James Richardson Logan (J. R. Logan), death 20 October 1869, Penang

It is with deep regret that we announce the death of Mr. J. R. Logan of Penang, on the morning of the 20th instant. Mr. Logan was undoubtedly the foremost literary man in the Far East, and though his writings have been latterly confined to the columns of the Penang Gazette, his reputation rests on a far broader basis. His ethnological and other contributions to the Journal of the Indian Archipelago, have been quoted and referred to by nearly every modern writer on the East, including Mr. Crawfurd, who, himself no mean scholar, invariably deferred to his younger competitor. Mr. Logan, moreover, was a Fellow of and a frequent contributor to, many of the scientific societies of Great Britain and the Continent, and his loss will be sensibly felt in that section of the world of letters which has for its object the study of race as affected by the physical peculiarities of the country inhabited. To Penang the loss will be a deep and almost irreparable one ; for he had adopted the country thoroughly, and slaved heart and soul in its interest. Unselfish to a degree, he spared neither time nor money to promote its welfare. An eminent Lawyer, and the Senior barrister of Penang, his advice as a lawyer or a friend was always at the service of those who wanted it ; and where he gained respect he also gained love. At his funeral, which took place on the evening after his death, all the European inhabitants, without a single exception, were present ; also all the respectable natives of the place---Chinese, Mahomedans, Klings, and Malays. We are assured by a correspondent that the people of Penang are determined not to allow his name to die out from among them, but are about to take some steps for its commemoration. [Straits Times Overland Journal, 26 October 1869, Page 14]