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 Edinburgh, 12mo (being vol. xxxii. of the ‘Edinburgh Cabinet Library,’ reprinted at New York in 1845). Two more Eastern romances, viz. (1) ‘The Dark Falcon. A Tale of the Attreck,’ London, 1844, 4 vols. 8vo; and (2) ‘The Khan's Tale,’ London, 1850, 12mo, published in vol. xlvi. of the ‘Parlour Library,’ concluded his efforts in that species of composition. His last work was ‘Military Memoir of Lieutenant-colonel James Skinner, C.B.,’ London, 1851, 2 vols. 8vo. As a writer Fraser cannot claim any high rank. His works of travel had a certain value when first published on account of the extreme ignorance of the countries described which then prevailed; but owing to the author's lack of all but the most elementary knowledge of physical science they constituted no solid contribution to systematic geography. His tales are of no conspicuous merit. He was an amateur painter in water-colours. In later life he resided on and gave much attention to improving his estate at Reelick, of which county he was deputy-lieutenant. He died in January 1856. Fraser married in 1823 Jane, daughter of Alexander Fraser Tytler, Lord Woodhouselee [q. v.]

[Gent. Mag. 1856, new ser. xlv. 307; Imp. Dict. of Biog.; Edinb. Review, xliii. 87 et seq.; Brit. Mus. Cat.] 

FRASER, JAMES STUART (1783–1869), of Ardachy, Inverness, general in the Indian army, was youngest son of Colonel Charles Fraser of that ilk, a scion of the house of Lovat, who fought as a marine officer under Admiral Hawke, and afterwards entered the Madras army, and died a colonel in command of a division at Masulipatam, 5 May 1795. Charles Fraser married Isabella Hook, and by her had six sons and three daughters; the eldest son, Hastings Fraser, who afterwards distinguished himself as a king's officer in India, died a general and colonel 86th Royal County Down regiment in 1854.

James ‘Stewart’ Fraser (as his baptismal register has it) was the youngest child, and was born at Edinburgh 1 July 1783. He was at school at Ham, Surrey, and afterwards at Glasgow University, where he showed a predilection for languages and astronomical studies. A Madras cadet of 1799, he was posted as lieutenant to the 18th Madras native infantry, 15 Dec. 1800. He served as assistant to Colonel Marriott on an escort conveying the Mysore princes to Bengal in 1807, and was aide-de-camp to Sir George Barlow [q. v.], governor of Madras, at the time of the mutiny of the Madras officers. He became a regimental captain 6 Nov. 1809, and private secretary to the government of Madras 9 May 1810. He accompanied the Madras division in the expedition against the Isle of France (Mauritius) in the same year as deputy-commissary, and was on the personal staff of Colonel Keating, H.M. 56th regiment, in the landing at Mapou and advance on Port Louis. He was appointed barrack-master at Fort St. George, 29 March 1811; town-major of Fort St. George, and military secretary to the governor, 21 May 1813; and commandant at Pondicherry 28 Oct. 1816. He was employed as commissioner for the restitution of French and Dutch possessions on the Coromandel and Malabar coasts in 1816–17. This duty was facilitated by Fraser's literary and colloquial familiarity with the French language—a rather rare accomplishment among Anglo-Indians of that day—and he was specially thanked and commended by the government of India for ‘the marked ability and conciliatory disposition’ which had ‘distinguished his conduct’ throughout every stage of the long and tedious negotiations. He became major 10 Dec. 1819, and lieutenant-colonel 1 May 1824.

While commanding at Pondicherry Fraser married, at Cuddalore, 18 May 1826, Henrietta Jane, daughter of Captain Stevenson, admiralty agent for the eastern coast of India, and grand-niece of General Stevenson, who commanded the nizam's subsidiary forces at Assaye and Argaum. This lady, who was twenty years his junior, bore him a numerous family and died in 1860.

In 1828 Fraser was deputed to discuss the claims of the French at Mahé, and the same year was appointed special agent for foreign settlements. He became brevet-colonel 6 Nov. 1829. He was appointed secretary to the government in the military department 12 Feb. 1834. He was present in several actions during the conquest of Coorg, and carried out the negotiations that brought the war to a close. He was appointed resident at Mysore and commissioner of Coorg 6 June 1834, and assumed charge of the Mysore residency in October following. On 26 Sept. 1836 he was appointed regimental colonel 36th Madras native infantry, his previous regimental commissions having all been in his old corps, the 18th native infantry. He was appointed resident at Travancore and Cochin 5 Jan. 1836, and officiating resident at Hyderabad 1 Sept. 1838. Fraser ‘repeatedly received the thanks of the government of Madras, the governor-general of India, and the court of directors of the East India Company for his eminent services. He appears, however, to have interfered in the disputes of the Syrian christians at Travancore and afterwards, and so to have incurred the dis-