MALCOLM, (Sir) JOHN, a distinguished soldier and
diplomatist, was born on the farm of Burnfoot, near Langholm, on the 2nd of
May, 1769. This farm was granted to the paternal grandfather of Sir John, at
a low rent, by the earl of Dalkeith, in 1707; it subsequently became the
residence of George Malcolm, the father of Sir John, who married Miss Pasley,
daughter of James Pasley, Esq. of Craig and Burn, by whom he had seventeen
children, fifteen surviving to maturity. Of these children, three attained
to a high station and title; namely, Sir Pulteney, vice-admiral, H. N.; Sir
James, lieutenant-colonel of marines; both of whom are Knight Companions of
the Bath; and the subject of this memoir. The farm is still in possession of
the family.
Sir John Malcolm entered life in 1782, as a cadet in the
service of the East India Company; and a part of his success is to be
ascribed to the zeal with which he applied himself at first to study the
manners and languages of the east. Having distinguished himself at the siege
of Seringapatam in 1792, he was appointed by lord Cornwallis to the
situation of Persian interpreter to an English force serving with a native
prince. In 1795, on his return from a short visit to his native country, on
account of his health, he performed some useful services in general Clarke’s
expedition at the Cape of Good Hope, for which he received the thanks of the
Madras government, and was appointed secretary to the commander-in-chief. In
1797, he was made captain; and from that time to 1799, he was engaged in a
variety of important services, terminating at the fall of Seringapatam,
where he highly distinguished himself. He was then appointed joint secretary
with captain (afterwards Sir Thomas) Munro, to the commissioners for
settling the new government of Mysore. In the same year, he was selected by
Lord Wellesley to proceed on a diplomatic mission to Persia, where he
concluded two treaties of great importance, one political, and the other
commercial; returning to Bombay in May, 1801. His services were acknowledged
by his being appointed private secretary to the governor-general. In
January, 1802, he was raised to the rank of major; and on the occasion of
the Persian ambassador being accidentally shot at Bombay, he was
again entrusted with a mission to that empire, in order to make the
requisite arrangements for the renewal of the embassy, which he accomplished
in a manner that afforded the highest satisfaction to the Company. In
January, 1803, he was nominated to the presidency of Mysore, and to act
without special instructions; and in December, 1804, he was promoted to the
rank of lieutenant-colonel. In the June of the following year, he was
appointed chief agent of the governor-general, and he continued to serve in
that capacity until March, 1806, having successfully concluded several very
important treaties during that period.
Upon the arrival in India, in April, 1808, of the new
governor-general, lord Minto, colonel Malcolm was sent by his lordship to
the court of Persia on a very important mission--that of endeavouring to
counteract the designs of Bonaparte, then in the zenith of his power, who
threatened an invasion of India by way of Persia, supported by the Persian
and Turkish governments. In this difficult embassy, colonel Malcolm did not
wholly succeed. He returned to Calcutta in the following August, and soon
afterwards proceeded to his residence at Mysore, after having, to use the
words of lord Minto, "laid the government under additional obligations to
his zeal and ability." Early in the year 1810, he was again selected to
proceed in a diplomatic capacity to the court of Persia, whence he returned
upon the appointment of Sir Gore Ouseley, as ambassador. So favourable was
the impression which he made, on this occasion, on the Persian prince, that
he was presented by him with a valuable sword and star, and, at the same
time, made a khan and sepahdar of the empire; to that impression, indeed,
may be ascribed much of the good understanding, both in a political and
commercial point of view, which afterwards subsisted between this country
and Persia. During this embassy, while at Bagdad, colonel Malcolm
transmitted to the government of Bengal his final report of the affairs of
Persia—a document so highly appreciated, that the government acknowledged
its receipt to the secret committee in terms of unqualified praise.
In 1812, colonel Malcolm again visited his native shores.
He was received by the court of directors of the East India Company, with
the deepest regard and acknowledgment of his merits; and shortly afterwards
he received the honour of knighthood. He returned to India in 1816, and soon
became engaged in extensive political and military duties; he was attached,
as political agent of the governor-general, to the force under
lieutenant-general Sir T. Hislop, and appointed to command the third
division of the army, with which, after taking Talym by surprise, he acted a
prominent part in the celebrated battle of Mehidpoor, when the army under
Mulhar Rao Holkar was completely beaten, and put to rout. His skill and
valour on this occasion were the theme of general admiration. A vote of
thanks was awarded him, on the proposal of Mr Canning, by the house of
commons; and the prince regent expressed his regret that the circumstance of
his not having attained the rank of major-general prevented his creating him
a knight grand cross. The intention of his royal highness to do so was,
nevertheless, recorded, and in 1821 he accordingly received the highest
honour which a soldier can receive from his sovereign. After the termination
of the war with the Maharattas and Pindarees, to which colonel Malcolm’s
services had eminently contributed, he was employed by lord Hastings in
visiting and settling the distracted territories of Mulhar Rao, which, and
other services, he accomplished in a most satisfactory manner, gaining to
British India a large accession of territory and treasure.
At the end of the year 1821, he resolved to return once
more to England; on which occasion the general orders contained the
following paragraph :—"Although his excellency the governor-general in
council refrains from the specific mention of the many recorded services
which have placed Sir John Malcolm in the first rank of those officers of
the Honourable Company’s service, who have essentially contributed to the
renown of the British arms and counsels in India, his lordship cannot omit
this opportunity of declaring his unqualified approbation of the manner in
which Sir John Malcolm has discharged the arduous and important functions of
his high political and military station in Malwah. By a happy combination of
qualities, which could not fail to earn the esteem and confidence, both of
his own countrymen and of the native inhabitants of all classes, by the
unremitting personal exertion and devotion of his time and leisure to the
maintenance of the interests confided to his charge, and by an enviable
talent for inspiring all who acted under his orders with his own energy and
zeal, Sir John Malcolm has been enabled, in the successful performance of
the duty assigned to him, in the Mulwah, to surmount difficulties of no
ordinary stamp, and to lay the foundations of repose and prosperity in that
extensive province, but recently reclaimed from a state of savage anarchy,
and a prey to every species of rapine and devastation. The governor-general
in council feels assured that the important services thus rendered to his
country by Sir John Malcolm, at the close of an active and distinguished
career, will be not less gratefully acknowledged by the authorities at home,
than they are cordially applauded by those under whose immediate orders they
have been performed."
Sir John returned to England in April, 1822, with the
rank of major-general, and soon after he was presented by those who had
acted under him in the war of 1818 and 1819, with a superb vase of the value
of £1500. During this visit to England, Sir John received a proud testimony
of the favour of the East India Company, and acknowledgment of the utility
of his public career, in a grant, passed unanimously by a general court of
proprietors, of a thousand pounds per annum, in consideration of his
distinguished merits and services.
Sir John had quitted India with the determination to
spend the evening of his life in his native country; but the solicitations
of the court of directors, and of his majesty’s ministers for India affairs,
induced him again to embark in the service of his country, where experience
had so fully qualified him to act with advantage. In July, 1827, he was
appointed to the high and responsible situation of governor of Bombay, which
post he continued to fill until 1831, when he finally returned to England,
having effected, during the few years of his governorship, incalculable
benefits both for this country, our Indian territories, and every class of
the inhabitants there. Upon his leaving Bombay, the different bodies of the
people seemed to vie with each other in giving proofs of the esteem and high
consideration in which he was held. The principal European gentlemen of
Bombay requested sir John to sit for his statue, afterwards executed by
Chantrey, and erected in Bombay; the members of the Asiatia Society
requested a bust of him, to be placed in their library; the native gentlemen
of Bombay solicited his portrait, to be placed in their public room; the
East India Amelioration Society voted him a service of plate; the natives,
both of the presidency and the provinces addressed him as their friend and
benefactor; and the United Society of Missionaries, including English,
Scottish, and Americans, acknowledged with gratitude the aids they had
received from him in the prosecution of their pious labours, and their deep
sense of his successful endeavours to promote the interests of truth and
humanity, with the welfare and prosperity of his country and his countrymen.
These were apt and gratifying incidents in the closing scene of his long and
arduous services in our Indian empire. But, whether at home or abroad, all
parties who knew any thing of his career concurred in awarding him the
highest praises, both as a civil, military, and political character; and the
brief encomium of Mr Canning in parliament, that he was "a gallant officer,
whose name would be remembered in India as long as the British flag is
hoisted in that country," is only in accordance with the universal opinion
of his merits.
Shortly after Sir John’s arrival in England in 1831, he
was returned to parliament for the burgh of Launceston, and took an active
part in the proceedings upon several important questions, particularly the
Scottish reform bill, which he warmly opposed. He frequently addressed the
house at length; and his speeches were characterized by an intimate
knowledge of the history and constitution of his country, by a happy
arrangement, and much elegance of expression. Upon the dissolution of
parliament in 1832, Sir John became a candidate for the Dumfries district of
burghs; but being too late in entering the field, and finding a majority of
the electors had promised their votes, he did not persevere. He was then
solicited to become a candidate for the city of Carlisle, and complied; but
having been too late in coming forward, and being personally unknown in the
place, the result of the first day’s poll decided the election against him.
Sir John then retired to his seat near Windsor, and employed himself in
writing a work upon the government of India, with the view of elucidating
the difficult questions relating to the renewal of the East India Company’s
charter. One of his last public acts was an able speech in the general court
of proprietors of East India Stock, and the introduction of certain
resolutions relative to the proposals of government respecting the
charter—which resolutions were, after several adjourned discussions, adopted
by a large majority. His last public address was at a meeting in the
Thatched House Tavern, for the purpose of forming a subscription to buy up
the mansion of Sir Walter Scott for his family; and on that occasion, his
concluding sentiment was, "that when he was gone, his son might be proud to
say, that his father had been among the contributors to that shrine of
genius." On the day following he was struck with paralysis, the disorder
which had just carried off the illustrious person on whose account this
address had been made. His death took place in Prince’s Street, Hanover
Square, London, on the 31st of May, 1833.
As an author, the name of Sir John Malcolm will occupy no
mean place in the annals of British literature. His principal works are—A
Sketch of the Sikhs, a singular nation in the province of the Penjamb, in
India; The History of Persia, from the earliest period to the present time;
Sketches of Persia; A Memoir of Central India; and his treatise on the
Administration of British India, which was published only a few weeks before
his death. Sir John had also been engaged for some time before his death in
writing a life of lord Clive, which afterwards appeared.
Sir John married, on the 4th of June, 1807, Charlotte
Campbell, daughter of Sir Alexander Campbell, baronet, who was
commander-in-chief at Madras, by whom he left five children, viz:—Margaret,
married to her cousin, the present Sir Alexander Campbell; George Alexander,
a captain in the Guards; Charlotte Olympia; Anne Amelia; and Catharine
Wellesley.
Upon the public character of Sir John Malcolm it would be
superfluous to pass any lengthened eulogium in this place, since that
character is so forcibly and faithfully sketched in the facts we have just
recorded. Let it suffice to say, that he was a true patriot; that the chief
end and aim of his public life was to advance the prosperity of his
country—to promote the condition of every class of his fellow creatures.
Such is the conclusion which the records of his life enable us to draw; and
his private character was in perfect keeping with it: he was warmly attached
to his kindred and connexions; as a friend, he was constant and devoted; and
all his social qualities might be said to "lean to virtue’s side." Last,
though not least of all, he was a sincere and devout Christian; and in every
part of the world where it was his fortune to be placed, and under whatever
circumstances, he never shrunk from any opportunity of evincing his deep
regard for the religion of his country.
Our thanks to
John Malcolm for the
comments below.
Comments on the Electric Scotland entry on Sir John Malcolm
General
The article on which this entry is based was probably published around the
middle of the 19th century. It refers (para 6, line 3) to Sir
John’s son-in-law as “the present Sir Alexander Campbell”. Sir Alex
Cockburn-Campbell Bt died in 1871 in Western Australia. It is obviously
cribbed from the rather superficial obituary of Sir John Malcolm published
in the Gentleman’s Magazine of July 1833 (vol CIII, Part II, pp.81-84). The
obituary has been edited, but the article uses the same phraseology, makes
the same mistakes, and adds a few more of its own.
The style reflects
typically mid-Victorian attitudes and values. Obviously these were different
from those of to-day, but they were also, in my view, significantly
different from those prevailing during Sir John’s lifetime.
Factual errors in the
article which should be noted are as follows:
Para 1, line 3
“The farm [Burnfoot]
was granted to the paternal grandfather of Sir John, at a low rent, by the
Earl of Dalkeith in 1707..” [my emphasis]
The Revd Robert Malcolm
(Sir John’s grandfather) was appointed as Minister to the parish of Ewes in
Dumfriesshire in 1717. He was given the “tack” of Burnfoot in 1730 to
supplement his stipend as Minister.
Para I, line 5
“Of these children,
three attained to a high station and title..” [my emphasis]
Four Malcolm brothers
achieved knighthoods – Sir James (1767-1849), Sir Pulteney (1768-1838), Sir
John (1769-1833) and Sir Charles (1782-1851).
Para 2, line 1
“Sir John Malcolm
entered life in 1782 as a cadet in the service of the East India
Company…” [my emphasis]
Sir John was accepted as
a cadet in the Madras Army in November 1781 (gazetted in May 1782). He
sailed from Britain in October 1782 and arrived at Madras in April 1783.
Para 2, lines 15-16
“On the occasion of
the Persian ambassador being accidentally shot in Bombay, he was again
entrusted with a mission to that Empire [Persia]…”
This should read “he was
entrusted with a mission to Bombay, in order to arrange for the repatriation
of the remainder of the Persian mission, and to placate the Persian
government.”
Para 2, line 19
“Presidency of
Mysore…”
Should read “Residency”
[this may be just a typo, but the two words have significantly different
meanings.
Para 3, line 1
“On the arrival in
India, in April 1808, of the new Governor-General, Lord Minto, Colonel
Malcolm was sent by his Lordship to the Court of Persia..”
Lord Minto arrived in
India in July 1807. Malcolm left Bombay for Persia in April 1808
Para 3, line 13
“Good
understanding….which afterwards subsisted between this country [Britain] and
Persia.”
This is a doubtful
assertion. Certainly not many Persians would have agreed, even in the mid 19th
century.
Para 7, line 4
In July 1827 he was
appointed…..Governor of Bombay..”
Sir John was appointed
Governor in January 1827; he sailed for India in July, and took up his post
in November 1827.
Para 8, line 10
“Sir John then retired
to his seat near Windsor…”
Although Sir John
purchased Warfield Hall, near Winkfield, in January 1832, he made extensive
renovations, which were not completed until the month he died. He never
lived there.
Para 8, lines 16-19
[Re Sir John’s speech
at the Thatched house tavern [London] re purchasing Sir Walter Scott’s
house] “on the day following, he was struck with paralysis…”
Sir John’s speech at the
Thatched House tavern was probably in late 1832 (see Grierson III p.150n on
Scott). The article may be referring Sir John’s speech to the Court of
Proprietors of the East India Company on 15 April 1833. Sir John suffered a
stroke on 28 April.
Para 9, line 2
[Malcolm’s published
literary works]
In addition to the books
cited in the article, Sir John also published “A Sketch of the Political
History of India” (1811), “The Political History of India” (1826) and
“Disturbances in the Madras Army in 1809” (1811). He also published
privately “Miscellaneous Poems” (1829).
Para 10, line 1
“Sir John married on 4
June 1807…..”
This should read 4 July
1807.
Para 10, line 4
“George Malcolm, a
captain in the Guards…”
Sir John’s son George
served as an officer in the British army. However, he was never in the
Guards.
Para 11, last
sentence
“Last, though not
least of all, he was a sincere and devout Christian…”
This is a piece of
mid-Victorian “spin”. In his philosophical outlook Sir John Malcolm was very
much a child of the 18th century Scottish Enlightenment. He was
interested in all manifestations of religion – Christian, Muslim, Hindu and
Sikh - more as a deist than as a devotee of any one of them (see Margot
McLaren, “British India, British Scotland”, 2001).
John Malcolm
8 October 2004 |