The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-10-08 00:00:00

RAJAH RAMMOHUN ROY.

The death of this remarkable individual on-Friday week, at
Stapleton Park, near Bristol, has re-awakened much of the
public interest excited by his arrival in this country t—one of
those extraordinary circumstances to which we have elsewhere
alluded, as distinctly marking the advent of great' changes in
our Indian empire. He had been unwell for some months;
and the last time we' saw him, which was a few weeks since, at
the-Star and Garter; Richmond,- his fervent expressions of ad-
miration of a splendid sunset over the lovely landscape below,
were interrupted by 'a
short uneasy cough, which caused us to
fear that the day of his singularly moral, intellectual, and se-
ligious pilgrimage was drawing to a similar close, and the
world was about to lose the benefit of that light which he should
not rise again to scatter o'er the East.
'Of his previous course, it is our good fortune, as journalists,
to possess a sketch written' by himself;- it is as follows :
" My dear frieud,--:-In conformity with the wish you have fre-
quently expressed, that I should give you an outline of my life,
I have now the pleasure to send you the following very brief
sketch.

"My ancestors were Brahmans of a high order; and, from
time immemorial, were devoted to the religious duties of their
race, down to my fifth progenitor, who, about 140 years ago,
gave up spiritual exercises for worldly pursuits and aggrandise-
ment. His descendants ever since have followed his example,
and, according to the usual fate of courtiers, with various suc-
cess, sometimes raising to honour and sometimes falling; some-
times rich and sometimes poor ; sometimes excelling in success,
sometimes miserable through disappointment. But my mater-
nal ancestors, being of the sacerdotal order by profeslion as well
as by birth, and of a . family than which none holds a higher
rank in that profession, have, up to the present day, uniformly
adhered to a life of religious observances and devotion, pre-
ferring peace and tranquility of mind to the excitements of
ambition, and all the allurements of worldly grandeur.
:` In conformity with the usage of my paternal race, and the
wish of my father, I studied the Persian and Arabic languages,—
these ,being accomplishments indispensable to those who at-
tached themselves to time courts of the Mohammedan princes ;
and, agreeably to the usage of my maternal relations,. I de-
voted myself to the study of the Sanscrit and the theological
works written in it, which contain the body of Hindoo literature,
law, and religion. •
" When about the age of sixteen, I composed a manuscript
calling in question the validity of the idolatrous system of the
Hindoos. This, together with my known sentiments on that
subject, having produced- a coolness between me and my im-
mediate kindred, I proceeded on my travels, and passed through
different countries, chiefly within, but some beyond, the bounds
of Hindoostan, with a feeling of great aversion to the establish-
ment of the Britishpower in India. When I had reached the
age of twenty, my father recalled me, and restored nie.to his
favour; after which I first saw and began to associate with
Europeans, and soon after made myself tolerably acquainted
with,their laws and form of government. .Finding them gene-
rally inure intelligent, more steady and moderate in their con-
duct, I gave up my.prejudice against them, and became inclinedin their favour, -feeling persuaded that their rule.,
,though a
foreign yoke,. would lead more speedily and surely to the ame-
lioration of the native inhabitanis ; and 1 enjoyed the confi-
dence of several of them even in their public capacity. My
continued controversies with the Brahmans, on -the subject of
_l„bnir.j,dotatry..andytverstikion, and my interference with their
custom of burning widOWS, anilofber pernitlions practicer,- re-
vived and increased their animosity against me; and through
their influence with my family my father was again-obliged to
withdraw his countenance openly, though his iimited pecuniary
Support was still. continued to Me.
"After my father's death I opposed the advocates
.of idolatry
with still greater boldness. Availing myself of the art of print-
ing now established in India, I. published various works and
pamphlets against their errors, in the native and foreign lan-
guages. I'his raised such a feeling against me, that I was at
last deserted by every person'except two or three Scotch friends,
to whack, and the nation to which they belonged," always feel
grateful.
"The ground which I took in all my controveries was, not
that of' opposition to Brahmanism, but to a perversion of it ;
and I endeavoured to show that the idolatry of the trahmans
was contrary to the practice of their ancestors, and the prin-
ciples of the ancient' books and authorities which they profess
to revere and obey. Notwithstanding the violence of the op-
position and resistance to my opinions, several highly respect.'
able persons, both among my own relations and others, began
to adopt the same sentiments.
now felt a strong wish to visit Europe, and obtain, by ver-.
sonal observation, a more thorough insight into its manners,
customs, religion, and political institutions. I refrained, how-
ever, froM carrying this intention into effect until the friends
who coincided in my sentiments should be increased in number
and strength: My expectations having been at length realised,
in November, 1830, embarked for England, as the discussion
of the East India Company's charter was expected to come on,
by which the treatmentuf the natives of India and its future
government would be determined for many years to come, and
an appeal to the King in council against the abolition of the
practice Of burning widows was to be heard before the privy
council; and his Majesty the Emperor of Delhi had likewise
commisioned me to bring before the authorities in England cer-
tain encroachments on his rights by the East India Company.
I accordingly arrived in England in April, 18,31. •
" I hope-you will excuse the brevity of this sketch, as I have
no leisure at present to enter into particulars ; and I re-
main, Sac. • • (Signed) " RAMMOIIIIN Bolt."
Ramniohun's course since his arrival in England has been
pretty accurately traced in the public prints, .by notices of the
books he has published, and reports of his speeches on various
occasions where he attended meetings and was called forward
to express his sentiments. There was no kind of assemblage
which he did not visit, from clue almost private prayer-devotions
of several sects, to the worship of churches and. cathedrals;
from the small literary coterie and miscellaneous concersazione,
to the anniversaries of learned bodies, and the congregation of
all ranks for the discussion of important questions. Ilia de-
clared object throughout•was the search Jet TRIAR: it was for
this he had left his native clime, and to this he devoted every
hour• of his Litayary Casette.