Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 32.djvu/261

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Lawrence
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Lawrence

'Border and Bastile,' a record of a journey to the United States with the intention of joining the confederate army as a volunteer. But before he got near the confederate lines he was taken a prisoner and shut up in a guard-house, whence, after correspondence with Lord Lyons, the English ambassador at Washington, he was liberated on the condition of his immediate return to England. In his numerous books Lawrence's style is always vigorous, and he is never dull. He died, at 134 George Street, Edinburgh, on 23 Sept. 1876.

The following is a list of Lawrence's writings:

  1. 'Guy Livingstone, or Thorough.' 1857; 6th edit. 1867; this work has also been translated into French.
  2. 'Sword and Gown.' 1859; 5th edit. 1888.
  3. 'Barren Honour.' 1862, 2 vols., other editions.
  4. 'Border and Bastile.' 1863; 3rd edit. 1864.
  5. 'A Bundle of Ballads.' 1864.
  6. 'Maurice Dering, or the Quadrilateral.' 1864; 2nd edit. 1869.
  7. 'Sans Merci, or Kestrels and Falcons.' 1866, 3 vols.; 3rd edit. 1869; there is also a French edition.
  8. 'Brakespeare: Fortunes of a Free Lance.' 1868, 3 vols.; 2nd edit. 1869.
  9. 'Breaking a Butterfly: Blanche Ellerslie's Ending.' 1869, 3 vols.; 2nd edit. 1870.
  10. 'Anteros.' 1871, 3 vols.; 3rd edit. 1888.
  11. 'Silverland.' 1873.
  12. 'Hagarene.' 1874, 8 vols.; new edit. 1875.

The first of these works is anonymous, all the rest are stated on their title-pages to be by 'the author of Guy Livingstone.'

[Times, 2 Oct. 1876, p. 10; Law Times, 7 Oct 1876, p. 388; Spectator, 28 Oct. 1876, pp. 1345-1347.]

G. C. B.


LAWRENCE, Sir GEORGE ST. PATRICK (1804–1884), general, third son of Lieutenant-colonel Alexander Lawrence (1764–1835), was elder brother of Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence [q. v.], K.C.B., and of John Laird Mair Lawrence, lord Lawrence [q. v.] His father, an Indian officer, led, with three other lieutenants, the forlorn hope at the storming of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799, and returned to England in 1809, after fifteen years' severe service. George was born at Trincomalee, Ceylon, 17 March 1804, and educated at Foyle College, Londonderry. In 1819 he entered Addiscombe College, on 5 May 1821 was appointed a cavalry cadet, on 15 Jan. 1822 joined the second regiment of light cavalry in Bengal, and on 5 Sept. 1825 was promoted to be adjutant of his regiment, a post which he held till September 1834. With his regiment he took part in the Afghan war of 1838, and was present at the storming of Ghuznee, 23 July 1839, and in the attempt to capture Dost Mahomed, the ameer of Afghanistan, in his flight in August through the Bamian pass. On returning to Cabul Lawrence became political assistant to Sir William Hay Macnaghten, the envoy of Afghanistan, and subsequently his military secretary, a post which he kept from September 1839 to the death of his chief. On the surrender of Dost Mahomed Khan, 3 Nov. 1840, he was placed in the charge of Lawrence until he was sent to Calcutta. In the revolution at Cabul, in November 1841, Lawrence had many narrow escapes of his life, and on the surrender of the troops he was one of the four officers delivered up on 11 Dec. as hostages for the performance of the stipulations. On 23 Dec., when Macnaghten and others were treacherously murdered by Akbar Khan, he was saved by the interposition of Mahomed Shah Khan. In the retreat from Cabul, 6 Jan. 1842, Lawrence had charge of the ladies and children, with whom he remained until 8 Jan., when he was again given up to Akbar Khan as a hostage. With the ladies and children he was imprisoned, and remained with them until their release on 17 Sept. He owed his safety during this period to the high opinion which Akbar Khan had of his character, and to his strict adherence to all the promises which he made to his captor. Ill-health obliged Lawrence to return to England in August 1843, and shortly after that date the East India Company awarded him 600l. in testimony of their sense of his services in Afghanistan. On his going back to India in October 1846 he was appointed an assistant political agent in the Punjaub, having charge over the important Peshawur district. In the autumn of 1847 Lawrence, with only two thousand troops, engaged and defeated on two occasions large numbers of the hill men of the tribes on the Swat border. On the breaking out of the second Sikh war in 1848, Lawrence's great personal influence at Peshawur for some time kept his regiments faithful, but at last they went over to the enemy, and on 25 Oct. 1848 he was a prisoner in the hands of Chutter Singh; but such was his character for probity, and the personal power that he had acquired over the Sikhs, that he was three times permitted to leave his captivity on parole. With his wife and children he was released after the peace conquered at Guzerat, 22 Feb. 1849, and received the thanks of both houses of parliament and of the governor-general for remaining at his post with such devotion. On 7 June 1849 he was promoted to be brevet lieutenant-colonel, and appointed deputy commissioner of Peshawur. In the capacity of political officer he, in the following November, accom-