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Messages - Stetson

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Other Countries / Re: Hearsey/Salmon family Hon East India Co
« on: Wednesday 27 July 11 09:29 BST (UK)  »
Hallo! Crystal ; Forgot this link when posting earlier (and remembered only now because I ws looking up this source for some other purpose).

It is Vol 2 of the monumental 5 volume "Historical Records of the Survey of India by Col Reginald Phillimore, D SO, all of 2000+ pages in the 5 volumes but engrossing. totally absorbing for those with an interest in such things. Vol 5, by the way, is not to be found as it is believed to contain some sensitive info re India's northern borders (I am sure there may be nothing terribly secret about that info, seeing it relates to 1873 latest but that is bureaucracy for you). Even the other 4 volumes can only be accessed on line at this link (and Vol 5 at the BL and the Royal Geog Soc).

Enjoy!!!

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Other Countries / Re: Hearsey/Salmon family Hon East India Co
« on: Wednesday 13 July 11 08:07 BST (UK)  »
Crystal : Hope you found that PDF (Pearse on Hyder & Moorcroft's Manasarovar journey) from the Geographical Journal.

Your question about Hyder's parentage has got me interested in his family tree (I was more interested in his journeys and in what happened to his estates during and after his time ). IPreviously, I had simply relied on Pearse's book but he has contradicted himself in the PDF or at the least confused us. So I will now try to find what info I can on Harry P Hearsey even if no writer other than Blunt states that Hyder was the son of the latter.

Now, I will share with you some more links that I had come across previously and book marked (took me a while to fish them out from my "Favourites" drop down box). It is quite likely that you may know most, or even all, of them but, even so, thee links may be useful to others reading this thread :

http://www.archive.org/stream/asiatickresearc03indigoog#page/n480/mode/2up  This is from the Asiatick Researches, Vol XI and is an account of Hyder, Webb and raper's Survey of the Source of the Ganges undertaken in 1808 and writeen by Raper. Raper really takes you along with him and you get a vicarious feel for the journey!

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/lords/1857/dec/07/major-general-hearsey-explanation This is by way of a little light relief which I enjoyed. It is an extract from the Hansard relating a debate in the Lords and centres around the question of whether or not Gen J B Hearsey was reprimanded by the Viceroy for exceeding his authority in promoting a soldier!

http://www.archive.org/stream/asiatickresearc02indigoog#page/n398/mode/2up This is an account by Moorcroft of the trip to Manasarovar undertaken by him and Hyder Hearsey in 1812. All of 160 pages and as absorbing as the Raper account.

The best of course, though it only relates to a small but important incident, is the chapter in Charles Allen's "A Mountain in Tibet" in which he relates the story, a canard, spread by the establishment of the day that Hyder had copied a map drawn by Webb and claimed it as his own. But Allen provides proof positive that Hyder Hearsey did no such thing and that the map had, in fact, been drawn by him. That he got little recognition for it nor had his legitimate claim to his estate endorsed by the Raj and the Govt of India is one reason I am interested in the story of HYH. Another, of course, is his exploration and adventures.

One more reason is my attraction for the Himalayas (which I have been to only once but would like to visit again in October). As the Skanda Purana (a sacred Hindu epic) says :

“In a thousand ages of the gods I could not tell thee of the Glory of the Himalayas .…,”

AND

"There are no mountains like the Himalays, for in them are Kailash and Manasarovar"

And Hyder Hearsey did go to Kailsah and Mansarovar, didn't he (being the first to do so with Moorcroft)?!

Hope you agree.

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Other Countries / Re: Hearsey/Salmon family Hon East India Co
« on: Monday 11 July 11 10:38 BST (UK)  »
Crystal : In my previous post I had said that I think Hyder Hearsey might likely have been the natural son of Andrew Wilson Hearsey although the latter claimed to be only the “Guardian” of Hyder. I still stick to this notion although there is a contra indication which I forgot to mention in that post. My only excuse is that I was writing that post  while at work  (in the same way that I am writing this and most other posts!) and easily distracted by the telephone,  a visitor  etc.

Whilst no evidence is given for the statement, the big surprise is that it is Col Hugh Pearse who has written that Hyder was the son of Harry Hearsey, an officer with the Marathas who fell at the Battle of Merta, 1790.  It is in an article written for the Geographical Journal by Pearse (Moorcroft and Hearsey's Visit to Lake Mansarowar in 1812).  The year of publication is 1905, the same year as the book, yet Pearse has not said anything to that effect in the book itself.

No other details are given, so it is very difficult to say whether or not Pearse is right (and if he is, why he did not mention it in the book is a further question). Now, I have not so far been able to find any info about Harry Hearsey but I have yet to look up Duff’s “Marathas” as I have misplaced my 3 set volume somewhere at home (quite an achievement that, as the volumes run to about 3000 pages!). The only doubtful reference I have until now found about Harry H is this (page 97 refers) :  http://oudl.osmania.ac.in/bitstream/handle/OUDL/2348/218796_Proceedings_Of_Meetings_Vol_XI%20-%205.pdf?sequence=2
But,as no first name is given, the reference could equally apply to Andrew H who,  in some accounts,  is said to have started in the Madras Army. And Pearse does not explain whether Harry H was a deserter (ex HEIC Army) or mercenary nor if his Indian wife was a Jat or Rajput or what. I can not find any army lists of that period to look up and, whilst I visit UK 4 or 5 times a year, I am not able to rummage around in BL as prior intimation is needed. My be you might be able to do something in that line?! And I will look up my set of Duff soon (I would think Duff is also on the Internet Archive but let me find my own set).

I came across a snippet of this Pearse article some time back but it was only the first page on a “Pay & Read” site. So I bought a PDF of that article and can mail it to you if you post your mail ID here (or, better still, write to my mail box through my blogger profile). It makes interesting reading about the travels of Hyder and Moorcroft.

I have more stuff to relate to you and some refs to provide but work intrudes! So, later today or tomorrow then! Best.

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Other Countries / Re: Hearsey/Salmon family Hon East India Co
« on: Saturday 09 July 11 07:02 BST (UK)  »
Hi! Crystal : "lways happy to hear if you are able to find any more detail about the Hearsey family". Sure, yes, certainly but ,if I do find any snippets on the subject at all, who knows, it may take a long time. Let us see.

Meanwhile, I am sure you know that Hyder Hearsey was a pt competent amateur artist and that his watercolour drawings can be accessed at the British Lib online. But what you may not know is that Mildred Archer, the art historian, wrote that Hearsey's drawings "imbue the Himalayas with shaggy, uncouth splendour"! Rather a nice notion that.

So, I attach one of those pics ("borrowed" from BL), hope it uploads properly.

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Other Countries / Re: Hearsey/Salmon family Hon East India Co
« on: Thursday 07 July 11 08:21 BST (UK)  »
Hi! Crystal : As to Hyder Young's parentage, though I regard (rightly or wrongly) Pearse's book as the definitive account in most respects, he is strangely silent on the parentage of Hyder.

Also, any references to Andrew Wilson Hearsey (1752 - 98) being Hyder's "guardian" would appear to be mostly from sources written after Pearse who published, I think, in 1905.

I think I have with me some books which state that Hyder's mother was a Jat lady and it is quite likely (though I know I have to produce papers to prove it) that that was the case, gimme some time and I will look those books up. It is more than likely that Andrew Hearsey was Hyder's father through this "marriage" but that, once he married Catharine, Hyder was presented to the world as a ward.

I am sure you know that William Linnaeus Gardner and Hyder Hearsey married sisters (the Cambay princesses).

Thank for your interest in Mussoorie and Landour, fascinating places both. I think I will stay in Rokeby Manor in Landour which was Pahadi Wilson's house, now a very good resort hotel fully restored to its original style. You can see some pics at : http://www.rokebymanor.com/index.html.

Hope you will soon be inspired to check out Mussoorie yourself!  ;D

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Other Countries / Re: Hearsey/Salmon family Hon East India Co
« on: Wednesday 06 July 11 07:09 BST (UK)  »
Crystalight : Thanks for the quick responses and the links.  I had only browsed cursorily through Blunt's "Inscriptions .... ...." and had missed the page you cite, that is most useful thank you.

FYI, the second link you provide (From Holy Himalayas) is actuallly an extract from Almoriana, as stated at the end of the extract itself. I had already come across that. Which is why I thought Almoriana possibly may have some more info. As I live in India, it is an easy matter for me to source the book at the nominal Rupee price. If I then find any additional info, I will surely let you know.

I was only looking for any new info on Hearsey, over and above what is found in Pearse and other books, as I am planning to visit Mussoorie and Landour, possibly in October, after the rains.

A few very interesting characters, all of them contemporaries, lived in Mussoorie / Landour around the mid 19th Century which is one reason for my interest in the hill station apart from all the spectacular hill scenery in and around the location. These men are : Col Frederick Young the "founder" of Mussoorie, George Everest, Sir Proby Cautley, Hyder Young Hearsey and "Pahadi" Wilson. I already know more than a bit about the last two and am boning up on the rest, including Cautley who built the Ganges Canal the longest in the world then at nearly 4000 miles..So, if I can do justice to it, there is enough material for an interesting blog post (see my blog : http://gibberandsqueak.blogspot.com/ which has been somewhat static  of late but is shortly to be resumed).

It is fascinating to think that all these guys lived in Mussoorie at the same time, each engaged in his own adventurous undertaking (though Hearsey did not live there, he used to visit and had a lot to do with the place).

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Other Countries / Re: Hearsey/Salmon family Hon East India Co
« on: Tuesday 05 July 11 12:29 BST (UK)  »
Hi! Thanks for your welcome and glad the info was of some use to you, especially the date of birth. One more reference, apart from Pearse, is cited in Blunt's "Inscriptions .... ...." this being Almoriana by V. I think most of the additional info in Blunt could be from that source as the grave is located near Almora. I found that Almoriana is available online (not too expensive). It might be a worhtwhile idea to get hold of a copy as it may possibly have additional info, though one can not say for sure.

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Other Countries / Re: Hearsey/Salmon family Hon East India Co
« on: Friday 01 July 11 09:44 BST (UK)  »
Hi! Just came across this thread when looking up Hyder Young Hearsey. Re the bridge incident, I wonder if this web page ( http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/edward-blunt/list-of-inscriptions-on-christian-tombs-and-tablets-of-historical-interest-in-th-hci/page-31-list-of-inscriptions-on-christian-tombs-and-tablets-of-historical-interest-in-th-hci.shtml ) will be any help.

The page cited is an extract from the book : "List of inscriptions on Christian tombs and tablets of historical interest in the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh" and the complete book can be accessed on Internet Archive dot com (but the extract is a direct lead in for the Hearsey incident, which is about a third of the way down the page).

The extract gives some further information, such as the age of the girl, beyond what is found in the Pearse book.

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