Sir George Leith | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1766 |
| Died | 25 January 1842(1842-01-25) (aged 75–76) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1779–1842 |
| Rank | Major-general |
| Battles / wars | |
Major-GeneralSir George Alexander William Leith, 2nd BaronetKCB (1766 – 25 January 1842)[1] was the first Lieutenant-Governor ofPrince of Wales' Island (Penang Island), replacingGeorge Caunter, a magistrate who was acting superintendent following the resignation and departure of the lastgovernor, SuperintendentMajor Forbes Ross MacDonald. Leith served in that position from his arrival in 1800 until 1804.[2][3]
He was appointed an ensign in the 88th Foot in 1779 and served in Jamaica.[citation needed] He was promoted to lieutenant in 1780. He returned to England in November 1781 and moved to the 2nd Battalion of the Royals. He transferred to the 71st Foot in Madras in 1786. In 1789 he was appointed brigade-major and served under Major-General SirWilliam Meadows and Governor of India,Lord Cornwallis. He was at the sieges of Bangalore and Sevendroog, the Storming ofTippoo's lines and the surrender ofSeringapatam. He was promoted to Captain-Lieutenant 74th Foot on 1 November 1792 and then to captain in the 73rd on 7 March 1795.[4][5]
He served asaide-de-camp to theGovernor-General in 1793 and asbrigade major to the King's troops inBengal in 1794.[4][5]
In 1797 he sailed on the projected Manila expedition.[4][5]
In February 1800 Leith was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Prince of Wales' Island and invested with the whole civil and military authority; on 20 April he arrived and took charge of the government.[citation needed] The Governor-general in council had selected him for the office of Lieutenant-Governor from his personal knowledge of Leith's integrity, prudence and firmness and by his lordship's conviction that the services of Leith would be eminently useful in securing to the company all advantages to be derived from the important settlements (on Prince of Wales' Island).[3]
Shortly after Leith's arrival on the island he deputed Caunter, now First Assistant, to negotiate a treaty withDziaddin Mukarram Shah II for the cession of a 60-square-mile coastal strip on the mainland, until then part of theKedah Sultanate.[6][7] The acquired territory was renamed Province Wellesley afterRichard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, the Governor-General of India.[8] The Prince of Wales' Island, together with Province Wellesley, now formed the Settlement of Penang (the island having been locally known as Pulau Pinang, where in the Malay language "pulau" means "island" and "pinang" is the name of a variety of local palm tree).
In the words of Leith, writing in 1804,"The immediate advantages arising from the acquisition were, the obtaining of the entire command of the Harbour, which before was never possessed; the reducing of the Peoples of Prya into some degree of order, and a considerable increase in the value of the Opium and Arak farms."[9] The treaty also provided for the free flow of food and commodities from Kedah to Penang and Province Wellesley,[10] while for Kedah it provided a protective strip against enemy attack from the sea.[11]
Leith received a majority in the 17th Foot on 1 January 1800 and a lieutenant-colonelcy in the 2nd West-India Regiment on 13 June 1805.[4][5] In 1805, because of his part in quelling a rebellion, he was presented with a set of porcelain by the King of Burma. At this time he had also completed, and caused to be published, a book about Prince of Wales Island.[12] He continued as Lieutenant-Governor of Penang until 5 January 1804, when he was succeeded by SirRobert Townsend Farquhar.[4][5][13]
Leith was on the point of embarking for the West Indies, when he was ordered to Ireland as Assistant Adjutant-General of the British forces there. He attained thebrevet rank of colonel in 1813, major-general in 1819, and on 20 November the same year he was appointed colonel of the 9th Royal Veteran Battalion. He was made a Knight-Commander of the Order of the Bath.[4][5]
In 1805 he wrote and had published the book, "A Short Account of the Settlement, Produce, and Commerce of Prince of Wales Island, in the Straits of Malacca".[14]
In the 1830s he is recorded as living in a large townhouse, 41 Melville Street, in the west end ofEdinburgh.[15]
He died inScotland in 1842.Leith Street in Penang is named after him.
Sir George Alexander William Leith.
| Baronetage of Great Britain | ||
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| Preceded by | Baronet (of Burgh St Peter) 1780–1842 | Succeeded by Alexander William Wellesley Leith |
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