Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/370

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RETIREMENT FROM PUBLIC SERVICE.
327

friend, Dr. Mouat, Secretary to the Education Council, had left India and gone home on leave. Mr. W. G. Young, a young civilian, was acting in his place.

In 1856, F. J. Halliday, the first Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, remodelled the education Department. The Council of Education was done away with, and the post of its Secretary was converted to that of the "Director of Public Instruction," whose office took the place of the Education Council. W. G. Young was posted as the first Director of Public Instruction. This Young was a young officer without experience. Vidyasagar had, therefore, advised Halliday to appoint an experienced man to the post, instead of the young Young, but he had then been told by the Lieutenant Governor that practically he would do everything. Vidyasagar had also been requested to train up Young, which he did for some time. But, unfortunately, Vidvasagar's fears were not unfounded, as the reader will soon see.

Halliday regarded Vidyasagar with sincere love and esteem, and Vidyasagar reciprocated the same feelings. In fact, the two had a great friendly intimacy between them. Such intimacy is hardly to be found now a-days between a white European and a black native. Vidyasagar waited upon the Lieutenant Governor every Thursday, when the two friends talked and consulted on various matters, general as well as political.