Page:Dictionary of National Biography, Second Supplement, volume 3.djvu/450

 above sea level, a north-easterly route was taken across the snowy ranges terminating on the Tibetan plateau at an altitude of between fourteen and fifteen thousand feet, on the upper course of the river Sutlej. Strachey's detailed account of this journey, entitled 'Narrative of a Journey to Lakes Rakas-tal and Manasarowar in Western Tibet,' appeared in the 'Geographical Journal' (1900), vol. xv. (see also Mr. W. B. Hemsley's paper on the 'Flora of Tibet or High Asia' published in the Journal of the Linnean Society, vol. xxv. 1902). Over 2000 botanical species (including crytogams) were collected, and of these thirty-two new species and varieties bear Strachey's name. The result of his geological observations was to establish the fact, which had been doubted by Humboldt, that in Kumaon there were glaciers in all respects similar to those of the European Alps, as shown, among other things, by the direct measurements of their rates of motion ; he also settled another disputed point— the true position of the snow line. Travelling over the moimtains, he observed the existence of a great series of paleozoic beds along the line of passes into Tibet with Jurassic and tertiary deposits overlying them. These fruits of his journey were given in a paper on ’The Physical Greography of the Provinces of Kumaon and Garhwal,' published in the 'Geographical Journal ' in 1851.

Strachey returned to England in 1850, and remained at home for nearly five years, occupied, among other things, in arranging and classifying his Kumaon collection. A provisionally named catalogue was prepared by him and printed ; it was afterwards revised, and appeared in 1882 in Atkinson's 'Gazetteer of the Himalayan Districts of the North-West Provinces and Oude.' Another revised edition was prepared at Strachey's request by Mr. J. F. Duthie, and published in 1906. In 1854 Strachey was elected a fellow of the Royal Society. He returned to India in the following year, and for a short time had charge of irrigation works in Bundelkhand. His first connection with the secretariat of the public works department was in 1856, when he was acting under-secretary in the absence of (Sir) Henry Yule [q. v.]. At Calcutta he was brought into contact with (Sir) John Peter Grant [q. v. Suppl. I], a member of the supreme council. When the Mutiny broke out, John Russell Colvin [q. v.], lieutenant-governor of the North West Provinces in Agra, was cut off by the mutineers from all communications with a portion of his territory; that portion was temporarily constituted a separate government, called the Central Provinces, under Grant as lieutenant-governor, and he appointed Strachey secretary in all departments under him.

Grant and Strachey went to Benares in July 1857, accompanied so far by Sir James Outram [q. v.] and Colonel Robert Napier, afterwards Lord Napier of Magdala [q. v.], who were on their way to Lucknow. After the fall of that place. Grant and Strachey moved to Allahabad, and when Grant was nominated president in council, Strachey remained behind to lay out the new railway station of Allahabad, the mutineers having almost destroyed the old one. He returned to Calcutta in 1858 on his appointment as consulting engineer to government in the railway department. He obtained acceptance of the principle so abundantly justified by its results — that for the construction of irrigation works and for railway development it was right to supply by loan the funds which could not otherwise be provided. His great constructive ability was shown in his reorganisation of the public works department, and in the initiation of an adequate forest service ; he was appointed secretary and head of the public works department in 1862. From this time until he left India for good Richard Strachey was a power in the country, and was, perhaps, the most remarkable man of a family which, for four generations, extending over more than a century, served the Indian government. A strong man with a determined will and a somewhat peppery temperament, he generally carried his way with beneficial results, though he sometimes took the wrong side in a controversy, as in the battle of the railway gauges. Strachey remained secretary to government for the public works department until 1865. Meanwhile he had been promoted lieut.-colonel on 2 July 1860, and colonel on 31 Dec. 1862. He was created a C.S.I, in 1866 for his services and appointed inspector-general of irrigation, and in 1869 acting secretary of the public works department, with a seat in the legislative council. On leaving India on promotion to major-general on 24 March 1871 (ante-dated to 16 March 1868), he received the thanks of government for his valuable services during a period of thirty-three years.

Soon after reaching England, Strachey was appointed by Lord Salisbury inspector of railway stores at the India office, and after