[Rames, 1781-1828. By R Courtanp, (Oxford: "University Press. London: Baford. 65, net.)
Mr, Coupland tells the story of Sir Stamford Raffles in some hundred and 30 pages. 'There is an artistic appropriateness in such brevity, says "The Times" reviewer, for the well-packed paragraphs, the _unresting foreed march of narrative in which each sentence, almost, is important, convey something' of the essential quality of Raffles' crowded and.eager Ways, of the breathless endeavours to' do the work of years in a few months and of decades in a few years, A restless activity of spirit raged in-him like a tropical fever till it burnt itself out, and he was picked up at the foot of the staircase in his English home, dead of apoplexy, 45 years old. He lett behind him, at an age when many] public men are just beginning their Important days, a career of extreme diversity, which included the administration of the newly conquered Java for some five years.
administrative work" wa: throughout accompanied by a sustained Intellectual activity other fields. He combined a quite extraordinary number of intellectual interests. He was for ever making collections of sculpture, of plants, of animals, of words—of anything, in short, that might increase knowledge concerning his corner of the world, The overpowering vitality, though it-drove him to the unremitting labours whose result, in sneb surroundings as he lived in, was prema, ture death, was the secret of the strength with which he bore the unending misfortunes which fell upon him; and his biographer is reminded of the unfolding of a Greek tragedy when he relates the successive disasters that befell Rafles, though taken one by one they are understandable enough. He lost his first wife and nearly all his children by fire, his treasures by shipwreck, his dreams for Java by the Treaty' of Vienna and the death of Lord into, his personal fortune by the of the East India Company.
this an exhaustive list, But he was never discouraged, and he saw in the settlement of Singapore tone dream come true. That he was so constantly thwarted political. ly was in part due to his own temperament. He had so much! initiative and views so much beyond the Vision of a trading company that the directors at East India House were often driven, to use their own words, "to visit' him with some severe mark of their displeasure." With the details of his long record of insubordination Mr. Coupland been compelled by the limits of li work to deal very generally. But the main difficulty is clearly stated.
Ahead of His Tim Rafles was always ahead of his time. Though new views were at work in England, and the great debates over Warren Hastings and over the slave trade had led to the formulation of theories of duty towards native people, the East India Company's policy outside India itself was simply commercial:—
The company he served had recently been foreed to broaden the basis of its policy in India; but its policy outside India, he knew well enough, was still simply and solely commercial. In so far as it might desire to extend its operations in the Malayan area, it would be only with a view to increasing the annual shipments of pepper and spice to England.
That was the root of all his difficulties. He was for ever exceeding or disregarding his instructions, partly because he had to act on his own responsibility in 'a little known locality, weeks away from London, many' days from Celeutta, but chiefly because he had views other than those of his directors, who lacked his vision and his humanity, and were in terror of costly hostilities with the Dutch, of large capital outlays, and of being commit itted to vast responsibilities.
Mr. Coupland brings out very well the close connexion between all the different sides of Raffies's activity. Tt was because he learnt Malayan through and through that he came to
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.