Page:Twelve men of Bengal in the nineteenth century (1910).djvu/208

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182
TWELVE MEN OF BENGAL

which he freely opened to the public, the greatest service that he rendered to the town was the construction of water works at a cost of two and a half lacs. Intended as a thank offering for the recovery of the Prince of Wales from his severe illness in 1871, the foundation stone was laid by the Viceroy Lord Northbrook in 1874. They were finally opened for use by the Commissioner of the Division in 1878. In planning such works of improvement as this and in the daily routine of his life in Dacca he was content: To live among his own people, doing his duty by all those whose fortunes were so largely committed to his charge, was all he desired. No man could have sought honours less than Nawab Abdul Ghani, yet honours necessarily came to him in full measure. Beginning early as an Honorary Magistrate he was appointed a member of the Bengal Legislative Council in 1866. In the following year he was made an additional member of the Viceroy's Legislative Council. From that time onward honours fell thick upon him. Created a Companion of the Order of the Star of India in 1871, he was specially presented to the Prince of Wales by Lord Northbrook and awarded a medal in 1874. A year later he was given the title of Nawab as a personal distinction, an honour which was made hereditary two years later on the occasion of the Proclamation of the Queen-Empress. In 1886 he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India.