Douglas Hamilton

General Douglas Hamilton (8 April 1818 – 20 January 1892) was a British

Hamilton was born on 8 April 1818, and educated at Harrow School. He was the youngest of eight sons of Charles Hamilton esq. of Sudbury Grove house, Middlesex - not far from Harrow on the Hill^[2] - and of Kensworth House, Hertfordshire. His father was employed at the War Office and died on 28 June 1834 aged 56.^[3]

Hamilton's brother Edward was the editor of his 1892 autobiography, "Records of sport in southern India chiefly on the Annamullay, Nielgherry and Pulney mountains, also including notes on Singapore, Java and Labuan, ..." This is about "years long gone by when the

In 1834 Douglas Hamilton went to the East India Company's Addiscombe Military Seminary, and received his commission in the East India Company's Army in 1837, being gazetted to the 21st Regiment of the Madras Native Infantry. He embarked at Portsmouth in the "Duke of Argyle" on 1 September of the same year, arriving in the Madras Roads on 14 December.

His regiment was sent to Kulladghee in the Bombay Presidency to replace one which had gone to the front in the first Afghan Campaign. In 1846, he went with his regiment to Singapore, and was fortunate to obtain three months' leave in 1848 to visit the Island of Java for hunting. In 1849, he visited England on furlough and returned to India in 1852.

Douglas was very interested in

In 1860 he went with his regiment to Hong Kong and returned to Madras in February, 1861.^[7]

Hills surveys

In 1862 he was relieved of routine regimental duties and given a roving commission by Sir Charles Trevelyan, the Finance Minister of India and former Governor of Madras Presidency, to conduct surveys and make drawings for the Government of all the hill plateaus in Southern India which were likely to suit as Sanitaria, or quarters for European troops.^[8] Thereafter, Douglas Hamilton was on "special duty" with the 44th Regiment, Madras Native Infantry.^{[citation needed]}

A series of careful

Berijam Swamp^[10] was first described in 1864 by Hamilton. In 1864, Hamilton submitted a report that stated that the Berijam Lake area was the best site in the Palani Hills for a military cantonment or Sanatorium.

Hamilton described the place as being located near a lake. As the report progressed, however, it became clear that what Hamilton initially had termed a lake was no such thing: it was a valley where he thought he detected evidence of an ancient lake bed. The distinction seemed scarcely worthy of note to Hamilton, so persuaded was he that this location offered the most picturesque environment for a settlement. "Let but the lake be reconstructed and a road made to it, and this magnificent sheet of water ... will of itself attract residents to its vicinity. "The Fort Hamilton military outpost, later built there, was named for him.^[11]

In March 1866 he went to the

Ensign- 1 January 1834,^[12] Military school

Lieutenant- 12 June 1837,^[12] the year he arrived in Madras.

Captain- 31 January 1838,^[12] rapid promotion

Major- 29 June 1858^[13] (*2 March 1847, regimental duty in Singapore)

Lieut.-Col. 1 January 1862^[14]- (*1853, return from 3-year furlough in England)

Brevet colonel, 1 January 1867^[15]

Substantive Colonel- 1 January 1874^[16] (*1 January 1862, begin commission from Sir Charles Trevelyan)

Major-Gen.- 1 October 1877^[17]

(Major general, transferred to unemployed supernumerary list), 1 July 1881[18] (*1 January 1867, before return to England)

Lieut.-Gen.-10 March 1882^[19][20]

(*1 October 1877, declining health)

General- 1 December 1888^[12][21]

(*) dates from autobiography vary from dates in London Gazette and Army Lists except General.^[12][22]

Big-game hunting

Douglas Hamilton's earliest introduction to big game shooting was at Kulladghee in 1839. In those days Blackbuck antelopes were very numerous, but very wild and difficult to approach.^[23]

In 1854, Hamilton bought Mallock's Bungalow at Pykara for 200 rupees. This is the well known hut, where for many years he entertained and showed sport to many of his friends, amongst whom were Prince Frederick of Schleswig Holstein, Sir Victor Brooke, Bob Jago father of the Ootacamund Hunt, and the oldest and most intimate of all, General James Michael. The hut was still in his possession when he died 38 years later.^[24]

He closely observed over 50 wild

In 1855 in the

In 1863, at Hassanoor together with Sir Victor Brooke, Hamilton shot the largest elephant ever killed in Southern India. This trophy had one perfect tusk 96 in (240 cm) long and a broken tusk measuring 71 in (180 cm) long. It was 11 feet (3.4 m) tall at the shoulder.^[27]

Between 1855 and 1869, Hamilton shot and killed two hundred and ninety-five

In 1856 he was attacked and run over by a large injured bison bull he shot in the Annaimalai Hills, but suffered only minor injuries. The larger horn was 35 in (89 cm) long and 5.75 in (14.6 cm) in diameter at the base. He killed his last bison at Permund in 1866.^[29]

He did not kill many leopards, but did kill one fine specimen of a black Leopard near his hut in 1857. He shot his last leopard in 1870, an old male 74 in (190 cm) long with a beautiful skin.^[30]

In 1861, Hamilton recorded 114 species of birds near Kodaikanal.^[31]

Return to England

On 20 June 1871 he finally left India after thirty-five years' service, and arrived at Southampton on 19 July.

The "Oriental Sporting Magazine," in noticing his departure, has the following passage:

"The great Sportsman and Shikarie who has recently left these hills for England on account of failing health, is Colonel Douglas Hamilton, than whom [sic] a truer friend, a more kindly gentleman, a keener observer of nature, and a more enthusiastic

game on these hills than any other sportsman, and a sight of the trophies that adorn the walls of his house, of the sketches and incidents of the chase, and the relation thereof was a rich treat, and one never again to be experienced."^[1]

He never appeared to suffer from severe exertion and fatigue till the autumn of 1887, when, from constant exposure in bad weather he got a violent chill, and from that date, although at times appearing to get fairly well he never recovered his health. After a sharp attack of influenza, he suddenly died on the night of 20 January 1892.^[12]

Gallery

• 
  Nilgiri Tahr pair
• 
  Nilgiri Tahr, Annaimalai
• 
  Axis deer, trophy antlers
• 
  Meeting Tiger
• 
  First Shot at the Great Tusker
• 
  Plunge knife in Bison
• 
  Head of bull bison
• 
  Dimensions of Bison horns

References

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