ROBINSON, Snit Hercules George Robert, 1ST BARON ROSM.EAD, British colonial governor : b. 19 Dee. 1824; d. London, 28 Oct 1897. He was educated at Sandhurst and was commi.v. sinned in the 87th regiment (Irish Royal Fusiliers) in 1843. He retired from the army in 1846 and became commissioner of public works for Ireland, rendering admirable service during the Irish famine of 1848. In 1854 he was appointed president of Montserrat in the West Indies, and in 1855 he became lieutenant governor of the neighboring island of Saint Christopher, where he introduced coolie labor from India with excellent results. In 1859 he was promoted governor of Hongkong and was in office during the war with China in 1860-61. He was governor of Ceylon in 1865-68 and reorganized its public de- partment so that it became a model in British colonial administration. He was governor of New South Wales in 1872-79, negotiating the cession of the Fiji Islands, and in 1879 he came governor of New Zealand. He was pointed governor of Cape Colony and high commissioner of Smith Africa in 1880, arriving in January 1881, and was called upon to lish the peace following the first Boer War.
His administration was exceedingly able under circumstances of marked difficulty. He labored earnestly to establish a responsible colonial ent and to institute cordial relations government the British and Dutch settlers, besides improving internal communication and opening new territory. He was continued in office two years beyond the usual term of a governor and received a baronetcy in 1891. In 1895, at the urgent request of Lord Rosebery's government, he returned to South Africa and resumed his former position. The Jameson raid, car ried out without his knowledge, brought his negotiations with the South African Republic to an end. He secured the release of the raiders but could do little to remedy the troubles which resulted in the War of 1899, although at the time of his departure in May 18% he had established comparative calm. He created Baron Rosmead in 1896.