Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/538

Rh also had a great esteem for the Raja, and was sincerely grieved at his death.

About this time, notices appeared in the Hindoo Patriot and some other papers for starting a Widow Marriage Fund for the clearance of Vidyasagar's heavy debts on that account, appealing to the general public to come forward to help Vidyasagar with liberal contributions. Vidyasagar knew nothing of this appeal, being absent from Calcutta at his native village, Birsingha. When he returned to the city and heard of what was being tried to do for him, he was extremely picqued, and at once contradicted the appeal in the columns of the Hindoo Patriot. Among other things he said, that though the sixty widow marriages consummated up to that day had actually cost 82,000 rupees, yet his debts on this account would not come up to half of the 45,000 rupees accounted for by the appellants, who had no knowledge of the real state of things. He also said that he was quite ignorant of this appeal, having never even entertained the remotest thought of ever calling upon the public to help him in this matter, that he would not have cared to protest against the measure, if the proposers of the movement had not made mention of his debts in this affair, and that he therefore requested the movers to keep back from their uncalled-for intrusion.

In July, 1867, Vidyasagar married his eldest daughter, Hemlata Devi, to Gopal Chandra Samaj- Samaj-