Simon Soon
This gothic-style memorial, which was originally topped by a cross and surrounded by a cast iron railing, was erected in 1873 in memory of Scottish-born lawyer James Richardson Logan. The four female figures represent Justice, with a sword and scales; Fortitude, with a club; Wisdom, with an open book; and Temperance, with a chain and bit. Below Justice is a marble medallion depicting Logan’s portrait profile, and below Wisdom is a dedication inscribed on a marble plaque.
The memorial, was originally topped by a cross and surrounded by a cast iron railing, was entirely funded by public subscriptions from Penang, Singapore and Melaka, testifying to his public prominence.
The two Logan brothers, James and Abraham arrived in Penang in 1839 and set up a legal firm - Daniel Logan, Barrister at Law, Solicitor General. They lateter expanded into plantation agriculture, with 16,000 acres of Paddy and coconut estates in Province Wellesley and 2,000 acres of fruit orchard in Penang. Like other Western proprietors, they depended on a labour force supplied by the Chinese Big Five families, who dominated the coolie trade in the region. They also relied on the Big Five for processing and transporting their agricultural commodities.
This would account for the interest that Logan would continuously demonstrate in regards to the welfare of the Chinese community. As a lawyer, Logan was seen to be sympathetic to the rights of natives [here it refers to the non-European population of the Straits Settlement]. He represented an Indian sireh (betel leaf) farmer in a complaint against the East India Company, and defended the rights of the Chinese in Penang to organise and conduct their traditional festivals.
On top of his legal practice, he was prolific scholar. From 1843 to 1853, Logan was in Singapore where he began editing and publishing the Journal of the Indian Archipelago and Eastern Asia. More commonly known as ‘Logan’s Journals’, 13 volumes were published between 1847 and 1859. Returning back to Penang in 1853, he became editor of the Pinang Gazette until his death in 1869. Under Logan, Pinang Gazette became a platform to champion freedom of speech and the legal rights of the population.
Being Scottish himself, and having be been into a national identity that is co-exist with being British, he argued for an imperial policy based on mutual accommodation rather than assimilation. The press was used to shape public opinion across India of Edmund Blundell's ineptitude as Governor of the Straits Settlements. He rallied for the support of the Chinese community, arguing that they should play a role in municipal affairs as 'respectable and influential natives'.
These issues pressed the small European community to see for transfer of the Straits Settlement from British Indian rule to the Crown Colony. This would grant the Straits Settlement legislative autonomy since it was answerable directly to the Colonial Office in London rather than to the Calcutta Government.
Ironically, the support for engaging with the Chinese elite and the transfer of Straits Settlement (achieved in 1867) are favoured precisely because the European community wanted greater control over the Chinese population than what Indian government would allow - a central aim was to enact laws to restrict the activities of Chinese secret societies.
NOTES
Joshua Chia Yeong Jia and Bonny Tan. 2009. 'James Richardson Logan' SingaporeInfopedia. http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1146_2009-10-27.html (Accessed 12 August 2019)
Khoo, S. N. (1993). Streets of George Town, Penang. Penang, Malaysia: Janus Print & Resources, pp. 116–117
Wong Yee Tuan. 2015. Penang Chinese Commerce in the 19th Century. Singapore: ISEAS- Yusof Ishak Institute.
James R. Logan. 1840. 'On the Agricultural Capabilities of the Island of Penang' Transactionals, Vol. 7, 101-9.
Marcus Langdon. 2015. George Town's Historic Commercial and Civic Precincts. Penang: GTWHI, 45.
