Saturday, October 21, 2006

Australia’s long-lost writer remembered in India

Rake sketch of John Lang (The Mulini Press)
Australia-India Focus,
July-Sept 2 0 0 5
A long-neglected cultural link between Australia and India is being revived, with the unveiling of a memorial plaque to the first Australian-born novelist, John Lang, in the Indian town where he is buried. Born in Parramatta in 1816, Lang moved to India at 25, and spent most of the rest of his life there. He died in 1864 in the Himalayan hill station of Mussoorie, where a hundred years later his grave was discovered by local resident and celebrated author Ruskin Bond.
As a barrister, journalist, writer, scholar and inveterate traveller, Lang was a friend of India. He was a gifted student of Indian languages. His travel writings about India for Charles Dickens’ journal Household Words are among the most vivid accounts of the India of his day. Lang founded a popular newspaper, The Mofussilite, which often took a critical line against the East India Company. He also represented some prominent Indians, including the Rani of Jhansi, in their legalfights against the British — which did not earn him friends in the establishment. He was even imprisoned after being convicted of defaming a Company officer in his newspaper.In Australia, meanwhile, John Lang is known more for his works of fiction set in the early decades of the colony, including the novel The Forger’s Wife and the collection of short stories Botany Bay.

The new Lang plaque is in Mussoorie’s Christ Church, the oldest church in the Himalayas. This church was where Lang’s second marriage took place in 1861. Three years later, Lang’s funeral rites were performed by the Christ Church Chaplain.The plaque was commissioned by two Australian Lang scholars, Rory Medcalf — who began his study of the subject during a diplomatic posting to India — and Victor Crittenden, who has been researching Lang for many years. The Mussoorie plaque is not the only recent boost to Lang’s profile. In September, Victor Crittenden’s long-awaited biography of Lang, John Lang: Australia's Larrikin Writer was launched in Canberra by the Director-General of the Australian National Library, Jan Fullerton AO. This is the first comprehensive account of Lang’s life in Australia, England and India, and reflects a wealth of in-depth literary detective work onLang’s novels and journalism.

Through his Mulini Press, Mr Crittenden has also commenced a ‘John Lang Project’. This includes developing a dedicated website as well as plans to republish many of John Lang’s works in the years ahead. In 2006, the Project is due to publish a collection of Lang’s Indian stories edited by Mr Crittenden and Mr Medcalf.

The Indian press is also beginning to take an interest in John Lang. A journalist in Dehra Dun, Raju Gusain, is helping to generate publicity about the subject, while another, Jai Prakash Uttarakhandi, has even named his weekly English/Hindi newspaper the Mafasilite in honour ofLang’s journal. Rick Hosking of the Department of English at Flinders’ University, who has a long-standing interest in Lang’s and other English-language literature of India, has welcomed the revival of interest in Lang, and the momentum that this reflected for ‘generating cultural connections between Australia and India’.

(The Australia-India Focus newsletter is produced bi-monthly by the Australia-India Council www.dfat.gov.au/aic/australia_india_focus_newsletter_jul_sep2005.pdf)

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Mofussilite was never printed from Mussoorie


Photo: John Lang (Courtesy: Mulini Press)

Raju Gusain
Mussoorie, January 10
'Go boldly forth Mofussilite
My glory and my great delight.'
The inaugural issue of the Mofussilite newspaper began with this verse by the editor and publisher John Lang. Local people believe that John Lang also published his newspaper here. But, a new biography on Australia's first novelist John Lang that was released recently in Australia has unpleasant news for people of Mussoorie. 'John Lang: Australia's larrikin writer by Victor Crittenden clearly states that Mofussilite was never published from Mussoorie.

The biography published by The Mulini Press (Canberra) is an extensively researched work by Victor Crittenden. It claims that Mofussilite made a humble beginning on 2 August 1845 in Calcutta. In 1846 Lang decided to publish it from Ambala and later it was shifted to Meerut and Agra. On 1 March 1859 Mofussilite again moved from Agra to Meerut. 'John Lang: Australia's larrikin writer has extensively quoted from the Mofussilite. Incidentally, John Lang is buried at the Camel's Back graveyard in the hill station.

Lang was involved in creative work here during his stay. But he never established his press here. On this the biography writes, "Here (Mussoorie), looked after by his Indian servants, he (Lang) could settle down and write. He could send down copy for newspaper to be printed in Meerut and occasionally make a short visit to check things, essentially leaving the business to his printer Mr Gibbons who continued to act as an assistant editor."

On moving the newspaper from Calcutta to Ambala the book hints one possible reasons, "The Mofussilite means 'up country man' and it possibly indicates that he intended to move the newspaper eventually 'up country' to the less enervating climate of upper central India.' John Lang found taking out a newspaper in India not an easy job. Commenting on this he wrote in article published in 'Household Words' (UK) that it was easier to do so in England. All one had to do there was to sign a contract with a printer, advertise in newspapers and journals, employ staff who were readily available, and go to work. It was different if you wished to establish a newspaper outside the main cities in India.


Garhwal Post
January12-18, 2006
Dehradun
Uttaranchal (INDIA)

John Lang missed chance to cover 1857 Sepoy Mutiny


By RAJU GUSAIN

DEHRADUN:Australia's first novelist John Lang missed the golden opportunity to cover the start of the 'First War of Indian Independence' in 1857.During this period, the author, barrister and journalist was in England. Incidentally, Lang fought the famous case of Rani Laxmi Bai against the annexation of Jhansi, thus contributing to the Indian struggle for freedom.

On 10 May, 1857, Meerut saw an uprising that swept like wildfire through Northern India. Incidentally, at that period John Lang's newspaper 'The Mofussilite' was being published from Agra, not Meerut, owing to distribution problems.

Victor Crittenden, author of 'John Lang - Australia's larrikin writer', says, "John Lang left for England and the newspaper was being edited by another person in 1857. But, John Lang retained ownership of the paper. He returned to India in 1859."

It will be recalled that Lang and the East India Company developed serious differences after his successful legal defence of 'Jottee Persuad' in 1853. The barrister even served a jail term in Calcutta for fighting this famous case.

"Lang would not have been published at all in Britain's publications if he had not taken the Indian side. His article on Nana Sahib, published in Dickens'Household Words and republished in Lang's own book 'Wanderings in India', clearly indicates his personal attitude. The British Government regarded Nana Sahib as one of the great villains of the'Mutiny'. John Lang wrote about him in a totally different vein."

The Mofussilite was started on 2 August 1845 in Calcutta. In 1846, the publication was shifted to Ambala. From Ambala it moved to Meerut. Before 1857, The Mofussilite was being published from Agra. On 1 March, 1859 the newspaper moved again, this time from Agra back toMeerut.

The Mofussilite provided coverage of the 'Sepoy Mutiny' from Agra. It was possibly the only local English newspaper to do so. But it is sad that the copies of the 1857 copies of The Mofussilite are missing even from the microfilms of the British Library. The copies are also unavailable at the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (New Delhi). But many reports got published in 1857 worldwide. All quoted facts and figures from The Mofussilite.

Garhwal Post

14 May 2006

Dehradun Uttaranchal (India)

Monday, October 02, 2006

Australian envoy unveils hero's plaque in Mussoorie
Raju Gusain
Mussoorie, August 16
John Fisher, acting High Commissioner of Australia, unveiled a plaque in the memory of writer and Barrister John Lang at the Christ Church here on Monday. Lang is considered the first Australian born novelist. He came to India in 1942 and died under mysterious circumstances in this hill station on 20 August 1864.
It was a noble gesture from the Australian Government to remember unsung novelist John Lang on India's Independence Day.
Addressing the gathering John Fisher termed Lang a connection between India and Australia. "John Lang provided help to India during the independence period. He was a friend of India"
Expressing grief over the withering grave of Barrister John, Virgil D Miedema said, "Old English Cemetery should be declared a heritage site. Organizations should come forward to renovate the grave of John Lang."
In 1954 Lang became a toast of Indians by fighting the famous case of Rani Laxmi Bai against the annexation of the province of Jhansi. John George Lang was born on 19 December 1816 at Parramatta in Australia. After completing his legal studies at the Middle Temple in England (1841) he returned to Australia to be admitted as a barrister at the Sydney Supreme Court. In 1842, Lang left for India. He practiced law and did journalism in India. Lang published at least eleven novels, one/two volumes of short stories, two plays and a travel book 'Wanderings in India'. He launched a newspaper, 'The Mofussilite' from Meerut.
Hindustan Times
17 August 2005
New Delhi Edition (Late City)

Australian press to publish complete work of John Lang

Raju Gusain
Mussoorie: The Mulini Press, based in Australia, has come up with a noble idea to pay tribute to John Lang, the first Australian born novelist who died in Mussoorie. This publishing house will republish all the novels and work on John Lang by 2016. As a part of the project a website dedicated to john Lang, www.JohnLang.net, was launched recently. It will provide latest information on the literary project.
One or two books will be reprinted annually. Next year The Mulini Press plans to publish Lang's first novel Violet the Danseuse (1836). It also plans to produce Indian stories penned by John Lang separately. The planned titles are: Legends of India and Sketches of Life in Hindustan.The press is collecting copies of all letters by and to John Lang and reviews/ criticisms on John Lang's works. It also aims at encouraging research on life and work on the Australian novelist and to establish Lang memorials.
The Mulini Press series begins by taking out a compilation of short stories published in Household Words and other periodicals. The included stories in this title are those that did not featured in Lang's two books, Botany Bay and Wanderings in India. It will be recalled that John Lang wrote over twenty novels. Most of his work were serialised in his newspaper, 'The Mofussilite'. It is said that five of his novels had appeared in serials in the newspaper. The Mulini Press is in the process of publishing these unknown novels.Lang's writing minutely captures the life of Australian, India and England.
The coming week is special for lovers of John Lang as a biography of this unsung Australian novelist is all set to release. Written by Victor Crittenden and published by Mulini Press the title would release on 15 September 2005 at the National Library.Lang is best known in the literary field for his novel The Forger's Wife and short story collection Botany Bay or True Tales of Early Australia. It will be recalled that John Lang mastered the Hindi and Persian languages during his stay in India. While fighting the case of the Queen of Jhansi, he was able to argue in court and to converse with Rani Laxmi Bai without an interpreter. He also used this talent for his newspaper by translating some 'serious' poetry from Urdu to English. The press would also print these translated poetries in a book form in coming times.The Mulini Press should be lauded for the effort to preserve and also promote literary of an unsung writer.

Garhwal Post
September 2005
Dehradun
Uttaranchal (INDIA)

John Lang lost to dustbin of history

Raju Gusain
Mussoorie, December 19
Regarded as the first Australian born novelist, John Lang was among those rare white men who provided support to Indians during the 'First War of Independence'. Yet, writer and lawyer Lang remains an unsung hero both in India and Australia.John Lang is a forgotten man in Australia and not even one annual function takes place there to remember this literary figure, whose life was lived in a revolutionary spirit much ahead of his times. The situation is no different in India.
Even his 188th birth anniversary passed away silently in Mussoorie on Sunday as Lang's date of birth remains unknown in the hill station.Besides this, the grave of Barrister John, who fought the famous case of Rani Laxmi Bai against the annexation of the province of Jhansi in 1854, remains in neglect at the Old English Cemetery here. John George Lang was born on 19 December 1816 at Parramatta in Australia. After completing his legal studies at the Middle Temple in England (1841) he returned to Australia to be admitted as a barrister at the Sydney Supreme Court. In 1842, Lang left for India. He practiced law and did journalism in India.
Head of the English Department at the Flinders University (Adelaide) Dr Richard Hosking informs HT, "As far as I know, there are no ceremonies or programmes held annually in Australia in the memory John Lang. I have discussed this matter with the chairperson of the Australia-India Council. They may take an interest."
Lang published at least eleven novels, one/two volumes of short stories, two plays and a travel book 'Wanderings in India'. He launched a newspaper, 'The Mofussilite' from Meerut.
As a lawyer, Lang fought the case for Rani Laxmi Bai against the British rulers and he provides detailed a commentary of his meeting with the Jhansi Ki Rani in his book 'Wanderings in India'.As John Lang is also associated with this hill station, local people here are of the view that the Indian government should approach the Australia government to jointly commemorate his memory.
Local writer Jai Prakash Uttarakhandi asserts, "We Indians should consider him a hero and give due respect to this great soul for supporting Indians during the British rule. As his newspaper ''The Mofussilite'. carried anti-government reports, its file copies were destroyed. Similarly, other records related to Lang were deliberately tampered with."Jai Prakash has now taken upon himself the task of publishing 'The Mofussilite'.as an English/ Hindi weekly to keep alive the memories of John.
It will be recalled that John Lang mastered the Hindi and Persian languages during his stay in India. While fighting the case of the Queen of Jhansi, he was able to argue in court and to converse with Rani Laxmi Bai without an interpreter. He also used this talent for his newspaper by translating some 'serious' poetry from Urdu to English. John Lang died under mysterious circumstances here on 20 August 1864. Besides the cause of his suspicious death, John Lang has left many questions unanswered.

Hindustan Times
20 December 2004
New Delhi edition (Late city)

SHORT STORY: "Fisher's Ghost"


By John Lang (1859)

In the colony of New South Wales, at a place called Penrith, distant from Sydney about thirty-seven miles, lived a farmer named Fisher. He had been, originally, transported, but had become free by servitude. Unceasing toil, and great steadiness of character, had acquired for him a considerable property, for a person in his station of life. His lands and stock were not worth less than four thousand pounds. He was unmarried and was about forty-five years old. Suddenly Fisher disappeared; and one of his neighbours -- a man named Smith -- gave out that he had gone to England, but would return in two or three years. Smith produced a document, purporting to be executed by Fisher; and, according to this document, Fisher had appointed Smith to act as his agent during his absence. Fisher was a man of very singular habits and eccentric character and his silence about his departure, instead of creating surprise, was declared to be 'exactly like him'. About six months after Fisher's disappearance, an old man called Ben Weir, who had a small farm near Penrith and who always drove his own cart to market, was returning from Sydney one night when he beheld, seated on a rail which bounded the road -- Fisher. The night was very dark and the distance of the fence from the middle of the road was, at least, twelve yards. Weir, nevertheless, saw Fisher's figure seated on the rail. He pulled his old mare up, and called out, 'Fisher, is that you?' No answer was returned; but there, still on the rail, sat the form of the man with whom he had been on the most intimate terms. Weir -- who was not drunk, though he had taken several glasses of strong liquor on the road -- jumped off his cart and approached the rail. To his surprise, the form vanished. 'Well,' exclaimed old Weir, 'this is very curious, anyhow;' and, breaking several branches of a sapling so as to mark the exact spot, he remounted his cart, put his old mare into a jog-trot and soon reached his home. Ben was not likely to keep this vision a secret from his old woman. All that he had seen he faithfully related to her. 'Hold our nonsense, Ben!' was old Betty's reply. 'You know you have been a drinking and disturbing of your imagination. Ain't Fisher agone to England? And if he had a come back, do you think we shouldn't a heard on it?' 'Ay, Betty!' said old Ben, 'but he'd a cruel gash in his forehead and the blood was all fresh like. Faith, it makes me shudder to think on't. It were his ghost.' 'How can you talk so foolish, Ben?' said the old woman. 'You must be drunk sure-ly to get on about ghosteses.' 'I tell thee I am not drunk,' rejoined old Ben, angrily. 'There's been foul play, Betty; I'm sure on't. There sat Fisher on the rail -- not more than a matter of two mile from this. Egad, it were on his own fence that he sat. There he was, in his shirt-sleeves, with his arms a folded; just as he used to sit when he was a waiting for anybody coming up the road. Bless you, Betty, I seed 'im till I was as close as I am to thee; when, all on a sudden, he vanished, like smoke.' 'Nonsense, Ben: don't talk of it,' said old Betty, 'or the neighbours will only laugh at you. Come to bed and you'll forget all about it before tomorrow morning.' Old Ben went to bed; but he did not next morning forget all about what he had seen on the previous night: on the contrary, he was more positive than before. However, at the earnest and often repeated request of the old woman, he promised not to mention having seen Fisher's ghost, for fear that it might expose him to ridicule. On the following Thursday night, when old Ben was returning from market -- again in his cart -- he saw, seated upon the same rail, the identical apparition. He had purposely abstained from drinking that day and was in the full possession of all his senses. On this occasion old Ben was too much alarmed to stop. He urged the old mare on and got home as speedily as possible. As soon as he had unharnessed and fed the mare and taken his purchases out of the cart, he entered his cottage, lighted his pipe, sat over the fire with his better half and gave her an account of how he had disposed of his produce and what he had brought back from Sydney in return. After this he said to her, 'Well, Betty, I'm not drunk tonight, anyhow, am I?' 'No,' said Betty. 'You are quite sober, sensible like, tonight, Ben; and therefore you have come home without any ghost in your head. Ghosts! Don't believe there is such things.' 'Well, you are satisfied I am not drunk; but perfectly sober,' said the old man. 'Yes, Ben,' said Betty. 'Well, then,' said Ben, 'I tell thee what, Betty. I saw Fisher tonight agin!' 'Stuff!' cried old Betty. 'You may say stuff' said the old farmer; 'but I tell you what -- I saw him as plainly as I did last Thursday night. Smith is a bad 'un! Do you think Fisher would ever have left this country without coming to bid you and me goodbye?' 'It's all fancy!' said old Betty. 'Now drink your grog and smoke your pipe and think no more about the ghost. I won't hear on't.' 'I'm as fond of my grog and my pipe as most men,' said old Ben; 'but I'm not going to drink anything tonight. It may be all fancy, as you call it, but I am now going to tell Mr Grafton all I saw, and what I think;' and with these words he got up and left the house. Mr Grafton was a gentleman who lived about a mile from old Weir's farm. He had been formerly a lieutenant in the navy, but was now on half-pay and was a settler in the new colony; he was, moreover, in the commission of the peace. When old Ben arrived at Mr Grafton's house, Mr Grafton was about to retire to bed; but he requested old Ben might be shown in. He desired the farmer to take a seat by the fire and then enquired what was the latest news in Sydney. 'The news in Sydney, sir, is very small,' said old Ben; 'wheat is falling, but maize still keeps its price -- seven and sixpence a bushel: but I want to tell you, sir, something that will astonish you.' 'What is it, Ben?' asked Mr Grafton. 'Why, sir,' resumed old Ben, 'you know I am not a weak-minded man, nor a fool, exactly; for I was born and bred in Yorkshire.' 'No, Ben, I don't believe you to be weak-minded, nor do I think you a fool,' said Mr Grafton; 'but what can you have to say that you come at this late hour and that you require such a preface?' 'That I have seen the ghost of Fisher, sir,' said the old man; and he detailed the particulars of which the reader is already in possession. Mr Grafton was at first disposed to think with old Betty, that Ben had seen Fisher's Ghost through an extra glass or two of rum on the first night; and that on the second night, when perfectly sober, he was unable to divest himself of the idea previously entertained. But after a little consideration the words 'How very singular!' involuntarily escaped him. 'Go home, Ben,' said Mr Grafton, 'and let me see you tomorrow at sunrise. We will go together to the place where you say you saw the ghost.' Mr Grafton used to encourage the aboriginal natives of New South Wales (that race which has been very aptly described 'the last link in the human chain') to remain about his premises. At the head of a little tribe then encamped on Mr Grafton's estate, was a sharp young man named Johnny Crook. The peculiar faculty of the aboriginal natives of New South Wales, of tracking the human foot not only over grass but over the hardest rock; and of tracking the whereabouts of runaways by signs imperceptible to civilised eyes, is well known; and this man, Johnny Crook, was famous for his skill in this particular art of tracking. He had recently been instrumental in the apprehension of several desperate bushrangers whom he had tracked over twenty-seven miles of rocky country and fields, which they had crossed bare-footed, in the hope of checking the black fellow in the progress of his keen pursuit with the horse police. When old Ben Weir made his appearance in the morning at Mr Grafton's house, the black chief, Johnny Crook, was summoned to attend. He came and brought with him several of his subjects. The party set out, old Weir showing the way. The leaves on the branches of the saplings which he had broken on the first night of seeing the ghost were withered and sufficiently pointed out the exact rail on which the phantom was represented to have sat. There were stains upon the rail. Johnny Crook, who had then no idea of what he was required for, pronounced these stains to be 'White man's blood;' and, after searching about for some time, he pointed to a spot whereon he said a human body had been laid. In New South Wales long droughts are not very uncommon; and not a single shower of rain had fallen for seven months previously -- not sufficient even to lay the dust upon the roads. In consequence of the time that had elapsed, Crook had no small difficulty to contend with; but in about two hours he succeeded in tracking the footsteps of one man to the unfrequented side of a pond at some distance. He gave it as his opinion that another man had been dragged thither. The savage walked round and round the pond, eagerly examining its borders and the sedges and weeds springing up around it. At first he seemed baffled. No clue had been washed ashore to show that anything unusual had been sunk in the pond; but, having finished this examination, he laid himself down on his face and looked keenly along the surface of the smooth and stagnant water. Presently he jumped up, uttered a cry peculiar to the natives when gratified by finding some long-sought object, clapped his hands and, pointing to the middle of the pond to where the decomposition of some sunken substance had produced a slimy coating streaked with prismatic colours, he exclaimed, 'White man's fat!' The pond was immediately searched; and, below the spot indicated, the remains of a body were discovered. A large stone and a rotted silk handkerchief were found near the body; these had been used to sink it. That it was the body of Fisher there could be no question. It might have been identified by the teeth; but on the waistcoat there were some large brass buttons which were immediately recognised, both by Mr Grafton and by old Ben Weir, as Fisher's property. He had worn those buttons on his waistcoat for several years. Leaving the body by the side of the pond and old Ben and the blacks to guard it, Mr Grafton cantered up to Fisher's house. Smith was not only in possession of all the missing man's property, but had removed to Fisher's house. It was about a mile and a half distant. He enquired for Mr Smith. Mr Smith, who was at breakfast, came out and invited Mr Grafton to alight; Mr Grafton accepted the invitation and after a few desultory observations said, 'Mr Smith, I am anxious to purchase a piece of land on the other side of the road, belonging to this estate, and I would give a fair price for it. Have you the power to sell?' 'Oh yes, sir,' replied Smith. 'The power which I hold from Fisher is a general power;' and he forthwith produced a document purporting to be signed by Fisher, but which was not witnessed. 'If you are not very busy, I should like to show you the piece of land I allude to,' said Mr Grafton. 'Oh certainly, sir. I am quite at your service,' said Smith; and he then ordered his horse to be saddled. It was necessary to pass the pond where the remains of Fisher's body were then exposed. When they came near to the spot, Mr Grafton, looking Smith full in the face, said, 'Mr Smith, I wish to show you something. Look here!' He pointed to the decomposed body and narrowly watching Mr Smith's countenance, remarked: 'These are the remains of Fisher. How do you account for their being found in this pond?' Smith, with the greatest coolness, got off his horse, minutely examined the remains and then admitted that there was no doubt they were Fisher's. He confessed himself at a loss to account for their discovery, unless it could be (he said) that somebody had waylaid him on the road when he left his home for Sydney; had murdered him for the gold and banknotes which he had about his person and had then thrown him into the pond. 'My hands, thank heaven!' he concluded, 'are clean. If my old friend could come to life again, he would tell you that I had no hand in his horrible murder.' Mr Grafton knew not what to think. He was not a believer in ghosts. Could it be possible, he began to ask himself, that old Weir had committed this crime and -- finding it weigh heavily on his conscience and fearing that he might be detected -- had trumped up the story about the ghost -- had pretended that he was led to the spot by supernatural agency -- and thus by bringing the murder voluntarily to light, hoped to stifle all suspicion? But then, he considered Weir's excellent character, his kind disposition and good-nature. These at once put to flight his suspicion of Weir; but still he was by no means satisfied of Smith's guilt, much as appearances were against him. Fisher's servants were examined and stated that their master had often talked of going to England on a visit to his friends and of leaving Mr Smith to manage his farm; and that though they were surprised when Mr Smith came and said he had 'gone at last', they did not think it at all unlikely that he had done so. An inquest was held and a verdict of wilful murder found against Thomas Smith. He was thereupon transmitted to Sydney for trial, at the ensuing sessions, in the supreme court. 'He case naturally excited great interest in the colony; and public opinion respecting Smith's guilt was evenly balanced. The day of trial came; and the court was crowded almost to suffocation. The Attorney-General very truly remarked that there were circumstances connected with the case which were without any precedent in the annals of jurisprudence. The only witnesses were old Weir and Mr Grafton. Smith, who defended himself with great composure and ability, cross-examined them at considerable length and with consummate skill. The prosecution having closed, Smith addressed the jury (which consisted of military officers) in his defence. He admitted that the circumstances were strong against him; but he most ingeniously proceeded to explain them. The power of attorney, which he produced, he contended had been regularly granted by Fisher and he called several witnesses who swore that they believed the signature to be that of the deceased. He, further, produced a will, which had been drawn up by Fisher's attorney, and by that will Fisher had appointed Smith his sole executor, in the event of his death. He declined, he said, to throw any suspicion on Weir; but he would appeal to the common sense of the jury whether the ghost story was entitled to any credit; and, if it were not, to ask themselves why it had been invented? He alluded to the fact -- which in cross-examination Mr Grafton swore to -- that when the remains were first shown to him, he did not conduct himself as a guilty man would have been likely to do, although he was horror-stricken on beholding the hideous spectacle. He concluded by invoking the Almighty to bear witness that he was innocent of the diabolical crime for which he had been arranged. The judge (the late Sir Francis Forbes) recapitulated the evidence. It was not an easy matter to deal with that part of it which had reference to the apparition: and if the charge of the judge had any leaning one way or the other, it was decidedly in favour of an acquittal. The jury retired; but, after deliberating for seven hours, they returned to the court, with a verdict of guilty. The judge then sentenced the prisoner to be hanged on the following Monday. It was on a Thursday night that he was convicted. On the Sunday, Smith expressed a wish to see a clergyman. His wish was instantly attended to, when he confessed that he, and he alone, committed the murder; and that it was upon the very rail where Weir swore that he had seen Fisher's ghost sitting, that he had knocked out Fisher's brains with a tomahawk. The power of attorney he likewise confessed was a forgery, but declared that the will was genuine. This is very extraordinary, but is, nevertheless, true in substance, if not in every particular. Most persons who have visited Sydney for any length of time will no doubt have had it narrated to them.

'Mofussilite’ copies missing


Raju Gusain

Mussoorie
Even the India Record Office (IRO) of the British Library in London does not have the complete file of John Lang's newspaper, the 'Mofussilite’.Hedley Sutton of the reference service (IRO) informed via email, "We have microfilms of the 'Mofussilite’ issues from 2 August to 22 November 1845 and from 1 January 1847 to 24 May 1876."So, the 1846 issues of the 'Mofussilite’are missing.
And the million-dollar question is, were they destroyed for reporting against the British?

Hindustan Times
20 December, 2004
New Delhi edition (Late city)

Story of a story


Mussoorie, 4 Aug: John Lang was one of the popular short story writers during the British Raj in India. He has, recently, found renewed fame because of his association with Mussoorie and his strong advocacy of the Indian point of view at a time when the British were become supreme in the sub-continent.He got many of his pieces published in Charles Dickens's magazine, 'Household Words'.

Wolf Nurses was published in Household Words in February 1853. It could have been the inspiration for Kipling's 'Mowgli'.Most of Lang's stories that appeared in Dickens's periodical were later on published in a book form, in 'Wandering in India.'On 'Wolf Nurses', an Australian writer has a fascinating tale to tell. Sharing this, Victor Crittenden, author of John Lang: Australia's larrikin writer, says, "All the stories in Dickens's magazine'Household Words' were printed without any author given. We know the stories were by John Lang because Dickens kept an Office Book for the payments of author's stories published in 'Household Words'.""This Office Book survives and is in the Library of Harvard University and it has been republished in recent times. John Lang was paid for quite a number of stories which were published," he adds.

The Garhwal Post has reprinted the rare short story, which was first published over 150 years back, by arrangement with the John Lang Project (Australia).


Garhwal Post

5 August, 2006

Dehradun

(Uttaranchal, INDIA)



Shory Story: Wolf Nurses
By John Lang
The story of Romulus and Remus being suckled by a wolf is accepted as fabulous: but the following statement is strictly true.
In the Kingdom of Oude, some ten years ago, a male child of about eighteen months old was missed by its parents. It was supposed to have been carried away and devoured by the wolves, which are very plentiful in that part of the world. Every winter numbers of children are destroyed by these animals, not only in Oude, but in our own provinces in the north-west.
About seven years after the child was missing, a man who gained his livelihood by shooting in the jungles saw a wolf and several cubs, and with them an animal such as he had never seen before. It was like a boy, but ran upon all fours. The man followed the animal, but was unable to keep pace with it; he traced it, however, to a den, and a few days afterwords succeeded in taking the animal alive. It barked, or rather snarled and growled like a wolf, and attempted to bite itscaptor. The she-wolf and her cubs followed the man for some distance, and several times showed symptoms of a desire to rescue the animal; but, as the man was armed, they did not venture to attack him, and at last they returned to the jungle.
The animal was exhibited in Lucknow, and caused some sensation. It was eventually handed over to one of the authorities (an English officer) who had a cage made for it. That it was a human being no one could doubt, though it never stood erect, and never uttered any sound except a growl, or a hoarse bark. It refused every description of food that was cooked for it, and would only eat raw flesh, which it would devour voraciously. Clothes were made for it; but it tore them off with itsteeth. A rank smell issued from the pores of its skin, and its skin was covered with short thin hair. The smell was that of the wolf, by whom it had been brought up. It was very partial to hard bones, and would chew and digest them as a dog would. In a word, this animal had adopted all the habits of its foster-mother - the she-wolf. Crowds of natives every day came to look at the strange creature, and at last the woman who had lost the child was among the spectators. By certainmarks upon the animal, she recognized in it her missing offspring; but she was by no means anxious to have it restored to her. On the contrary, she regarded it with extreme horror and disgust.
Every means were resorted to, to tame the boy; but without effect. Shut up in his iron cage, he seemed to pine, and would never touch food until forced to do so by the pains of hunger. It would have been dangerous to let him go out of the cage; for he was as savage as any wild beast of the desert. Numerous attempts were made to teach him to speak; but he uttered no sounds beyond those already mentioned. He lived for about a year, and became in that time a perfect livingskeleton. Just previous to his death he said a few words, which the man who had charge of him understood to be these, "Seer durd kerta."(My head aches).
This is not the only instance on record of a wolf having brought up a young child, whom it had carried away from its parents. Some fourteen months ago an animal was taken in the district of Mozuffernugger, and brought to the station of Meerut. It was a boy of about five years ofage, and a more revolting sight it would be difficult to conceive. The palms of the hands, and the soles of the feet were as hard as the hoofs of a horse. His movements were as nimble as those of a monkey, and not unlike those of that animal. Several English dogs which saw this child showed a disposition to attack and destroy it (this was, of course, prevented), while the child in return snarled at the dogs, and shewed its teeth, as though it were upon these weapons that it wouldrest its defence. This boy, too, like the one taken in Oude, refused to eat anything but animal food-uncooked; nor would it touch even that in the presence of a human being.
In the provinces subjected to British rule, a reward of 5 rupees (10 shillings) is given for every dead wolf, by the magistrate under orders from the Government. The natives, however, usually contrive to bring them alive to a station, where they allow gentlemen's dogs to worry them to death - for a consideration in money - previous to taking them to the magistrate and claiming the reward. The sport is no doubt a very cruel one - tied up as the wolf generally is - but people have little sympathy for a beast who will often enter the hut of a villager, by night, and carry away a child from its mother's side. These depredations have of late years become less frequent than theywere formerly, and ere long, it is but reasonable to suppose, they will be of very rare occurrence - albeit the utter extinction of the race may be regarded as hopeless.

PROFILE: John Lang


John George Lang was born on 19 December 1816 at Parramatta in Australia. After completing his legal studies at the Middle Temple in England (1841) he returned to Australia to be admitted as a barrister at the Sydney Supreme Court.
In 1842 he left for Calcutta in India where he worked for the following few years, writing and running his newspaper 'The Mofussilite'.
Lang literary journey began in 1835-36 when he published his first poems, novel and stories while living in Sydney. As a lawyer, Lang fought the case for Rani Laxmi Bai against the British rulers and he provides detailed a commentary of his meeting with the Jhansi Ki Rani in his book 'Wanderings in India'.
He died under mysterious circumstances in Mussoorie on 20 August 1864.John Lang is buried at the Camel's Back graveyard in Mussoorie in Uttaranchal state of India.

Biography with rare sketch of John Lang released in Australia


Photo: Victor Crittenden (Left) writer of John Lang: Australia’s Larrikin Writer’ with friend Rory Medcalf
By RAJU GUSAIN
DEHRADUN:No photograph or portrait of Australia’s first novelist John Lang is available in England. The same is the case with Australia. But a biography on barrister, writer and novelist John Lang released recently in Australia has published a rare sketch of this unsung writer.

The biography, titled ‘John Lang: Australia’s Larrikin Writer’, published by The Mulini Press (Canberra) is an extensively researched work by Victor Crittenden. The biography throws new light on the life of Australia’s first novelist Lang, who died in Mussoorie. On the cover of the book is a sketch of John Lang. The picture has been taken from the cover of John Lang’s well-known book ‘Wandering in India.’

Incidentally the biography is among the first books to republish the portrait.Though the microfilms of Lang’s newspaper ‘The Mofussilite’ are available at the British Library (London) but there is no photograph extant. Hedley Sutton of the India Office Records in the British Library, says, “We have no photographs, portraits or private papers of John Lang. The library has microfilms of his newspaper “The Mofussilite” from 2 August to 22 November 1845 and then from 1 January 1847 to 24 May 1876.”

The case is no different in Australia as Anne Chittleborough, Researcher at the Australian Literature Gateway in Adelaide, states: “We don’t have a photo of Lang. I even tried at archival holdings in Australian libraries but failed to located the photo there either.”

Victor Crittenden needs to be lauded for bringing out an extensively researched title. Commenting on the problem faced in penning ‘John Lang: Australia’s Larrikin Writer’ the author says, “One of the difficulties in writing about the life story of John Lang is the lack of original material. There are no diaries and particularly no letters. He is seldom mentioned in the writing of his many friends and acquaintances.”

“I had to rely on his published works which ere often autobiographical in nature. Most important was his newspaper ‘The Mofussilite’,” Victor adds.

Expressing pain at the present situation, with Lang remaining an unsung hero in Australia, the author says, “Today we claim any celebrity who has even a vague connection with Australia and any such celebrity who was born in this country is forever vigorously claimed as one of our own. So, let it be with John Lang. He was a real Australian - let us re-establish our claim to him and his works.

Garhwal Post

8-14 January, 2006

Dehradun (Uttaranchal, INDIA)