Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-03-30
NEW BOOKS.

ScribnerS sons 1883.
Whoever would be we'll Informed as to the
past and present of British India should
read and treasure the Life Of Lord Laurence,
the savior Of Iadia, the one man who above
all others did most to check and finally
10 overcome the mutiny apd save its peo-
pie from 4 bloody vengeance. His story,
although it is full Of the daily routine Of
the hard gadgrind sort Of life that sans
the daily doings of the civil officers of En-
gland in India, is not without 8 tinse OF TO-
nance. No man was ever less sparing Of
himself than John Lawrence, and no one
ever interpreted his duty closer. What
ever fell 10 him TO do he did
well, and what he exacted of him
self he never failed to compel from
others. Even his brother, the gallant SOL
der, Sir Henry Lawrence, was net exempt
from his letter-perfect Interpretation OF the
law and his vigorous enforcement of it. He
did his duty and allowed consequences to
take care OF themselves. At the outset of
his career he was of course greatly misun-
derstood, and was often subjected to misrep-
sentation, as such men always are. He
went out to India to succeed, and was deter
mined to find success in the strict and prompt
performance Of duty. This simple plan be
pursued for forty years, from the humblest
position in the service of the long-extinct
East India Company up TO the governor
generalship of the vast empire-the almost
autocrAtic arbiter of the destiny of more than
200,O00,000 of people. He was trained for
official life at the Staff College of the COM
pany at Hsilebury, whence he graduated
third in his class for Bengal, having
taken the prize for Bengali at each OF
the previous two years examinations. In
ten months after graduating he was, in
February of 1880, entered at the college Of
Fort William, for the farther study OF native
languages, TO which he had devoted himself
with his brother Henry during the voy sge
out to Calcutta. Ready for service, he was
on his own application azstted for service
in DELHI, the Mogul capital, tield that sd.
mitted of nothing but hard work. After
four years of apprenticeship there he wa.
placed in the northern division of the Delhi
territory. Here be established his character
as 3 just man, with a physical and moral
courage for any emergency, an official who
was not afraid of details and was not de-
TERED from doing whatever fell within the
line of his duty by the amount of labor in
volved. After ten years of faithful work
broken in health, he received three year,
furlousb, and went home and visited his
-, IN, ~
he met and married Miss Harriet Hamil-
ton. He returned TO India in 1842
and became . magistrate in Delhi
afterward acting resident of Lahore, then
assistant commissioner of the PunjAb un.
der his brother, Sir Henry, then chief com,
missioner of the PuDjab as Sir John. This
closes the first volume. The second opens
with ths beginning Of the great mutiny, fol
which it afterwsrd seemed he had been pre-
pared by all his previous experiences. He
proved himself in this dreadful emergency
born soldier, man full of resource. He
raised and put troops quickly in the field,
dealt swiftly and decidedly with the rebels,
ans, where he could, anticipated that state
of feeling and nipsed it in the bud. He wal
worth an army 10 England in these awfu
days of trial. He spoke most of the Ian
guages of India, and understood nearly al
the various dialects, was familiar with the
habits and the caste aud religious prejudiceI
of the people, had the accurate measurement
of the loyal and disloyal chiefs and princes
knew the resources OF the empire, and wa
almost unfailing in his Judgment. He wa
an encyclopedia OF accurate information q
to the resources, the condition and tn,
geography of the country, and man of in
domitable energy, Of unyielding courage
quick 10 act and strike, and remorseless il
the execution of his purpose his name wa
8 terror. He initiated the campaign tina
ended at Lucknow, he recruited armies
equipped and cent them into the field an,
directed their movements; and while holdin
the PuDjab, Of which he was now Lieutenant
governor, with a firm hand put forth hi
stresgth of mind and body TO cenque
peace, which done he became the sd
vocate of mercy and the opponen
of the bloody system of reprisa
for which Englishmen at home an
abroad became clamorous. He wa
thus in double sense the savior of lads
Nearly 800 pages Of the second volume o
this most interesting OF biographies ar
tsken up with the mutiny, and sureiy tn
story could not be better told nor more truth
fully ihau it is in recountiug the part Johr
Lawrence took as concueror and pacifcator
Ii ia full OF absorbing interest. Honor
flowed in upon him thick and fast; he wa
made 4 baronet, had psnsion of $4,000 cor
.ferred upon him by the Est Iudia Company
| and eventually was raised to the peerag
under circumstances of personal tcidt, III
usual even in England, and was finally sen
back 10 the country he knew better than an
man living as lis gogernor-genersl, the vice
roy, the personal representative of III
| Queen. He gave Immediate and particuls
attention to The condition Of the laborin
classes, the small lsudholders especially
and succeeded in securing them snch tenant
| rights SIS his kindred in the north of Ire
land had long enjoyed. He was a just an
merciful man, aud always insisted that
was better to hold India by love than feal
He was the friend of the poor, though ne
necessarily the enemy of the rich. 7
smelioraie The CONDITION of the masses i
India and make them feel that the power
Euglaud was exercised for theic good VS.
his policy, and he discouutenauced, eve
| daring the mutiny, retaliation and reveng
as unworthy Christian nation and power
full people. He returned 10 England whel
sgsin he was received with honors, and sftt
a time settled down TO the life of an Euglis
| gentleman, taking an active interest in til
charities of Londos, but never for memer
in the House OF Lords or out of it reirsiniu
| frem doing what he could for the countr
that was endeared TO him by forty years
arduous labor. He died .ae he had lived,
hard worker, finding in uDremitting toll
most welcome compensation His was
| glorious life Without other aid than b
| own he reached the highest earthly honor
and achieved a renoNn that eureasses tn
of any of the illustrious men who serve
England In India. His is splendid e.
ample of courage and consistency, of III
rightness, fairness, high integrity and III
com promising loyalty. He lived every day
the fear of God. The story of Jehn Lawrent
is one of the brig atest in the annals of Il
dis or England. He had all the dignity an
personal control that distinguished Gel
eral Robert E. Lee, with the impetuosit
and daring OF Stonewall Jackson, and som
thing of the fervid religious zeal of tn,
great Confederate soldier. He was the be
type OF tbs Saskatchewan, in whom ga
lsntry, ehivalry, daring, prudence, reserv
and caution are equal quantities, and he gu
rounded himself in India to the last wit
| just such men. Lord Lawrence had fol
erothers in the military service of India, a
| OF whom rose to distinction and emineuee, b
he eIcellsd them all, and in spite of the ia
that he had most TO contend against, and a,
vanced altogether along the line OF civil lif
No biography that we have read in years C.
surpass this in the interest Of the subject &C
the way in which it is written. 1t was ey
| IDENTIFY q task of love with Mr.. Smith. ar
his discrimination, tact and taste ar. obser
able In every page OF one OF the most 4
sorbing stories human life has ever sfforde
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