Page:Dictionary of Indian Biography.djvu/338

  and District Judge : Member of the Rent Commission, and of the Bengal Legislative Council : acting Secretary to the Government of India, Home Department : Puisne Judge of the Calcutta High Court, 1883–99 : President of the Board of Examiners : a good Arabic scholar : edited law books : died Jan. 14, 1903.

OLDHAM, THOMAS (1816–1878)

Born May 4, 1816 : son of Thomas Oldham : educated privately and at Trinity College, Dublin : studied, 1837–8, at the Engineering School, Edinburgh : became assistant in the Geological Department in Ireland in 1839 : Professor of Geology at Trinity College, Dublin, 1845 : President of the Dublin Geological Society, 1846; and Director of the Geological Survey of Ireland. Went to India in 1851 as Superintendent of the Geological Survey of India, having to organize the Department : besides his annual reports, Palceontologica Indica, and other publications of the Indian Geological Survey, he wrote a number of papers in the Journal of the Geological Society of London : retired in 1876. He was four times President of the Asiatic Society of Bengal : member of the Royal Irish Academy : F.G.S., F.R.S. : and medallist : member of the Royal Irish Academy : LL.D. of Dublin : died July 17, 1878.

OLDHAM, WILLIAM BENJAMIN (1845–)

I.C.S. : born April 16, 1845 : son of Thomas Wilson Oldham : educated at Kingstown School and Trinity College, Dublin : went to Bengal in the Civil Service, 1865 : was employed in Famine service in Orissa, Bihar, Madras and Bengal, and on frontier service in the Lushai Hills, 1892 : C.I.E. : Member of Board of Revenue, 1900 : commanded Calcutta Vol. Rifles : author of Some Ethnical and Historical Aspects of Burdwan District.

OLIPHANT, JAMES ( ? –1881? )

Lt-Colonel, Madras Engineers : Director of the E.I. Co., 1844–56 : Chairman of the Court, 1854 : died 1881.

OLIVER, WILLIAM ( ? –1846)

Joined the E. I. Co.'s Civil Service in Madras, 1801 : distinguished in Arabic and Persian : Persian Translator to Government : became a Judge of the Sadr Court, and Member of Council, Madras, 1831–6 : retired, 1836 : died 1845–6.

OLLIVANT, SIR EDWARD CHARLES KAYLL (1846–)

I.C.S. : born Feb. 7, 1846 : educated at Marlborough : went to Bombay in the Civil Service, 1868 : Municipal Commissioner, Bombay, 1881–90 : Political Agent, Kattiawar, 1890–5 : Officiating Commissioner in Sind, 1895 : Officiating Chief Secretary to Government, 1896 : Member of Council, Bombay, 1897–1902 : retired : K.C.I.E., 1892.

OLPHERTS, SIR WILLIAM (1822–1902)

General : son of William Olpherts : born March 8, 1822 : educated at Addis-combe : entered the Bengal Artillery, 1839 : Maj-General, 1875 : General, 1885 : saw active service in Burma, 1841 : in the Sagar territory, 1842 : in the Gwalior campaign, 1843 : in Sind, 1844–5 : commanded Artillery against Kot Kangra, 1846 : at Peshawar, 1852 : in the Crimea and Asia Minor, 1854–6 : under General Neill suppressed the Benares mutiny, June 4, 1857 : with Havelock's force at Bithur, to the Alambagh : at the first relief of Lucknow, gained the V.C., which he deserved on many occasions : known throughout the Army as "Hell-fire Jack" : was in the defence of the Resi-dency, Sep. to Nov. 1857 : at the final capture of Lucknow, 1858 : in the Oudh campaign, 1858 : against the Waziris, 1859–60 : commanded Artillery at Pesha war and Rawal Pindi, 1861–8 : Brigadier of Artillery in Gwalior and Rohilkund districts and in the Oudh Division, 1870–5 : K.C.B., 1886 : Colonel Commandant, R.A., 1888 : G.C.B., 1900 : died April 30, 1902.

OMICHAND ( ? –1758)

Amirchand : a Panjabi by birth and a Nanak-panthi, i.e. a disciple of Guru Govind Nanak : joined in Bengal the trading business of Boistab Chand Sett and his brother, Manick Chand Sett of Burra Bazar, Calcutta : while working under the Setts, amassed considerable wealth and set up business on his own account : made an immense fortune as Principal Contractor of the E.I. Company :<section end="Omichand" />