Sir Auckland Colvin (1838–1908) was a colonial administrator in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
, born into the
Anglo-Indian
Anglo-Indian people fall into two different groups: those with mixed Indian and British ancestry, and people of British descent born or residing in India. The latter sense is now mainly historical, but confusions can arise. The '' Oxford English ...
Colvin family. He was
comptroller general
A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior-level execut ...
in Egypt (1880–2), and financial adviser to the
Khedive (1883–87). From 1883–92 he was back in India, first as financial member of council, and then as
Lieutenant-governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a " second-in-com ...
of the
North-West Provinces
The North-Western Provinces was an administrative region in British India. The North-Western Provinces were established in 1836, through merging the administrative divisions of the Ceded and Conquered Provinces. In 1858, the nawab-ruled kingdo ...
(as his father had been) and
Oudh
The Oudh State (, also Kingdom of Awadh, Kingdom of Oudh, or Awadh State) was a princely state in the Awadh region of North India until its annexation by the British in 1856. The name Oudh, now obsolete, was once the anglicized name of ...
. He founded
Colvin Taluqdars' College
Colvin Taluqdars' College is a private school located in Lucknow
Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is th ...
in
Lucknow
Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...
.
Early life and family
Colvin, born at
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
on 8 March 1838, was third son of the ten children of
John Russell Colvin
John Russell Colvin (29 May 1807 – 9 September 1857) was a British administrator of the East India Company, and Lieutenant-Governor of the North-Western Provinces from 1853 until his death from cholera during the Indian Rebellion of 1 ...
, an Anglo-Indian administrator, by his wife Emma Sophia, daughter of Wetenhall Sneyd, vicar of
Newchurch, Isle of Wight
Newchurch is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. It is located between Sandown and Newport in the southeast of the island. Anthony Dillington, owner of the Knighton Gorges Manor in Newchurch wrote to his son Robert in 1574 that, "T ...
. Three of his brothers,
Bazett Wetenhall Colvin,
Elliott Graham Colvin, and Sir
Walter Mytton Colvin
Sir Walter Mytton Colvin (13 September 1847 – 16 December 1908) was a British lawyer and colonial administrator, part of the illustrious Anglo-Indian Colvin family.
Biography
Walter Colvin, Sir Auckland Colvin's youngest brother, was born in ...
, all passed distinguished careers in India, and a fourth,
Clement Sneyd Colvin, was secretary of the
public works
Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, sc ...
department of the
India Office in London.
He was born when his father was private secretary to
George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland
George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland, (25 August 1784 – 1 January 1849) was an English Whig politician and colonial administrator. He was thrice First Lord of the Admiralty and also served as Governor-General of India between 1836 and 1842 ...
, then
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...
, and was named after him. In retirement he wrote a biography of his father, who rose to be
lieutenant-governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a " second-in-com ...
of the
North-Western Provinces
The North-Western Provinces was an administrative region in British India. The North-Western Provinces were established in 1836, through merging the administrative divisions of the Ceded and Conquered Provinces. In 1858, the nawab-ruled kingdo ...
and died in the Mutiny.
The year the biography was published, the 5th Baron Auckland had a son, and named him Frederick Colvin George Eden, the first and only time Colvin was chosen as a name in that family. In 1905 Auckland Colvin gave a stained glass East window to the church of St. Mary at
Earl Soham
Earl Soham is a small settlement in Suffolk, England. It is on the A1120 road and is west of the town of Framlingham.
Earl Soham once belonged to the Earls of Norfolk, the Bigod family (sometimes spelt "Bigot" in old texts), who also owned near ...
, both as a thanksgiving for the termination of the
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...
, and as a permanent memorial to his father.
He was educated at
Eton College
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...
from 1850, and then from 1854 at the
East India College
The East India Company College, or East India College, was an educational establishment situated at Hailey, Hertfordshire, nineteen miles north of London, founded in 1806 to train "writers" (administrators) for the Honourable East India Company ( ...
.
Early career in India
Colvin arrived in India on 17 January 1858 and was posted to the
Agra
Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra i ...
provinces. After serving the usual district novitiate, Auckland went to headquarters in May 1864 as
under secretary
Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is al ...
in the home, and afterwards in the foreign, department of the
government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
. He returned to his own province in July 1869 as a
settlement officer, and did good work in the revision of the
Allahabad district
Allahabad district, officially known as Prayagraj district, is the most populous district of Uttar Pradesh state of India. The district headquarters is Allahabad which was renamed Prayagraj at the same time as the district was renamed. The Di ...
settlement. He officiated as secretary to the government of the North-West Provinces in April 1873, and from the following June as commissioner of excise and stamps. The lieutenant-governor, Sir
George Couper
Sir George Ebenezer Wilson Couper, 2nd Baronet, (29 April 1824 – 5 March 1908) was a British civil servant in India.
Biography
Couper was the eldest son of Colonel Sir George Couper, Chief Equerry and Comptroller of the Household of Prin ...
, resented some criticism of the local government in the ''Pioneer'' (Allahabad), which was attributed to Colvin's pen or inspiration. In the spring of 1877, Couper sent Colvin back to district work as collector of
Basti. From November 1877 he officiated for a short period as commissioner of inland customs under the government of India, and he was afterwards
collector of
Bijnaur.
Move to Egypt
Colvin's opportunity came when in January 1878 he was transferred for employment in Egypt, serving first as head of the
cadastral survey
Cadastral surveying is the sub-field of cadastre and surveying that specialises in the establishment and re-establishment of real property boundaries. It involves the physical delineation of property boundaries and determination of dimensions, a ...
, and then from 24 May as British commissioner of the debt, in place of Major
Evelyn Baring (afterwards Lord Cromer). Again in June 1880 he succeeded Major Baring as English controller of Egyptian finance, with M.
de Blignières as his French colleague. From time to time he acted as British
Consul-general
A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...
in Sir
Edward Malet
Sir Edward Baldwin Malet, 4th Baronet (10 October 1837 – 29 June 1908) was a British diplomat.
Edward Malet came from a family of diplomats; his father was Sir Alexander Malet, British minister to Württemberg and later to the German Co ...
's absence, and he was acting for Malet when the mutiny of 9 September 1881 broke out. By his advice and persuasion the timorous Khedive
Tewfik confronted
Urabi, the rebel leader, in the square of the
Abdin palace
Abdeen Palace ( ar, قصر عابدين) is a historic Cairo palace built as one of the official residences for the former ruling monarchy and royal family of Egypt. It is now one of the official residences and the principal workplace of the ...
, and succeeded in postponing the insurrection.
In various ways, and not least by his work as Egyptian correspondent of the ''
Pall Mall Gazette
''The Pall Mall Gazette'' was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood. In 1921, '' The Globe'' merged into ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', which itself was absorbed in ...
,'' he influenced public opinion at home, and forced the reluctant hands of
Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...
's government towards acceptance of responsibility in Egypt.
Wilfrid Scawen Blunt
Wilfrid Scawen Blunt (17 August 1840 – 10 September 1922), sometimes spelt Wilfred, was an English poet and writer. He and his wife Lady Anne Blunt travelled in the Middle East and were instrumental in preserving the Arabian horse bloodlines ...
, Colvin's bitterest opponent, in his ''Secret History of the English Occupation'' (1907), pays unwilling homage to the resource with which Colvin conducted the struggle. After the British occupation Colvin became financial adviser to the Khedive, who conferred on him the Grand Cordons of the
Osmanieh and
Medjidieh Orders. He was created K.C.M.G. in 1881.
Mature career
When Lord Cromer became British agent in Egypt, Colvin succeeded him as financial member of the
Viceroy
A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...
's council in India in August 1883. Financial difficulties faced him. The war in
Upper Burma
Upper Myanmar ( my, အထက်မြန်မာပြည်, also called Upper Burma) is a geographic region of Myanmar, traditionally encompassing Mandalay and its periphery (modern Mandalay, Sagaing, Magway Regions), or more broadly speak ...
and the danger of hostilities with Russia, consequent upon the
Panjdeh Incident
The Panjdeh Incident (known in Russian historiography as the Battle of Kushka) was an armed engagement between the Emirate of Afghanistan and the Russian Empire in 1885 that led to a diplomatic crisis between the British Empire and the Russian ...
, were not only costly in themselves, but were followed by great capital outlay on improving the strategic position on the north-west frontier, and by increases of the British and native armies. With Sir
Courtenay Ilbert
Sir Courtenay Peregrine Ilbert, (12 June 1841 – 14 May 1924) was a distinguished British lawyer and civil servant who served as legal adviser to the Viceroy of India's Council for many years until his eventual return from India to England. H ...
, then legal member, Colvin minuted against this increase, and after retirement he complained that the military element in the council was disproportionately strong. The finances were also disturbed by the continued decline in the sterling value of the rupee, while suggestions made by the Governor-general in council, at Colvin's instance, for seeking an international acceptance of
bimetallism were treated by the
British Cabinet
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the senior decision-making body of His Majesty's Government. A committee of the Privy Council, it is chaired by the prime minister and its members include secretaries of state and other senior ministers. ...
at home, Colvin thought, with scant respect.
Although he caused a committee to be appointed under Sir
Charles Elliott to recommend economies, he was compelled not only to suspend the
Famine Insurance Fund, and to take toll of the provincial governments, but to increase taxation. In January 1886 he converted some annual licence duties in certain provinces into a general tax on non-agricultural incomes in excess of Rs. 500 per annum. This unpopular proceeding was immortalised in
Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much o ...
's ''Departmental Ditties'' by ''The Rupaiyat of Omar Kalvin,'' which represents the finance member as plying the begging-bowl among his European countrymen. In his last budget (1887–88) he increased the
salt duty by twenty-five per cent, and imposed an export duty on petroleum.
Colvin welcomed his transfer on 21 November 1887 to
Allahabad as Lieutenant-governor of the North-West Provinces and chief commissioner of
Oudh
The Oudh State (, also Kingdom of Awadh, Kingdom of Oudh, or Awadh State) was a princely state in the Awadh region of North India until its annexation by the British in 1856. The name Oudh, now obsolete, was once the anglicized name of ...
, in succession to Sir
Alfred Comyn Lyall
Sir Alfred Comyn Lyall (4 January 1835 – 10 April 1911) was a British civil servant, literary historian and poet.
Early life
He was born at Coulsdon in Surrey, the second son of Alfred Lyall and Mary Drummond Broadwood, daughter of James S ...
. His father had been charged with "over-governing" the same provinces thirty years before, and the son resembled him in his personal attention to detail. To his influence were due good water supplies and drainage systems in the larger towns of what are now the
United Province
United may refer to:
Places
* United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...
s, several new hospitals, and the Colvin Taluqdars' school at Lucknow.
Towards the
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...
he declared himself uncompromisingly hostile, both in allocutions at divisional
durbar
Durbar can refer to:
* Conference of Rulers, a council of Malay monarchs
* Durbar festival, a yearly festival in several towns of Nigeria
* Durbar floor plate, a hot-rolled structural steel that has been designed to give excellent slip resistance ...
s and in a published correspondence with
Allan Octavian Hume
Allan Octavian Hume, CB ICS (4 June 1829 – 31 July 1912) was a British civil servant, political reformer, ornithologist and botanist who worked in British India. He was the founder of the Indian National Congress. A notable ornithologist, Hum ...
, formerly of his own service, the "father" of the new movement (1885). Colvin resolutely rallied loyalist opinion against the Congress.
Retirement
Created
C.I.E.
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:
#Knight Grand Commander (:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire, ...
in Oct. 1883, he was
gazetted
A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper.
In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...
a
K.C.S.I.
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:
# Knight Grand Commander (GCSI)
# Knight Commander ( KCSI)
# Companion ( CSI)
No appointments ...
in May 1892, six months before retirement. In England, Colvin settled at Earl Soham Lodge,
Framlingham
Framlingham is a market town and civil parish in Suffolk, England. Of Anglo-Saxon origin, it appears in the 1086 Domesday Book. The parish had a population of 3,342 at the 2011 Census and an estimated 4,016 in 2019. Nearby villages include Ea ...
, and took an active part in local affairs and charities. He mainly occupied himself with literature. He wrote the life of his father for the
Rulers of India series
The ''Rulers of India'' was a biographical book series edited by William Wilson Hunter and published from the Clarendon Press, Oxford. Hunter himself contributed the volumes on Dalhousie (1890) and Mayo (1891) to the series.
Background
William ...
(1895).
His ''Making of Modern Egypt'' (1906), while dealing generously with the work of other Englishmen, says nothing of his own part in surmounting the crises of 1881 and 1882. The book was soon overshadowed by Lord Cromer's ''Modern Egypt'' (1908). From 1896 onward he was chairman of the
Burma Railways, the
Egyptian Delta Railway, and the
Khedivial Mail Steamship Company, and was on the boards of other companies. He died at Suffolk House, Maple Road,
Surbiton – the residence of his eldest daughter Emma Sophia Groome – on 24 March 1908. He was buried at
Earl Soham
Earl Soham is a small settlement in Suffolk, England. It is on the A1120 road and is west of the town of Framlingham.
Earl Soham once belonged to the Earls of Norfolk, the Bigod family (sometimes spelt "Bigot" in old texts), who also owned near ...
.
He married on 4 August 1859 Charlotte Elizabeth (d 1865), daughter of Lieut.-general
Charles Herbert
Charles Herbert Saperstein (December 23, 1948 – October 31, 2015), known as Charles Herbert, was an American child actor of the 1950s and 1960s. Before reaching his teens, Herbert was renowned by a generation of moviegoers for an on-screen ...
, C.B., and had a son, who died in infancy, and three daughters, the middle of whom married the military commander
Bindon Blood
General Sir Bindon Blood, (7 November 1842 – 16 May 1940) was a British Army commander who served in Egypt, Afghanistan, India, and South Africa.
Military career
Bindon Blood was born near Jedburgh, Scotland, to William Bindon Blood (1817 ...
and whose portrait is held by the
National Portrait Gallery.
3 photographs
/ref>
References
*
;Attribution
*
Further reading
*
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colvin, Auckland
1838 births
1908 deaths
Burials in Suffolk
Administrators in British India
Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India
Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...
Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire
Recipients of the Order of the Medjidie
Place of birth missing
Founders of Indian schools and colleges
British biographers
Members of the Council of the Governor General of India