Bombay, Aug. 2.
The death is announced of Mr.
Tilak, the Indian tionalist leader.—Reuter.
Mr. Tilak, a talented Brahmin, graduated in Law from the Bombay University, and began his public career as a founder of educational institutions, His latest achievement in this direction was the establishment of the Fergusson College, Poona. He was the founder also of two well known newspapers at Poona, the "Kesari," a Marhatta weekly, and an English daily paper called ''The Marhatta."
To a great extent, Mr. Tilak may be called the founder of the Nationalist Party in India. His integrity of character: was recognized no less than his great ability. and he was respected equally by followers and by opponents who differed from him widely in their political ideas. He was several times convicted of sedition, his first term of imprisonment being for two or three years. On the next occasion lo was sentenced to five years, and his last sentence was six years, with deportation to Mandalay. On this occasion, popular sympathy was such that the sentence created a general strike of workmen in Bombay, its effect being commutation of the sentence from one of hard labour to ordinary imprisonment.
is interesting to recall also, that on the occasion of his first being imprisoned, intercession on his behalf was made with Queen Victoria by Professor Max Muller, and the sentence was commuted.
Mr. Tilak was generally recognized alike by Hindus and Mohammedans as the leader of Indian political aspirations. His heart was entirely in the cause and his work unselfish to the last degree, a fine character undoubtedly being the measure of his great influence. Amongst other public duties, he served for some time as an hon. member of the Bombay Legisla-He was a_ ce-worker with Besant in founding the Indian Home Rule Party, and in this connexion it may be stated that Mr. Tilak. was not opposed to British rule in India. He stood for Home Rule under the British flag, a policy which he advocated in his position as President of the Indian tionalist Congress. One of his last political undertakings of note was a special journey to England to institute proceedings against Sir Valentine Chirol in order to rebut statements made in Sir Valentine's book on "Indian Unrest.""
Apart from his political activities, Mr. Tilak devoted himself to scholarly work which has added to his reputation. His book astronomy, "Orion," is very widely known, and another volume of his has passed into several editions: a treatise on the Bhagavadgita—actually a survey of world philosophy—written while he was undergoing his term of _imprisonment in Mandalay. Mr. Tilak was in his 71st year.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.