India -- History -- British occupation, 1765-1947 -- Biography; Lawrence, John Laird Mair, 1811-1879
It has been seen, then, that the Board of Administration for the Punjab
was constituted by Lord Dalhousie in March, 1849. Henry Lawrence was
President of the Board, and John was his colleague. A third member was
also appointed, but after a short time he went away. The successor was
Robert Montgomery, who had been the schoolfellow of the two Lawrences at
Foyle College and a friend to them both equally. He was the one man in
whom each of them would confide, when they differed with one another.
Henry would, in his differences with John, open his heart to Montgomery.
John too would speak of Montgomery as his bhai or brother. In addition
to sterner qualities, the signal display of which will be seen
hereafter, Montgomery possessed all those qualities which are needed for
a peacemaker and mediator. His position at the Board, then, in
conjunction with the two Lawrences was most fortunate. He had the art of
making business move smoothly, rapidly and pleasantly. For the two
brothers did, as will be explained presently, differ not privately nor
fraternally but officially. When differences arise between two such
eminent persons as these, each of them must naturally have his own
adherents, especially as Henry was a military Officer in Staff employ
and John a Covenanted Civil Servant, or in simpler phrase the former was
a soldier and the latter a civilian. Consequently something like party
spirit arose which never was very acute and which has perhaps, under the
influence of time, died away. To attempt any description of Henry
Lawrence here would be to travel beyond the purpose of this book. But he
cannot, even here, be wholly dissociated from the present account of
John’s career. In order to avoid the semblance of passing over or
disparaging Henry, it may suffice now to state briefly and summarily
what he was in 1849, and what he continued to be up to his untimely and
lamented death in 1857. This may preferably be done now, before the
necessity arrives for explaining the difference (respecting certain
public affairs only) which arose between him and his brother.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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