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 CURRIE, SIR FREDERICK, BARONET (1799–1875)

I.C.S. : son of Mark Currie : born Feb. 3, 1799 : educated at Charterhouse and Haileybury : reached India, 1820 : was a Judge of the Sadr Adalat (court) in the N.W.P., 1840 : Foreign Secretary to the Government of India, 1842 : with Sir Henry Hardinge in the first Sikh war, 1845–6, and, after Sobraon, drew up the treaty with the Sikhs : made Baronet in Jan. 1847 : officiated as Member of the Supreme Council, April, 1847 to Jan. 1848 : resigned his seat, and succeeded Sir Henry Lawrence as Resident at Lahore in 1848 : accepted the resignation of Mulraj, the Governor of Multan : confirmed as Member of Supreme Council, resuming his seat, March, 1849 : retired in 1853 : was elected a Director of the E.I. Co. in 1854, Chairman, 1857 : Member of the Council of India from 1858 : D.C.L., Oxford in 1866 : died Sep. 11, 1875.

CURWEN, HENRY (1845–1892)

Journalist and writer : born in 1845 : son of Henry Curwen : educated at Rossall : followed a literary career in London until he went to India in 1876, as Assistant-Editor of the Times of India, Bombay, of which he became Editor in 1880 and joint-proprietor in 1889 : died on board ship, Feb. 22, 1892, on his way homewards : wrote several novels, and translations of French poetry, and contributed articles to periodical literature : described his tour in the famine districts of 1876–7 : under his editorship the Times of India was well conducted and favourably regarded.

CURZON OF KEDLESTON, GEORGE NATHANIEL, FIRST BARON (1859–)

Viceroy and Governor-General : born Jan. II, 1859, son of Rev. fourth Baron Scarsdale : educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford : President of the Union Society, 1880 : Fellow of All Souls' College, 1883 : gained the Arnold Essay Prize, 1884 : Assistant Private Secretary to the Marquis of Salisbury, 1885 : Under Secretary of State for India, 1891–2 : for Foreign Affairs, 1895–8 : travelled in Central Asia, Persia, Afghanistan, the Pamirs, Siam, Indo-China, the Korea : M.P. for Southport Division, 1886–98 : published Russia in Central Asia, 1889 : Persia and the Persian Question, 1892 : Problems of the Far East, 1894 : Viceroy and Governor-General of India from Jan. 6, 1899, to April, 1904 : paid much attention to the control and defence of the frontiers of India, changing the policy on the N.W. frontier : created a Chief Commissionership of the Trans-Indus districts : enforced the blockade of Waziristan : showed distrust of Russian objects and Russian methods : visited the Persian gulf, with a view to prevention of any enroachment on British interest, to increase trade and maintain sphere of influence in Persia : despatched Tibet mission to carry out Anglo-Chinese convention of 1890 and trade regulations of 1893, and check Russian influence in Tibet : the mission leading to war with Tibet and the treaty of Lhasa, Sep. 1904 : examined into every branch of the administration, to introduce improvements : "it has not always been a popular policy" : appointed several Commissions, on the Universities, to reform Higher Education, on Irrigation, on the Police : had to deal with a famine in Bombay : aimed at improving relations with the native Chiefs, and the character of their rule : reformed the four Chiefs' colleges : founded the Imperial Cadet Corps : settled the question of the Berars : set on foot the Victoria Memorial Hall, obtaining large subscriptions from wealthy natives : held the Delhi Coronation Darbar of Dec. 1902– Jan. 1903 : reduced Lower Bengal by three Divisions, adding them to Assam to make a new Lieutenant-Governorship : had large financial surpluses, twice reduced the Salt Tax, and removed the Income Tax on the lowest incomes : passed some important legislative measures, such as the Universities Act, the Oflicial Secrets Act, the Indian Mines Act, the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, the Co-operative Credit Societies' Act : G.M.S.I., G.M.I.E., P.C, F.R.S., J.P., D.C.L. : re-appointed Viceroy and Governor-General in 1904 : returned to India, Dec. 1904 : Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, 1903–4 : in Aug., 1905, resigned the Viceroyalty on a point arising out of an adverse decision of the Cabinet on a difference of opinion between the C. in C. (Lord Kitchener) and the rest of the Government of India regarding military affairs in India.