THE MARQUIS WELLKSLEY. 75 founded at Calcutta, and it did not last very long. The con- sideration of the subject, however, led to the establishment of a similar College at Haileybury, in the county of Hert- ford, not many miles from London, where, for some half century, the Company's civilians were educated before leaving for India. This disapproval and reversal of his plans deeply mortified the sensitive mind of the Governor- General. There were also other causes of dissatisfaction. The Court of Directors expressed their disapproval of certain appointments which he had made, thereby touching a sore point that keenly offended him. Twice in the year 1802, he tendered his resignation, which was renewed in the following year. By that time a new source of danger to the Empire had arisen, and he determined to remain at his post from a strong sense of duty. This was the hostility of the Mahratta confederacy, which, ere long, caused the sword again to be unsheathed. The Mahratta chiefs had long been at enmity among themselves. The years 1801 and 1802 had seen frequent conflicts between them. The Rajah of the Mahratta people was a mere puppet in the hands of others at Satara. His nominal minister, but the real sovereign, Baji Row, the Peshwa, had been up to this time at Poona ; but was in this year driven by Jeswant Row Holkar into British territory. Dowlat Row Scindia, of Gwalior, was at war with Holkar. Discomfited by his great and powerful feudatory, the Peshwa was induced to enter into negotia- tions with the English Government, which issued in the treaty of Bassein on December 31, 1802, whereby he agreed to receive a subsidiary force at Poona, and to enter into full alliance with the English, who, on their part, engaged to restore him to his throne at Poona. It will be im- possible to give here more than the briefest sketch of the second Mahratta War. Our object is to regard it from the view of Government House, Calcutta, and as it affected the subject of this biographical sketch. Lord Wellesley possessed one of the greatest qualities of a ruler of men, He knew how to select intelligent and capable lieutenants, and, after he had chosen them, to trust them fully and 76 GOVERNORS-GENERAL OF INDIA. unreservedly. He had at his side Mr. Edmonstone,Secretary to Government in the Political Department, whose know- ledge of Indian political affairs was then unrivalled. He had at his beck the services of Colonel, afterwards Sir John, Malcolm; and there were at the various courts some of the ablest diplomatists, such as Colonel Collins at the court of Scindia, and Colonel Barry Close at the Peshwa's court. Behind this front row of notable men, the Governor- General kept near himself a reserve of younger men, who afterwards, in every instance, attained eminence. He instituted what he called " the Governor-General's office/' which consisted of promising young civilians and others, who were, for a time, trained under his own eye, and wrote despatches from his own dictation. Among these were Adam, Butterworth, Bayley, Jenkins, and Metcalfe, who all were enthusiastically attached to " the glorious little man/' as they called him, and responded readily to his political tuition. The year 1803 was a most eventful one in the history of the making of British India. As already stated, the treaty of Bassein, by which the Peshwa entered into alliance with the British Government as a protected prince, had just been signed. Lord Wellesley had been looking forward to this as the best mode of carrying out the only policy which he considered efficacious for rendering the power of England paramount in Northern, as it was in Southern India, and for eventually securing the peace of the country by the subjugation of the Mahratta confedera- tion. It had now been forced upon the Peshwa by the attacks of his own coadjutor sovereigns. Lord Wellesley determined that the advantage gained by this treaty should not be merely nominal. Two efficient armies, one in the south commanded by General Arthur Wellesley, and the other in the north under the Commander-in-Chief General Lake, were ready, to take the field at a moment's notice. Directions were given to the former General to advance at once to Poona, and to restore the Peshwa to his capital city. With admirable rapidity General Wellesley responded, and Poona was taken on April 20, 1803, without a shot being IV. THE MARQUIS WELLE8LEY. 77 fired, Holkar, who held it, retreating forthwith, and, on May 13, the Peshwa himself returned under British protec- tioD. This thoroughly disconcerted and irritated Scindia, who had by his own supineness lost his hold on the Peshwa. He at once entered into communication with the Rajah of Berar and Holkar ; but, while the former, cordially received his advances, the latter treated them coldly. These intrigues were watched by the British Resident, Colonel Collins, with keen interest, or rather impatience, and, at length, observing that Scindia and the Rajah of Berar had come to an understanding, and were now merely delaying to gain time for preparation, he quitted Scindia's camp on August 3. This was the signal for war. For months past the Gov- ernor-General had been making preparation for what he considered an inevitable campaign. As events ripened and the time drew near, the excitement in the Governor- Gen eraFs office grew to fever heat. We return to Gov- ernment House, Calcutta, where the central spring of the whole machinery was being worked. Pay alter day the Governor-General paced up and down the room of his office, dictating despatches to his youthful assistants. The end was approaching. For hours the pens of the young, enthusiastic men wrote these eventful letters. Like a practised chess-player, who, with clear brain, can engage in several games at once without confusing them one with another, so the great statesman paced to and fro, dictating now a despatch to his brother or to General Lake or a letter to Colonel Malcolm, Colonel Collins, or Major Kirkpatrick, or an ultimatum to Scindia, or the Rajah of Berar, interspersing these statesmanlike missives with words of cheer and encouragement to his loving scribes. Ere long, he told them, the work would be over, and he had prepared a banquet for them in Govern- ment House to refresh them after their severe toil. It was a sultry day in August, but their zeal and energy flogged not. Daylight faded into eve, and still, by the dim light of lamps, they pursued their task until, at last, well after mid- night, they ceased, and they adjourned to the banquet to 78 GOVERNORS-GENEBAL OF INDIA. talk over events and to cheer themselves with praises of their leader. Thus war was declared, and young states- men were made. Directly these despatches were received, action was taken. Rarely have campaigns been more rapidly executed. General Wellesley was at once in the field. Ahmednagar was taken on August 12. On September 23, the battle of Assaye was fought in which the enemy were totally defeat- ed. Several fortresses were taken, and on November 29, the campaign was concluded by the decisive victory of Arganm. General Lake was equally successful. Advan- cing from Ca \vnpore, he took Aligarh, defeated the Mahratta forces near Delhi, and released from Mahratta bondage the blind old Emperor, Shall Alam. He then captured Agra, and totally defeated Scindia at Laswari on the 1st of November. In four mouths both Scindia and the Rajah of Berar were reduced to subjection. The immediate re- sults of the war were the surrender of the province of Cuttack, and of all Scindia' s territory between the Jumna and the Ganges, and Scindia renounced all his claims on the Peshwa, the titular Emperor of Delhi, and the Bab Holkar had yet to be dealfc with. For some un- known reason he had not joined Sciudia and the Rajah of Berar; but, as soon as they had been defeated, his manner and his actions became very menacing. He threatened Scindia and attempted to capture some of his strongholds ; but Scindia was now under British protection. General Lake was, therefore, prepared to oppose him. Holkar's troops were much more of the typical Mahratta nature than Scindia's. They consisted chiefly of cavalry, and lie boasted that his kingdom was on his saddle. The campaign against him began disastrously for the British arms. Colonel Monson had been sent against him with a sepoy force to Jeypore. Thence he retired towards Kota, when Colonel Mouson injudiciously retreated, and his retreat was most disastrous. But it was speedily retrieved by General Lake, and the decisive battles of Deeg and Furruckabad compelled Holkar ultimately to flee into the Panjab, where IV. THE MARQUIS WELLKSLEY. 79 he surrendered on December 24, 1805. Thus ended the second MaViratta war. Meanwhile Lord Wellesley's tenure of office had ended. There had for some time been serious differences of opinion between him and the Court of Directors, who had regarded the Mahratta war with feelings of disapproval and distaste, and who were decidedly opposed to the whole of his foreign policy. The success of the earlier part of the campaign had, however, reconciled them to the war ; but they had never ceased to feel the heavy financial difficulties to which it had subjected the country, and when the news of Colonel Monson's retreat reached England, they determined on measures calculated to reverse the Governor-General's warlike policy. His Majesty's minis- ters being of the same opinion, the Marquis Cornwallis was again made Governor-General, and Lord Well^sley handed over to him the seals of office on July 30, 1805. Holkar was then still in the field, and Scindia had been of late showing signs of a restless desire to recommence hostili- ties. It was necessary to carry out Lord Cornwallis's in- structions, and very easy terms were concluded with both those sovereigns by Sir George Barlow, who succeeded to power on the decease of Lord Coruwallis soon after his return to India. It is impossible to avoid some contrast between the policy of Lord Wellesley and that of the Court of Directors which it was the mission of his successor to carry out. It is very plain that the sincere desire both of the Court and of the King's Government throughout all the earlier stages of English dominion in India, was for peace, and sometimes even almost dishonourable measures were taken to secure it. It is also evident that had the reigning princes of India in those days refrained from intriguing against or attacking the British Government, there would have been no necessity for repelling them or attacking them. In the great majority of instances war was com- pulsory. Had Tippoo, Scindia, or Holkar kept free from intrigue either with the French or with British enemies in India, there would have been no Mysore or Maliratta 80 GOVERNORS-GENERAL OP INDIA. wars; but undoubtedly, as the case was, the choice lay between the expulsion of the English power or its consoli- dation, and the policy of the Marquis Wellesley was right. The peace and prosperity of the country depended 011 the English power becoming supreme. We who are living at the close of this century, on looking back to its commence- ment, can see how vastly better is the present condition of the people of India than it was under the devastating warfare and tyranny of the Mogul Emperors or during the marauding raids of the Mahrattas. The Pax Britannica, the peace which English rule ensures, is not one of the least blessings bestowed by England on India. Lord Wellesley was most anxious to promote the highest welfare of the people. The training of young civilians was not the only object he had in view in establishing the College of Fort William. He intended to patronise orien- tal learning and the impartation of Western knowledge to wise men of the East. During the few months of its existence about a hundred learned pundits, not only from different parts of India, but also from Persia and Arabia, were attached to it. Dr. William Carey, who may appro- priately be called the first English Protestant missionary to India, was appointed professor of Bengali and Sanskrit, and translations of the Holy Scriptures into seven Oriental languages were begun under Lord Wellesley's patronage ; so that, as Dr. Claudius Buchanan wrote, directed by the flood of light raised by this College, " learned men from every quarter come to the source of knowledge ; they mark our principles, ponder the volume of inspiration, ' and hear every man in his own tongue the wonderful works of God.' J Though the College did not last, it remained long enough to show the magnificent ideas on the diffusion of both Oriental and Western knowledge which animated the Governor-General's mind. He was not permitted to carry into effect all his ideas as a judicial and social reformer. His heart shrank from the two cruel practices of human sacrifice and suttee, which, by long and almost immemorial custom, had been permitted to disfigure and defile the Hindu religion. As is the case IV. THE MARQUIS WELLESLEY. 81 with regard to other practices which, in the course of ages, have been engrafted on Hinduism, they received no sanc- tion from Manu or the Vedas. Having ascertained from learned pundits that the custom of sacrificing children and sometimes adults by exposure on the banks of the Ganges at Saugor and other places, "was not sanctioned by the Hindu Law, nor countenanced by the religious orders or by the people at large," the Governor-General in Council past a regulation declaring the practice to be criminal and punishable as murder; Lord Wellesley also in- stituted an inquiry into the custom of suttee, in which it was necessary to proceed with the greatest caution and circumspection. His return to England, however, prevent- ed him from doing more than this, and it was left to Lord William Bentinck, a future Governor-General to carry out the beneficent reform of practically abolishing suttee. The Marquis Wellesley was truly oriental in his concep- tions as to the magnificence that one in the high position of Governor-General and Cap tain- General of India ought to assume. He expected the most rigorous etiquette and ceremony to be observed towards himself personally. Finding that the Government House at Calcutta was too small, he caused a spacious and semi-regal palace to be built on the esplanade between Fort William and the town. It was opened on January 26, 1803, with a splendid en- tertainment given in honour of the general peace. Lord Wellesley had previously taken possession of the house at Barrackpore, which had hitherto been occupied by the Commander-in- Chief, and which he improved with great taste. This country residence, situated on the left bank of the Ganges, in the midst of a beautiful park, has since been a favourite spot with succeeding Governors-General. The Marquis Wellesley reached England in January 1806, a very different man to what he was when he left it seven years before. He had rendered his country incom- parable service by his singularly able administration in India ; but every one did not rush forward to acknowledge this, and his seven years almost autocratic rule had made 82 GOVEfiNORS-GENERAL OF INDJA. him vain-glorious and imperious. The consciousness of this infirmity made him overbearing and irritable. This showed itself even at the dinner-table on the evening after he had lauded. Lady Wellesley, with their children, had come to greet him on his return ; but, at dinner, forgetting that he was not exactly the same man to whom she had plighted her troth several years ago, unhappily, but inno- cently, remarked, "Ah! you must not think you are in India still, where everybody ran to obey you. They mind nobody here." This led to an estrangement between them. As it was in private life, so also it was in political and official life, and it embittered both. Apparently he must be first and supreme in everything. He arrived just in time to see his old friend and master in political science, Mr. Pitt, once more. The great statesman was dying. Hearing of Lord Wellesley's arrival, he sent for him, and they had a final interview just twelve days before Mr. Pitt's death. The Marquis Wellesley was not in a position to resume political employ for some little time after his return to England. One of those annoyances to which eminent men are peculiarly liable was in store for him. Some of the greatest Anglo-Indian statesmen had been subjected to persecution and impeachment on account of their policy in India. An attempt at the same course was made against the Marquis Wellesley ; but it signally failed. A Mr. Paull who had made a fortune in India, and had subsequently obtained a seat in the House of Commons, moved for the production of papers on which to found his indictment against the ex-Grovernor-General on account of his policy in Oudh ; but, before he could proceed further, a dissolution of Parliament took place, and he lost his seat, so that the charge was made by another member of Parliament, Lord Folkestone, who was defeated by a large majority of votes. A resolution of the House of Commons approving Lord Wellesley's conduct was then triumphantly carried. There was no doubt that the people of England thoroughly ap- proved of his brilliant statesmanship in India, though not in the enthusiastic manner which he anticipated. IV, THE MARQUIS WELLE8LEY. 83 Lord Wellesley diligently attended to his duties in the House of Lords. He was, however, very careful about his utterances. He did not feel inclined to speak at all, unless he felt that he could make the best speech in a debate, and this sometimes led him not to speak when he ought to have spoken. He made his first speech in the Upper House on February 8,1808, rather more than two years after his return. It was on a most important political subject the seizure of the Danish fleet ; and was regarded as an admir- able specimen of parliamentary oratory. He was, how- ever, very nervous iu the effort, though appearing out- wardly calm and collected. In the following year he fairly entered into European diplomatic life, and eventually into English ministerial responsibility. He was at first closely associated with his brother, Sir Arthur Wellesley. England had undertaken to assist Spain and Portugal in their defence against the attacks of the great Napoleon. Sir Arthur was sent to command the English army in the latter country, and the Marquis was commissioned to proceed to Spain as Ambassador Extraordinary to conduct the negotiations with the Spanish Government. He was employed in this manner from June to November, 1809. In the latter month he left Spain, having accepted office under Mr. Percival, then Prime Minister, as the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The period during which the Marquis Wellesley was Foreign Minister was one of the most critical possible not only for England, but for the whole of Europe. It is scarcely too much to say that all Europe was then in subjugation to Napoleon, England only excepted. Her army kept the conqueror at bay in Portugal and Spain. No more resolute and far-seeing minister could have been entrusted with the seals of office than Lord Wellesley. No adverse criticism daunted him from straining every nerve to continue the war against France with vigour and success, while, nobly seconded and supported by him in England, his brother completely vanquished Napoleon's ablest lieu- tenants iu Spain. He remained Foreign Minister of Eng- land during this very critical period, that is, from Novem- 84 GO VERNOES- GENERAL OF INDIA. ber 1809 to February 19, 1812, when he resigned on account of an entirely different subject, namely, the Roman Catholic Emancipation question, which was then being brought forward. He was in favour of the policy of removing all disabilities on the score of religion : his col- leagues were not. They were, however, not unwilling to allow him to quit the Cabinet, because his imperious dispo- sition prevented him from working harmoniously with them. Another point of difference was his opinion that they were not vigorous enough in their prosecution of the war in Spain, or, as he himself expressed it, " their efforts were just too short." His brother, now Lord Wellington, had nevertheless won some of his most brilliant victories, and he was daily gaining sufficient strength to make a decisive forward movement into Spain. Lord Wellesley's strenuous efforts had afforded him the means of success. In the month of May, 1812, Lord Wellesley was entrust- ed by the Prince Regent with the arduous duty of en- deavoring to form a new Cabinet, after the assassination of Mr. Percival. He was not successful however, and, for the next nine years, he remained out of office ; but his ser- vices were too valuable to be altogether dispensed with, and in December 1821, he occupied the very important and onerous position of Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, a posi- tion which had also been held by Lord Cornwallis. His term of office lasted for just six years. It was a period of much excitement and turmoil. On the whole he was toler- ably popular; and, as he was known by the Roman Catho- lics to be favourable to Emancipation and was himself an illustrious Protestant Irishman, he was in a position to hold an even balance between the two contending parties. When he assumed office, Ireland was in a condition border- ing on rebellion. This was energetically suppressed ; the destitution among the peasants occasioned by the unsettled state of the country was relieved by public subscriptions supplemented by a Government grant, most of which was raised in England; and much was done towards discoun- tenancing and suppressing secret societies, which were the bane of the land. During the time of his Viceroy alty, the IV. THE MARQUIS WELLESLBY. 85 Marquis Wellesley married a second time, his first wife having died in 1816. On October 29, 1825, he was united to Mrs. Patterson, the daughter of an American gentleman, and a lady of considerable personal attractions and mental accomplishments. In December, 1827, Lord Wellesley, as the end of his term of office was drawing near, returned to England. He came back to do all that lay in his power to advocate the cause of Catholic Emancipation. His younger brother, the great Duke, became Prime Minister of England in the following year, and was at first opposed, and then, under stress of circumstances which he considered rendered it in- evitable, he became favourable to passing this act of relief. The Act was passed in the year 1829. The measure became law, which he had consistently advocated for many years, and on which as he himself said, e 'he had formed his opinion from long and intimate acquaintance with the constitution of his country." A little later, from the middle of 1833 to April 1835, Lord Wellesley was again Lord Lieutenant of Ire- land. For a brief period he held office as Lord Chamber- lain, and he then retired from all participation in public affairs. The evening of his life was tranquil. Like his great predecessor, Warren Hastings, he employed the lei- sure of his old age in social enjoyment and in literary recreation. He amused himself principally with writing verse. At this time the Court of Directors, then living in a generation that appreciated his services more highly than their ancestors did, showed their estimation of what he had done for India by two graceful acts. Hearing that his means were straitened, they voted him the sum of 20,000, and, a few years later, they placed a marble statue of him in the India House. The kindest expressions were used with regard to his illustrious services by many of the Directors when these honours were awarded to him. The last few years of his life were spent in a house at Bromp- ton, a suburb of London, where he died on September 26, 1842, in the eighty-third year of his age. The Marquis Wellesley's was essentially a public life. With the exception of his later years it was past in the 86 GOVERNORS-GENERAL OF INDIA. excitement of high position or in the turmoil of political strife. There are few passages in his correspondence of a quiet and domestic nature, which, as in the case of most eminent men, reveal the inner workings of the heart. It has been seen from the preceding narrative how clear was the foresight and how statesmanlike was the policy of his rule in India ; but he was sensitive in a pre-eminent degree, and fancied non-appreciation of his services affected him even to the detriment of his health. On the other hand, no one in his exalted position possessed in a more perfect form the faculty of recognizing merit and of making choice of fit agents, and of then trusting them to the full. The secret of his successful government lay in this consummate art. We would not be far wrong if we called his a most useful, but not a happy, life. Lord Wellesley had an ad- mirable style in writing, but, as his despatches prove, it was a thoroughly official style. He was always fond of literature, and some of his verses, both in Latin and in English, show considerable culture and taste. It cannot be said that the Marquis Wellesley was a decidedly Christian man. He saw, however, how incumbent it was on the ruling and paramount power to show plainly that they had a faith, and were not ashamed to make an open profession of it. Englishman in India had, with some brilliant exceptions, been untrue to their country and unfaithful to their God in this respect. Lord Wellesley, while exercising a severe censorship over the English press, rightly directed that the newspapers should not be publish- ed on Sunday, and readily carried out the wishes of the Court of Directors that official work should not be perform- ed on the Christian Sabbath day of rest. On his return to Calcutta after the successful termination of the war in Mysore, he set apart a day for public thanksgiving to Almighty God. He and the principal officers of State walked to church at the early morning service, and openly joined in this tribute of praise the Rev. David Brown reading the prayers, and the Rev. Claudius Buchanan preaching the sermon on this memorable occasion. We have thus endeavoured briefly to record the chief events in IV< THE MARQUIS WELLESLBY. 87 the life of one of the greatest Governors India has ever known. British India of the present day really owes its first moulding and form to his capable hands, and the people would have more directly benefited under his grand designs of amelioration and reform, if his attention had not been so fully occupied with the wars which were forced upon him by no desire of his own. THE EARL OF MINTO, V. THE EARL OP MINTO. 89 . THE EARL OF MINTO. A.D. 1751 TO 1814. " Let Reason's torch on zeal attend, Her calm undazzling light to lend : With patriot ardour wisdom blend. Be these your guides. Your country's good the noble end, And nought besides." Lord Minto. THESE lines are from a little poem written by Lord Minto himself when in India and dedicated to his family. We prefix them to this brief memoir, not because his name is enrolled on the goodly scroll of English poets ; but because they accurately describe the course of life which he him- self followed, and which he desired the members of his family to pursue. Like so many other English statesmen, his sincere desire was, first of all, the welfare of his country ; and he endeavoured to promote it by a calm, wise, and con- sistent performance of duty, even when it went counter to his own inclinations. Mr. Gilbert Elliot, as he was at first, came of a good old Scottish family, in which there had been several dis- tinguished members. His father was a member of Par- liament, and as his duties took him often to Edinburgh or London, and the mode of travelling in those days was slow and tedious, he did not stay often at his family estate, but usually resided in one of those cities. Sir Gilbert and Lady Elliot had four sons and two daughters. One of the latter married Mr. Eden, afterwards Lord Auckland, and was the mother of one of the Governors- General. The two elder sons, Gilbert and Hugh, both attained considerable eminence as politicians and di- plomatists. These two brothers were brought up to- gether until they were nearly twenty years of age and 90 GOVERNOKS-GENERAL OF INDIA. then parted to meet but seldom afterwards. They were sincerely attached to each other. Hugh for many years represented his sovereign as ambassador at Berlin and other European Courts, and eventually became Governor of Madras in the year after his brother had resigned his position as Governor-General. The third brother, Alex- ander, entered the Bengal Civil Service, was a man of much promise, and was thought of very highly by Warren Hastings ; but he died in India at a comparatively early The future Governor- General was born April 23, 1751. He was placed, when eleven years old, with his brother Hugh, in the charge of a young tutor, who, after two years, accompanied them to Paris. There they entered a military school, and Mr. David Hume, the well-known historian, took the general superintendence of their education. They became intimate with the sons of some of the most noble families in France, among whom was the celebrated Mira- beau, and Gilbert Elliot kept up his acquaintance with him for many years. They thoroughly acquired the French language and French modes of thought, which became of freat service to them in their future diplomatic career, n 1768 they both went to Christ Church, Oxford; but, two years later they returned, for a time to Paris, and then Gilbert went once more to Oxford, where he remained to take his degree, and Hugh began his military training in other parts of the continent of Europe. At the conclusion of his University course, Mr. Gilbert Elliot went to London to study law. He withdrew for some time from society for the purpose of giving him- self up to this pursuit, and he seems to have made a very fair start at the bar, to have spoken well in the causes he was engaged in, and to have been specially employed in one celebrated election case. He did not prosecute the pro- fession of law, however, but turned into the more inviting, but less profitable, occupation of politics. He was request- ed to stand as member of parliament for Morpeth, a town in the county of Northumberland bordering on Scotland, and was returned for it in the summer of 1776. On Janu- V. THE EARL OP MINTO. 91 ary 3, 1777, he was married to Miss Anna Maria Amyand, daughter of Sir George Amyand, M. P., a lady to whom he had been attached for many years, and with whom he lived most happily. She was evidently a lady of great sense and much thoughtfulness. His father did not live to hear of his marriage, but thoroughly approved of the step he was taking. He said, " By Miss Amyand's letters she is a sen- sible good woman, and I believe will be good wife and com- fortable relation/' adding with great energy, " what a wise man Gilbert has been to leave the skirts of the fine people, and associate with men of sense and character who have led him into a conduct of virtue and wisdom." In the early part of their married life they were often separated, he being obliged to remain in London the greater part of the year in order to attend to his parliamentary duties, while she generally went to their beautiful estate at Minto, as she enjoyed better health in the clearer air of the country ; but they carried on a continuous correspondence during the periods of their separation, and it is evident from these letters how fully they loved one another and delighted in each other's society. One passage from them will be sufficient to prove this. " Very full letters," he once wrote, " are the best substitute for your absence ; a poor resource when compared with your presence, but in- estimable if your absence is necessary." Minto, from which Sir Gilbert Elliot afterwards took his title on his elevation to the peerage, is a pleasant estate in Roxburghshire. It is now more tastefully planted and the garden more artificially beautiful than it was a hundred years ago ; but it must then have been wilder and more naturally lovely. The sheet of water near the house, which now reflects laburnums and rhododendrons, was then a nar- row and rapid stream running between banks covered with jungle thorn-bushes. The house too was then less conveni- ent; but Gilbert Elliot's wife loved the place, as she said, passionately, and delighted in its rugged beauties. January 1777 was an eventful month in Gilbert Elliot's life. Soon after his marriage, his father, who had been compelled to go to the south of France for the sake of his 92 GOVERNORS-GENERAL OP INDIA. health, died on the eleventh day of the month, and he succeeded him as baronet, so that he was henceforward Sir Gilbert Elliot, and became the head of the family. Soon after his father's death, he was returned to Parlia- ment as the member for his native country, Roxburghshire, a position which had been held by his father, his grand- father, and his great-grandfather before him. His parlia- mentary life was rather uneventful so far as he was con- cerned, for, although he came in contact with many of the great men of the day, and was the eye-witness of many stirring scenes in the House of Commons, he was never a very keen politician. At first he gave his support to the ministry of the time, especially in their prosecution of the American war ; but in 1 780, he was very much impressed by a speech of Edmund Burke's on Reform, and he made the acquaintance of that eminent, but prejudiced, man, which ere long ripened into warm friendship. He became under Burke's inspiration an ardent supporter of the popu- lar side of politics, and joined the Whigs, which was the name given to that particular political party. In 1782 Sir Gilbert/ s health gave way for a time. He caught a severe cold, and there were threatenings of consumption, so he was obliged to go to the milder climate of the south coast of France for the benefit of his health. Lady Elliot accom- panied him, and, while stopping at Lyons on the way, their eldest child, who succeeded him in the title of Earl of Minto, was born. Happily his health was completely re- instated by this little change. In the year 1786, Burke induced Sir Gilbert to give his support to the charges brought against Warren Hastings and Sir Elijah Impey. At the general election two years before, Sir Gilbert had lost his seat in Parliament, at which he seems to have been rather pleased, as affording him leisure for reading and self -improvement. Among other occupations he entered heartily into getting up the subject of the celebrated prosecution of Warren Hastings, or whose guilt he appears thoroughly to have persuaded himself. Being in London at the time, he re- joiced at the success of the faction in procuring that great V. THE EARL OF MINTO. 93 statesman's prosecution. "Our victory on the Benares charge," he wrote, " has given me the greatest satisfaction and comfort. It is a most comfortable testimony to the general justice of the prosecution, and a shield to the characters and reputation of the prosecutors." Sir Gilbert Elliot was returned to Parliament again in September 1786 ; this time for the border town of Berwick. On learning this news Burke wrote him an affectionate con- gratulation, urging him to push himself more forward in political matters, and to shake off some of his retiring nature. " You -must be less modest ;" he wrote, " you must be all you can be, and you can be everything ; we cannot spare an atom of you." Sir Gilbert was not a frequent speaker in the House of Commons. He seems never to have thoroughly overcome his nervousness. On the evening of December 12, 1787, he delivered the most eloquent speech he made in that distinguished assembly, on the prosecution of Sir Elijah Impey, and the restoration of Francis to the Committee of Managers of the approaching trial. Burke wrote to Lady Elliot regarding this speech in terms of the highest praise. " There was not a topic," he said, " upon which he touched that had not its peculiar beauty and the finishing hand of a master." Such praise from a past master in the art of rhetoric was praise indeed. Sip Gilbert had, however, failed to understand Francis's real character. Sir Gilbert was one of the managers for the prosecution in the celebrated trial. We have already given a brief ac- count of it in Warren Hastings' Life ; and, therefore, it is sufficient just to refer to it so far as the future Governor- General is concerned, as his words cast a slight side-light upon it. All the managers appeared in full dress. " My dress coat is just come home," he writes to his wife the day before the trial. " My coat is drab with steel buttons : waistcoat of the same." Returning from the opening of the trial next day, he writes : "It is difficult to conceive anything more grand or imposing than this scene. Every- thing that England possesses of greatness or ability is there assembled, in the utmost splendour and solemnity, for one 94 GOVERNORS-GENERAL OP INDIA. of the most solemn purposes imaginable. There is a large place for the managers fronting the throne, with a table and accommodation for our counsel, agent, and attend- ants." Amidst all the grandeur and magnificence of the scene, however, his heart misgives him, for the sup- posed criminal who was then standing near him, had been very kind to his brother Alexander, and a touch of com- punction for his harsh feeling comes over him. " I never saw Hastings till to-day, " he added, s ' and had not formed anything like a just idea of him. I never saw a more miserable looking creature, but indeed he has so much the appearance of bad health that I do not suppose he resem- bles even himself" no wonder considering the position he was in. " He looks as if he could not live a week." He survived Sir Gilbert four years. " I always feel un- comfortable in the reflection of his connections with Alick, and I cannot say I was insensible to that idea on seeing him to-day. But the clearness of his guilt and the atro- ciousness of his crimes can leave no hesitation in any body's mind, who thinks as I do about, it what one's duty is." The only other point in connection with this topic that need be alluded to here is his speech, or rather speeches, for it was spread over two days, on the prosecution of Sir Elijah Impey. It lasted for several hours on April 28 and May 9, 1788. The motion was lost. His speech was, how- ever, printed with corrections by Burke. The estimation in which Sir Gilbert was held by his friends was so high that they nominated him for the honourable office of Speaker, that is, the chairman, of the Honse of Commons. He was proposed on January 5, 1789, but Mr. Grenville was elected by a large majority, and on Mr. Grenville vacating the post in the following June on being made a Cabinet Minister, he was proposed in opposi- tion to Mr. Addington, but again defeated. The very fact of being proposed by his party was complimentary to him and creditable to his character for impartiality and justice. Dining the remainder of his parliamentary career, little iihat was remarkable occurred. Finding the great diffi- culty and inconvenience of being absent more than half the V. THE EAEL OP MINTO. 95 year from his family lie formed the design of resigning his seat at the general election of 1790, in order that he might be more with his wife and growing children ; but he was persuaded by his friends to relinquish this intention, and he was returned for a small borough in Cornwall on the understanding that he was to attend Parliament only when it was absolutely necessary for him to do so. Three years later his Parlimenfcary life was exchang- ed for a diplomatic one, and he had almost entirely to quit his favourite place in Scotland. In 1793 the war occasioned by the terrible French Revolution was rag- ing in Europe. Toulon, the chief port of the French navy in the Mediterranean, was, in August of that year, handed over by the loyalists of the town to the British, for the sake of their protection, and Lord Hood, the British naval commander in the Mediterranean, took possession of the town. Sir Gilbert Elliot was selected by the ministry to go there as the civil officer in charge of the town. Leav- ing England on October 18, he proceeded thither as rapid- ly as the means of transit in those days permitted; and did his best to supply the beleaguered garrison with food. The siege was at first carried on in a most unskilful way by the Republican army ; but there was in it a young captain of artillery, named Napoleon Buonaparte, who made his first mark in military history by his suggestion as to the con- duct of the siege. His clear eye noticed how certain forts on a neck of land dominated the town and harbour, and persuaded the general commanding to concentrate all his attention on them. The principal fort was taken, and, on December 19, the English and their allies withdrew after burning those war vessels in the harbour which could not be removed. Daring this weird conflagration hundreds of the frightened inhabitants, dreading the terrible retribution that awaited those who remained, fled on board the English ships of war, and Sir Gilbert used his utmost exertions to comfort and relieve them. " It is some sort of gratification to me," he wrote to Lady Elliot in the fulness of Ids heart, " to be considered the saviour and friend of all these forlorn families. I had the pleasure of saving several lives, and 96 GO VEENORS -GENERAL OF INDIA. of being the sole instrument of any succour or comfort which any of them have obtained. One little boy whose father is missing has taken as kindly to me as if he were my own." The treatment of the French royalists after the recapture of Toulon is one of the most ghastly episodes in the appalling French Revolution, and it is pleasing to contrast the humane exertions of the kindly English states- man with the frantic cruelty of the French victors. Early in January 1794, Sir Gilbert Elliot went to the island of Corsica to negotiate regarding its cession to England. It had recently been in the possession of France but General Paoli, who was generally trusted by his countrymen, revolted and, made an offer of the island to the King of England, and this offer being ratified by the Cor- sican Parliament, it was accepted by the English ministry. Sir Gilbert Elliot was appointed Viceroy, and on June 19, 1794, he formally took charge of the Government in the name of King George the Third. From that date till October 1796, or rather more than two years, he ruled the volatile and excitable Corsican people with an amount of good humour and tact which won him their respect and even their love. His sole desire was to show them the beauty and the bene- fits of constitutional government, and his policy was to make the island the centre of English naval dominion in the Mediterranean Sea. Captain Horatio Nelson, after- wards Lord Nelson, the great English naval hero, was in the Mediterranean fleet, and contracted a firm friendship with Sir Gilbert, and, when the latter left the island, wrote in strong praise of his conduct as Viceroy. " It is impossi- ble/' he said, "I can do justice to the good arrangement of the Government or the good management of the Viceroy with the Corsicans ; even those who had opposed his administra- tion could not but love and respect so amiable a character/' In the autumn of 1794, Lady Elliot and their children join- ed him, and they all delighted in the beauty of the scenery and in the pleasantness of the climate, crossing over, how- ever, in the hot weather to the mainland and the hills of Italy. At the close of his administration they returned to England in a ship of war ; and he followed them after hav- V. THE EARL OP MINTO. 97 ing gone for a time to Naples on diplomatic duty. On his way home in a frigate, he happened to be present at the great naval action off Cape St. Vincent, reaching England on March 5, 1797, with the news of that victory. Thus ended an eventful and busy period of his life, and in the following year, the King, in consideration of the essential services he had rendered to his country, created him a peer of the realm by the title of Baron Minto. In 1799 Lord Minto was again actively employed in the service of his country. In June of that year he was ap- pointed Minister Plenipotentiary, that is, an ambassador with full power of acting, to the Court of Vienna, and the immediate object of his mission was to induce the Emperor of Austria to throw himself heartily into alliance with Eng- land in the war she was then prosecuting against France. After much negotiation he was successful, and a treaty of alliance between Great Britain and Austria was signed on June 20, 1800. It was, however, of little use. The war, which had hitherto been carried on with little spirit, just at that time underwent a complete change. The guiding hand of a master in the art of war was just beginning to be felt on the side of France. Napoleon Buonaparte, who had lately been in Egypt, had returned suddenly to Europe, and had put fresh life into the affairs of France. Only five days before the signing of the above mentioned treaty, the battle of Marengo was fought ; and, ere long, Austria was at the mercy of the conqueror, and a fresh treaty was entered into between France and Austria. Though the main object of his embassy had thus been frustrated, Lord Minto had the pleasure of receiving his Sovereign's ap- proval of the firmness and vigour he had shown during a pecu- liarly trying and critical time. Lady Minto was with him the greater part of his stay in the beautiful capital of Austria'. Lord Minto returned to London in October, 1801, after an absence of rather more than two years. The next five years were spent in a very similar way to that when he was in the House of Commons, in parliamentary duties and in the society of his friends and fellow statesmen. He resided in London during the time the House of Lords was a 98 GOVERNORS-GENERAL OP INDIA. sitting, and on other occasions lived in Edinburgh or at Minto. In January, 1806, after the death of the distin- guished statesman, Mr. Pitt, to whom England owed so much, a new ministry came into power, which, being com- posed of many brilliant and intellectual men, was jocularly called " The Ministry of all the Talents." Lord Minto took office as President of the Board of Control, but without a seat in the Cabinet, that is, he was not actually one of the responsible Ministers of the Crown. This appointment brought him into close contact with Indian affairs, and caused him a great deal of hard work. He held this important position for only a few weeks. The news of Lord Cornwallis's death soon after his having gone out a second time as Governor-General was received just as Lord Minto took office ; and a conflict arose between the King's ministers and the Court of Directors regarding the choice of his successor. When this dissension was at its height, the Prime Minister proposed Lord Minto as the right person to fill that responsible post, a suggestion which proved agreeable to all parties, as he was known to be a wise, judicious, and conciliatory statesman, who seemed likely to take a sound and sober view of affairs in India, and to exercise a salutary influence there. He at first declined the offer, but afterwards reluctantly accepted it on the ground of public duty. His reluctance was chiefly on account of domestic reasons, because he felt that Lady Minto, whom he so tenderly loved, ought not to accompany him to India for the sake of her health. She was in Scotland at the time, and he wrote to her on the subject in these words : " Now comes the domestic deliberation, and that is exactly the greatest conflict to which my mind could ever be put. My own personal comforts, enjoyments, and happiness can be preserved only at home with yourself and the children." It ought here to be added that he regarded the appointment as one in 'which he had the opportunity of doing good to the people of India. When, many years before, he had, under a mistaken sense of duty, become one of the managers in the trial of Warren Hastings, he said that " his earnest V. THE EABL OF MINTO. 99 desire to befriend the people of India had decided him to undertake a business in many respects uncongenial to his nature." So on this occasion, he wrote to Lady Minto, " There is the hope of becoming the instrument of great and extensive good." " Most of all," he added, " I hope you are firmly convinced that that no personal passion, such as ambition, could weigh a single grain in the balance against the love I bear you, my affection for the children, and the delight with which I have been looking forward to a greater share of your and their company than I have had for many years." During the time of preparation for his departure, Lord Minto was gratified to hear of the engage- ment of his eldest son to be married, and he was present at his wedding. He felt most keenly the parting from his family and friends ; but was pleased to observe the happi- ness of one who was henceforward to take his position as head of the family in Britain. He sailed from England in the ' Modesto 9 frigate, commanded by his second son, George Elliot, on February 5, 1807. After a voyage which lasted four months, Lord Minto reached Madras on June 20, 1807. He there met his third son, John Edmund Elliot, who was in the Civil Service, and who became his private secretary, accompanying him to Calcutta. He assumed charge of the Government on July 31. During the interval between Lord Cornwallis's death, nearly two years previously, and Lord Minto's arrival, Sir George Barlow, the senior member of Coun- cil, had acted as Governor-General, and had been the instrument of carrying out the policy of the Court of Directors supported by the King's ministers in England, which may appropriately be described as the policy of peace in India at any price. Sir George Barlow was at this time transferred to the Governorship of Madras. On his proceeding to Madras, Mr. Lumsden, Mr. Colebrooke, the distinguished Oriental scholar, and General Hewitt, the Commander-in-Chief, were the mem- bers of Council, with whom Lord Minto had the pleasure of working harmoniously during the whole period of his Government. 100 GOVERNORS-GENERAL OP INDIA. Lord Miiito felt most keenly the separation from his wife. Contrary to the case of Lord Wellesley, we have abundant material for estimating his private character and the feel- ings of his mind, for he employed himself in writing long letters, more like journals than the ordinary correspon- dence of every day life, so that we know thoroughly his ideas and thoughts about matters not connected with the official government of the Indian Empire. He was, when he reached Calcutta, fifty-six years of age, so that the change from life in London to the very different scenes in Calcutta struck him very forcibly, and he felt a good deal the closeness and heat of the climate. Writing to his eldest son a few weeks after his arrival, he gives an amusing account of the manner of conducting business in Council, part of which it will be interesting to quote as the experiences of a new comer. " The routine/' he wrote, "is this. The Secretaries in the different departments send in circulation to me and the members of Council the despatches they have received since the last Council, and the documents relating to all business which arises in the interval. The number and variety of affairs is immense; for everything, small as well as great, must have the sanction of Government. The Secretaries attend at Council, each department in its turn with its mountain of bundles. The Secretary reads the substance of each paper, and the order is given on the spot. Now our Secre- taries are all modest men, who scarcely read above their breath. It is a constant strain of the ear to hear them ; the business is often the heaviest and dullest kind, the voices monotonous, and as one small concern follows another, the punkah vibrates gently over my eyes ; and in this warm atmosphere the whole operation has been found somewhat composing. It is often a vehement struggle to avoid a delectable oblivious wink." The new Governor-General was delighted to leave the formality and stateliness of Calcutta for the pleasant re- tirement of Barrackpore. There he had leisure to read and write and think. The beauty of the scenery and the quietness of the place attracted him. "The real V. THE EARL OP MINTC. -1XJ1 beauty," he wrote, "consists in the rich verdure, the magnificent timber, and the fine river which forms one side ot: the place. The breadth of the Ganges here is sufficient for grandeur, and not too much for beauty. It is all alive with a brisk navigation of boats and vessels of different build and dimensions, and all of the most pic- turesque forms and fashions." He had a great affection for this country residence, calling it ' ( a kind of little Minto," for in reminded him of his Scottish home. When Lord Minto assumed charge oE the Government, India was settling down after the swift, victorious compaigns of the Marquis Wellesley. The frontier of British India, then infinitely smaller and more compressed than at present, was well defined. There were formidable enemies beyond it. The Mahrattas especially were preparing for further conflict, evidently at no distant date. The enemy most dreaded, however, was France. During the whole of Lord Minto's administration, England and France were at war, and it was necessary not only to keep a jealous eye on the colonial possessions of France, but to keep vigilant watch lest her sons should endeavour to invade India, or to intrigue at the independent Hindu or Muhammadan Courts, During this waiting time the financial position of the country was considerably improved. Lord Minto's policy was not, however, one entirely of peace, and certainly not of timidity and submission. He was quite ready, on suit- able occasions, to use the language of firmness and decision, and, to employ his own words " to discharge the duty which a sovereign owes to his subjects, I mean that of pre- serving the public peace, and protecting the weaker and more pacific part of the community against the oppression and violence of the stronger." He had not been many weeks in power when there arose the necessity for inter- fering by force in Bundelkhand, which had, four years pre- viously, been ceded by the Mahrattas. It was studded with numerous fortified droogs, which were held by petty chiefs who kept the country people in the plains in abject terror. A force was sent against the chiefs who refused to submit; two strongholds, Kalinjir and Azighar, were taken GOVERNORS-GENERAL OF INDIA. by assault ; and the province restored to quietness and peace. In the year following Lord Minto's arrival, a sudden disturbance arose in the kingdom of Travancore. The Rajah had permitted all the real power-of the realm to pass into the hands of his dewan, who thoroughly abused it, and suffered the kingdom to fall into disorder. An attack was made on the British Resident, who narrowly escaped with his life, and some soldiers and a doctor of an English Regiment were treacherously captured and murdered. A small invading force, under Colonel St. Leger, invaded Travancore, chiefly through the pass leading from Tinne- velly, and order was eventually restored. The province was kept for a few years under English management, but it was, in 1813, handed over again to the Rajah, and it has since been one of the most tranquil and enlightened of all the protected states. The most serious disturbance of the time, however, arose from the English officers themselves. Sir George Barlow, the Governor of Madras, was most unpopular, and, during the time of his government, a sad collision occurred between the civil and the military authorities. It began with a question regarding the Tent Contract, being an allowance which the commanding officers of regiments received for providing tents for their men. The Com- mander-in-Chief had quite recently been deprived by the Court of Directors of his seat in Council. In many instances the sepoys were induced to follow their officers in acts of insubordination. At Masulipatam there was open mutiny, and at Secunderabad and in other places there was a very near approach to civil war. Lord Minto, who was deter- mined to uphold the hands of the civil power, though he was particularly anxious to maintain a most conciliatory attitude, thought it right to go straight to Madras, and sift the whole matter thoroughly. He embarked for Madras on August 5, 1809, and remained there fourteen months. After some time the irritation and excitement of this painful mutiny passed away ; and, perhaps, the best thing left behind it by it is the admirable V. THE EAEL OP MINTO. 103 state-paper written by the Governor-General on the subject. While he was at Madras Lord Minto's son and secre- tary, the Honorable John Elliot, married the daughter of Mr. Casamaijor, M. C. S., and, soon after his return to Calcutta, his second son, the Honorable Captain George Elliot, of the Royal Navy, also married. Both his daugh- ters-in-law had rooms assigned to them in Government House. He was pleased to have them with him, and declared that his residence was much improved in cheer- fulness and comfort. "I have occasion for all the comforts I can snatch, for my work is hard and fatiguing to both body and spirit, not by bodily exercise, but by the effect of mental labour on a body entirely at rest. I am as entirely done up by ten o'clock as if I had been all day on the Moors, " referring to the mountain sides in the highlands of Scotland, where gentlemen delight, at certain seasons, to walk and shoot. " However/ 7 he adds, " I have a quiet sort of contentedness, and spectator-like enjoyment of all the happiness about me, which serves my turn. " He was, however, though cheerfully doing his duty, what is usually called, very home sick. He was actually counting the days to the anticipated time of his return. The foreign policy of Lord Minto was entirely influenced by the prevailing dread of French pretensions and fear of invasion. In the early part of his administration, he 'decid- ed on sending two embassies to kingdoms on the frontier of India, each with the object of counteracting the in- trigues of the French. These embassies were sent to Ranjit Singh, the Maharajah of the Panjab, to Shah Shuja, the Ameer of Kabul, and to the Shah of Persia. Lord Minto took the greatest pains in selecting the best and ablest officers for these important and delicate duties. For the embassy to the Panjab he selected Mr. Metcalfe, who had been trained by the Marquis Wellesley, and who afterwards filled many high offices in the State. Mr. Metcalfe was only twenty-three years of age, but he dis- played singular patience, skill, and tact in the conduct of the difficult task entrusted to him. On April 25, 1809, a 104 GOVERNORS-GENERAL OP INDIA. treaty was entered into, in which Ranjit Singh agreed not to interfere with the chiefs on the south of the river Sutlej, and perpetual amity was established between the British Government and himself, no invading army being permit- ted to pass through his territory. The great ruler, the Lion of the Pan jab, most scrupulously kept this treaty. Mr. Mountstuart Elphinstone, another distinguished civilian who rose to eminence, was entrusted with the em- bassy to Kabul. He was not so successful as Mr. Metcalfe had been in the Panjab. He did not go further than Peshawar, where he had interviews with the Amir, and obtained his object; but, before the treaty could be rati- fied, the Amir had been defeated by his brother, who had usurped the throne, and he had fled for refuge across the Indus. The chief result of this mission was the admirable history of Afghanistan, which Mr. Elphinstone wrote from the materials he was able to obtain at Peshawar. The third embassy, that to the Court of Persia, was much more difficult and complicated. Lord Minto chose Colonel Malcolm to conduct it; but another ambassador was sent from England without his knowledge, and the Governor- General was most anxious to prevent any collision, or, as he called it, jostling between the two ambassadors, yet there was much friction between these two officers as well as between the two Governments which they represented. This is not the place to enter into this bygone controversy, so it will suffice to state that, so far as Lord Minto was concerned, his only object was to maintain the dignity of the high office he occupied, A treaty was eventually conclud- ed, in which the name of Russia was substituted for that of France, all fear of the latter country having disappeared by the time it was ratified. The chief feature of Lord Minto's rule, however, was his vigorous and decided action with regard to the French colonial possessions in the India and China seas. The two islands, Mauritius and Bourbon, but particularly the former, were of great service to France in harbouring ships of war which were employed in attacking the English fleets on their way to and from India. Both these islands were taken by a V. THE EAEL OF MINTO. 105 force sent from this country, Lord Minto acting entirely on his own responsibility, which, as he himself expressed it, "a strong sense of duty to the public had induced him to undertake." A month after the expedition had sailed, in- structions were received from England recommending him to follow the course that he had already adopted. The conquest of Holland by Napoleon had placed the Dutch colonies in his possession, and, therefore, it was necessary to make an endeavour at once to capture them. The principal of these was Java. The Governor-General determined himself to accompany the very efficient ai-my which was embarked for the purpose of attacking that island. He went on board the frigate "Modeste," commanded by his second son, being the same vessel in which he had sailed from England, and he much enjoyed the change which the voyage afforded from his usual official routine. The ship touched at Penang and Malacca. An amusing account of the arrival of the fleet at the latter place was written by a Malay, and translated into English by Mr. J. T. Thomson under the title of HaJcayit Abdulla, from which we extract the following simple description of the great man from an outside point of view. "Thousands," he wrote, "had collected at the sea-shore to have a sight of him and his dress, his name being great. At the time of his leaving his ship the cannon roared like thunder the sea became dark with smoke. When I had seen the appearance and circum- stance of Lord Minto, I was much moved ; for I guessed in my mind as to his position and height that these must be great and his dress gorgeous. But his appearance was of one that was middle-aged, thin in body, of soft manners and sweet countenance, and I felt that he could not carry thirty pounds, so slow was his motion. His coat was black cloth, his trousers the same, nor was there anything peculiar. Now he had not the remotest appearance of pomposity or lofty headedness ; but there was real modesty and kindly expression." The island of Java was commanded by General Janssens, who had been appointed by Napoleon, and who had 106 QOVEENOBS-GENEEAL OP INDIA. endeavoured to put it into the best possible state of defence. Strong fortifications had been erected at Port Cornells, eight miles inland from the capital, Batavia. The in- vading force landed near the capital, which at once surrendered, and on August 26, 1811, the above fort was, after a gallant defence, captured by the troops under Sir Samuel Auchmuty, Colonel Gillespie, who had rescued the survivors from the mutiny of Veil ore, having particularly distinguished himself by his bravery. The French general was sent to England as prisoner, and Lord Minto was careful generously to describe him as a virtuous, just, and brave man and a wise and even enlightened statesman. The island was annexed to the East India Company's territories, Mr. Raffles, afterwards Sir Stamford Raffles, being appointed Lieutenant-G-overnor, subordinate to the Government of Bengal, and Colonel Gillespie, commandant of the troops. The English Government were at first disinclined for annexation ; but it remained under English management till the end of the war in 1814, when it was restored to the Dutch. Before leaving Batavia the Governor- General remarked to a resident that he did not think it was likely that the island would remain long in possession of the English, but, he added, "while we are here, let us do as much good as we can." Most admirable arrangements were made for its good government, and, as Sir Stamford Raffles said, he showed " a tender and parental care for the island ; the European community was saved by his humanity; for the native administration principles were laid down on which the whole of the present structure has been raised; and, in every instance, a wish was evinced of improving the successes of war, as much in favour of the conquered as of the conqueror." Lord Minto returned to Calcutta, after an absence of several months, at the end of 1811. While absent he had heard the tidings of the death of his youngest son, which deeply affected him. His yearnings for home seemed to grow stronger, and a shade of melancholy tinged his pri- vate correspondence. During the last two years of his government, no very important public events occurred. V. THE EARL OP MINTO. 107 The Mahratta princes were gradually growing more rest- less, and the Pindaris, chiefly under Karim Khan and Cheetoo, were beginning to be troublesome. The Governor- General clearly saw the evils which were likely to ensure from too rigorously adhering to the principle of never interfering in the affairs of the neighbouring states, and plainly wrote to the Court of Directors on the subject in terms of grave warning. The depredations of dacoits in British territory, however, he put down with firm and unsparing hand. In June, 1812, Lord Minto was gratified by receiving from the Prime Minister of England " a full and handsome acknowledgment" of all his services, and he was rewarded by the thanks of parliament and a step in the peerage, being created as a mark of his sovereign's approbation, Vis- connb Melgund and Earl of Minto. He had, as we have seen, been eagerly looking forward to the time of his return, and the date he had always fixed was mentioned in his letters frequently, namely, January 1, 1814. He had, in fact, sent in his resignation for about that period. He was, however, rather mortified to find that, before it had been received, his successor, in the person of the Earl of Moira, had already been appointed at the earnest request of the Prince Regent, who considered himself in- debted to that nobleman. Yet the longing for home did not lose its force. " I am at my old work," he writes to his wife, u of counting days and weeks with painful earnestness. I have opened a new account for November instead of January, "meaning that he hoped to leave in the former, instead of the latter month." " I dare hardly let my thoughts loose upon the end of our wanderings and separation, because it makes me downright giddy ; and yet I seldom miss a night dreaming of home." At length the expected time drew near. Lord Moira reached India, and assumed charge of the Government on October 4, 1813. The subject of our memoir returned to England in the te Hussar," another frigate commanded by his son, and arrived in London on May 18, 1814. Next day he writes, "Yesterday ws indeed one of the very 108 GOVERNORS-GENERAL OP INDIA. happiest days of my life ; but there is one happier still in store," meaning reunion with his dearly loved wife, who remained in Scotland to greet him there. She, on her part, wrote in reply, " I can hardly breathe or speak or think, or believe that all my cares, all my wishes, and all my anxieties are whisked away in a moment by the most delightful certainty that here you are in our own little island safe and sound. " All these anticipations of pleasure on both sides were quietly ended by One who knew better than either what was right. Lord Minto remained in Lon- don visiting and greeting his old friends, and waiting on those in authority. June 3 was the date fixed for his de- parture from London ; but, on May, 28, his brother-in-law, Lord Auckland, died suddenly, and, in order to comfort his sister in her grief, and to attend the funeral, he at once postponed his departure. He caught a severe cold at the funeral, which took place at Beckenham, several miles from London, and in a few days he himself was very ill. Not- withstanding his severe illness, he was so anxious to leave London and to fulfil his one desire " to see the person on whom his thoughts were ever fixed/' that he was permitted to leave ; but, on reaching Stevenage, a village in Hert- fordshire, on the great northern road, he was utterly pros- trated. There, on June 21, he lay down to die. There is something touchingly pathetic in this death. The reunion to which he had looked forward ardently through so many years of exile was never to be enjoyed in this life. Thus closed in touching sorrow the life of one who had served his country well. Lord Minto was a good, but not a great, man. He stood high in the second rank of English statesmen. .No very startling event arose during his ad- ministration to elicit the highest qualities of a ruler. The way in which he dealt with discontent in Corsica and with the mutiny in Madras shows that he possessed great powers of conciliation, composure of mind, and command of temper. As a young man, he was very retiring, silent, and even reserved, and, at one time, he accused himself of indolence, but many men do that without sufficient reason, and cer- tainly he did not show any want of diligence and applica- V. THE EARL OF MINTO. 109 tion in the duties of the State. He possessed a temper of unfailing sweetness, and was most affectionate and tender in all the domestic relations of life. He was also a man of considerable culture. During the monotonous hours past on board ship during the expedition against Java, he employed himself in very extensive reading. He mentions having at that time read through the whole of the works of the famous Latin author Cicero in twenty volumes, and having thoroughly enjoyed them. Perhaps, his fame as Governor-General of India might have stood higher if it had not come almost immediately between the strong rule of two such men as the Marquis Wellesley and the Marquis of Hastings. MARQUIS OF HASTINGS. VI. THE MARQUIS OF HASTINGS. Ill VI. THE MARQUIS OF HASTINGS. A. D. 1754 TO 1826. " It is a proud phrase to use, but it is a true one, that we have bestowed blessings upon millions. Multitudes have, even in this short interval, come from the hills and fastnesses in which they had sought refuge for years, and have re-occupied their ancient deserted villages. The ploughshare is again in every quarter turning up a soil which had for many seasons never been stirred, except by the hoofs of predatory cavalry." Lord, Bastings. THESE words occur in a reply by the Marquis of Hastings to an address presented to him by the inhabitants of Cal- cutta at the end of the great Mahratta war. We place them at the head of this sketch of the life of Lord Hastings, because they admirably sum tip in three sentences the very great benefits conferred on India by the careful and far- seeing statesmanship of one of her most distinguished Governors-General, and by the war which he was reluc- tantly compelled to wage. They clearly express also the inestimable blessings which have been conferred on India generally by British rule. We admit that there may be a reverse to this estimate of India's gain from the point of view of some of India's best and greatest sons ; but it should never be forgotten that the blessing of peace is one of the greatest benefits that can be bestowed on a nation, be- cause it makes other blessings possible. The family name of the Marquis of Hastings was Raw- don. He was the son of Sir John Rawdon, who was raised to the peerage as Baron Rawdon, and afterwards as Earl of Moira in the county of Down in Ireland. His mother was Lady Elizabeth Hastings, daughter of the Earl of Huntingdon. Through her he inherited some of the titles and estates of this celebrated English family. The future Governor-General was born December 7, 1754, and after having been at the University of Oxford at a much earlier 112 GOVERNORS-GENERAL OP INDIA. age than young men now go there, he entered the English army as an ensign in the 15th regiment in the seventeenth year of his age. Two years afterwards, he obtained a lieutenancy in another regiment, and embarked for Amer- ica, where the War of Independence was then raging. He was engaged in many of the battles that took place in that war, during the next nine years of his life, and much distinguished himself in his military profession. The first battle in which he was engaged was the well-known one at Bunker's Hill, and General Burgoyne, the British com- mander, was so gratified at his courage and conduct that he particularly mentioned him in his despatches to England, using this memorable expression, " Lord Eawdon has this day stamped his name for life." It may be noticed here that another Governor-General, Lord Cornwallis, distin- guished himself in the same action. It will be observed that the subject of this memoir was then called Lord Rawdon, because his father had been created Earl of Moira when he was eight years old, and he then, as eldest son, assumed his father's second title. For a time Lord Rawdon served as Aid-de-camp to Sir Henry Clinton, the Commander-in-Chief of the British army in America; and, later on, he acted as Adjutant- General to the forces in that country. He was engaged in most of the battles fought during that sad civil war ; but the measure by which he was best known at the time, was his having raised a special corps of soldiers at Philadel- phia, called the Volunteers of Ireland, which was emi- nently distinguished by its services in the field. At first there were a good many desertions ; but, on one occasion, a man was caught in the act of going over to the enemy, and Lord Rawdon left the decision of his case entirely to the men of the regiment themselves. All the officers were withdrawn, and the private soldiers, thus left to them- selves, decided that a deserter should not be permitted to live, and he was accordingly executed then and there. Later on, Lord Rawdon commanded one of the wings of the army in the memorable battle of Cowden on August 16, 1780; and, as Lord Cornwallis was then the Commander- VI. THE MARQUIS OF HASTINGS. 113 in-Chief, there again occurred the curious coincidence of two future Governors- General in high command in the same battle. On April 25, 1781, Lord Rawdon, being left in command of a much inferior force to that of the enemy, handled his troops so skilfully that he gained the victory ; but this was of little avail in its influence on the whole war, as the capitulation of Lord Cornwallis rendered all the successes of his lieutenants nugatory. In 1782 Lord Rawdon was obliged to return to England by a dangerous attack of illness. On his voyage across the Atlantic, the vessel was taken by a French ship, and carried into the harbour of Brest. He was there detained as a prisoner, but he was soon released. On reaching England he received many marks of distinction from the King, who appointed him one of his Aid-de-camps, and, on March 5, 1783, made him an English peer, thus enabling him to sit in the English House of Lords. He attended the business and the debates there with great regularity, and often joined in the discussions with ability, showing himself to be a clear and forcible debater. During this time he laid the foundation of "an excellent reputation for sound and reliable statesmanship. The principal monu- ment of his labours at this period of his life was a Bill for the relief of persons who were imprisoned for small debts. This was a philanthropic and benevolent act, for the- condition of poor debtors was in those days most deplor- able. Lord Rawdon became very intimate with the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York, the two elder sons of the King. He was very active in favour of the former during the debates on the question of the Regency, when the mind of George the Third for a time gave way. His intimacy and friendship with the Prince continued without interrup- tion. He appears to have been equally intimate with the Prince's younger brother, the Duke of York. It was a very sad custom in those days, and one which we consider most unbecoming in any one who is even called a Christian, to fight duels. When any one thought himself insulted by anything said by another, who refused to offer an apology, H 114 GOVERNORS-GENERAL OP INDIA. the two persons fought, either with swords or pistols, and two other gentlemen stood near them during the encounter in order to see that every thing was conducted fairly. The two latter were called ' seconds.' In May, 1789, a quarrel took place between the Duke of York and a Col. Lennox, the former having made a statement which the latter thought insulting. Lord Rawdon attended the Duke as his 'second/ when a duel was fought. Colonel Lennox fired his pistol and missed his Royal Highness ; but the latter refused to fire in return, because he had merely con- sented to fight so as to give his opponent satisfaction, though he felt no enmity or ill-will against him. After this foolish, but dangerous, proceeding had taken place, the parties did not meet again, but declared themselves satisfied ! Lord Rawdon and the other ' second ' issued a paper for the benefit of the public to state that both com- batants had behaved with the most perfect coolness and intrepidity; but the officers of Colonel Lennox's regiment were nearer the truth when they said he had acted with courage, but not with judgment. On June 20, 1793, Lord Rawdon succeeded his father as Earl of Moira. In the autumn of that year he was appoint- ed Commander-in- Chief of an army which was intended to assist the loyalists in Brittany, where they were waging an unequal contest with the Republican party in France. Many of the ancient nobility of that country were to serve under him. The expedition was, however, entirely aban- doned, as the Royalists had been subdued before effectual measures had been taken to succour them. On February 14, 1794, ha gave in the House of Lords an account of this project, and, with his usual chivalry of character, took on himself the whole responsibility of the measures adopted, and earnestly requested that the names of the French noblemen who were to have helped him might not, for obvious reasons, be made public. That summer he was sent in command of a force of 10,000 men to reinforce the army of the Duke of York and of his allies in Flanders. He was much commended at the time for the rapidity with which this force was takeu from Southampton to Ostend, and Vi. THE MAEQUIS OF HASTINGS. with which a junction with the Duke was effected. He soon afterwards returned to England. Daring the next few years Lord Moira was most regular in the discharge of his parliamentary duties, and became very popular in presiding at social meetings. In 1797 a speech delivered by him on the state of Ireland was printed ; but in the following year a pamphlet from his peri was published, in which matters of still greater public interest were discussed. It appears that certain states- men 'had met for the purpose of forming a new administra- tion under the king, so many being dissatisfied with the conduct of Mr. Pitt on one side and of Mr. Fox on the other, and that they were anxious for Lord Moira to be prime minister. He consented ; but desired, if this scheme were successful, not to belong to any party in the state, and to be ready at any moment to retire in favour of any- fitter person who might be found by the Parliament or the king. The chief object aimed at was the endeavour to procure immediate peace in the war then being carried on between England and France. These negotiations show the generous and disinterested side of Lord Moira' s charac- ter, though we agree with Lord Cornwallis in thinking that there was a great measure of temerity even in entertaining the idea that he was equal to such a position. A similar proposal was made to him after the assassination of Mr. Percival in 1812 ; but it was again found to be impracti- cable. In 1803 the Earl of Moira was appointed Commander- in-Chief of the forces in Scotland. On July 12, 1804, he was married to the Countess of Loudon, the Prince of Wales, afterwards King Greorge the Fourth, performing that part of the ceremony which is known among the English as giving the bride away. This lady was a peeress in her own right ; and, therefore, so long as her husband remained the Earl of Moira, she retained her own title, instead of taking his. His married life was most happy, and we shall have occasion later on to show from his Private Journal how deeply attached he was to his wife, and how much her presence added to the enjoyment of his sojourn in India, 116 GOVERNORS- GENERAL OF INDIA.. and how much lie felt her loss when she was compelled to leave him. In 1806 the party with which he usually acted having come into power, he received the office of Master- General of the Ordnance, which he retained until the ministry with which he was thus connected went out of office. There is but little to record regarding Lord Moira's life during the few years that intervened between this ap- pointment and the still higher one of Governor-General of Bengal, which he received in the year 1813, on the resig- nation of Lord Minto. No diary, if any was kept by him during these years, has been published ; but during the greater part of his stay in India he kept a very full and interesting journal, which gives us a clear insight into his character, and a good account of his travels in the country. In fact, we get from it just the view of the history of India at that period which we require, namely, that from the Government House at Calcutta and from the Gover- nor-General's tent during his progresses. At his own request he held the appointment of Commander-in-Chief as well as that of Governor-General. He left England, accompanied by his wife and their three eldest children, on board a ship of war, called <( The Stirling Castle," on April 14, 1813. They reached Madras on September 11, remaining there a week, and took over charge of the Government from Lord Minto on October 4. He was soon in the thick of work, and found how laborious and arduous it was. In case any one should imagine that this high office is one merely of dignity and show, it will be well to quote the new Governor- General's impressions on this point. " The situation of a Governor-General/' he writes, "if he really fulfil his duties, is one of the most laborious that can be con- ceived. The short periods for the exercise indispensable to health and for meals, can barely be afforded." His first impressions in other respects need not be quoted, He came out at the mature age of fifty-nine and continu- ously remained at his post, which grew, as the time went on, more and more laborious ; but at that age, though the judgment in business and in political matters may be VI. THE MARQUIS OP HASTINGS. 117 mature, yet the ideas regarding men and their manners have become fixed, and Lord Moira conceived very errone- ous notions about the inhabitants of India, which probably were much toned down before he left his high office. He showed himself, however, most kind and considerate in his treatment of all classes, especially of the princes and chieftains with whom he came in contact. There will be an opportunity hereafter of giving some instances of this. He was, however, most courtly and stately in his manner, and fully maintained the dignity of his position as the repre- sentative of his country and his king. It is necessary to* give a brief sketch of the political condition of India on Lord Moira's arrival. It will be remembered that the chief events of his predecessor's administration were the protection of India from the real or the imaginary designs of France against it, and the capture of the possessions of France and those countries that were under her influence. The policy urged upon him by the Court of Directors was strict neutrality with regard to the great Hindu and Muhammadan states. Lord Minto had generally carried out this policy, though he was not very satisfied with its soundness ; but his hands were too fully occupied elsewhere, and the pecuniary resources of the Government of India were too low, to admit of his doing more than remonstrating with the authorities in England. On the Earl of Moira's arrival, he found the finances of British India in a very poor condition, and at the same time there was an uneasy feeling of insecurity throughout all the neighbouring states. Just at the moment of his taking charge of the government, there were seven distinct disputes which might at any moment have led to the necessity for war. But there was more than this. One very formidable power had arisen during- the last few years. It was not a settled state with an orderly form of Government, nor one of the great nations which might at any moment stand forth as claiming the sovereignty ot: India. It consisted of bands of marauding robbers, called the Pindaris, who, under a few desperate and determined leaders, rapidly roved through Central India, oppressing 118 . GOVERNORS-GENERAL OF INDIA. and plundering the people, and sometimes penetrating even into British territories and into countries protected by the British Government. Some of the Mahratta rulers encour- aged and even assisted them. The Hindu and Muhammadan states at that time were of four kinds. Those that were connected with the British Government by what were called subsidiary treaties ; those that were protected by the Government without such treaties ; those that were in alliance with the Government, but without any direct intercourse with it, except sometimes by a Resident living at the Rajah's court; and independent states. The principal of the first kind of state were those of the Nizam and the Peshwa, and the best known of the third kind were those of Scindia, Holkar, and the Rajah of Nagpore. Three of these states were, it will be seen, Mahratta. Active intrigues were going on among them against the English power. This feeling was increas- ing day by day. The policy of neutrality fomented it ; and, at the same time, there was a strong desire apparent to retrieve the reverses which they had sustained during the last Mahratta war, and to set up once more a Mahratta empire. Lord Moira's experienced and soldierly eye at once perceived that there were around him the elements of a war more general than any which the English had yet encountered in India ; and, from the very first, he calmly and quietly set himself the task of preparing for it. The preparations took a long time ; but they were made surely and effectually. He soon saw that the only right policy was to make the British Government paramount, and to sweep away the old fiction of the suzerainty of the Emperor of Delhi. As early as the February after his arrival, he wrote in his private journal the scheme he had in view from the beginning, because, as he added, " it is always well to ascertain to oneself what one would precisely desire, had one the means of commanding the issue." That scheme was that " we should hold all other states as vassals, in substance though not in name ; but possessed of perfect internal sovereignty, and only bound to repay the guarantee and protection of their possessions by the VI. THE MARQUIS OF HASTINGS. 119 British Government with the pledge of two great feudal duties. First, they should support it with all their forces on any call. Second, they should submit their mutual differences to the head of the confederacy (our Govern- ment), without attacking each other's territories." Such was the object at which from the very first the new Governor-General steadily aimed. On June 24, 1814, Lord Moira started on a prolonged tour to the North-West in order that he mi