William Gore Ouseley
Encyclopedia
Sir William Gore Ouseley (26 July 1797 - 6 March 1866) was a British
diplomat
who served in various roles in Washington, D.C.
, Rio de Janeiro
and Buenos Aires
. His main achievement were negotiations concerning ownership of Britain's interests in what is now Honduras
and Nicaragua
.
to the orientalist
Sir William Ouseley
and his wife Julia. He was attaché in Washington D.C. from 1825 to 1832, when he had his first book published. Whilst he was in America he married Marcia Van Ness in 1827. Maria was the 20-year-old daughter of the Governor of Vermont
, Cornelius P. Van Ness
. The country of Argentina
was effectively created in 1826, and he was amongst a group of Britons who assisted the new country gaining an advantage for Britain, negotiating contracts for expertise such as railways.
Ouseley later served in Rio de Janeiro
in 1832 as a consul where he rose to the rank of minister. Not soon after that he was posted to Buenos Aires
where he remained until 1850. His book concerning the slave trade
which he published in 1850 is still (2007) in print.
Ouseley was very well connected, having a Governor as a father-in-law, a sister-in-law who was also a judge in New York
and another sister who had received a marriage proposal from U.S. President James Buchanan
. He had but one blot on his record, having been recalled from Rio de Janeiro, although his superior was generous enough to admit that the argument that caused the recall was in hindsight found to be in Ouseley's favour. In the UK, both his father and his uncle, Sir Gore Ouseley
, were well-connected diplomats and gentleman scholars.
as a Special Envoy on the British warship Valorous
. His mission was to resolve Britain's interests in Central America
, particularly the Bay Islands
off Honduras
, the Mosquito Coast
and Greytown (both now in Nicaragua
). In 1859, he negotiated a treaty concerning the British interests with Nicaragua and with Costa Rica
which involved the President of Nicaragua personally. In early November, Ouseley required a change for his health and he announced his return to Britain before the treaty was signed. Within two weeks he had to return as his only son, William Charles Ouseley, had died at the age of 27 due to an opium overdose.
He died 6 March 1866, and his wife died in 1881.
Ouseley was also an early commentator on the legends
which grew up around the historical figure Dick Whittington. Although the influence of an Italian source was already recognized, Ouseley, on the basis of his travels, was able to trace the story back still further, to a Persian manuscript which he related thus:
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
who served in various roles in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
and Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. His main achievement were negotiations concerning ownership of Britain's interests in what is now Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
and Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
.
Career
Ouseley was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to the orientalist
Oriental studies
Oriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology; in recent years the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Asian studies and Middle Eastern studies...
Sir William Ouseley
William Ouseley
Sir William Ouseley , was a British Orientalist.-Early life:Ouseley was born in Monmouthshire, the eldest son of Captain Ralph Ouseley and his wife Elizabeth . He was tutored at home in the company of his brother, Gore and his cousin, Gideon Ouseley. All three had notable careers...
and his wife Julia. He was attaché in Washington D.C. from 1825 to 1832, when he had his first book published. Whilst he was in America he married Marcia Van Ness in 1827. Maria was the 20-year-old daughter of the Governor of Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, Cornelius P. Van Ness
Cornelius P. Van Ness
Cornelius Peter Van Ness was an American politician of Dutch descent from the US state of Vermont. Van Ness was a Democratic Republican. He is the father of James Van Ness who was a Mayor of San Francisco.-Biography:...
. The country of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
was effectively created in 1826, and he was amongst a group of Britons who assisted the new country gaining an advantage for Britain, negotiating contracts for expertise such as railways.
Ouseley later served in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
in 1832 as a consul where he rose to the rank of minister. Not soon after that he was posted to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
where he remained until 1850. His book concerning the slave trade
Atlantic slave trade
The Atlantic slave trade, also known as the trans-atlantic slave trade, refers to the trade in slaves that took place across the Atlantic ocean from the sixteenth through to the nineteenth centuries...
which he published in 1850 is still (2007) in print.
Ouseley was very well connected, having a Governor as a father-in-law, a sister-in-law who was also a judge in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and another sister who had received a marriage proposal from U.S. President James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
. He had but one blot on his record, having been recalled from Rio de Janeiro, although his superior was generous enough to admit that the argument that caused the recall was in hindsight found to be in Ouseley's favour. In the UK, both his father and his uncle, Sir Gore Ouseley
Gore Ouseley
Sir Gore Ouseley, 1st Baronet GCH , was a British entrepreneur, linguist and diplomat. He was born in 1770 and died at Hall Barn Park, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire in 1844...
, were well-connected diplomats and gentleman scholars.
Special mission
In October 1858 he was sent on a special mission to San José in Costa RicaCosta Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
as a Special Envoy on the British warship Valorous
HMS Valorous (1851)
HMS Valorous was a 16 gun steam powered paddle wheel frigate of the Royal Navy built at Pembroke Dockyard and launched on 30 April 1851.-Design and Construction:...
. His mission was to resolve Britain's interests in Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, particularly the Bay Islands
Bay Islands (department)
Islas de la Bahía is one of the 18 departments into which the Central American nation of Honduras is divided. The departmental capital is Roatan, on the island of Roatán....
off Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, the Mosquito Coast
Mosquito Coast
The Caribbean Mosquito Coast historically consisted of an area along the Atlantic coast of present-day Nicaragua and Honduras, and part of the Western Caribbean Zone. It was named after the local Miskito Indians and long dominated by British interests...
and Greytown (both now in Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
). In 1859, he negotiated a treaty concerning the British interests with Nicaragua and with Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
which involved the President of Nicaragua personally. In early November, Ouseley required a change for his health and he announced his return to Britain before the treaty was signed. Within two weeks he had to return as his only son, William Charles Ouseley, had died at the age of 27 due to an opium overdose.
He died 6 March 1866, and his wife died in 1881.
Art and literature
Ouseley's paintings are still a marketable commodity in 2007.Ouseley was also an early commentator on the legends
Dick Whittington and His Cat
Dick Whittington and His Cat is an English folk tale that has often been used as the basis for stage pantomimes and other adaptations. It tells of a poor boy in the 14th century who becomes a wealthy merchant and eventually the Lord Mayor of London because of the ratting abilities of his cat...
which grew up around the historical figure Dick Whittington. Although the influence of an Italian source was already recognized, Ouseley, on the basis of his travels, was able to trace the story back still further, to a Persian manuscript which he related thus:
Major works
- Remarks on the statistics and political institutions of the United States‚ with some observations on the ecclesiastical system of America‚ her sources of revenue, 1832
- Notes on the Slave Trade‚ with Remarks on the Measures Adopted for its Suppression, 1850
- A description of views in South America‚ from original drawings made in Brazil‚ the River Plate‚ the Parana, 1852
- Views in South America, from original drawings made in Brazil, the River Plate, the Paraná, etc. (London: Thomas McLean, 1852). Geyer Collection, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil