Charles Metcalfe, 1st Baron Metcalfe
Charles Theophilus Metcalfe, 1st Baron Metcalfe PC ( born January 30, 1785 Calcutta, † September 5, 1846 in Malles Hanger, Hampshire, England ) was a British colonial official.
Biography
India
Metcalfe 1803 was Personal Secretary to the Governor-General of India, Lord Wellesley, and took as Political Asstistent of General Gerard Lake to the second war against the Marathas in the south west part of India. In 1808 he was sent as an emissary to the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore, at east to gain the support of the Sikhs against the danger of France in India and the consent of the British protection for the Sikh States of the Satluj.
Subsequently, he served as a resident in 1811 in Gwalior and then from 1811 to 1819 as a resident in Delhi, at the same time responsible for the princely states of Rajputana.
After that, he was from 1820 to 1822 Resident in Hyderabad. At the beginning of this Residentur he noted that the Governor-General Lord Hastings credit by the company Palmer & Co to the Nizam Asaf Jah III. 1816 approved credit had reached almost £ 1 million and up to 24% interest rates were due. Hastings, who had trusted in the approval in 1816 on the advice of residents, arrangement condemned now. However, since, was married to a foster daughter Hastings one of the partners of Palmer & Co., William Rumbold, you pushed him to the responsibilities. Although it supported the directors of the company, he resigned over the matter in 1823.
After the death of his father he inherited the baronetcy in 1822. In 1827 he became a member of the Supreme Council of India and was at times the President during the absence of Governor-General Lord local Bentinck.
After the dismissal of Lord Bentinck, he was from 1835 to 1836 Acting Governor General of India. During his short tenure, he continued the reforms Bentinck and led the partial freedom of the press and the English language as their official language. He also picked up the road tolls. However, the British government refused under Prime Minister William Lamb from one originating from the East India Company Governor General, so that in 1836, the former First Lord of the Admiralty, George Eden, has been appointed as the new Governor-General of India.
Metcalfe was then Lieutenant Governor of the North-Western Provinces, but came back in 1838 from this office after the appointment as governor of Madras he was denied.
Jamaica and Canada
In 1839 he was appointed governor of the colony in Jamaica, where he managed to calm the situation after the abolition of slavery and the subsequent unrest. In 1842, he resigned as governor.
In 1843 he finally accepted the office of Governor General of Canada. However, he was less successful in this position because he did not understand it, integrate the emerging democratic parties and therefore lost its reputation. In 1845 he finally resigned for health reasons.
On his return, he was raised as Baron Metcalfe, of Fern Hill, in the hereditary nobility; the title became extinct with his death for lack of male offspring.