HAGGARD

haggard, henry rider (1856- ), english novelist, was born at bradenham hall, norfolk, on the 22nd of june 1856. when he was nineteen he went to south africa as secretary to sir henry bulwer, governor of natal. at the time of the first annexation of the transvaal (1877), he was on the staff of the special commissioner, sir theophilus shepstone; and he subsequently became a master of the high court of the transvaal. he married in 1879 a norfolk heiress, miss margitson, but returned to the transvaal in time to witness its surrender to the boers and the overthrow of the policy of his former chief. he returned to england and read for the bar, but soon took to literary work; he published _cetywayo and his white neighbours_ (1882), written in defence of sir t. shepstone's policy. this was followed by the novels _dawn_ (1884), _the witch's head_ (1885), which contains an account of the british defeat at isandhlwana; and in 1886 _king solomon's mines_, suggested by the zimbabwe ruins, which first made him popular. _she_ (1887), another fantastic african story, was also very successful, a sequel, _ayesha, or the return of she_, being published in 1905. the scene of _jess_ (1887) and of _allan quatermain_ (1888) was also laid in africa. in 1895 he unsuccessfully contested the east norfolk parliamentary division in the unionist interest; he showed great interest in rural and agricultural questions, being a practical gardener and farmer on his estate in norfolk. in his _rural england_ (2 vols., 1902) he exposed the evils of depopulation in country districts. in 1905 he was commissioned by the colonial office to inquire into the salvation army settlements at fort romie, s. california, and fort amity, colorado, with a view to the establishment of similar colonies in south africa. his report on the subject was first published as a blue book, and afterwards, in an enlarged form, as _the poor and the land_ (1905), with suggestions for a scheme of national land settlement in great britain itself. his other books include _maiwa's revenge_ (1888), _mr meeson's will_ (1888), _colonel quaritch_, v.c. (1888), _cleopatra_ (1889), _eric brighteyes_ (1891), _the world's desire_ (1890), a romance of helen of troy, written with mr andrew lang; _nada the lily_ (1892), _montezuma's daughter_ (1894), _the people of the mist_ (1894), _joan haste_ (1895), _heart of the world_ (1896), _dr therne_ (1898), _a farmer's year_ (1899), _the new south africa_ (1900), _lysbeth, a tale of the dutch_ (1901). _stella fregelius_ (1903), _a gardener's year_ (1905), _a farmer's year_ (1899, revised ed., 1906), _the way of the spirit_ (1906).