Everything about Hercules George Robert Robinson totally explained
» This page is about Baron Rosmead, who became the 5th Governor of Hong Kong under the name Robinson. For the 11th Governor of Hong Kong, see Sir William Robinson.
Hercules George Robert Robinson, 1st Baron Rosmead,
GCMG (
Chinese Translated Name: 羅士敏勳爵 or 羅便臣) (
19 December,
1824 -
28 October,
1897) was a British colonial administrator who became the 5th Governor of
Hong Kong. He isn't to be confused with
William Robinson, who became the 11th Governor of Hong Kong, which was then controlled by the British.
Early life and Government career
He was of Irish descent on both sides; his father was Admiral Hercules Robinson, his mother was from a Rosmead,
County Westmeath, from which he afterwards took his title. Passing from the
Royal Military College, Sandhurst into the
87th Foot in 1843, he was promoted
First Lieutenant in 1844 and reached the rank of
Captain. However, in
1846, through the influence of
Lord Naas, Robinson obtained a post in the Board of Public Works in
Ireland, and subsequently became chief commissioner of fairs and markets.
His energy in these positions, notably during the
famine of 1848, and the clearness and vigour of his reports, secured for him at the age of thirty the office of president of the island of
Montserrat.
Colonial services
Subsequently, Robinson was appointed governor of
Saint Kitts in
1855, from which he served until
1859. In that year, Robinson was appointed as
Governor of Hong Kong, the youngest in Hong Kong colonial history, from which he served until March of
1865. In that same year, he was knighted in recognition of his services for introducing
coolie labour into the territory.
During his tenure, Robinson secured the control of the
Kowloon Peninsula from the Imperial Chinese Government, thus expanding the size of the territory. Up to this point, the Colony of Hong Kong only consists of Hong Kong Island. Also, Robinson ordered the construction of the
Pokfulam Reservoir, which would provide a steady supply of water for Hong Kong people for years to come. Robinson was also credited with establishing
Towngas, the territory's premier gas provider (a position it still holds today), for lighting the streets.
During his administration,
HSBC, along with
Standard Chartered, were established in Hong Kong. Both were given the responsibility to print banknotes on the behalf of the government, a responsibility both banks still hold today.
Later colonial services
In
1869, Robinson was made Governor of
Ceylon and
K.C.M.G.. From
3 June 1872 to March
1879, he served as the
Governor of New South Wales. During this time, Robinson was involved in the successful efforts to annex the
Fiji Islands to the
British Empire, and his services were rewarded in
1875 by promotion to
G.C.M.G.. He temporarily served as
Governor of Fiji from
10 October 1874 to June 1875, while concurrently Governor of New South Wales. In March
1879, Robinson was transferred to
New Zealand, and in
1880, he succeeded Sir
Henry Bartle Frere as
High Commissioner for
Southern Africa.
Robinson arrived in
South Africa shortly before the disaster of
Majuba, and was one of the commissioners for negotiating a peace. The job was known to be personally distasteful to him, for it left him with the task of conciliating on the one hand a Dutch party elated with victory, and on the other hand a British party almost ready to despair of the British connection.
Negotiations in South Africa
In
1883, Robinson was called home to advise the government on the terms of the new convention concluded with the
Transvaal Boers. On
27 February 1884 Robinson signed the
London Convention for the British government, with
Paul Kruger, the new state president of the
South African Republic, S.J. du Toit and N.J. Smit signing for the South African Republic.
On his return to South Africa, Robinson he found that a critical situation had arisen in Bechuanaland (today's
Botswana), where Boer commandos had seized large tracts of territory and proclaimed the "republics" of
Stellaland and
Goshen. The commandos refused to retire within the limits of the Transvaal as defined by the new convention, and Robinson, aware of the necessity of preserving this country — the main road to the north — for the
British Empire, determined on vigorous action.
John Mackenzie and later
Cecil Rhodes were sent to secure the peaceful submission of the Boers, but without immediate result, partly owing to the attitude of the Cape ministry. Robinson's declaration that the advice of his ministers to patch up a settlement with the filibustering Boers was equivalent to a condonation of crime, led to the expedition of Sir
Charles Warren and the annexation of Bechuanaland early in 1885.
The difficulties of Robinson's position were illustrated by the dispute which arose between him and Warren, who declared that the high commissioner's duties to the home government were at times in conflict with the action which, as governor of
Cape Colony, he was bound to take on the advice of his ministers in the interests of the colony. Sir Hercules Robinson succeeded in winning the confidence of
President Kruger by his fair-mindedness, while he seconded Rhodes' efforts to unite the British and Dutch parties in Cape Colony. His mind, however, was that of the administrator as distinguished from the statesman, and he was content to settle difficulties as they arose.
In
1886, Robinson investigated the charges brought against Sir
John Pope Hennessy, governor of
Mauritius, and decreed his suspension pending the decision of the home authorities, who eventually reinstated Hennessy. In 1887 Robinson was induced by Rhodes to give his consent to the conclusion of a treaty with
Lobengula which secured British rights in
Matabele and
Mashona lands.
In May of
1889, Robinson retired. In his farewell speech, he declared that there was no permanent place in South Africa for direct Imperial rule. This was interpreted to mean that South Africa must ultimately become independent — an idea repugnant to him. He explained in a letter to
The Times in
1895 that he'd referred to the "direct rule of Downing Street over the crown colonies, as contrasted with responsible colonial government."
Robinson was made a
baronet in
1891. Early in
1895, when he'd entered his 71st year in below average health, he yielded to the entreaties of
Lord Rosebery's cabinet, and went out again to South Africa, in succession to Sir
Henry Loch.
Second Term as Governor of South Africa
His second term of office wasn't fortunate. The Jameson Raid produced a permanent estrangement between him and Cecil Rhodes, and he was out of sympathy with the new colonial secretary,
Joseph Chamberlain, who had criticized his appointment, and now desired Robinson to take this opportunity of settling the whole question of the position of the
Uitlanders in the Transvaal.
Robinson answered that the moment was inopportune, and that he must be left to choose his own time. Alarmed at the imminent danger of war, he confined his efforts to inducing the
Johannesburgers to lay down their arms on condition that the raiders' lives were spared, not knowing that these terms had already been granted to Jameson. He came home to confer with the government, and was in
1896 raised to the
peerage as
Baron Rosmead of Rosmead in the County of Westmeath and of Tafelberg in South Africa. He returned to South Africa later in the year, but was compelled by ill-health, in April
1897, to quit his post.
Personal life
One of Robinson's children, a son, succeeded to the title of Baron Rosmead upon the death of Robinson.
Robinson died in London on 28 October, 1897 and is buried in
Brompton Cemetery, London.
Legacy
In
Hong Kong,
Robinson Road,
Rosmead Road, and
Robinson Island (Chinese name 鴨洲) were all named after him.
There was a Robinson Road in the
Kowloon Peninsula that was named after him. However, the name was changed to
Nathan Road on
19 March,
1909.
In
Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Rosmead Place was named after him.
In
Cape Town,
South Africa, there's a Rosmead Avenue. South Africa also includes two small towns named Rosmead, one near Kimberley in the Northern Cape and one near Middelburg in the Eastern Cape.
In Crown Street in Sydney, a beautiful building which includes a couple of terrace houses has been named for Hercules Robinson.A monumental bust of Sir Hercules sits atop the facade.
Honours
Further Information
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