appointed to attend the factory at Anjenga, in the province of Travencore, he proceeded thither with his family; and at that place Robert Orme was born in the month of June 1728. With a judicious attention to his health and education, his father fent him to England at an early age; and in 1736 he was placed at Harrow fchool, where he was equally diftinguished for the quickness of his capacity and the aduity of his application. At that feminary he continued till 1742, when he was removed to an academy in London, for the purpofe of being inftructed in the theory of commercial bufinefs; with which, as he was defigned for the civil fervice of the India Company, it was deemed effential he fhould be thoroughly acquainted. His progrefs in this branch of knowledge was proportioned to the talents he had previously displayed in more lively and attractive ftudies; and as he could not but have felt confiderable regret on be ing obliged to relinquish thofe ftudies, his applying to others fo little congenial, if not repulfive, to a youthful mind, evinces uncommon vigour, as well as diligence.

Having completed his courfe of ftudy at the academy, he was appointed a writer in the Company's fervice; and in 1744, or 5, proceeded to Calcutta, where he had an elder brother already fettled. He continued in Bengal until 1752, when he went to Madras; and in the following year returned to Eng. land, in company with Captain (after wards Lord) Clive, with whom he lived on terms of the clofeft intimacy.

With a mind to acute and obferving, he could not have refided for eight years in India, without acquiring con. fiderable knowledge, not only of the manners, customs, and inftitutions, of its inhabitants, but of the political condition of its different (tates. And poffefling a good addrefs, and a pleasing manner of communicating information, he was, foon after his arrival in London, much noticed by those who defired to obtain information on the affairs of India; and being, by this means, introduced to Lord Holdernefs, then Secretary of State, he received the countenance and support of that Nobleman.

Such patronage naturally led to that preferment to which his abilities fo well entitled him; and in 1755 he was appointed Fourth Member in the Coun

cil at Madras, whither he accordingly proceeded.

In the fubfequent year he had an opportunity of thewing much of that political tagacity and decifion which diftinguished his conduct in the important ftation he now filled. When intelligence was brought to Madras of the capture of the English fettlement at Calcutta, by Serauj-ud-Dow lah, the Subahdar of Bengal, and of the dreadful fufferings of the captives on that occafion, the Governor and Council, after fome deliberation, refolved to avenge the injuries which their countrymen had fultained, to wrest Calcutta from the hands of its conqueror, and re-establish a fettlement which was of fuch deep importance to the interests of the Company. An armament for that purpose was fpeedily equipped, in conjunction with Admiral Watfon, but a difference of opinion arofe in the Council refpecting the choice of an Officer to command the troops. The Commander in Chief of the forces at Madras, who was Colonel of his Majefty's 39th regiment, had certainly a prior claim to this appointment; but there exitted fufficient reafons why he fhould not be entrusted with the chief direction of an expedition, on which the reputation of the British arms in India, and the confequent fta. bility of the Company's pofleflions, fo materially depended. Mr. Orme ob jected, in forcible terms, to the command being given to that Officer. He reprefented the nature of the country which the expedition was intended to invade, the magnitude of the army which it would have to oppofe, the numerous difficulties and dangers with which it would infallibly be furrounded, and the necellity, therefore, of vefting the command of it in an Officer, who thould not only be equally intelligent and active, but also accustomed to the peculiarities of Indian warfare, and acquainted with the character of the natives. The fuccefs of fuch an enterprife, he faid, would depend not lefs on the keen difcernment and decifive judgment, than on the perfonal valour and intrepidity of him to whom it might be entrufted. In this opinion he was supported by the celebrated Colonel Lawrence, then a Member of the Council, and Commander in Chief of the Company's troops; and after much difcuffion, Lieutenant-Colonel Clive was finally chofen, as the perfon,

in all respects, the best qualified to command the expedition. The wellknown refult was, a glorious confirmation of the wifdom and propriety of the choice; and it ferves to place in a triking light the penetrating fagacity and found judgment of Mr. Orme, to whom his country is indebted for this hazardous enterprise having been placed under the guidance of Clive, whofe intrepid and adventurous genius could, perhaps, have alone conducted it to the important conqueft it achieved.

In the deliberations of the Council of Madras, relative to the military operations in the Carnatic, between the years 1755 and 59, Mr. Orme took an active part; and, in fome of the most critical conjunctures of that war, his abilities, as a politician and a ftatefman, appeared particularly confpicuous. So fenfible were the Court of Directors of the benefit which the public fervice derived from his advice, and fo highly was his general conduct approved of, that he was appointed the eventual fucceffor to the Governor of Madras, (the late unfortunate Lord Pigot.) He did not, however, continue long enough there to be elevated to that station.

In addition to his duty as a Member of the Council, he held the office of Commiffary-General during the years 1757, 58, and 59; fo that almoft the whole of his time was occupied in public bufinefs. Yet, fond of focial pleasures, he found leifure to cultivate the friendship of thofe in whom he difcovered any eftimable qualities. With Admiral Watson and Sir George Po. cock he was in habits of great intimacy; and with Captain Speke, who commanded the flag-thip then on the India ftation, he contracted a clofe friendship, which not only contributed to their own gratification, but tended to advance the public fervice; for, by their cordial and united exertions, many difficulties and impediments that obftructed the co-operation of the land and naval forces, were either obviated or removed. He entertained a high efteem for Mr. James Alexander (late Lord Viscount Caledon), who was his deputy, as Accountant-General. About this time, too, he became acquainted with Mr. Alexander Dalrymple, who has fince acquired fo much merited reputation by his hydrographical works. Dalrymple was then Under Store-keeper at Madras; and Orme

perceiving that he had a capacity fitted for a higher ftation, was defirous of getting him nominated to fucceed Mr. Alexander as Deputy-Accountant. His endeavours in this particular were unfuccefsful; but he continued, with a generous attention, to cherith and befriend Dalrymple, whofe good natural parts, he rightly judged, might be emplayed to the advantage of the public.

Though his official avocations prevented him from applying to the ftudy of claffical literature, for which he had, in his youth, imbibed an ardent defire, they afforded him great facilities for collecting those hiftorical materials, by which that literary character he was fo ambitious to gain was destined to be established. He was, however, obliged to relinquish thofe pursuits fooner than he withed. The unwearied attention with which he applied to them at laft impaired his health; and in 1759 he found it neceffary to quit India, and return to England with a very fmall fortune.

In the course of a year after his arrival, he began to digeft the plan of his history of the military tranf actions of the British nation in India; a work of which he had long conceived the idea: and finding that the original documents which he had obtained would require confiderable enlargement and illustration, he inveftigated, with fedulous induftry and diligence,every fource from whence information could be derived. By thefe means he procured a great mais of materials, of which a mall part only had previously been communicated to the public, and that in a garbled ftate, through the medium of partial narratives. In arranging thole materials, and in forming them into an hiftoric compofition, he was occupied upwards of two years. In 1763 the first volume of his history was published, and the reception it met with was calculated to gratify his expectations of literary fame, though it did not reward his labours by a speedy fale. A fecond edition was not called for until 1775. To this volume he prefixed a concife hiftorical differtation on the Mahominedan conquests and establishments in Hinduftan, comprifing a review of the peculiar character and customs of the Hindu people. Having no acquaintance with the learned languages of Afia, and therefore no accefs to fome of the best authorities on thofe important, but complicated

complicated fubje&ts, he was led into a few mistakes and mifconceptions; which, however, are perfectly excufe able, as there did not exist, at the period he wrote, any tranflations from Afiatic writers into any European language, relative to the political history and civil inftitutions of Hindutan. His account of the Hindus appears to have been principally derived from his own actual obfervations, and is in general fo accurate, and is written with fuch clearne's and fimplicity, that we confider it as better calculated to convey to European readers a diftin&t idea of the general character and habits of thofe people, than almost any of the more recent productions on that fubject. With respect to the early Mahomeddan conquets, his only guides were D'Herbelot and Petit de-la-Croix; and he is, therefore, for the most part, correct, as far as relates to the Ghaznian and Tartar conquerors; but regarding the fubfequent establishment of the Mogul dynafty, as well as the hiftory of its progreis, and the inftitutions of its moft renowned Princes, his account is fome. times erroneous, and often defective. His hiftory of the wars in the Carnatic has not been more celebrated than it deferves, for the faithfulness, impar tiality, and uniform accuracy of its narration.

Having, by this publication, introduced himself to the world with fo much advantage, he became folicitous to fupport and advance his literary reputation, by floring his mind with a competent knowledge of the ancient claffics, which he knew to be cffential not only to the cultivation of a pure tafte, but to the attainment of eminence in literature. With this view he applied himself, with his utual diligence, to the study of the Greek language, which he had almoft forgotten, and which, in a few years, he is faid to have completely mattered. Tae erudition which he thereby acquired trengthened his habits of thinking, in the fame proportion that it inform! and polished his underítanding, and his converfation, which had been always marked by thong fenfe, re. ceived additional vigour and vivacity. His company was, therefore, mul folicited, and every day brought him new acquaintance.

About this period (1765) his friend, Id Clive, finally returned from Indig; but foon after his arrival a cool

nefs arofe between him and Orme, which terminated in the total diffolution of their friendship, several years before his Lodhip's death. Of the caufe of this difagreement we are not informed; but it is lamentable to ob ferve the friendship of fuch men as thefe perifh like that of the most frivolous characters.

In 1770 he began to prepare the materials for the fecond volume of his history; which the Court of Directors, with a juft fente of the utility of his writings, enabled him to amplify and correct, by giving him free accefs to the records at the India Houfe; and, at the fame time, they appointed him Hiftoriographer to the Company, with a falary of 3ool. a-year. In order, however, o obrain all possible information re'pe&ting the operations of the French in the Carnatic, he applied to Lieu. tenant-General Buffy, who had borae fo confiderable a part in those operations: and that Officer thought himself under fuch obligations to Orme, for the precision and impartiali y with which he had recorded his actions in his fint volume, that, upon his going to France, he invited him to his chateau, where he treated him with elegant hofpitality, and furnished him with feveral authentic documents.

In 1773 he received the following letters from Doctor Robertfon and Sir William (then Mr.) Jones, with both of whom the publication of his firit volume had brought him acquainted: From Daler ROBERTSON.

DEAR SIR,

College of Edinburgh,

April 23, 1773I mhall be happy to hear that you ftill enjoy that more confirmed itate of health in which I had lait the pleasure of feeing you. What progrefs do you make? I hope you do not relax your ardour in carrying on your work; and that if the preient age may not expect to perufe the history of thofe extraordinary tranfactions you have feen, you will not deprive pofterity of that fatisfaction. I go on, as ufual, flowly. I have got many ufetul and uncommon books from Spain, and expect fome naukripts by the intereft of Lord Grantham. I flatter myself the work will turn out curious and interefting. Allow me to put you in mind of two promifes: one, that you would give me fome criticions or rictures upon tile in fome parts of my history; the

other,

DEAR SIR,

I was never lefs pleafed with the ftudy

of the law than at this moment; when my attendance in Weftininiter-hall prevents me from thanking you in perfon for your mot elegant and acceptable prefent, which fhall ever be preferved amongst my literary treasures. Your history is not one of those books which a man reads once in a curfory manner, and then throws afide for ever there is no end of reading and approving it; nor fhall I ever defift giving myfelt that pleasure to the laft ye of my life. You may rely on this feftimony, as it comes from one who not only was never guilty of Hattery, but, like Cæfar's wife, would never fuffer himself to be fufpected of it.

It is much to be regretted that the bittorical pieces of Lucceius are not preferved to us: by a letter or two of his which are extant, he feems to have been a man of exquilite parts and taite: Cicero declares himself charmed with his way of writing; which makes me think that his works would have been fr preferable to thofe of Salluft and Tacitus, whom I cannot help confidering as the first corruptors of the Roman language and eloquence. As to our language, if yourself, and perhaps Lord Lyttelton, had not reftored it to its native fimplicity, we thould foon have beep reduced to talk a new dialect, &c. &c. &c.

See the loquacity of us lawyers; you honour me with three kind and indulgent lines, and I fend you, in

return, as many rambling pages: bm when friends cannot converfe in perfon, they have no refource but converting at a distance.

I am, with great fruth,
Moft fincerely yours,
W. JONES.

Having procured all the materials he required, and having beftowed several years in the compofition of his fecond volume, he published it in the beginning of 1778. It is written with no lefs ability than the former volume, and is more interefting and comprehensive. It embraces the whole of the military tranfactions of the English and French in every part of India, from 1756 to 1761; and commences with an fubjugation by the Mulluiman arms, to hiftorical furvey of Bengal, from its the conquest of Lord Clive; comprising

a fuccinct account of the rife and progrefs of the English commerce in that province, and of the foundation of the fettlement of Calcutta. During the fifteen years that elapfed between the publication of his firit and that of his fecond volume, he gained much additional, and more accurate, knowledge of the hiftory and inftitutions of the Mogul government, and the other native ftates. Colonel Dow's verfion of Ferifhta's Hiftory of Northern Hindutan, published in the courfe of that time, fupplied him with many import. his relearches, though, being defective ant particulars, that ferved to elucidate as a tranflation in feveral parts, it has occafionally mifled him. But for adopt. ing the mistakes of his authorities he cannot justly be blamed, as there was no reafon to fufpect, and he poffeffed not the means to detect, them. They do not, therefore, impeach the general accuracy of his narrative, or lefen the credit which it has fo justly obtained.

His talents, as an hiftorian, were now held in high estimation; and men the most eminently qualified to judge of them fhewed him very flattering marks of their attention. On this occafion Dr. Robertfon fent him a prefent of his History of Charles the Fifth, accompa nied with the following letter, expreffive of his regard, and of the high opinion he entertained of his laft volume, as well as of his writings in ge neral:

MY DEAR SIR,

I do believe that no two perfons who have reciprocal good will as

you

you and I, are lefs difpofed to break in upon each other by expreffing it. I with we both poffeffed a little more of the fpirit of French feavans, and then our letters would be as frequent as now they are rare. To the natural difinclination to writing of letters, I hope you will be kind enough to impute my neglecting to thank you, in proper time, for the prefent of your two new volumes. I perufed them with great eagerness, and much fatif faction: I can fay nothing more expreflive of my approbation, than that they equal the first. The conteft in the fecond part is between parties not fo equally matched; the viciffitudes of fortune are lefs fingular; but whenever the fubject admitted of it, your narrative carries your readers along, with all that interesting and unwandering attention which diftinguithes your mode of writing hiftory. I incline to think, that the war of Bengal, in Books VI. and VII. is the moft choice morceau in your work. When I fee you, I will mention one or two criticifms; for where there is fo much to praise, you can afford fomething to be blamed. I am, with great truth and attachment, Your faithful humble fervant,

WILLIAM ROBERTSON.

During a fort ftay which the Doctor made in London, fome time afterwards, they often met. In converfation together one day, on the fubject of history, Dr. Robertfon, obferved," that he thought Lord' Clive muft confider himielf much indebted to him, for having placed his conduct in fo con fpicuous a point of view." Orme replied, "Lord Clive is a man who travels poft through the world, and changes horfes at every stage." This anfwer at once thews the opinion he entertained of that Nobleman's private character, and the striking and forcible manner in which he could exprefs his thoughts.

At this period he lived chiefly in London, and was much in the fociety of men of letters, where he fometimes met DoЯtor Johnfon, of whole wonderful intellectual powers and impreflive wit he was truck with a juít admiration. Talking one day with Mr. James Bofwell of Johnfon's Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland, he thus ftrongly expreffed his opinion of it: "It is," faid he, "a molt valuable,

VOL. XLIII. APRIL 1803.

book: befides extenfive philofophical views, and lively defcriptions, of fociety in the country it defcribes, it contains thoughts, which, by long revolution in the great mind of Johnfon, have been formed and polished like pebbles rolled in the ocean."

Mr. Bofwell, in his interefting and entertaining Life of Johnfon, has preferved another converfation which he had with Orme, relative to that extraordinary man. "I do not care (faid Orme) on what fubject Johnson talks; but I love better to hear him talk than any body. He either gives you new thoughts, or a new colouring. It is a fhame to the nation that he has not been more liberally rewarded. Had I been George the Third, and thought as he did about America, I would have given Johnfon three hundred a year for his Taxation no Tyranny alone." I repeated this (fays Bofweli) to John fon, who was much pleafed "with fuch praife from fuch a man.”

A man who can exprefs himself in converfation with fuch precision and energy is naturally fond of company; and if he be of an ingenuous difpofition, takes delight in afficiating with fuperior minds. Whilft Orne, therefore, enjoyed a good itate of health, much of his time was spent in that agreeable and inftructive way. Yet he did not neglect his refearches in Indian hiftory; for in 1782 he published his Hiftorical Fragments of the Mogul Empire during the reign of Aurung zebe; a work of great utility, as it contains within a narrow compa's a variety of valuable particulars, both with regard to the native governments and the European establishments in Hinduftan, which, for the most part, either lie buried in books that cannot be procured without confiderable diligence, and that few readers would choofe to perufe, or are locked up in the archives of the Honourable Company. During the time he was employed in compiling thefe fragments, he thought it ufeful to study the Portugueze language, in order to confult, in the originals, the numerous writers of that nation who have treated of India.

His conflitution, naturally weak, was at laft fo much impaired, by his unremitting application to thefe purfuits, and the fedentary life which he confequently led, that he was obliged to

M m

confine