the life of william carey-第37章

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The　Marquis　Wellesley　was　of　nearly　the　same　age　as　Carey；　whom　he　soon　learned　to　appreciate　and　to　use　for　the　highest　good　of　the　empire。　　Of　the　same　name　and　original　English　descent　as　John　and　Charles　Wesley；　the　Governor…General　was　the　eldest　and　not　the　least　brilliant　of　the　Irish　family　which；　besides　him；　gave　to　the　country　the　Duke　of　Wellington　and　Lord　Cowley。　　While　Carey　was　cobbling　shoes　in　an　unknown　hamlet　of　the　Midlands　and　was　aspiring　to　convert　the　world；　young　Wellesley　was　at　Eton　and　Christ　Church；　Oxford；　acquiring　the　classical　scholarship　which；　as　we　find　its　fruits　in　his　Primiti？et　Reliqui？　extorted　the　praise　of　De　Quincey。　　When　Carey　was　starving　in　Calcutta　unknown　the　young　lord　was　making　his　mark　in　the　House　of　Commons　by　a　speech　against　the　Jacobins　of　France　in　the　style　of　Burke。　　The　friend　of　Pitt；　he　served　his　apprenticeship　to　Indian　affairs　in　the　Board　of　Control；　where　he　learned　to　fight　the　directors　of　the　East　India　Company；　and　he　landed　at　Calcutta　in　1798；　just　in　time　to　save　the　nascent　empire　from　ruin　by　the　second　Mysore　war　and　the　fall　of　Tipoo　at　Seringapatam。　　Like　that　other　marquis　who　most　closely　resembled　him　half　a　century　after；　the　Scottish　Dalhousie；　his　hands　were　no　sooner　freed　from　the　uncongenial　bonds　of　war　than　he　became　even　more　illustrious　by　his　devotion　to　the　progress　which　peace　makes　possible。　　He　created　the　College　of　Fort　William；　dating　the　foundation　of　what　was　fitted　and　intended　to　be　the　greatest　seat　of　learning　in　the　East　from　the　first　anniversary　of　the　victory　of　Seringapatam。　　So　splendidly　did　he　plan；　so　wisely　did　he　organise；　and　with　such　lofty　aims　did　he　select　the　teachers　of　the　college；　that　long　after　his　death　he　won　from　De　Quincey　the　impartial　eulogy；　that　of　his　three　services　to　his　country　and　India　this　was　the　〃first；　to　pave　the　way　for　the　propagation　of　Christianitymighty　service；　stretching　to　the　clouds；　and　which　in　the　hour　of　death　must　have　given　him　consolation。〃

When　Wellesley　arrived　at　Calcutta　he　had　been　shocked　by　the　sensual　ignorance　of　the　Company's　servants。　　Sunday　was　universally　given　up　to　horse…racing　and　gambling。　　Boys　of　sixteen　were　removed　from　the　English　public　schools　where　they　had　hardly　mastered　the　rudiments　of　education　to　become　the　magistrates；　judges；　revenue　collectors；　and　governors　of　millions　of　natives　recently　brought　under　British　sway。　　At　a　time　when　the　passions　most　need　regulation　and　the　conscience　training；　these　lads　found　themselves　in　India　with　large　incomes；　flattered　by　native　subordinates；　encouraged　by　their　superiors　to　lead　lives　of　dissipation；　and　without　the　moral　control　even　of　the　weakest　public　opinion。　　The　Eton　boy　and　Oxford　man　was　himself　still　young；　and　he　knew　the　world；　but　he　saw　that　all　this　meant　ruin　to　both　the　civil　and　military　services；　and　to　the　Company's　system。　　The　directors　addressed　in　a　public　letter；　dated　25th　May　1798；　〃an　objurgation　on　the　character　and　conduct〃　of　their　servants。　　They　re…echoed　the　words　of　the　new　Governor…General　in　their　condemnation　of　a　state　of　things；　〃highly　discreditable　to　our　Government；　and　totally　incompatible　with　the　religion　we　profess。〃　　Such　a　service　as　this；　preceding　the　creation　of　the　college；　led　Pitt's　other　friend；　Wilberforce；　in　the　discussions　on　the　charter　of　1813；　to　ascribe　to　Lord　Wellesley；　when　summoning　him　to　confirm　and　revise　it；　the　system　of　diffusing　useful　knowledge　of　all　sorts　as　the　true　foe　not　only　of　ignorance　but　of　vice　and　of　political　and　social　decay。

Called　upon　to　prevent　the　evils　he　had　been　the　first　to　denounce　officially；　Lord　Wellesley　wrote　his　magnificent　state　paper　of　1800；　which　he　simply　termed　Notes　on　the　necessity　of　a　special　collegiate　training　of　Civil　Servants。　　The　Company's　factories　had　grown　into　the　Indian　Empire　of　Great　Britain。　　The　tradesmen　and　clerks；　whom　the　Company　still　called　〃writer；〃　〃factor；〃　and　〃merchant；〃　in　their　several　grades；　had；　since　Clive　obtained　a　military　commission　in　disgust　at　such　duties；　become　the　judges　and　rulers　of　millions；　responsible　to　Parliament。　　They　must　be　educated　in　India　itself；　and　trained　to　be　equal　to　the　responsibilities　and　temptations　of　their　position。　　If　appointed　by　patronage　at　home　when　still　at　school；　they　must　be　tested　after　training　in　India　so　that　promotion　shall　depend　on　degrees　of　merit。　　Lord　Wellesley　anticipated　the　modified　system　of　competition　which　Macaulay　offered　to　the　Company　in　1853；　and　the　refusal　of　which　led　to　the　unrestricted　system　which　has　prevailed　with　varying　results　since　that　time。　　Nor　was　the　college　only　for　the　young　civilians　as　they　arrived。　　Those　already　at　work　were　to　be　encouraged　to　study。　　Military　officers　were　to　he　invited　to　take　advantage　of　an　institution　which　was　intended　to　be　〃the　university　of　Calcutta；〃　〃a　light　amid　the　darkness　of　Asia；〃　and　that　at　a　time　when　in　all　England　there　was　not　a　military　college。　Finally；　the　college　was　designed　to　be　a　centre　of　Western　learning　in　an　Eastern　dress　for　the　natives　of　India　and　Southern　Asia；　alike　as　students　and　teachers。　　A　noble　site　was　marked　out　for　it　on　the　stately　sweep　of　Garden　Reach；　where　every　East　Indiaman　first　dropped　its　anchor；　and　the　building　was　to　be　worthy　of　the　founder　who　erected　Government　House。

The　curriculum　of　study　included　Arabic；　Persian；　and　Sanskrit；　Bengali；　Marathi；　Hindostani　（Hindi）；　Telugoo；　Tamil；　and　Kanarese；　English；　the　Company's；　Mohammedan　and　Hindoo　law；　civil　jurisprudence；　and　the　law　of　nations；　ethics；　political　economy；　history；　geography；　and　mathematics；　the　Greek；　Latin；　and　English　classics；　and　the　modern　languages　of　Europe；　the　history　and　antiquities　of　India；　natural　history；　botany；　chemistry；　and　astronomy。　　The　discipline　was　that　of　the　English　universities　as　they　then　were；　under　the　Governor…General　himself；　his　colleagues；　and　the　appellate　judges。　　The　senior　chaplain；　the　Rev。　David　Brown；　was　provost　in　charge　of　the　discipline；　and　Dr。　Claudius　Buchanan　was　vice…provost　in　charge　of　the　studies；　as　well　as　professor　of　Greek；　Latin；　and　English。　　Dr。　Gilchrist　was　professor　of　Hindostani；　in　teaching　which　he　had　already　made　a　fortune；　Lieutenant　J。　Baillie　of　Arabic；　and　Mr。　H。　B。　Edmonstone　of　Persian。　　Sir　George　Barlow　expounded　the　laws　or　regulations　of　the　British　Government　in　India。　　The　Church　of　England　constitution　of　the　college　at　first；　to　which　Buchanan　had　applied　the　English　Test　Act；　and　his　own　modesty；　led　Carey　to　accept　of　his　appointment；　which　was　thus　gazetted：〃The　Rev。　William　Carey；　teacher　of　the　Bengali　and　Sanskrit　languages。〃

The　first　notice　of　the　new　college　which　we　find　in　Carey's　correspondence　is　this；　in　a　letter　to　Sutcliff　dated　27th　November　1800：〃There　is　a　college　erected　at　Fort　William；　of　which　the　Rev。　D。　Brown　is　appointed　provost；　and　C。　Buchanan　classical　tutor：　all　the　Eastern　languages　are　to　be　taught　in　it。〃　〃All〃　the　languages　of　India　were　to　be　taught；　the　vernacular　as　well　as　the　classical　and　purely　official。　　This　was　a　reform　not　less　radical　and　beneficial　in　its　far…reaching　influence；　and　not　less　honourable　to　the　scholarly　foresight　of　Lord　Wellesley；　than　Lord　William　Bentinck's　new　era　of　the　English　language　thirty…five　years　after。　　The　rulers　and　administrators　of　the　new　empire　were　to　begin　their　career　by　a　three　years'　study　of　the　mother　tongue　of　the　people；　to　whom　justice　was　administered　in　a　language　foreign　alike　to　them　and　their　governors；　and　of　the　Persian　language　of　their　foreign　Mohammedan　conquerors。　　That　the　peoples　of　India；　〃every　man　in　his　own　language；〃　might　hear　and　read　the　story　of　what　the　one　true　and　living　God　had　done　for　us　men　and　our　salvation；　Carey　had　nine　years　before　given　himself　to　acquire　Bengali　and　the　Sanskrit　of　which　it　is　one　of　a　numerous　family　of　daughters；　as　the　tongues　of　the　Latin　nations　of　Europe　and　South　America　are　of　the　offspring　of　the　speech　of　Caesar　and　Cicero。　Now；　following　the　missionary　pioneer；　as　educational；　scientific；　and　even　political　progress　has　ever　since　done　in　the　India　which　would　have　kept　him　out；　Lord　Wellesley　decreed　that；　like　the　missionary；　the　administrator　and　the　military　officer　shall　master　the　language　of　the　people。　　The　five　great　vernaculars　of　India　were　accordingly　named；　and　the　greatest　of　all；　the　Hindi；　which　was　not　scientifically　elaborated　till　long　after；　was　provided　for　under　the　mixed　dialect　or　lingua　franca　known　as　Hindostani。

When　Carey　and　his　colleagues　were　congratulating　themselves　on　a　reform　which　has　already　proved　as　fruitful　of　results　as　the　first　century　of　the　Renascence　of　Europe；　he　little　thought；　in　his　modesty；　that　he　would　be　recognised　as　the　only　man　who　was　fit　to　carry　it　out。　　Having　guarded　the　college；　as　they　thought；　by　a　test；　Brown　and　Buchanan　urged　Carey　to　take　charge　of　the　Bengali　and　Sanskrit　classes　as　〃teacher〃　on　Rs。　500　a　month　or　？00　a　year。　Such　an　office　was　entirely　in　the　line　of　the　constitution　of　the　missionary　brotherhood。　　But　would　the　Government　which　had　banished　it　to　Serampore　recognise　the　aggressively　missionary　character　of　Carey；　who　would　not　degrade　his　high　calling　by　even　the　suspicion　of　a　compromise？　　To　be　called　and　paid　as　a　teacher　rather　than　as　the　professor　whose　double　work　he　was　asked　to　do；　was　nothing　to　the　modesty　of　the　scholar　who　pleaded　his　sense　of　unfitness　for　the　duties。　　His　Master；　not　himself；　was　ever　Carey's　first　thought；　and　the　full　professorship；　rising　to　？800　a　year；　was　soon　conferred　on　the　man　who　proved　himself　to　be　almost　as　much　the　college　in　his　own　person　as　were　the　other　professors　put　together。　　A　month　after　his　appointment　he　thus　told　the　story　to　Dr。　Ryland　in　the　course　of　a　long　letter　devoted　chiefly　to　the　first　native　converts：

〃SERAMPORE；　15th　June　1801。。。We　sent　you　some　time　ago　a　box　full　of　gods　and　butterflies；　etc。；　and　another　box　containing　a　hundred　copies　of　the　New　Testament　in　Bengali。。。Mr。　Lang　is　studying　Bengali；　under　me；　in　the　college。　　What　I　have　last　mentioned　requires　some　explanation；　though　you　will　probably　hear　of　it　before　this　reaches　you。　　You　must　know；　then；　that　a　college　was　founded　last　year　in　Fort　William；　for　the　instruction　of　the　junior　civil　servants　of　the　Company；　who　are　obliged　to　study　in　it　three　years　after　their　arrival。　　I　always　highly　approved　of　the　institution；　but　never　entertained　a　thought　that　I　should　be　called　to　fill　a　station　in　it。　　To　my　great　surprise　I　was　asked　to　undertake　the　Bengali　professorship。　　One　morning　a　letter　from　Mr。　Brown　came；　inviting　me　to　cross　the　water；　to　have　some　conversation　with　him　upon　this　subject。　　I　had　but　just　time　to　call　our　brethren　together；　who　were　of　opinion　that；　for　several　reasons；　I　ought　to　accept　it；　provided　it　did　not　interfere　with　the　work　of　the　mission。　　I　also　knew　myself　to　be　incapable　of　filling　such　a　station　with　reputation　and　propriety。　　I；　however；　went　over；　and　honestly　proposed　all　my　fears　and　objections。　　Both　Mr。　Brown　and　Mr。　Buchanan　were　of　opinion　that　the　cause　of　the　mission　would　be　furthered　by　it；　an