Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 25.djvu/35

  from March 1835 to December 1837. On his return to India Harris was appointed executive engineer at Belgaum in January 1838, and field engineer to the Scinde force in December of the same year. In December 1840 he was made superintending engineer to the southern provinces, and in September 1841 was sent in charge of a mission to open up relations with the ancient Christian kingdom of Shoa (Shwa) in the highlands of Abyssinia. He returned to England bearing a commercial treaty with that state, and was knighted for his services (London Gazette, 7 June 1844). Harris was executive engineer at Dharwar Dion in 1846, and at Poona in February 1847, and on 5 Feb. 1848 was appointed superintending engineer, northern provinces. He died of lingering fever at Surwur, near Poona, 9 Oct. 1848.

Harris appears to have communicated an account of his travels in South Africa to the Royal Geographical Society, London, and the Geographical Society of Bombay. A further account, entitled ‘Narrative of an Expedition in South Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Tropic of Capricorn in the years 1836–1837,’ was published at Bombay in 1838. Under the title ‘Wild Sports in South Africa, being a Narrative,’ &c., the same work appeared in London in 1841, and in subsequent editions. Harris, who was an excellent artist, also published ‘Portraits of the Game Animals of Southern Africa, drawn from Life in their Natural Haunts,’ reproduced on stone by F. Howard, London, 1840, folio; and ‘Highlands of Ethiopia, a Narrative of a Mission to the Kingdom of Shoa,’ London, 1844, 8vo, of which several editions have appeared. The following papers are entered under his name in the Royal Society's ‘Catalogue of Scientific Papers:’ ‘Description of a New Species of Antelope’ (Aigocerus niger), Zoological Society's ‘Transactions,’ 1842, ii. 213–16, and ‘Proceedings,’ 1838, vi. 1–3; ‘Account of the Trees producing Myrrh and Frankincense,’ Linnean Society's ‘Proceedings,’ 1849, i. 181–3, Froriep Notizen, 1844, vol. xxx. cols. 182–4.



HARRIS, WILLIAM GEORGE, second (1782–1845), lieutenant-general, eldest son of, first lord Harris [q. v.] was born 19 Jan. 1782. After being at a private military academy at Chelsea under Captain Reynolds, Harris was appointed ensign in the 76th foot in May 1795, and the year after was promoted to be lieutenant in the 74th highlanders, which he joined at Wallajabad, Madras, in 1797. With that regiment he served in the army commanded by his father throughout the campaign of 1799 against Tippoo Sahib, and at the capture of Seringapatam was one of the storming-party and among the first to enter the fortress, for which he was commended on the spot by General Baird. He was sent home in charge of the captured Mysorean and French standards, which he had the honour of presenting to George III. Promoted to a company in the 49th foot (16 Oct. 1800), he joined that regiment in Jersey, and afterwards embarked with it on board the fleet under Sir Hyde Parker and Admiral Nelson. He was on board the Glatton at the battle of Copenhagen and in the Baltic cruise (for particulars see Nelson Desp. iv. 299 et seq.) In 1802 he accompanied his regiment to Canada, and won the confidence of Sir Isaac Brock [q. v.], who was then colonel of the regiment. Promoted to a majority in the 73rd, he was on his way to join that regiment in India when the expedition under Sir David Baird was despatched in the autumn of 1805 for the recapture of the Cape. Harris joined it as a volunteer, and was present at the landing and action with the Dutch army at Blue Berg. On his arrival in India he found his regiment had returned home, whither he followed it, after visiting China. In 1809, when about to embark with the regiment for New South Wales, he was counter-ordered and posted to the command of the newly raised 2nd battalion at home. In September 1812 Harris stood for Coventry, but retired in favour of [q. v.] In 1813 he was embarked with his battalion on ‘a particular service,’ but was ordered to join the troops under General Gibbs sent to Stralsund in Swedish Pomerania. Harris was then detached with his battalion into the interior to get into communication with the army under Lieutenant-general Count Walmoden. Creeping with his small force between the huge army corps under Davoust and other French marshals then in Pomerania, Mecklenburg, and Hanover, Harris succeeded in reaching Walmoden, and contributed to the victory at Göhrde in Hanover 16 Sept. 1813, when, after the German hussars had been repulsed, he charged up a hill with his battalion, capturing a French battery in very gallant style, and causing a panic among the defenders. In November the battalion re-embarked at Warnemunde in the Gulf of Lubeck, and on arriving at Yarmouth was ordered to join the army before Antwerp under Sir [q. v.] During the succeeding opera-