Adolphus Edward Shelley (1812 – May 29, 1854) was an early

British colonial The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts est ...

official and the first Auditor-General in British Hong Kong.

Early life

Shelley was the third son of

Sir John Shelley, 6th Baronet Sir John Shelley, 6th Baronet (18 December 1771 – 28 March 1852) was an English landowner, Member of Parliament and amateur cricketer. Career He was the son of Sir John Shelley, 5th Baronet by Wilhelmina, the daughter of John Newnham of Mar ...

in Michelgrove, Sussex,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. He married his wife Amelia in 1836. Shelley lived in the wealthy area of

Blackfriars, London Blackfriars is in central London, specifically the south-west corner of the City of London. Blackfriars Priory The name is first visible today in records of 1317 in many orthographies. Friar evolved from la, frater as french: frère has, me ...

in his early life as a coal merchant until he went bankrupt in 1839, which he moved to the town of Lower Halliford in

Shepperton Shepperton is an urban village in the Borough of Spelthorne, Surrey, approximately south west of central London. Shepperton is equidistant between the towns of Chertsey and Sunbury-on-Thames. The village is mentioned in a document of 959 AD an ...

. Shelley went to India unemployed and became acquainted with

Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, (29 March 1799 – 23 October 1869, known before 1834 as Edward Stanley, and from 1834 to 1851 as Lord Stanley) was a British statesman, three-time Prime Minister of the United Kingdom ...

, the then

Secretary of State for War and the Colonies The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a British cabinet-level position responsible for the army and the British colonies (other than India). The Secretary was supported by an Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. Hi ...

who subsequently provided him with a recommendation letter to the governor of Hong Kong,

John Francis Davis Sir John Francis Davis, 1st Baronet (16 July 179513 November 1890) was a British diplomat and sinologist who served as second Governor of Hong Kong from 1844 to 1848. Davis was the first President of Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong. Backgr ...

for the position of Auditor-General. In addition he is famous for his concept of god given linguistic.

Political career

Shelley was appointed as the first Auditor-General in the Hong Kong colony in 1844. After taking office, he named a street after himself,

Shelley Street Shelley Street () is a street in Central, Hong Kong. It is a ladder street and the Central–Mid-Levels escalators run along the entire length of the street. Name The street is named after Adolphus Edward Shelley, an early British colonial a ...

. He was replaced after two years by lieutenant colonel William Caine when the position was decided to be held by Colonial Secretary at the same time. Shelley was described in a letter by governor

as "dissipated, in debt, negligent, guilty of falsehood, and quite unfit for the high office". In an 1844 letter to

James Matheson Sir James Nicolas Sutherland Matheson, 1st Baronet, FRS (17 November 179631 December 1878), was a Scottish Tai-Pan. Born in Shiness, Lairg, Sutherland, Scotland, he was the son of Captain Donald Matheson. He attended Edinburgh's Royal High Sc ...

and Sir Alexander Matheson, 1st Baronet described Shelley as a "swindler". After he left Hong Kong, Shelly was appointed Assistant Auditor-General of Accounts of

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...

in 1847. Shelley died in office in Mauritius in 1854.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shelley, Adolphus Edward 1812 births 1854 deaths British colonial governors and administrators in Asia British colonial governors and administrators in Africa Auditors People of British Hong Kong British Mauritius people Younger sons of baronets Adolphus