Page:A General Biography of Bengal Celebrities Vol 1.djvu/15

 6 LIFE OF RAJA DEGUMBER MITTER.

Dwarkanath Tagore, which afterwards proved a nursery of the leading minds of Bengal. Degumber, by his close and intimate association with the Tagores, became one of them in habit, thought, and spirit. He learnt politics at the feet of Dwarkanath Tagore; he was a personal friend and coadjutor of both Frossunno Koomar and Bamanath Tagore; for two days in the week he had a fixed place at the splendid table of the former, and he was the right-hand man of the latter, in all councils on public matters. On the establishment of the British Indian Association, Degumber was its first Assistant Secretary, of which he ultimately became the honored President. In early life he mixed more with the non-official than with the official Europeans, He was familiar with the Gordons and the Caldears, the Stocquelors, and the Hurrys, and took an active part with them in the political warfare of the day. He generally fought unseen, for he did not like to push himself forward. He was a most intelligent and active member of the committee of the British Indian Association, and his varied experience lent much weight to his councils, but he rarely at the time we refer to came to the fore. His first appearance in public was in connection with the so-called Black Act meeting of 1856. There were four Mitter speakers at the meeting, of whom he was dubbed No. 1, by Mr. Cobb Hurry. In 1864, we believe, he was returned by the British Indian Association on the invitation of Government as its representative in the Epidemic Fever Commision, and from that time his talents and abilities became known to Government. They were soon after enlisted in the Legislative Council of Bengal.

He had been previously appointed a justice of the peace and honorary Magistrate for Calcutta, and a visitor of the Wards' Institution. Indeed, from this time his services were often pressed into requisition for this committee and that, by Government. He was nominated to the Bengal Council by three Lieutenant-Governors of Bengal, successively, by Sir Cecil