A DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF LAHORE MAJOR JOHN CLARKE – AND MIAN RAHEEM BAKSH MIMAR, LINKS ALL NEW IN WORK – A STORY OF CHANGE AND THE COMING OF THE NEW AESTHETICS

A DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF LAHORE MAJOR JOHN CLARKE – AND MIAN RAHEEM BAKSH MIMAR, LINKS ALL NEW IN WORK –
A STORY OF CHANGE AND THE COMING OF THE NEW AESTHETICS

Somebody was in possession of three letters. Major John Clarke. Deputy Commissioner of Sheikhupura in 1851, Deputy Commissioner of Gujranwala in 1855, and DC of Lahore in 1856. And it goes further when n 1862, he is Engineer in Chief, of Lahore Railway Station Works. He is getting the Railway construction work done, and in that respect, he is giving a certificate to Mian Raheem Baksh Mimar, alias Haemoo, related to his supervision of construction of the Railway Station. He says:

I have pleasure in testifying to the detailed knowledge possessed by Haemoo of Masonry and Bricklaying. He has acted as Foreman of Mistrees at the Lahore Passenger Station and other buildings, understand a Plan thoroughly and is a very valuable person to have about building operations.” Dated 1st November, 1862.

A chance reference revealing a valuable truth. All envelopes had the original letters in them but now in some worldly collection. The most interesting fact is that Punjab is under the Bombay residency, as the address clarifies in depth. A different era of Lahore.

7 thoughts on “A DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF LAHORE MAJOR JOHN CLARKE – AND MIAN RAHEEM BAKSH MIMAR, LINKS ALL NEW IN WORK – A STORY OF CHANGE AND THE COMING OF THE NEW AESTHETICS”

  1. Ares Antoyan has a fourth letter of Major John Clarke and it comes from France. It has very simple Urdu or Persian poem on it. It looks like that of a lady writing to Clarke, this time from Lucknow in 1856. The signature is like
    B Nadum or R Nadum. Writing in poor Persian can mean learning new language.
    She is complaining about treatment given to her but also talks of Sir Herbert Elliot the famous writer.

  2. Southhampton, Marseilles and Bombay, means writer is from abroad. But from Lucknow could be a different person.

  3. I collect the embossed stamps of GB 1847-1862. I am currently researching the Major Clarke correspondence and I have recorded about 20 letters with embossed stamps sent to him, mostly from his wife and family in Whitestone, near Exeter, England.

    The 1851 and 1855 letters are both cancelled by the 285 mark of Exeter. The 1851 letter is no. 26 so somewhere there are another 25 letters only for 1851.

    1. If I can help I will. But cannot trace missing letters. Luck will play the role.

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