Page:History of Bengali Literature in the Nineteenth Century.djvu/104

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80 BENGALI LITERATURE educated at Harrow under Sumner, and there began his friendship with Richard Brinsley Sheridan, in conjunction with whom he subsequently produced a verse-translation of Aristaenetus.'. In 1768 he passed on to Christ Church, Oxford? where he made the acquaintance of William (afterwards Sir William) Jones, also a Harrow boy, who led him to study some of the Oriental languages. Having been jilted by Miss Linley in favour of Sheridan, he left England, having obtained a writership in the E. I. Com- pany’s Service. In India he attracted the notice of Warren Hastings at whose suggestion he translated what is known as the Gentoo Code between 1774-6 (First Edition 1776; Second Edition 1777). He returned to England in 1785 and the subsequent history of his life has little attraction for us. He was returned to Parliament in 1791 for Symington, Hampshire, which he represented till 1795. From this time he became associated with the teachings of the fanatic prophet Richard Brothers, attracted possibly by their resemblance to oriental mysticism with which he was familiar. In 1809 he obtained an appoint- ment in the East India House. He died in London, February 18, 1830, and was buried at Petersham, Surrey.*

1 See Gentleman’s Magazine, 1812, pt. 2, p. 182; also Literary Anecdotes of the 18th Century, p. 124-5.

  • Alumni Ovonienses; Matric. July 13, 1768, aged 17.
  • For further particulars, see Asiatic Journal, 1836, pp. 165-71; The

World, June 18, 1790; Teignmouth, Memoirs of Sir William Jones, 1804, pp. 73, 431 and other references; Gentleman's Magazine, 1830 (pt. i, pp. 471-3), 1808 (pt. ii, p. 922), 1812 (p. 1382); Annual Register ; Moore, Memoirs of Sheridan, 1825; Impey’s Memoirs by his son, pp. 355 et seq; Allibone, Dictionary of British and American Authors, 1895, vol. i; Biographical Dictionary of Living Authors, 1816; Dictionary of National Biography (in two last mentioned works a list of Haihed’s works is given); Nichols, Literary Anecdotes, vol. ii, p. 431.