Page:A General Biography of Bengal Celebrities Vol 1.djvu/21

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LIFE OF RAJA DEGtJMBEH MITTER.

Mehal in Moorshidabad, was hauled up before a criminal court on the suspicion that he had had a hand in the alteration of a public document in collusion with his subordinate. For a young man of no certain position in society, such criminal prosecution often tantamount to his ruin. But Degumber, though honorably acquitted, outlived the shock, and came out of the trial as a hero. With positive disgust, perhaps, he left the Government Service for ever and for good. He took to the business of indigo and silk manufacturer, and even in this he had to compete with. Messrs. Watson and Co. As a business man, he acquired a thorough knowledge of human nature and of the material resources of the country, and his inherent capacity for work and organization gradually developed in him. As a Zemindar, he used to work hard, and to inspect his landed properties personally. And this was the secret of his success as a landlord. Riches and affluence generally make men luxurious and idle, but in the case of Rajah Degumber, the glitter of gold could not make him swerve an inch from his long acquired habit of assiduity and patient industry. He worked on till his death for the benefit of his countrymen, and we hope and trust his noble example will serve as a guide to our youngmen.

CHAPTER IV.

ANECDOTES.

Babu Raj Narain Bose of the Adi Brahma Somaj has kindly furnished us with the following anecdotes of Raja Degumber. 1. He was a very affable, polite, and courteous man. When he went to visit his Zemindary at Orissa, he returned the visits of all the native gentlemen of