ORME, ROBERT, 1728-1801; b. Hindustan, of English parentage, son of Dr. Alex ander Orme, physician and surgeon of the British army in Bombay; educated at Harrow, went back to India in 1742, as a writer in the employ of the East India company. He resided in Anjengo, a city of Travancore. In 1752 he went to England in company with capt. Clive, afterward lord Clive, baron of Plassey, his friend for ninny years. He returned again to India, and in 1754 become fourth member of the council at fort Saint George, Madras, and rose to be commissary and accountant-general 1757-58. In 1759 he went to England, having made a small fortune. He was influential in establish ing the power of Great Britain in India, and active in the interest of his friend capt. Clive, whom he succeeded in having sent as military commander of that country. He returned to England finally in 1859, and became historiographer to the East India com pany, with a salary of £300 per annum, retiring to Ealing in 1792, where he passed the remainder of his life. In 1763 he published the first vof of the History of the Military
Transactions the British Ration in Hindustan, and in 1775 the second vol., the 3 vols. appearing in 1780. In 1782 appeared Historical Fragments of the Mogul Empire of the during the reign of Aurungzebe, to which was prefixed a life of the author. In reference to his history Macaulay says; " He is inferior to no English historian in style and power of painting, is minute even to tediousness." "In one volume he allots, on an average, a closely-printed quarto page to the events of every forty-eight hours." Robertson and Sterne were great admirers of his history, and Boswell, in his life of Johnson calls him "the able and eloquent historian of Hindustan, who expressed a great admiration of Johnson.... Johnson was much pleased with such praise from such a man as Orme. '