most of the best houses in Calcutta were owned by him. In the beginning of 1757, when the English were arranging with Mir Jafar and others to dethrone Suraj-ud-daula, Omichand, being cognisant of the conspiracy, asked for thirty lakhs as the price of silence : Clive designed to make him believe that the English intended to reward his services by inserting an article in the treaty drawn between them and Mir Jafar. Two treaties were drawn up, one fictitious, the other genuine. Omichand was shown the fictitious treaty, which provided for his reward. Admiral Watson had refused to sign this treaty, and his signature was written by another hand. After the battle of Plassy, Omichand was made aware of the genuine treaty, in which no mention was made of him. It is said that, on perceiving that he was cheated, he fainted away and lost his reason. The accuracy of this statement has been questioned. He died suddenly at Malda, Dec. 5, 1758.
OMMANEY, EDWARD LACON (1834–)
Born Aug. 24, 1834 : son of Maj-General Edward Lacon Ommaney, R.E. : educated at Bedford and Owen's College, Manchester : joined the Indian Army, 1855, and the Staff Corps, 1861 : became Colonel, 1885 : served in the Indian mutiny, 1857–8 : at the siege of Delhi : appointed to the Panjab Commission, 1858, in charge of State prisoners : continued in civil employ, on the N. W. Frontier : Commissioner of Multan, the Derajat, and Peshawar Divisions : served as Political Officer, 2nd Black Mountain expedition, 1888 : C.S.I. : retired, 1891.
OPPERT, GUSTAV (1836–)
Born July 30, 1836 : brother of Julius Oppert : studied at Leipzig, Halle, and Berlin, 1858–60, especially history and Oriental languages : attached, for some time, to the Libraries of Oxford and Windsor : in 1872 made Professor of Sanskrit at the Presidency College, Madras, and Curator of the Government Oriental MS. Library : Fellow of Madras University, 1873 : Telugu Translator to Government, 1878 : returned to Europe, in 1893 : appointed Professor of Sanskrit at Berlin University, 1894 : published List of Sanskrit MSS. in Southern India, 1880, etc. : text and translation of the Sukranitisara, 1882–90 : Nitipra Karika, 1882 : On the Aborigines of India, 1804. : Ph. D.
ORME, ROBERT (1728–1801)
Born at Anjengo, Dec. 25, 1728 : son of Surgeon Alexander Orme : educated at Harrow : went to Calcutta, 1742 : joined a mercantile house : became a writer in the E. I. Co.'s service, 1743 : returned to England in 1753 with Clive and became intimate with him : appointed by the Court of Directors to be a Member of Council at Madras, 1754–8, and was Commissary and Accountant-General : on his advice and nomination, Clive was sent up in command to Calcutta in 1756 : Orme was captured by the French on his way home and taken to the Mauritius, 1759 : reached London, 1760 : published A History of the Military Transactions of the British Nation in Indostan from the year 1745, in 1763 and 1778 : Historiographer to the E. I. Co., 1769–1801 : F.S.A., 1770 : published Historical Fragments of the Mogul Empire, of the Morattoes, and of the English Concerns in Indostan from the year 1659, in 1782 : died at Great Ealing, Jan. 13, 1801 : friend of Dr. Johnson : all books, printed tracts, manuscripts as left by him, presented to the E. I. Co. are now in the India Office Library.
ORR, JOHN (1760?–1835)
Born about 1760 : joined the Madras N.I. in 1777 : was at the siege of Pondicherry, 1778 : commanded a flying column to assist Coote's Army, 1780–4, and subsequently the Governor's bodyguard : was in the Mysore war, 1790–2, at Seringapatam : Maj-General, 1809 : Lt-General, 1814 : died Nov. 26, 1835.
OSBORN, ROBERT DURIE (1835–1889)
Born Aug. 6, 1835 : son of Lt-Colonel Henry Roche Osborn : educated at Walthamstow : joined the 26th Bengal N.I., 1854 : in the Indian mutiny of 1857, at Bulandshahr and Alighar, in Oudh, Sagar, Bundelkund : Tutor to the Paikpara wards, 1872 : in the Afghan war, 1878 : retired as Lt-Colonel, 1879 : wrote Islam under the Arabs, 1876, and Islam under the Khalifs of Bagdad, 1877 :assisted in editing the London Statesman, 1879–80, and engaged in journalism and literature, to oppose Lord Beacons-
