William Gore Ouseley

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.

Career Ouseley was born in London 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. The country of Argentina was effectively created in 1816, 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. 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.

Within two weeks he had to return as his only son, William Charles Ouseley, had died at the age of 27 in Asunción, Paraguay due to an opium overdose.

Art and literature

Ouseley was also an early commentator on the legends which grew up around the historical figure Dick Whittington.

Ouseley's Travels (1819) was among the first to publish that a cognate cat tale was to be found in the Persian manuscript of the Tarik al-Wasaf. The story is related thus:

In the tenth century, one Keis, the son of a poor widow in Síraf, embarked for India, with his sole property, a cat, his only property. There he fortunately arrived at a time when the palace was so infested by mice or rats, that they invaded the king's food, and persons were employed to drive them from the royal banquet. Keis produced his cat; the noxious animals soon disappeared, and magnificent rewards were bestowed on the adventurer of Síraf, who returned to that city, and afterwards, with his mother and brothers, settled on the island, which from him has been denominated Keis, or according to the Persians, Keish.

A little earlier, James Morier Second Journey (1818) also published the connection between Whittington's cat and the same tale, having heard the story told by the ambassador (i.e. Ouseley's uncle, Sir Gore).

Abolitionist In 1850 Ouseley published "Notes on the Slave Trade". At that time there was a proposal to withdraw the British naval squadrons that patrolled the Atlantic to put down the slave trade on the grounds that they were ineffective and cost too much money. In his book Ouseley argued that they did much good and should be kept. Appealing to his own experience as a diplomat in Brazil, he recalled that by "the active exertions of our cruisers and the intelligent and zealous co-operation of our officers" the slave trade from Africa to Brazil was greatly reduced.

Ouseley argued against slavery on moral and religious grounds, and said it was exacerbated by racial prejudice. "Slavery and the prejudice of colour re-act on each other mutually as cause and effect".

Personal life Whilst he was in America, he married Marcia Van Ness (d. 1881) in 1827, the 20-year-old daughter of the Governor of Vermont, Cornelius P. Van Ness (1782–1852). William Charles Ouseley (d. 1859), died aged 27 in Asunción, Paraguay, due to an opium overdose.

He died 6 March 1866, and his wife died in 1881.

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