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Jºãº, \e woºt Cowasw
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LIFE OF
| SIR COWASJEE JEHANGHIER READYMONEY.
KT, , C,S, I., &C, , &C,
PREPARED BY
J. COWASJEE JEHANGHIER,
# *
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º $
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WITH PORTRAIT AND ILLUSTRATIONS
-ºp
1890


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PRINTED BY
THE LONDON STEREOSCOPIC AND PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPANY, LIMITED,
106 & 108, REGENT STREET, W.,
AND
54, CHEAPSIDE, E.C.
LIST OF PLATES,
PoRTRAIT OF SIR CowAsjee JEHANGHIER © º º - - - ... Frontispiece
Town MANSION, CHURCHGATE STREET Fort, BoMBAY Facing page 19
STATUE IN MARBLE OF SIR CowASJEE JEHANGHIER ... * } 22
SIR CowASJEE JEHANGHIER CIVIL Hospital, SURAT ... * } 27
SIR COWASJEE JEHANGHIER OPHTHALMIC HospitaL,
BYCULLAH, BOMBAY... e e e • - a e s e - e - ! } 3 I
SIR CowASJEE JEHANGHIER COLLEGE OF SCIENCE,
PoonAH tº e & - - - e ‘º e * - a e tº º - - - y 32
SIR COWASJEE JEHANGHIER BUILDING OF ELPHINSTONE
COLLEGE, BOMBAY ... 4 tº e - - - Qº ſº tº tº tº º y ) 38
SIR CewAsjFE JEHANGHIER UNIVERSITY HALL, BOMBAY } ) 43
SIR CowAs JEE JEHANGHIER FOUNTAIN, REGENT's PARK,
LONDON tº º º - * * tº e & & ºn tº © tº º, * * 6 I
READYMONEY House, MALABAR HILL, BOMBAY 65
sº-- - - -- ~~~~~
PREFACE.
reason for preparing this account of the
career and benevolent acts of my dear and
revered father is, in addition to a feeling
of filial duty and affection, the wish to preserve the
memory of his good deeds among those who have
benefited by them. The generation which derived direct
advantage from them is passing or has passed away;
and in the press of new interests and considerations it seemed
possible that the claims of Sir Cowasjee Jehanghier to
grateful remembrance might be forced out of sight, although
his gifts were of a nature to permanently benefit the
community, seeing that he dispersed in public charity the
large sum of fifteen lakhs, and in private about three more.
This record of his life, if it serves no other purpose, should
at least preserve his memory among the citizens of Bombay
and all Sir Cowasjee's many friends and admirers.
It has been a task of love to peruse the somewhat
meagre materials preserved relating to his many public

donations, and to extract from them as much matter as
seemed likely to be of general interest, and as would give
a fair idea of the character and career of Sir Cowasjee
Jehanghier. If I have succeeded in compiling a narrative
that will be satisfactory to his few remaining contemporaries
and interesting to the younger generation, my main object
will have been attained. I may at least indulge the hope
that among the great Parsee families of Bombay, and among
the representatives of Sir Cowasjee's numerous friends,
this biography of one of the best known and most dis-
tinguished men of his time will be allowed an honoured
place in the libraries, and that its shortcomings will be
pardoned for the sake of its subject.
JEHANGHIER COWASJEE JEHANGHIER.
Alondon, 5th March, 1890.
Gºttfä-
608
LIPE OF
SIR COWASJEE JEHANGHIER READYMONEY,
KT., C.S.I., &C., &C.
: # ź. |HEN a man has fairly earned, by the admission
of his contemporaries, the title of “a Peabody
of the East,” as the late Sir Cowasjee
Jehanghier Readymoney, Kt., C.S.I., did, any apology
for telling the story of his life would be unnecessary.
There are implied in the sobriquet of “a Peabody”
a large-minded benevolence, a sympathy with human
suffering, and a sensitive appreciation of the wants of
otherse that may fairly be styled exemplary and that
must excite general admiration. Those who were
acquainted with Sir Cowasjee Jehanghier Readymoney will
know that he possessed all the attributes which one expects
to find in the most princely of philanthropists, but the

generation which knew of his worth and work is passing
away, and it will serve a useful purpose to place on
record the details of an eventful life which may well stand
as a model for emulation among his own people as well
as with all those who seek to make their crown of good
deeds. The Parsees have been made famous among pros-
perous and well-ordered communities by the acts of
individuals among whom Sir Cowasjee Jehanghier is
entitled to a foremost place, and they cannot but feel
gratification at general interest being evinced by the
British reader in the career of one of their most promi-
nent representatives. *
More than 200 years have elapsed since the Parsees
first associated themselves in matters of trade with the
English in Western India, and it is useful to recall the
fact that the intercourse has been of considerable length
and ever-increasing confidence and esteem. Before the
English left Surat for Bombay, the Parsees had established
a closer business connexion with the factory of the East
India Company than with any other European guild, and
the Settia (noble or chief) families in particular were
famed as being the brokers and intermediaries between the
English and the native merchants and producers. Even
at this early period, when the Portuguese were at a high
point of power and prosperity, the Parsees, either by some
happy instinct suggesting to them that the British were
the coming race, or because they appreciated their business
qualities, associated themselves in a marked manner with
the English, and when the head factory was removed
from Surat to Bombay the Parsees showed the way in the
steady migration of trade that took place to the future
capital of Western India. Events have confirmed the
wisdom of their choice as well as their foresight. Surat
is now neglected by the trader, while Bombay has become
one of the most flourishing commercial centres of the
whole world. The Parsees have benefited by the great
development which has taken place in the trade of
Westerh India, and they can also claim to have con-
tributed much towards creating the existing standard of
prosperity. But they have never allowed the main fact
to escape from their mind that they are naturally and by
old association the colleagues and friends of the English

merchants, and the humble and constant supporters of their
Government. t
What is true of the Parsees as a community is
especially true of the ancestors of Sir Cowasjee Jehanghier.
The history of the Readymoney family is typical of the
fortunes of the Parsee race, and of the development of
Bombay. The biographical details of Sir Cowasjee's career
will be found both instructive in themselves and stimulating
as an example.
The original cause of Sir Cowasjee's family adopting
the pseudonym of Readymoney seems to have been
the promptitude of their payments. On several pecuniary
emergencies they came to the aid of the East India
Company, and the tradition is still preserved that on
one critical occasion, probably during the Mahratta
wars, they sent into the Company’s coffers several
cartloads of silver. Whatever the origin of the name,
there can be no question of the scrupulous integrity
with which its inheritors have endeavoured to deserve
it and to sustain the lustre of what the late Sir Bartle
Frere characterised as a truly English Cognomen.
9
It was in the early part of the eighteenth century
that Sir Cowasſee's ancestors removed to Bombay from
Nowsaree, near Surat in Guzrat. Three brothers named
Mancherjee Jivanjee, Heerjee Jivanjee, and Temuljee
Jivanjee are specially mentioned as having taken up
their residence at Bombay in or about 1717. All the
brothers carried on a lucrative business, and it is
said that Heerjee was the first Parsee merchant to
make a voyage to China, with which country they
established trade relations. Heerjee's brother Mancherjee
followed in his footsteps and went to look after the China
firm, and by this means much profit was acquired and
the fortunes of the family were established on a sure basis.
The Parsees were under great and durable obligations to
Heerjee and Mancherjee Readymoney for acting as pioneers
of the China trade, from which, as a community, they
have derived so much profit. The names of at least two
of the ships in which this trade was carried on are pre-
served. They were the “Hornby” and the “Royal
Charlotte.” With the wealth obtained from this source,
Heerjee Readymoney bought an extensive estate in Bombay,
IO
and took rank among the foremost merchants of his time
and country.
Heerjee Readymoney left no male issue. His family
consisted of two daughters, the eldest of whom married a
member of the well-known Banajee family. Heerjee Ready-
money adopted her eldest son, Jehanghier, and made him
his heir. Jehanghier Readymoney married Meherbai,
the daughter of Heerjee Readymoney's second daughter,
and it was for this reason that Heerjee Readymoney made
Jehanghier his heir, as his family was re-united in the
persons of his grandchildren. Meherbai was on the
paternal side a granddaughter of the well-known Ardasir
Dady Sett, who was one of the most famous members of
the Parsee community, and who was honourably known as
the first native of India to establish direct trade between
Bombay and England. Dady Nusserwanjee, the founder
of the Dady Sett family, came to Bombay is the
middle of the eighteenth century, and founded numerous
charities (Fire Temples, Dharmsalas, etc.), which are
still kept up by funds left by him. Sir Cowasjee
Jehanghier was the Second son of this marriage—his
I I
elder brother Heerjee Readymoney, who is still living,
being a successful and energetic merchant.
Sir Cowasjee Jehanghier was born on 24th May—
the birthday of Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen
Empress-–1812, in the house which had belonged to his
maternal grandfather, the great merchant Dady Sett.
This house was known by the latter’s name, and was
situated in Cowasjee Patell Street in the fort of Bombay.
His father Jehanghier resided in the Readymoney mansion
in Church Gate Street—an old house which has stood for
over a century, and which might be regarded as an Asiatic
replica of some of the ancient merchant residences in
Venice and Genoa.
The opportunities of education in India were not
in those days what they are now. There were really
no schools at all worthy of the name, and Sir Cowasjee
acquired such knowledge as he possessed of English from
the few years he passed at a school kept by Sergeant
Sykes in the Fort, where, by the way, he had as a school-
fellow the future second baronet of the Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy
family. In Gujerati, the idiom in use in Western India,
I 2
and adopted by the Parsees, he was always fluent. There
can be no doubt that Sir Cowasjee derived much of his
worldly knowledge from his mother, Meherbai, who was
a lady of great intelligence and much force of character.
She most carefully trained her son, whom she survived,
dying in 1884 at the grand old age of 93. She retained
her good health and interest in current events to the end of
her life, and will long be remembered in the Parsee com-
munity for her tact and benevolence shown especially in
the friendly adjudication of family disputes and quarrels.
These good points seem to have been the possession of
this family. Sir Cowasjee's sister, Dhunbai, was widow
of Mr. Framjee Patuck, and a lady of great common-
sense; she died in 1882. His second sister married Mr.
Dhunjeebhoy Mámá, and died at a comparatively early age,
leaving issue one child.
At that period the Parsees were exclusively devoted
to commercial pursuits, and the objects of education
were confined to carrying on correspondence and keeping
accounts. At the early age of fifteen Sir Cowasjee
was placed in the office of an English firm, for
I 3
it was the practice of the Parsees to make their
children serve their apprenticeship in an English office
under European supervision. In accordance with this
custom Sir Cowasjee entered the employment of Messrs.
Duncan Gibb and Co., as go-down keeper or clerk in
their warehouse. Having acquired considerable experience
and business aptitude in this post he transferred his
services to the firm of Messrs. Cardwell, Parsons and Co.,
and after some years spent in their office, to Messrs.
Grey and Co. In this way he acquired a thorough know-
ledge of the trade of Bombay in all its branches. The
probationary period of his commercial career lasted from
his fifteenth to his twenty-fifth year, and in 1837 he was
appointed guaranteed broker to two European firms.
The trade of Bombay passed through a crisis after
the withdrawal of the monopoly of the China trade from
the East India Company, and as Sir Cowasjee was a keen
observer of the signs of the times, the experience and
proficiency he acquired in business during those years
served him in good stead when the English and native
merchants of Bombay turned their energy and attention
I4.
in the direction of obtaining a larger share in the opium
traffic with China. No section of the Bombay community
threw itself with more ardour and keenness into the China
trade than the Parsees, and none derived greater benefit
from it than they did. It is not saying too much to
assert that the wealth which they subsequently amassed
from trade in this and many other directions had its
origin in the promptitude with which they realised the
commercial importance of the opening of China that
began with the War of 1840 and the Treaty of Nankin.
It so happened that at the very moment when this
opportunity presented itself the Parsees were the principal
shipowners and shipbuilders of Bombay, and they were
therefore able to turn it to the best possible account.
For twenty years they retained in their hands what was
practically a monopoly of the China trade so far as
Western India was concerned, but the introduction of
steam raised such formidable competitors in England that
they were unable to hold their own with them for want of
the necessary appliances and capital. There is no room to
hold the opinion, as some have done, that the Parsees
I5
evinced a lack of energy and enterprise when the chief
ports of China were thrown open to foreign trade by
the Treaty of Nankin. As long as ships were made of
wood and to carry sails, Bombay was among the most
active and prosperous shipyards out of England, but after
steam came into vogue its prosperity waned. The Parsees
suffered most from this change but abundant evidence of
their sustained energy was supplied when twenty years
after the first China War they took the lead in establishing
the cotton industry of Bombay, the opportunity for which
was afforded by the Civil War in America, and upon
which now mainly rests the prosperity of the Presidency
of Western India.
It would be somewhat difficult, even if it were desir-
able, to give a connected narrative of the career of Sir
Cowasjee Jehanghier as a merchant. He seems to have
commenced on his own account as an independent merchant
about the year 1846, and during the next twenty-five years
his business transactions were equally extensive and for-
tunate. Even during the Share mania and panic, which
reduced so many wealthy merchants of Bombay to distress,
I6
he suffered no material loss, beyond the payment of a consi-
derable sum as one of the promoters of the unfortunate Back
Bay Reclamation Scheme. His career in the pursuit of wealth
was correctly described as one of uninterrupted prosperity,
and it was another of his honourable characteristics that
all his dealings were marked by honesty and uprightness.
It is not surprising, therefore, that he should have gained
the esteem and confidence of all who were brought into
business relations with him. He was in every respect
qualified by nature to be a successful man of business,
and his shrewd sagacity and rare talents enabled him to
triumph over his educational defects and to distance most
of his competitors in the race for fortune.
The suavity of his manners and address, as well as
the regularity of his attendance to all the duties of his
position, marked him out at an early period of his life
as one who would be called upon to discharge those civic
functions which are an essential part of modern civilised
life. Not long after his appearance as a merchant on his own
account in 1846, he was appointed a Justice of the Peace.
He was next nominated a Member of the Board of Con-
17
servancy, and in 1860 he was appointed to the still more
onerous and responsible position of Commissioner of Income
Tax in a city where such a tax was an innovation. The
capacity which he displayed in the discharge of all these
duties was not less remarkable than that he evinced in
the conduct of his own affairs, but it was naturally as
Income Tax Commissioner that he obtained the best oppor-
tunity of showing how to combine knowledge and tact by
carrying out a delicate operation to the equal satisfaction
of the Government he served and his own fellow-citizens.
The following gratifying testimony to his services was
borne by the late Mr. James Gibbs, President of the
Income Tax Commission, and a highly able and much-
respected member of the Bombay Council. It was rendered
in the course of a public speech, during which Mr. Gibbs
said:—
“I believe that, with the exception of yourself, Sir
Cowasjee, I am now the only remaining member of the
first Commission which had the working of the tax in this
Presidency. I had the honour to preside over that Com-
I8
mission, and I can safely say that for its success the
Commission was mainly indebted to those gentlemen who
were associated with the Government officers in its manage-
ment, and particularly to you, Sir Cowasjee Jehanghier.
You brought to that Commission tact, firmness, and inde-
pendence of character, which were of very great value;
but, in addition to these, you brought an intimate acquain-
tance with the mercantile community of the city, which
was of the greatest importance in enabling us to assess
the tax. It was mainly owing to this very excellent
information, placed by you at the service of the Com-
mission, that we were able to carry it out so successfully.”
It was intended that Sir Cowasjee's services in this
respect should be rewarded with a seat on the Legislative
Council, but before the honour could be conferred upon
him, he was struck down by the grave malady which
confined him to the house for the remainder of his life,
and effectually prevented his taking part in public affairs,
although he did not allow it to interfere with his control
of his own business or the dispensation of his philanthropy.
Lae
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TOW N M A N S I ON,
OVER A CENTURY OLL).
CHURCHGATE ST. FORT,
BOMBAY.
CAS LLUMINATED WHEN HER MAJESTY WAS PROCLAIMED EMPRESS OF INDIA.)







I9
In May, 1871, he received the Companionship of the
Order of the Star of India, and in June, 1872, he was
created a Knight of the United Kingdom. Both these
dignities were universally recognised as being well deserved,
and constituted an appropriate recognition of the services
which this worthy Parsee merchant had rendered to humanity
at large, as well as to his own fellow-citizens.
The Bombay community was not slow to recognise
that in honouring him an honour had been conferred by
the Sovereign on them all, and an address of congratu-
lation, signed by 2,OOO citizens, including the Lord Bishop,
the members of the Governing Council, the Judges, etc.,
etc., was presented to Sir Cowasjee while confined to his
room in his family house at Churchgate Street, by the
most prominent representatives of the European and native
inhabitants. This deputation waited upon him in October,
1872, and at the same time presented a formal request
to Sir Cowasjee to allow a statue to be prepared of him,
for which purpose a public subscription of about 25,000
rupees had already been raised. It will be appropriate to
quote some of the speeches made on this occasion.
2O .
Mr. John Connon, the Chief Magistrate, said:—
“The honourable gentlemen here present I think do
themselves honour in being so present assisting at this
ceremony, making, as it were, a consensus of opinion, native
and European, to do honour to a man who has spread
out his hands to help all classes of men, whether they
were worshippers of the rising or the setting sun or not.
His sun at all events has been goodness, truth, courage,
and integrity above everything; and these make a noble
sun to honour.”
Sir Cowasjee in his reply thus expressed himself:-
“Let me assure you that in my feeble efforts to
assist the poor I have only imitated the good works of
my forefathers — an example of which was honourably
acknowledged by a former Governor of this Presidency
more than a century ago. I pray that this feeling may
continue among those who will inherit my name, and that
so long as the name of Readymoney may exist it shall
always be found associated with loyalty and philanthropy.
I trust that my statue when erected will induce many of

2 I
my countrymen, of all classes and creeds, to remember
that there is more real pleasure in giving than receiving,
and that it is our duty to bestow on others a portion of
the good gifts with which we have been blessed by
God’s mercy.”
Besides the address presented by his fellow-citizens
of Bombay, several addresses were presented to Sir
Cowasjee by numerous deputations on behalf of associations
and charitable institutions, and representing the inhabitants
of other towns throughout India.
Before proceeding further it may be stated that the
statue was entrusted to the sympathetic hand of Mr.
Woolner, and that as the result of his labours, an expres-
sive and noble figure long ornamented the University Hall
of Bombay. It was removed by his son Mr. Jehanghier
to a more conspicuous position at the entrance of the
University Hall which bore his name, as it was believed
that the Bombay public would thus get a better view of
their benefactor.
Mr. Woolner's heroic (sized) statue of Sir Cowasjee
22
Jehanghier Readymoney, the distinguished Parsee of
Bombay, represents — according to The Athenaeum — the
subject standing erect with his hands interlocked before
him; the fingers, so to say, locked together; the arms
extended downwards. The attitude is distinctly upright,
without effort or the self assertion which is the vice of
modern Sculptural design when it is not utterly tame and
trivial. The feet are planted well on the ground and in
a graceful way a little apart; the head is held erect, and
the eyes look straightforwards, and if at all otherwise a
little downwards, just as tall men are apt to look. The
figure wears full robes and the Parsee hat. The face is
said to be a capital likeness, and is certainly remarkable
for fine modelling and a general vivacity of expression.
The draperies have been most carefully studied and are
beautifully composed. The whole looks like what it is—a
simply designed, but noble and graceful, work of high
art, the complete execution of which is in keeping with
the spontaneity of its conception.
In the same connexion it may be noted, in the way
of public honour, that when His Royal Highness the
|
|
SIR COWASJEE JEHANGHTER, KT. C.S.I.,
MAR BLE STATUE, by Woo LNER Esq., R. A.



23
Prince of Wales visited Bombay, he honoured Sir
Cowasjee by presenting him with a silver medal, a book,
and a portrait of himself and of his amiable Princess.
The history of one of the most noteworthy of all .
Sir Cowasjee's donations is told in the following corres-
pondence, relating to his gift of £2OO as a thank-offering
for the recovery of His Royal Highness the Prince of
Wales from the illness which, so nearly proved fatal. The
correspondence appeared in the Times of 26th January,
1872, and was sent to that paper by Mr. Hugh Owen,
secretary of the London Fever Hospital. The present
Sir George, then Dr. Birdwood, wrote on 24th January
as follows to Mr. Owen :-
“I have the honour to hand over to you the enclosed
order on the Bank of England for £200 sterling from
Mr. Cowasjee Jehanghier Readymoney, C.S.I., the well-
known Parsee merchant of Bombay. In his letter of 14th
December to me he says:– “This gift I make as a free-
will offering in token of my heartfelt joy at the recovery
of the Prince of Wales from his severe and distressing
24
illness.” Mr. Readymoney's direction to me was, ‘in
conjunction with a member of the India Council to devote
the amount among the most deserving institutions in
London for the amelioration of the poor.’ I therefore
went to Sir Bartle Frere, the late Governor of Bombay,
and begged him to refer to His Royal Highness the
Prince of Wales as to the institutions among which His
Royal Highness might wish the money to be divided.
In reply, the private secretary writes:– “His Royal
Highness finds himself placed in a position of some
delicacy. London abounds in so many excellent charities
that he thinks it would be an invidious and a most
difficult task for him to make a selection. If, however,
he might be allowed to make a selection, he would
propose that a portion of the sum in question should be
forwarded to the London Fever Hospital, in consideration
of the illness from which, by the mercy of God and the
skill of his physicians, His Royal Highness has just
happily recovered.' . . . . The suggestion is so good that
I have made the whole amount of the order payable to
your treasurer. It were a pity to divide it. Sir Bartle
25
approves of my determination, and I know that Mr. Ready-
money will with all his heart and mind.”
On this act Punch printed the following amusing
commentary:—“No mistake in the name. As “a thanks-
offering from India,’ a contemporary announces that, on
account of the recovery of the Prince of Wales, a charitable
donation of £2OO has been sent to London by Mr. Cowasjee
Jehanghier Readymoney. Anybody would have given Mr.
Readymoney credit for having earned his name, and now
everybody must see that he well deserves it. Is Mr.
Readymoney a Parsee 2 At any rate he is the reverse of
Parsi-monious.”
Sir Cowasjee Jehanghier did not become famous, nor
will he be remembered on account of the dignity with
which he discharged his civic duties, and it was not
by taking an active part in the administration of public
affairs that he gained the high esteem in which he
was held by his contemporaries, who knew and
admired the character of the man. The harsh decree
26
which confined him to the house from a tedious and
painful malady during the last fourteen years of his
life, prevented his playing that part in civic and legislative
circles for which his experience and position alike suited
him. His work as a Justice of the Peace, as a Conservator,
and as a Commissioner of Income Tax, showed what he
might have done, had not considerations of health inter-
vened and put a peremptory end to his public occupa-
tions. We have now to consider that more magnanimous
character of a philanthropist in which he gained a world-
wide reputation, that affords the principal motive for the
preparation of this biography and its ample justification.
It was as a philanthropist that Sir Cowasjee Jehanghier
became famous, and it is now time to specify and place
on permanent record the objects of his philanthropy, and
to describe the course of a charity which was thoroughly
catholic in its dispensation.
Charity was an inherited virtue in the family of
Readymoney. Sorabjee Readymoney in 1790 fed 2,000
people daily during a great famine which fell upon Bombay
in that year. It was a noteworthy feature of his charity
27
that no discrimination was to be made between race and
religion among those succoured. Sorabjee was also the
patron of many Bombay charities, and he specially dis-
tinguished himself by his aid to his suffering kinsmen in
Gujarat. In 1805 Ardasir Dady, Sir Cowasjee's maternal
grandfather, distinguished himself in a like manner by
feeding 5,000 people for three weeks during a similar
visitation. It will thus be seen that both on the maternal
and the paternal side Sir Cowasjee inherited instincts of
charity and an example of benevolence.
The first charitable work with which Sir Cowasjee's
name was publicly associated on a large Scale was the
Hospital at Surat. In a letter, dated 26th February,
1857, to the Bombay Government, Sir Cowasjee stated
that during a recent visit he had been struck by the want
of a Hospital at Surat, which had been the early seat of
both the Parsees and the East India Company. He offered
to contribute towards the construction of a suitable building
the sum of 30,000 rupees. The correspondence relating
to this project went on for a period of three years, and
in the end Sir Cowasjee contributed not less than 66,000
28
rupees towards the realisation of his design. The delay
had proved very tedious, and the following characteristic
letter from Sir Cowasjee shows how quite unnecessary it
was. The letter was dated Bombay, 26th May, 1860,
and addressed to Mr. A. F. Bellasis : —
“DEAR SIR, I am gratified to receive your kind note
with the copy of your letter to Government on the
Hospital. I am very much indebted to you for the interest
you took in it. All the delay that occurred I attribute
to the Department of Chief Engineer, who is a very lazy
man and neglectful. Last year he never even remembered
to open the second designs sent in by gentlemen, on his
invitation by public advertisement, for weeks after the
proper advertised time to open, and when opened he did
not bring the result with expedition as any business man
would have done. To prevent any delay I left everything
to Government, which you will observe from my corres-
pondence.
“Even when, by the reckless manner of advertisement
inviting tenders for designs, re-advertising when none
29
accepted, he must have incurred expenses at least nearly,
if not fully, equal to the amount of prize, I never inter-
fered, fearing he might think I was obstructing him.”
His final letter to the Government of Bombay, com-
pleting the payment for the Hospital building, is also
interesting. It is dated 20th January, 1863 :—
6 & sº- had the honour to receive your letter, dated
this day, just now, and have the pleasure to enclose you
a cheque on the Bombay Bank for 21,042 rupees (twenty
one thousand and forty-two) the full sum of extras,
II,955 rupees and 1,436 rupees for clock tower, and
7,652 rupees for fence walling, gate, and approaches, etC.
“Please convey my best thanks to the Governor in
Council for their offer of paying the moiety of excess,
5,977 rupees, which I consider a most liberal offer on the
part of the Government; but as I wished from the outset
the building should be at my expense, I therefore beg
most respectfully to decline their offer to pay the moiety
of excess.
“I beg most respectfully that the Government will
3O
thoroughly examine all accounts, etc., etc., and to see that
the expenditure has been carefully superintended, and an
order should be sent immediately to carry on the works
for Outhouses, railing, and finishing the Hospital vigorously.
Accept my best thanks for your kindness in bringing the
subject to a speedy termination.”
The Hospital was formally opened by the late Sir
Bartle Frere, then Governor of Bombay, but Sir Cowasjee’s
health did not admit of his being present. The event
went off with great éclat, and Sir Cowasjee received con-
gratulations from all sides. The Secretary of State, in a
despatch written in April, 1863, conveyed his special
thanks for his “munificent liberality.”
The correspondence relating to the Surat Hospital
had not closed when Sir Cowasjee made a second noble
offer to alleviate suffering humanity. This was to provide
at his own expense an Eye Hospital for Bombay. Sir
Charles Wood, then Secretary of State, wrote the following
despatch on this offer:-
"AVE WOE 'H√TT TIOź
“Tº Li-ISOH OIWNT， HILHAO HEIH9Nv HB'ſ 33^S\7/WOO HIS
（~~~~. ：）
）：- （）-
= |-
| | |
·
ſae， №ĪTI

3 I
“THE INDIA OFFICE, LONDON,
“25th Žune, 1863.
“HIS ExCELLENCY THE Governor IN COUNCIL, BOMBAY.
“SIR,--I have considered in Council your letters, dated
28th March and 13th April, 1863, relating to the munificent
offer of Mr. Cowasjee Jehanghier to contribute 50,000
rupees towards the construction of an Eye Hospital on
the premises of the Grant Medical College.
“I do not doubt that the construction of a building
especially adapted for the treatment of diseases of the eye
will be found highly beneficial, and I have to request that
Mr. Cowasjee Jehanghier may be informed of the high
sense I entertain of his liberality in contributing so largely
towards the provision of such a building.”
It will be observed that Sir Cowasjee's offer was one
of 50,000 rupees, but the total cost of erecting the building
proved to be 97,143 rupees, all of which he defrayed.
The Governor-General in Council sent their acknowledg-
ments to “the philanthropic donor,” and Sir Charles Wood
wrote from London to express “the sincere thanks of Her
32
Majesty's Government to Mr. Cowasjee Jehanghier.”
Finally, at a meeting of the Government of Bombay in
Council, the following resolution was passed:—
“His Excellency the Governor in Council congratu-
lates Mr. Cowasjee Jehanghier on the completion of this
building, which will prove a lasting memorial of his
philanthropy.”
The Civil Engineering College at Poonah was another
monument of his generosity. His principal motive in con-
tributing 50,000 rupees towards this Institution was to
provide his fellow-countrymen with the means of taking up
and pursuing another learned profession, and full credit for that
motive is given in the tablet of inscription placed within the
building. The speech made, on the occasion of his opening
the College in 1865, by the late Sir Bartle Frere, who had
always appreciated the work of Sir Cowasjee Jehanghier,
affords ample evidence of what that sympathetic and broad-
minded statesman thought of the philanthropic acts of the
Parsee benefactor. Sir Bartle Frere spoke as follows:—
"Hº NOOd
‘HONEIOS -JO 393-1-TOO HEIH9Nv HET BETSV/WOO HIS

33
“We have in the first place to perform this day a
duty of justice and gratitude in acknowledging the noble
benefactions of Mr. Cowasſee Jehanghier Readymoney, to
whom we owe it that this building when completed may
be something better than a commodious shed. I greatly
regret that the state of his health prevents Mr. Cowasjee
from being here present to-day to receive in person an
acknowledgment for his liberality. But his absence has at
least one advantage, that it permits me to speak more
unreservedly than I should otherwise have ventured to do
of our obligations to him, and to refer to one or two
circumstances connected with his gift which are so cha-
racteristic of him that I cannot forbear to call them to
your recollection. Thus it will, I know, interest many
here present to be reminded that his offer of 45,000
towards building this College was coupled with the gift of
a similar sum to aid the Strangers' Friend Society in
building a home in Bombay for destitute Europeans.
This, as you know, is not by any means a solitary
instance of his liberality, and the gift was marked by
other traits no less characteristic of the practical business-
34
like habits without which such liberality must too often
fail to secure its object. The large sums he contributed
were paid into the Treasury as soon as he was aware
that his benefaction had been accepted. On this as on
all other occasions Mr. Cowasjee Jehanghier was anxious
to justify the thoroughly English surname which he had
chosen for himself, and acted in accordance with what
was the old boast of the great native merchants of Bombay,
and will, I trust, ever continue to be the practice of all
that deserve to be numbered among that honourable body
—that their word was as good as their bond. . . . I feel
assured that in assisting to open to his countrymen a
new liberal and independent profession, Mr. Cowasjee
Jehanghier has not only done well for his own fame and
conferred a lasting benefit upon his own people, but that
he has also added his contribution to the strength and
stability of our empire in India.”
The Strangers' Home referred to in Sir Bartle Frere's
speech had been suggested by Sir Cowasjee and sanctioned
by the Government at the same time as the Poonah
35
Engineering College. On 7th March, 1863, Sir Cowasjee
deposited with Government the 50,000 rupees he had
promised. Great remissness was shown in carrying out
the project, and on 22nd March, 1871, more than seven
years afterwards, Sir Cowasjee wrote the Secretary to
Government the following angry letter:—
“SIR, -- Since 1863, when I paid Messrs. Ritchie,
Stewart, and Co., for building a Home for European
Strangers, 50,000 rupees on certain conditions, which
building business was afterwards transferred to Govern-
ment, and up to now no such house is built, I consider
all the correspondence on the subject is at an end, and
I demand instant return of my money with interest. I
consider Government has treated very badly not only me
but also the poor destitute Europeans. My increased ill-
ness suggests that I should do some other charity with
the said money.”
The matter was not finally settled until the early part
of 1873, when certain categorical propositions put forward
36
by Sir Cowasjee as the conditions on which he would
allow his donation in 1863 of 50,000 rupees, with accumu-
lated interest, to remain for the benefit of the Strangers'
Fund, were accepted by the Government. The principal of
these were that the Fund be called the Sir Cowasſee
Jehanghier Fund for the relief of poor suffering Europeans,
that Government should take charge of the Fund and
allow 6 per cent. on it, and that a suitable Home for the
European Strangers' Friend Society should be provided by
Government with as little delay as possible.
The correspondence relating to this long pending
transaction was necessarily voluminous, and expression is
given in many of his letters to Sir Cowasjee's disappoint-
ment at the manner in which the matter had been allowed
to hang fire. Sir Cowasjee felt more than anything else
that he might personally be held to share in the blame
for the delay. Space may therefore be made for the
following letter, dated January, 1873, to his valued friend,
Sir George Birdwood.
, “My DEAR BIRDwooD,-From the above you will
37
*.
observe instead of 50,000 rupees, my agreement which was
delayed fulfilling by Bombay Government up to now, I
give up interest also, and that is an additional gift on
my part of 22,OOO rupees which I am not bound to pay,
as note was deposited only for security for fulfilment of
my agreement on distinct understanding interest to be
returned to me when building commenced to build, which
is not built yet. In the meantime, I suffered by the
report spread by my enemies that I broke my agreement,
in which any sane man will pronounce I was perfectly
right. Please take this letter, in justice to myself, to any
gentlemen who have such impression that I am not
fulfilling my promise, and to clear me from such fault at
once, and write me, please, so that I remain satisfied
that I left no enemy in this world.
“Yours sincerely, CowASJEE JEHANGHIER.”
It is now time to describe the most important of all
his benefactions, viz.: his - gifts of two lakhs (2OO,OOO
rupees) to the Elphinstone College and of one lakh for a
Hall for the Bombay University. On January 31st, 1863,
38
Sir Cowasjee addressed the following letter to the Secretary
of the Bombay Government.
“SIR,--The want of a suitable College building has
been very much felt in Bombay for years past, and the
Hon. Mr. Erskine when here exerted himself very much
to have one erected, but, for want of the support of the
community, the matter remained in abeyance. Last year,
when Baboola Tank premises was considered unsuitable, a
great difficulty arose how to provide for additional rent for
engaging another building—the Tankerville. Through the
exertion of Sir A. Grant, the difficulty was temporarily
removed by receiving contributions from a few native
gentlemen. The lease of the Tankerville expires in about
twelve months, after which much higher rent will have to
be paid. The day before yesterday I called on Sir A,
Grant, Bart., and offered to pay to Government, towards
building a new College, IOO,OOO rupees, provided Govern-
ment pay the rest, whatever required, to purchase site and
complete the building, etc., etc., that are required not
only for the present but future wants of the place, and
39
which are to be kept in good condition afterwards at the
expense of Government, and in case—which God forbid!—
the building falls or is destroyed, through whatever cause,
the same should be rebuilt at the expense of Government.
The building ought to have within its walls or in detached
premises a gymnasium, boarding house for mofussil boys,
and, in short, whatever is considered necessary by Sir A.
Grant. The building to be erected under entire control of
Government, which is also to have discretion in selecting
site. In case amount on part of Government exceeds a
lakh, Government is to pay more, and the present usual
rule of half by half should be waived in this undertaking,
which is a national one and for general public good, and
not confined to the purposes of my or any one religion.
“The above offer I make with my heartfelt and
sincere pleasure, seeing the Government is composed of
active and energetic members, and that ever to be
worshipped its present head, His Excellency the Governor,
for his general desire to do public good, and hope, there-
fore, to see that the new College, if terms are suitable
to Government, will be built and ready by May 1st, 1864.”
4O
The official reply, dated February 7th, 1863, to this
offer may well be given :-
“SIR,--I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of
your letter dated 31st January last, offering to contribute
the sum of rupees one lakh towards the construction of
a suitable building in Bombay, on the following con-
ditions, viz.:-1, That the Government contribute an
equal sum ; 2, That no other private individual be invited
to subscribe; 3, That it be promptly begun and carried
Out.
“In reply, I am desired to inform you that His
Excellency the Governor in Council has much satisfaction
in accepting your munificent offer on the conditions
prescribed. It will also afford His Excellency in Council
much gratification to associate your name with the building.
“With the view of determining the best means of
giving effect to the Grant, a committee has been appointed,
composed of the gentlemen named in the margin (Sir A.
Grant, Bart., E. I. Howard, Esq., G. M. Birdwood,
Esq., M.D.), with whom I am desired to request you will
associate yourself as a member.
4 I
“His Excellency in Council will have great pleasure
in bringing to the notice of Her Majesty's Government
this further proof of the enlightened interest which you
have long evinced in the advancement of education in
Bombay.
“I have, etc., H. L. ANDERSON, Chief Secretary.”
On February 11th, Sir Cowasjee replied, enclosing his
cheque for the lakh of rupees, and at the same time
respectfully declining a seat on the Committee, as he had
every confidence in the judgment of Government. This
noble offer so promptly carried into effect, naturally evoked
loud expressions of public and official recognition. The
Government of India expressed its high satisfaction at
“this fresh instance of Mr. Cowasjee Jehanghier’s en-
lightened liberality.”
Sir Bartle Frere wrote on April 30th, 1863, from
Mahableshwar, the following letter to the princely donor:-
“MY DEAR SIR,--- Sir Alexander Grant has told me
of your munificent gift of a lakh of rupees for University
42
Buildings. I need not tell you how highly pleased I am
at this fresh instance of enlightened liberality, and how
much gratified I shall feel in reporting it to the Governor-
General and to Her Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State.
I make no doubt but that we shall be able to arrange
for meeting your wishes with regard to completing the
building at Government expense, without further appeal to
private liberality beyond your own magnificent gift. By
this I mean such an integral portion of the Buildings
which the University will require as shall form in itself a
separate monument of your generous desire to Contribute
to the wants of the University. You are doubtless aware
of the almost infinite extension of such wants as time rolls
on, and as the duties as well as the needs of the
University increase. You would, I am sure, wish to see
the example you have so worthily set, followed by a
numerous body of University benefactors in this and in
many succeeding generations; and you would not, I am
sure, wish to debar the University from looking forward to
a constant succession of such benefactors, nor to exclude
them from following your example by adding to and
43
endowing the edifice which you will have the credit of
having been the first to raise.
“Believe me, MY DEAR SIR, very truly yours,
“ H. B. E. F.R.E.R.E.”
Sir Cowasjee's reply to this letter should also be
read:—
“My DEAR SIR,-Last week I had the honour to
receive your Excellency’s letter as to the new building
for the Bombay University. I am intensely gratified to
see my offer being entertained. This is a further proof
of your liberal and energetic Government, for I only
addressed to Sir A. Grant on Tuesday, and the same
replied from Mahableshwar on the following Thursday, the
3oth ult. I owe already a debt of gratitude to your
Excellency for personally taking laborious and painstaking
interest in bringing arrangements to a close in so short
a time for erecting three most magnificent buildings, that
were urgently needed for years past for the benefit of the
general community, which, if your Excellency will allow
me to say so, would in former days have taken five years.
44
Your Excellency's Government will supply, I am sure,
Bombay's wants for fifty years in advance, and will bring
all its arrears of fifty years back. May every happiness
and blessing attend you and yours.”
His liberality, as will be seen, did not stop with the
gift of one lakh. A site was selected, the designs of
Mr. Trubshawe for a noble building were passed, and work
towards its erection commenced—all with remarkable and
commendable promptitude and celerity. At this stage a
hitch occurred through the cost considerably exceeding the
estimate, and again Sir Cowasjee came to the rescue, as
is explained in the following letter to Sir Alexander Grant,
dated June 23rd, 1864:--
“MY DEAR SIR ALEXANDER,- It has been brought to
my notice that the Committee for carrying out the Elphin-
stone College Buildings, which are to bear my name, find
themselves in difficulties owing to the high prices of
labour and materials at present ruling in Bombay. I hear
that the design which you selected for the College Build-
45
mº and which was estimated by the Civil Arc
cost only one lakh and eighty thousand rupees,
now be executed for less than four lakhs and fifty t
rupees.
“Under these circumstances, I am willing a
come forward and offer to Government another la
rupees, making in all two lakhs, as my contributić
the Elphinstone College Buildings.
“But, in order to prevent all misunderstanding
disappointment for the future, I beg to stipulate tha
make this offer on condition that Government will unc
take to find all the remainder of the sum for carrying
Mr. Trubshawe's design; secondly, that they will, ca
out that design intact, except So far as improvements a
additions are concerned; thirdly, that the buildings 111.
be bond ſide commenced within six weeks from this dat
And if the above conditions be not accepted, or if an
of them be violated, I shall beg to retract the offe
which I now make.
“Yours sincerely,
“COWASJEE JEHANGHIER.”











46
Bartle Frere, who was then Governor of Bombay,
o had gained the hearts of the people of India
ready sympathy, hastened to reply to this letter,
e did on the following day:—
My DEAR SIR,- I have just heard from Sir
inder Grant of your noble offer to forward the
etion of the Elphinstone College. I will not await
arrival of his official letter before thanking you
such an act of well-judged liberality, which is
uliarly gratifying to me, whether I regard it as
vernor of the Presidency, or as the Chancellor of the
liversity. I trust now that I may have the pleasure
no distant period of congratulating you on the Com-
etion of the College, and that you may long live to
e the younger members of your community trained to
arning and sound morals in the building your liberality
will have provided.
“Believe me, MY DEAR SIR,
“Very faithfully yours,
“H. B. E. FRERE.”












47
At the laying of the foundation-stone of the
Elphinstone College buildings on 7th March, 1866 Sir
Bartle Frere made the following encomiastic remarks on
the subject of Sir Cowasjee's liberality:-
“I need not tell you how much satisfaction it gives
me to comply with your request to be present this day,
and to lay the corner-stone of this building. It is not
on an occasion like this that there is much of novelty
in what can be said, but there are some features in the
history of this day's proceedings which I should be sorry
to let pass without a word of comment; and in particular
let me bring to your recollection that the gentleman
to whose liberality we owe this building is not the first
of his family who has thus distinguished himself. I find
that a paternal ancestor of his was one of those to whom
Bombay and the Parsees of Bombay are indebted for their
share in the great China trade. Heerjee, who is still well
remembered among the older inhabitants of Bombay, was
the first, in conjunction with the founder of the great
house of Forbes and Company, to commence that trade
48
which has enriched so many of his countrymen. It was
he who by the promptude and punctuality of his
payments obtained for his descendants the honourable and
characteristic name of Readymoney, and I lately found in
some unpublished letters of the great Duke of Wellington
—not in one letter, but in three or four addressed to the
then Governor of Madras and the Governor-General of
India—records of his opinion of the firm, and expressions
of his belief that that firm had made their mercantile
undertakings subservient to the good of the British
Government in Western India. I am told, too, that on
his maternal side the gentleman to whose liberality we
owe this building is descended from one who is still
1emembered as a leader of the Parsees in his day, and
of whom it is told that the Governor of those days,
Mr. Jonathan Duncan, ordered the great bell of St.
Thomas’ Church to be tolled, as a testimony of the
public respect to his memory, as his funeral passed by.
These things are not insignificant in a community like that
of the Parsees.”
49
A subsequent delay chafed Sir Cowasjee's spirit so
much that on 22nd May, 1867, he addressed the Governor
of Bombay, Sir Vesey Fitzgerald, the following eminently
characteristic letter:—
“RIGHT HONOURABLE SIR,-On the 8th August, 1863,
I paid rupees one lakh, and the remaining cost to be
defrayed by Government, for erecting a building for the
Bombay University. The site was chosen opposite Church-
gate Street entrance on the Esplanade. I have heard
nothing further this last four years. The materials are
now greatly cheaper, owing to the late cessation of building
mania in Bombay. Allow me to suggest that Government
should take immediate action in the matter. Pardon the
liberty I take in addressing your Excellency this letter,
as Government machinery is so unwieldy that a force of
elephants could not move it unless your Excellency takes
personal interest, as the subject of this letter is of public
importance. The late, my much esteemed, Governor, Sir
Bartle Frere, was always willing to hear from me on
such subjects, and he always took personal interest in

50
all my public charity which not only helped people, but
also helped Government very much, because Government
is bound to erect all these public buildings, and I think
whatever help I contribute in such undertakings is to be
considered a Saving from public revenue—the contributors
to the latter are poor cultivators of the interior.”
Sir Cowasjee was, naturally, most anxious that full
effect should be given to the original arrangement, by
which his name would be closely associated and identified
with the new College buildings, and so, in 1869, we find
him approaching the Government on the subject, and
quoting what had been said many years before by the
Committee entrusted with the execution of the design.
Their words were to the following effect:– “ The Com-
mittee are of opinion that the edifice should be called
‘Cowasjee Jehanghier Buildings; ' this name will bear
nearly the same relation to Elphinstone College as
Neville's Buildings does to Trinity College, Cambridge,
or the ‘Canterbury’ and “Peckwater’ quadrangles do to
Christ Church, Oxford. The name of Elphinstone College
5 I
—a national institution, the first college that was affiliated
to the University of Bombay, cannot, of course, be altered.”
Effect was given to the donor’s wishes by the erection of
a marble tablet over the centre door, bearing the following
inscription :-
“The Cowasjee Jehanghier Buildings, for the use of the
Elphinstone College, were erected at a cost of rupees,
of which two lakhs were contributed by Mr. Cowasjee
Jehanghier Readymoney, C.S.I. ; completed 18 .”
In March, 1874, Sir Cowasjee voluntarily sent IO,OOO
rupees for the special purpose of furnishing the Hall, as
indicated in the following letter:—
“SIR,--I have the pleasure to enclose you a cheque on
Oriental Bank Corporation for IO,OOO rupees, to CO11111162111C)-
rate the auspicious and eventful day of inaugurating the
(with His Excellency’s permission) Sir Cowasjee Jehanghier
Hall for University, by furnishing with furniture, and Govern-
ment is to pay usual share, or their part, 2O,OOO rupees,
so in all 30,000 rupees, which will enable Government
to purchase furniture of first class, and purchase for the
same to be ordered through some responsible persons
who have knowledge of such things.” The Government
of Bombay were unable to accept the conditions imposed
by the donor, when Sir Cowasjee presented the sum
unfettered by any conditions.
Among his minor benefactions may be mentioned his
founding of a Lunatic Asylum at Hydrabad, in Scinde, Sir
Cowasjee had originally wished to patronise or endow some
public work at Kurrachee, but on official representation
he decided to found a Lunatic Asylum at Hydrabad.
Sir Alexander Grant pointed out to him that as the people
of Scinde did not like the climate of Kurrachee it should
be constructed at the old capital of the Province. Sir
Cowasjee's offer was contained in the following letter,
dated 13th February, 1868:—
“SIR,-Sir A. Grant, Bart., who returned from Scinde
the day before yesterday, informed me that he had found
great want of a Lunatic Asylum with gardens attached at
Hydrabad, in Scinde. I therefore beg to offer 50,000
53
rupees towards a substantially-built building, and a large
garden, if Government will defray the remainder of the
cost, whatever it may be, and maintain the same at Govern-
ment’s charge. An assistant surgeon or surgeon of the
Government’s covenanted service should be its Superin-
tendent, as now at Bombay.
“The offer I now make is with the view of saving
so much of the public revenue, and at the same time
helping the people of Scinde to provide for their lunatics
without asking subscriptions from them. It is also a great
satisfaction to me that I conscientiously discharge my
duty to Him who has entrusted me with a little of His
worldly riches with a command that I should judiciously
spend the same wherever need be, towards providing for
the helpless, of whatever caste or creed. The asylum
must always be in charge of covenanted doctors
under Government service, as at present in Colaba
Asylum for Bombay Presidency. The building and gar-
den to be kept in repair for ever. The Government
will be pleased to send me final answer on 13th May,
1.e., within next three months.”
54
After some correspondence, relating more to the amount
of Government supervision than to the institution itself,
the proposed building was sanctioned and commenced,
and Sir Cowasjee handed over his promised contribution
of 50,000 rupees. One passage in this letter calls for
notice, as showing the quaintness and the practicality of Sir
Cowasjee's views and language. He wrote:–“I beg most
earnestly the attention of Government for the building
to be built of modern style, so as to be attractive to the
passers-by, who may inquire, and finding what it contains
may go in and drop some money for the additional comforts
of their co-creatures, the lunatics, and at the same time,
for centuries to come, such style of buildings will give
reflection with high honour to the name of Englishmen’s
architecture.”
Minor, but still interesting, objects of his munificence
were the fountain in front of the Cathedral, which was
erected at a cost of IO,OOO rupees from the designs of
the late Sir Gilbert Scott; a grant of 8,000 rupees to
the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society for the
purchase of coins and teak presses; and a gift of several
55
thousand rupees for the construction of a clock tower at
Kapurwange. In connection with the last named gift, the
ever- increasing amount of the estimated cost caused the
donor considerable vexation, and drew from him the
following exceedingly characteristic letter, dated 18th June,
1867:—
“My DEAR SIR, -Your kind letter to hand of
14th inst., and regret much to hear the estimated cost
of the clock tower at Kapurwange further increased
at once to 350 per cent. from its original estimate
after being very carefully made by professional engineers.
First it was 1,500 rupees, and then I received final
estimate increased to 2,000 rupees. The latter sum I
paid at once, and an increase of 25 per cent. is not a
little. I must now beg most respectfully to decline to
pay any further sum.
“It is the mistake of the Kapurwange people, who, if
not legally, are morally bound to complete the tower at
their own expense, as all the arrangements up to now
have been in their hands and I never interfered. I am

56
a perfect stranger to the place, and only obeyed the
commands of Him who entrusted to my care a little of
worldly riches that I should always spend for the welfare
of His creatures. The inhabitants of Kapurwange alone
will derive benefit from it.”
It is scarcely surprising that these repeated acts of
munificence attracted as much attention at the hands of
the Press as of Government. The 77mes wrote as follows
on the subject of Sir Cowasjee's benefactions:—
“This Parsee merchant has, with the most large-
hearted liberality, spent his fortune in works of public
utility and charity, without respect of race or creed, in
those whom he has so assisted. His private charities
have been many, and the sum of his public benefactions
amounts to 1,270,508 rupees.”
The opinion of a leading Anglo-Indian Journal, 7%e
Bombay Gazette, is also well worth recording :—
“His princely donations given for works of public
------- ~~. --- *** --------------"

57
utility and his contributions for the relief of the suffering
and the distressed in all parts of India and Europe, have
established his claim to the character of a philanthropist,
and it was, perhaps, no violent straining of a metaphor
to call him the ‘Peabody of the East.’ His charity has
been almost always singularly discriminating, and if it
had occasionally a tendency to arrest attention, yet it was
always dispensed without a distinction of colour or creed.
His donations to various charities and public institutions
in England and on the Continent have made his name
familiar to many in the West, while in India his bene-
factions have long entitled him to the respect and gratitude
of all classes of people. For nearly a quarter of a century
(1872) his charity has continued to flow in all directions,
and he is said to have given in this way nearly fifteen
lakhs of rupees.”
Among his charitable gifts of a cosmopolitan character
none was more calculated to attract attention than his
donation of £1,000 to the fund in aid of the wounded
during the great Franco-German war. The gift was made in
58
the accompanying letter to Sir Bartle Frere:—
“BOMBAY, Ioth Sep', mēer, 1870.
“My DEAR SIR,- I have the pleasure to enclose you
a bill for 4, 1,000, costing me Io,726 rupees at Is. IOśd.,
at sight, drawn by Oriental Bank Corporation on Bank
of England, and I have endorsed to your good self,
which please realise and pay to the Prussian and French
authorities on my behalf. A 500 to each of them, for
distribution among their wounded of the armies presently
engaged in several battles in Europe.
“Though the occurrence took place in a foreign
land at so great a distance, I could not obtain a peace
to my mind ever since the fearful slaughter and maiming
of human beings; now from this day I shall satisfy
myself that I served people in great distress with little money
I can spare to forward for the good of my co-creatures.
“You must pardon the trouble I put you in, but you
will forgive me when I say you were my good and
honoured late Governor of Bombay. . . . Please inform the
Secretary of State for India, officially, of the deed of one
59
*
of Her Majesty’s Indian subjects assisting England's neigh-
‘bours in their distress.
“I remain, MY DEAR SIR, yours sincerely,
“CowASJEE JEHANGHIER.”
In concluding the list of Sir Cowasjee's benefactions,
reference may be made to the assistance he rendered the
sufferers by a great fire in the Camatepoora district in
1850, when a large number of small houses were destroyed,
and their inmates rendered homeless. He went to their
rescue in their extreme need, personally investigated the
cases of the applicants for relief, and disbursed upwards
of 1,200 rupees in rebuilding 40 habitations. In 1852 he
gave 3,500 rupees to the funds of the Sir Jamsetjee
Jeejeebhoy Parsee Benevolent Institution; 1,000 rupees to
the Perry Testimonial Fund; and sums of 600 rupees and
more to the Bandora Charitable Dispensary, the Lawrie
School of Industry, then under the charge of the late
Dr. George Buist, and other institutions. In 1857 he
presented 1,000 rupees to the Scottish Orphanage Clothing
Fund, and in subsequent years I,500 rupees to the
--- -------> -º-º-º-º-º-º-º-º------ *-* ----------
6O
Building Fund, and two other sums of 1,000 rupees each
besides to distribute
540 rupees
for general purposes,
Sweetmeats to the little children, in remembrance of Sir
Joseph Arnould, late a judge of the Supreme and High
Courts at Bombay, on the anniversary of his birthday.
In 1861, during the famine in the North-West Provinces,
he contributed 1,000 rupees to the Relief Fund, but he
did a great deal more on this occasion than to make this
money gift. Money was immediately required for prompt
relief, and pending the collections to be made, he came
forward and placed 90,000 rupees, in cash, at the disposal
of Government, without security and without interest. He
also contributed 5,000 rupees to the Albert Orphanage;
540 rupees for experiments in vaccination; 3,810 rupees
to the funds for poor and distressed Persian Zoroastrians;
2,000 rupees to the Lancashire Relief Fund; 1,000 rupees
I8,920 rupees, in
to the Manchester Distress Fund; and
small sums, for relief to sufferers from famine or lack of
work. His thoughtfulness extended even to the thirsty way-
farer, for whom he provided drinking fountains throughout
Bombay at a cost of 22,000 rupees. Sir Cowasjee seems
| |
|
--
I
---
|||
º


6 I
to have regarded drinking fountains as supplying one of
the chief wants of humanity—which is not surprising in
the inhabitant of an Eastern country—for he gave 13,540
rupees for the erection of the Regent's Park Fountain,
which bears his name, and which was opened by Her
Royal Highness the Princess Mary of Teck in 1869. ** He's
also gave 7,500 rupees for a pillar in Colaba Church,
in memory of those who fell in the Afghan War; 5,000
rupees for the St. Zavier's College Tower; 2,500 rupees
to the Victoria Museum; I, IOO rupees to the East India
Association; 35,000 rupees to the English School Fund
of the Nowsaree Madrasa; 5,000 rupees to the Parsee
Punchayat Fund for teaching Oriental Languages; IO,OOO
rupees to the Girls School, Khetwady, Bombay; 5,400
rupees to the Indian Turf Society for the importation of
English blood horses; 5,000 rupees to the Bombay Uni-
versity, in January, 1868, for the founding of a Latin
Scholarship, to be awarded each year to the best candi-
date in Latin at the Matriculation Examination; 2,500
rupees to the St. Zavier's College for a Latin Scholarship;
2,000 rupees for the Duke of Edinburgh Reception Fund
* * * * *-***~-º-º-º-º-º-º-º-- - - -
62
in Bombay; and 1,200 rupees for a seal for the Bombay
University. In addition to eighteen lakhs of public
charities, he contributed certainly not less than four lakhs
in private donations. In the lifetime of Sir Cowasjee, he
contemplated endowing a fire-temple at Mazagon, but his
untimely death prevented him from carrying out his resolve.
After Sir Cowasjee's death, in order to give effect to his
wish, his son, Mr. Jehanghier, set apart 23,OOO rupees for
the maintaining of the said fire-temple and called it after
Sir Cowasjee.
Although Sir Cowasjee was confined to his room for
the last fourteen years of his life by the severe form of
rheumatic gout from which he suffered, he never relaxed
his supervision of his business affairs. Up to the last
hour of his life he took the most lively interest in what
was going on around him. He was obliging in his dis-
position, and condescending in his manner. Before his
illness, and even afterwards, he was easily accessible to
those who came to seek his advice or his assistance, and
rarely did they go away unsatisfied or disappointed. The
bounty of his charity did not prevent his exercising
63
his powers of discrimination, and he always reserved to
himself the right of determining the particular direction
in which he should bestow his benefactions. If his charity
was ever criticised it was on the ground of being
capricious, but the only foundation for the charge was,
that he was not influenced by purely local considerations,
and that his breadth of view compelled him to limit his
dispensations only by humanity itself. As a matter of
fact no man had fewer enemies, or was more universally
admired, and if he had not been stricken down with his
painful malady in the prime of his life, there is no saying
what further honours and fame would not have fallen to
his share. When the end came in July, 1878, he was
only 67 years of age, but considering that he had been
confined to his room more than fourteen years, his age
was greater than the mere number of his years.
It was only when they lost him that the Bombay
community seemed to realise the extent of his services,
and the magnitude of its loss. Obituary notices of “the
Peabody of the East” appeared in all the leading papers.
A special notice from the Government of Bombay was
64
inserted in the official Gazette to the following effect:--
“By his death the Government has lost one of its most
loyal subjects, India a most generous benefactor, and the
town and island of Bombay one of its most upright and
independent citizens.” At the University the following
reference to the loss suffered by that institution in the
death of this “venerable philanthropist” was made by
Professor Peterson -“You will not, I am sure, think it
out of place, if, before beginning my lecture, I allude
for a moment or two to the loss the University has
sustained in the death of its munificent benefactor, Sir
Cowasjee Jehanghier. By these and many other acts of
munificence Sir Cowasjee has won a place for himself in
the roll of public benefactors—out of whom we of this
University are chiefly bound to remember Sir Cowasſee
and Mr. Premchund Roychund—of whom this great city is
So justly proud, and the departed among whom it holds in
grateful remembrance.” Public respect and sympathy were
shown by the closing of the banks, the Parsee shops,
the schools, Elphinstone College, and the Share Bazaar.
The funeral ceremony took place at the family
residence on Malabar Hill, and nearly the whole of the
Parsee community, including all its chief members and
the whole body of priesthood were not only present
at the ceremony but followed the funeral cortege. Besides
the members of his own community, there were also
present the principal representatives of the European
Community. After the religious ceremonies at Mala-
bar Hill were concluded, a procession was formed
and headed by Sir Frank Souter, the then Commissioner
of Police of Bombay, proceeded to Chowpati, where,
as a descendant of the Dady Sett family his remains
were deposited in the Tower of Silence, belonging to
that family. After the usual prayers large sums
of money were distributed among the poor, the
lame, the blind, and the priests, of whom there were
not fewer than 1,500 on the ground. At the third
day’s funeral obsequies similar ceremonies were scru-
pulously observed, and further distributions of largesse
were made to the poor, by Mr. Jehanghier, as the
heir of the deceased knight. In short, nothing was
left undone to make the ceremony as imposing and
66
impressive as possible, and the funeral of Sir Cowasjee
was long referred to as one of the most magnificent
functions in the history of modern Bombay. With
every mark of respect on the part of the Bombay
community, European, Hindu, and Mahomedan, as well
as Parsee, was carried to his last resting-place the most
worthy Sir Cowasjee Jehanghier Readymoney, and not
only with respect, but with the liveliest feelings of
affection which he had aroused by so many acts of
private as well as public generosity. Some short time
after the funeral, the Parsee Punchayat, or communal
assembly, called a special public meeting of the whole Parsee
community, and passed a vote of condolence with Sir
Cowasjee's family on the irreparable loss they and the
city of Bombay had alike suffered. They also addressed
a letter of regret to the mother, the heir, and other
relatives of the deceased. T his it may be stated, is
the greatest possible honour that can be paid to a
Parsee, and has rarely been accorded. One final incident
in Sir Cowasjee’s career may be mentioned, especially as
it was not in accordance with Parsee practice, and showed
67
rather the influence English customs had acquired over
his mind. He left by his will annuities and legacies to
all his personal servants.

68
TList of Dublic Charities made by $5it Cowagjee 3ebangbier, ſkt.
1846 ... Dr. Bremner's Dispensary, called now Native General
Dispensary
1850 ... For erecting 37 huts, tiled roofs, for sufferers by fire at
Camatepoora
District Benevolent Society
1852 ... Bombay Association
Perry Testimonial Fund
1853 ... Prize Money, School of Industry ...
I854 ... Bandora Dispensary...
RUPEES.
I, OOO
I,225
I, OOO
500
I,ooo
I,026
500
Sir J. J. Benevolent Institution
1858 ... Scottish Female Orphanage and Poonah Orphanage, for
Building and Clothing
1859 ... Victoria Museum
I86 I ... North-Western Famine Fund
#} ... Cowasjee Jehanghier Civil Hospital, Surat
1862 ... Manchester Distress Fund ...
} ) Lancashire Relief Fund
1863 ... Sir Cowasjee Jehanghier University Hall
Poonah Engineering College
1863 ... Strangers' Home Friend Society ...
Royal Asiatic Society for Oriental Work
University Seal
Pajrapore Fund, Porebunder
Alexandra Girls' School Fund
3,500
5,97 I
2,600
IO,OOO
7 I,902
I,OOO
2,OOO
IOO,Ooo
SO,OOO
SO,OOO
5,OOO
I,2OO
2,2OO
5,000
69
1867
1867
1867
I868
Tower, St. John's Church, Colaba tº ſº tº tº ſº tº ... 7,500
Royal Asiatic Society for purchasing Coins & º e ... 8,000
Distressed Weavers, Madras tº ſº º ... ... ... S.OOO
Elphinstone College, for Sanskrit Books ... tº ſº tº tº tº dº I, OOO
Calcutta Relief Fund tº tº º tº ſº tº tº $ tº tº º ſº ... 5,000
Sailors' Home, Bombay ... tº tº º * - ſº tº e º ... I, SOO
Albert Orphanage Asylum in London ... tº º gº . . . 4,752
Cowasjee Jehanghier Eye Hospital tº º º tº gº tº ... II 2,OOO
Cowasjee Jehanghier, Building of Elphinstone College... 200,000
Fountain, St. Thomas's Cathedral, Bombay ... ... I 3,777
Cowasjee Jehanghier Nowsaree Madrasa, 5 per cent.
Government Notes ... * @ º tº º tº tº ſº tº ... I, IOO
Tower at Kapurwange and Library at Kaira Collectorate 2,500
Financial Association of India and China... * * * ... 200,000
Charges incurred in maintaining the following Dispen-
Saries :
Randare Dispensary, from 1862-7I ... RS. I2,500
Gundevee ) ) ,, 1865-68 . . . ), 5,500
Nowsaree } } ,, 1864-67 » 4,565
Bulsar } ) in 1862-7I j, I I,500
34,065
Charges incurred in maintaining the following Schools:
Gundevee School, from 1864-69 ... ... Rs. I4,000
Khetwady Girls' School, from 1850-70 , , 22,500
Cowasjee Jehanghier Nowsaree Madrasa ... , 35,000
7I, SOO
Cost of Drinking Fountains and their erection in different
streets of Bombay, Rs. 30,000; Parsee Punchayat
Subscription Lame and Blind Fund; Small amounts
in different Associations, Libraries, and Dispensaries 2 Io,288
Nowsaree Madrasa in 5 per cent. Government Notes ... 529
Parsee Punchayat Lame and Blind Fund - ... tº º ſº 5OO
Parsee Punchayat Carrying Dead Body Fund ... • * * 585
7o
Latin Scholarship, Bombay University ...
Grant Medical College, for purchasing Works on Natural
History ...
Bombay Association
London Printers' Pension Association, London ...
Parsee Punchayat Oriental Languages Teaching Fund
Native General Library
Lunatic Asylum and Garden in Scinde, Hydrabad
Erection of Fountain, Regent's Park, London
Grant Medical College, for two Scholarships
Indian Turf Society...
Irani Fund for supplying Dinners to Indigent Poor
East India Association in London
Female Normal School, for Scholarship ...
Tower, St. Zavier College, Bombay
Latin Scholarship, St. Zavier College
Scholarship, Grant Medical College
Cowasjee Jehanghier Nowsaree Madrasa ...
Subscriptions to different Charitable Institutions in London
Duke of Edinburgh's Reception Fund
Echapore Parsee Dead Body Carrying Fund
Cowasjee Jehanghier Gundevee English School...
Indian Medical Department for Experimental Vaccination
Kandāwalla Mohla Reading Room and Library, 4 per
cent. Government Notes ºn tº e tº tº º º º & tº e ſº
Cowasjee Jehanghier Gundevee School and Dispensary,
4 per cent. Government Notes
Franco-Prussian War, Soldiers' Distressed Fund
Cowasjee Jehanghier Khetwady Girls' School
The Parsee Zujia Fund for the Relief of Destitute
Parsees in Persia
Famine Fund for Destitute Parsees in Persia
5,000
2,OOO
I,000
I,046
5,OOO
I, IOO
5O,OOO
I3,544 .
5,5I 4
5,400
3,815
I, II 2
I,500
5,060
2,742
2,756
I,08o
2,OOO
2,OOO
I,08o
3,OOO
5OO
I, OOO
Io,726
I, OOO
9,975
I, OOO
7 I
Echapore General Fund, 4 per cent. Government Notes
Cowasjee Jehanghier Gundevee Charitable School and
Dispensary
Bombay Philharmonic Society
Famine Fund for Destitute Parsees in Persia
For erection of Dhuramsala (Rest House) at Chowpatty,
in Bombay, for Distressed Parsees who come out
from Persia
Distribution of £200 in London in commemoration of
the Prince of Wales' recovery from serious illness...
Dr. Livingstone Search Fund, through Sir G. Birdwood
Flying Squadron Sailors' Entertainment Fund ...
Lord “Northbrook Prize,” Alexandra Girls' School
Sir Seymore Fitzgerald Memorial Fund ...
Rustomjee Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy Memorial Fund
Protestant Institution © tº º © e tº
Maclean Public Subscription Fund
Dadabhoy Nowrosejee Testimonial Fund
Catholic Christian Institution
Nowsaree Madrasa, 4 per cent. Government Notes
Khandesh and Nassick Relief Fund, in honour of Lord
Northbrook's Visit to India
Publication “Shakespeare's Play Fund” in London
Bengal Relief Fund...
Furniture for Cowasſee Jehanghier University Hall, to
Government of Bombay
John Connon Memorial Fund
Grant Medical College, Midwifery Class ...
Cowasjee Jehanghier Nowsaree Madrasa ...
O'Brien Family Fund
Fort Reading Room and Library ...
Donation to Bhuleshwar Library ...
5OO
5OO
I 5,000
2,048
I,026
I,000
5OO
5OO
I,4OO
2,OOO
I,OOO
5OO
I,OOO
5OO
I,000
I,052
I,OOO
IO, COO
I,OOO
2,O45
I,2OO
I, OOO
I,OOO
5OO
72
1875 ... Donation to European Gymkhana in Bombay ... tº ſº º 5OO
) • For Mahim Garden, to Bombay Municipality ... ... 2,500
. J } Ahmedabad Relief Fund ... © e # tº gº tº tº e º tº º º I,500
} ) Tower of Silence Fund, Parsee Punchayat © tº e tº º º I,000
} } Ellis Prize, School of Art, Bombay * @ ſº © º ſº . . . I, O34
1, Royal Portsmouth Sailors' Home... tº º º tº ſº º tº º ſº 556
} ) Prince of Wales' Reception Fund... tº ſº tº tº º º ... 2,OOO
1876 ... Cowasjee Jehanghier Nowsaree Madrasa ... tº gº g ... I,2OO
* } For Furniture, European Gymkhana in Bombay º gº tº I,OOO
Reservoirs with Fountains and Drinking Trough at Penn 3,000
} } For repairing Parsee Fire Temple at Gowalia, Tank ... 3,000
} } Nowsaree Madrasa ... tº Gº º tº ºn e tº tº gº tº dº tº ... I,2OO
} } Southern Maharata Famine Relief Fund... e tº & tº G tº 2,OOO
,, ... Bandora Charitable Dispensary, in Government Notes... Io,000
j ) For Corporation Seal, to Bombay Municipality ... ... 2,196
j ) Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, Second Baronet, Memorial
Fund ... tº º ſº e tº º tº º gº e tº º tº e º ... I, SOO
} ) Elphinstone College, for purchasing Scientific Books ... 500
TOTAL tº tº º ... Rs. 1,442,706
$5ít Cowagjee's private CDatitieg come to about Rs. 300,000
An English friend of mine, who occupied an important position in
Bombay many years and was well acquainted with most of the public men
of the period, hands me the following notes on some of the characteristics
of Sir Cowasjee Jehanghier, which may be of interest :—
“Though all the world knows of the munificence and well-directed
benevolence of Sir Cowasjee, his shrewdness and good sense in commercial
affairs is not so generally appreciated by the present generation. This
73
may be partly because of his having been withdrawn, by reason of his
physical infirmity, from active life so early, though his mental faculties
remained as clear as ever. He used to take a prominent part in the
proceedings of the Bench of Justices—then the Corporation of Bombay,
and I have traced his name in the records of that body. He was, for
instance, one of those who, after many investigations, joined in the pro-
test of the Justices against what they regarded as the unduly onerous
terms imposed by the Local Government on the city in respect of the
debt incurred in the construction of the Vehar Water Works—a burden
which still pursues the present Corporation. Sir Cowasjee was, in its best
days, on the Board of the Bank of Bombay ; and I have always considered
that if he had not been prevented by his illness from continuing his services
in that capacity, he might have done much towards saving that institution
from the errors in its management which contributed to stimulate, instead
of checking the tide of speculation in which the Bank itself was finally
overturned with such disastrous effects to many innocent victims. His
shrewdness and foresight were just those qualities that were so urgently
needed from 1863 to 1865, when the Directors, with so many others, lost
their heads amidst the excitement that prevailed.
When in 1861 Mr. James Wilson's heavy income tax was imposed as
one of the stringent measures required to restore the Indian finances after
the vast expenditure caused by the Mutiny, Sir Cowasjee was one of the
mercantile citizens of Bombay who were requested by Government to
sit as Assessors and Commissioners for the management of that new levy.
Sir Bartle Frere, the Honourable Mr. Gibbs, and other Civilians of the
period have often testified to the value of your predecessor's services in that
public duty. In 1869, when the heavy expenditure under the Corporation
had brought its finances into difficulties and much alarm prevailed, Sir
Cowasjee did his part towards reassuring the public mind by making an
offer—conditional, I believe, on other citizens coming forward—to advance
funds towards paying the more pressing claims. Though this affords a
74
good example of his enlightened public spirit, the mischief had then gone
too far for such voluntary aid to be effectual, and new taxation had to be
devised to fill up the deficiency.
One of the methods adopted to replenish the municipal coffers was
the re-imposition of an octroi or town duties. On a friend of mine (who
was then or just afterwards Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce)
explaining this to Sir Cowasjee, he exclaimed, “Why, that's Peishwa
system I " He found it difficult to understand how any British authorities
could consent to adopt the old Native State custom of levying tolls on
trade and food.
He was generally, if not always, on the side of the latest improve-
ments in administration, and cherished some of the popular prejudices
against the old Company and the Civilians brought up under its régime.
An illustration of this occurs to me, which amused the Bombay public
at the time. The judges of the High Court comprise Civilian as well
as “barrister” judges; but the Chief Justice is generally selected from
the latter, the class of English trained lawyers; though there is not, I
believe, any statutory regulation to that effect. On one occasion, during
the absence of the Chief Justice (the late Sir Michael Westropp), a
Civilian judge the Honourable Henry Newton, was appointed to act
for him. Sir Cowasjee at once wrote to the chief daily paper, protesting
most energetically against what he regarded as an innovation. His
language on this matter was no less quaint than forcible, being the
natural outcome of his strong convictions of the advantage of a Chief
Justice being one who, having passed through the forensic conflicts of
the Bar, would be enabled to hold his own against “bombarding
barristers,” as Sir Cowasjee styled them. He cited as one example of
these champions of the rights of the subject, Mr. Reginald Branson, who,
in the trial of an employé of the Bank of Bombay charged with misuse
of the Bank's funds, had succeeded in “getting his man off.” This trial
being in the District Court at Poonah, was necessarily before a Civilian
75
judge; hence the incident served as an illustration of the argument in
the letter which impugned the discretion, and almost the 1ight, of the
Local Government to place a Civilian judge at the head of the High
Court. However, Mr. Justice Newton, who was a sound lawyer and a
very estimable man, only held the position for a few months; and I
believe Sir Cowasjee considered that his prompt protest had some
effect, for the innovation has not since been repeated.
Sir Cow asjee Jehanghier very highly prized the distinction of the
title bestowed on him, though it is no secret that he hoped to have
lived to receive the hereditary distinction of a baronetcy. On receiving
the honour of knighthood, he wrote in reply to my felicitations : —
As Sir Cowasjee's notes lie before me in his easy, flowing handwriting
—which are indeed interspersed with pathetic references to his often acute
sufferings—it has been a pleasure, not untinged with melancholy, as I
recall the many interesting experiences I had with him both in his old
house in the Fort and in his residence on Lower Malabar Hill. It may
be well to add a passage from the note I had from his brother Heerjee,
in response to my expression of regret at the loss his family and the
city had suffered in Sir Cowasjee's decease :—
“You have rightly estimated his high character and intelligence, but
this is not the time for me to say much about it here, beyond remarking
that all those who had the occasion to come into contact with him had
invariably formed the high opinion of him that you have now so kindly
expressed.”
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