Robert Townsend Farquhar

See also: Farquhar

Robert Townsend Farquhar was born the October 14th 1776 in a family belonging to the Scottish nobility and was used initially in the British navy until the rank as vice-admiral. He began his administrative career in 1804 as Lieutenant-Governor of the island of Penang (Malaysia) where he pointed out himself by harbor alteration work. After a passage in the English Compagnie of the Eastern Indies or he worked especially with the Moluques (Indonesia), in July 1810, he was named first General governor of the islands Mascareignes, posts of it in the island of the Meeting that the British had just invested. In December of the same year, at once the Mauritius (then called island of France) also torn off with the French, it transferred his residence to it.

In the island of France which, in 1814, was to officially find its initial Christian name of Mauritius (Mauritius), the Farquhar Governor endeavoured to reconcile the French colonists while defending of best than it could the rights recognized to the slaves. The final abolition will be indeed acquired in the British colonies only in 1835, even if since 1807, the draft itself were prohibited there. And precisely, Farquhar held much so that this prohibition is everywhere respected, as much by personal conviction that by political calculation. In the area indeed, and that since more than one century, the principal traffickers of European slaves were of the French. By repressing the draft actively, it thus gave itself reasons to intervene against its adversaries, for the control in particular of the island of Madagascar.

Unfortunately for him, it did not have the possibility of intervening directly against the French establishments of the Large island. At this point in time it had the idea to be based on a local power likely to serve its policy. Its greater perspicacity was however to have included/understood than, with this intention, it was not to count on the kingdoms of the littoral however familiar with Europeans since centuries (at the point thus that many their chiefs were Malato admittedly especially of French!) but with another kingdom completely wedged inside the grounds, that of the Merina.

After having known the civil war since practically all the 18th century, the Royaume Merina hardly then came to find its unit and had as a king an young man of approximately 23 years, Radama. But strangest is that in spite of the fame which it started to know outside, this country was very badly known still Europeans. It was indeed only in 1777 that the first European who made a short description of it, Nicolas Mayeur, had visited it. And still, its manuscript was remained new and nothing proves that Farquhar could consult it. After Mayeur, Europeans who could there penetrate were to be rather rare because the preceding king, Andrianampoinimerina who was precisely wary of treating, was a long time opposite there.

On behalf of Farquhar, that thus concerned a true bet to send to it in April 1816 Chardenoux, old treating, in secret mission of recognition. The result was going to exceed all its hopes. It is indeed that Radama itself sought a means of extending its authority on the whole of Madagascar like recommended to him the political legacy of his/her father. Arrived where was the kingdom merina, it was impossible for him to continue to develop, and in the long term, to preserve its own independence if it did not succeed in taking the control of the coastal regions to be able to treat directly with Europeans. It was thus with the agreements in principle of the king merina, and accompanied even by two of his/her young brothers whom he wanted to make inform in Mauritius, that Chardenoux returned to make his report/ratio with Farquhar.

Consequently, the events accelerated. Farquhar sent two other missions to the more official character then, at the end of August 1817, Radama put at the head its troops to invade the fortified towns of the east coast. Besides it met only rather low resistances because most powerful of the princes of the area, the “Malato” Jean Rene preferred to be subjected.

Thus the October 23rd 1817, Radama could sign with the British representatives an agreement which will make date in the history of its country. According to indeed the terms of this agreement, the king merina, henceforth recognized like the sovereign of any Madagascar commits himself abolishing the trade of the slaves with Europeans and, in compensation, will receive assistances to modernize his kingdom. An unhappy hitch was going however all to call into question…

Indeed, as of the November 19th of the same year, Robert Farquhar leaves on leave to the United Kingdom without to have had time to keep to all his commitments, relying on his successor, the General Guarantees Hall to continue his work. But this last was in fact of wick with the traffickers and dropped all, with the great disappointment of Radama which started to doubt the bona fide Europeans. During this time in the United Kingdom, Farquhar explained its policy in the islands and, extremely of the support of the king George IV, prepared her return. The July 5th 1820, it thus found its station in Mauritius and, at once undertook to join again with Radama. Thus the October 11th, another agreement more favorable still to the sovereign merina was signed. For this one and its people, the great adventure were going to be able to continue…

With the profit of its clean managed, Farquhar could also show much ingeniousness and constancy. First of all, it made very to support the development of Mauritius by using the financings of the metropolis especially. It made renovate the transportation routes left with the abandonment since years, made rebuild the old port of the capital by then making some a free port opened with all the houses of trade. It refitted the laws to facilitate the exchanges and did not hesitate to use the public funds to help the contractors. But especially, it devoted much effort to stimulate the culture of the Canne to sugar whose production was quickly put to multiply by ten.

Such an amount of and so that at the time its final departure for the United Kingdom the May 20th 1823, the majority of the French who, at the beginning, had defied British authority much reflects to regret it.

Of return to the United Kingdom, it entered to the House of Commons and continued to defend there as much as it could it the interests of its old managed.

Sir Robert Townsend Farquhar died in London the March 20th 1830.

January 20th 1820 -->

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