to Madras in the E. I. Go's military service, 1841: joined the 2nd Madras Europeans: appointed Assistant Commissioner at Nagpur, 1855, lost his appointment, 1860, for insubordination to the Chief Commissioner in advocating the claims of the dispossessed ruling family: all the measures recommended by Major Bell were, however, approved and carried out by Lord Canning, and he was appointed Deputy Commissioner of Police at Madras, 1861: retired 1863: devoted the remainder of his life to advocating measures for the benefit of India and its people: wrote The Task of Today, 1852: The English in India, 1859: The Empire in India, 1864: Remarks on the Mysore Blue Book, 1866: The Mysore Reversion, 1865: Retrospects and Prospects of Indian Policy, 1868: The Oxus and the Indus, 1869: 1874: The Great Parliamentary Bore, 1869: Our Great Vassal Empire, 1870, The Bengal Reversion, 1872: Last Counsels of an Unknown Counsellor, 1877: Memoirs of General John Briggs, 1886: died Sep. 12, 1887.
BELLEW, HENRY WALTER (1834–1892)
Son of Capt. H. W. Bellew, of the Bengal Army: born Aug. 30, 1834: educated at St. George's Hospital, London M.D.: in the Crimean war: went to India in the Bengal Medical service, 1856: with Sir H. B. Lumsden's (q.v.) mission to Kandahar in 1857–8: in the Umbeyla campaign: Civil Surgeon of Peshawar: interpreter at the Umbala darbar of 1869 with the Amir Shir Ali: was on Sir R. Pollock's mission to Seistan, 1871, and Sir T. D. Forsyth's mission to Kashgar and Yarkand, 1873–4: C.S.L in 1873: Chief Political officer at Kabul in the second Afghan war: retired as Surgeon-General, 1886: died July 26, 1892: he had a faculty for learning Oriental languages, and wrote about them as well as about medical subjects and the countries which he had visited and their inhabitants.
BELLEW, REV. JOHN CHIPPENDALL MONTESQUIEU (1823–1874)
Son of Capt. R. Higgins: born Aug. 3, 1823: educated at Lancaster, and St.Mary's Hall, Oxford: took his mother's family name in 1844: ordained in 1848: went to Calcutta in 1851 and became Chaplain of St. John's Church for 4 years: edited there the Bengal Hurkaru: returning to England in 1855, he became a popular preacher in London, but in 1868 was a convert to Roman Catholicism, and supported himself by public readings and literary work: he had great success as a master of elocution and from his handsome appearance: he died June 19, 1874.
BELLI, JOHN ( ? - ? )
Born in England, of a noble Italian family, probably of Viterbo, his mother being a lady of Spanish origin named Bivar: entered the E. I. Co's. service and became Private Secretary to Warren Hastings, about 1770–5: he married a sister of Sir Charles Cockerell; his daughters married Dr. Howley, Archbishop of Canterbury; E. Horsley Palmer, M.P. and Sir C. E. Carrington (q.v.)
BENARES, BALWANT SINGH, RAJA OF (1717–?1770)
Son of Mansa Ram: and father of Chait Singh (q.v.): all of the Dhuinhar caste: succeeded his father, 1740: died Aug. 19 1770, being succeeded by Chait Singh: Balwant was the real founder and consolidator of the Benares Raj.
BENARES, CHAIT SINGH, RAJA OF ( ? –1810)
Son of Balwant Singh, the Raja of Benares, who died in 1770, when Chait Singh became Raja: in 1775 was declared independent of Oudh (of which he had been a vassal) and made tributary to the English Govermnent on a fixed annual payment: in 1778, Warren Hastings demanded from him, besides the annual tribute, five lakhs of rupees, which were recovered from him with the help of troops. Similar demands were made from him in 1779 and 1780: in the latter year, a contingent of men was demanded, according to his tenure as Raja, for the public service: he evaded, and did not furnish a single man: a fine of 50 lakhs was imposed, and Warren Hastings personally went to Benares, to levy the fine on Chait Singh, who received him submissively. Chait Singh was made, Aug. 16, 1781, a prisoner in his own palace at Benares, but his people rose, attacked and killed the guards. In the confusion, Chait Singh escaped. Hastings withdrew to Chunar:
