CHRONOLOGICAL SURVEY

OF THE CHIEF EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF H. P. BLAVATSKY AND
COL.HENRY S. OLCOTT,
FROM NOVEMBER, 1889, THROUGH DECEMBER, 1890.
(The period to which the material in the present volume belongs)

1 8 8 9

November 21—Annie Besant takes the chair at the Blavatsky Lodge, London, for the first time (Minutes).

November 30—Col. Olcott lectures at Edinburgh (ODL, IV, 205-06; Lucifer, V, 341) .

Fall—C. W. Leadbeater leaves Ceylon and goes to England to become resident tutor of A. P. Sinnett's son Denny; accompanied by the 13-year-old Singhalese boy, C. Jinarâjadâsa (Ransom, 259).

December—The Aryan Press is announced as being established in New York (Path, IV, Dec., 1889, pp. 290, 328).

December 16—Death of Dr. Seth Pancoast, famous Kabalist and VicePresident of the T.S. at its foundation (Path, IV, Jan., 1890, p. 328).

December 17—Col. Olcott lectures at Newcastle; back in London next day, to preside over meeting of British Section (ODL, IV, 207; Lucifer, V, 341-42) .

December 19—Col. Olcott is present at the meeting of the Blavatsky Lodge (Lucifer, V, Jan., 1890, pp. 432-35).

December 22-Pandit N. Bhâshyâchârya, Director of the Adyar Library, dies (ODL, IV, 203; Theos., XI, Suppl. Jan., 1890, p. lxi).

December 25—H.P.B. appoints Col. Olcott her confidential agent for the E.S. in Asiatic countries (Lucifer, V, Jan., 1890, p. 437; Theos., XI, Suppl. March, 1890, p. cv; ODL, IV, 184).

December 25—Col. Olcott issues Executive Order appointing H.P.B. Chairman, and Annie Besant, Wm. Kingsland and Herbert Burrows members, of an Appelate Board, to be known as “the President's Commissioners” for Great Britain and Ireland (ODL, IV, 182-83; Theos., XI, Suppl. Feb., 1890, p. lxxxvii; Ransom, 262).

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December 26—Col. Olcott leaves London for Colombo, Ceylon, via Marseilles; sails on the SS Oxus, Dec. 29, accompanied by Edward Douglas Fawcett (Theos., XI, Suppl. Feb., 1890, p. Ixxxviii; ODL, IV, 207) .

1 8 9 0

January 2—Blavatsky Lodge elects Annie Besant as President (Lucifer, V, Jan., 1890, p. 436) .

January 16—Col. Olcott and E. D. Fawcett reach Colombo, Ceylon (ODL, IV, 209; Theos., XI, Suppl. Feb., 1890, p. lxxxviii).

February 5—Col. Olcott reaches Adyar (Theos., XI, Suppl. Feb., 1890, p. lxxxviii).

February-March—H.P.B. spends some weeks at Brighton to recuperate from a spell of sickness; improves a good deal (Path, IV, March, 1890, p. 389) .

May-June—H.P.B. in rather poor health; has spells of prostration (Theos., XI, June, 1890, p. 532).

June 24—Death of T. Subba Row; cremated at 9:00 the following morning (ODL, IV, 234; Theos., XI, July, 1890, pp. 576-78).

June—“Department of Branch Work” organized by W. Q. Judge in U.S.A. (Path, V. June, 1890, pp. 102-03).

June—Approximate time when H.P.B.'s Gems from the East (a birthday book) is published (Path, V, June, 1890, p. 104).

July—Col. Olcott goes to lecture at Trichinopoly (ODL, IV, 238-39; Ransom, 265).

July 3—The premises at 19 Avenue Road, St. John's Wood, London, being ready, the new center is inaugurated (Lucifer, VI, July, 1890, pp. 431-36; Path, V, Aug., 1890, pp. 166, 197-98; Ransom, 267; Theos., XI, p. 662) .

July 9—Col. Olcott issues Executive Order in regard to the formation of an European Section of the T.S. with H.P.B. as the responsible head thereof (ODL, IV, 239; Ransom, 269; Theos., XI, Suppl. Aug., 1890, p. c1ii; and XII, Suppl. Oct., 1890, p. i; Lucifer, VI, p. 520) .

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July 20—Mendacious letter from Dr. Elliott Coues in the New York Sun. W. Q. Judge brings suit against both Coues and the Sun (ODL, I, 162; Ransom, 274; Lucifer, VI, Aug., 1890, pp. 523-24; Path, V, Aug., 1890, pp. 153 et seq.).

July—Law suit of Mabel Collins against H.P.B. is taken out of court by plaintiff's Counsel and is not pursued (Path, V, Aug., 1890, p. 154).

August 16—H.P.B., with the help of other people, founds “The Working Women's Club” at 193 Bow Road, East End, London; it is opened on that date in the presence of H.P.B. Laura Cooper and Annie Besant placed in charge; it was closed in 1894, as costs became too heavy Ransom, 266; Lucifer, VII, Sept., 1890, pp. 79-80; Vahan, I, No. 2, Dec. 14, 1890, pp. 5-6).

August 25—H.P.B. issues Executive Order to the Theosophists of Europe concerning her assumption of the position of President of the European Section T.S. (Lucifer, VII, Sept., 1890, pp. 77-78).

September—The “H.P.B. Printing Press” is about to be installed at the new Headquarters in London, and funds have been supplied. Claude Falls Wright in charge. James M. Pryse has just come from the U.S.A. and has taken up his permanent residence there as printer (Mrs. A. L. Cleather in her “London Letter,” Theos., XII, Nov., 7 890, p. 127) .

September—W. Q. Judge's Echoes from the Orient published (Path, V, Sept., 1890, advert.).

September 21—Death of Megittuwatte, the great Ceylonese Buddhist priest-orator (ODL, IV, 248).

October 9-Col. Olcott leaves for Ceylon to open the Sanghamitta Buddhist Girls School, first of its kind on the Island (ODL, IV, 250; Ransom, 266)

October 7—Col. Olcott, feeling rather discouraged and sick, writes to H.P.B., before leaving Ceylon, that he wishes to retire from the Presidency of the T.S. and leave the sole headship to her. (Nov. 12 -asks her to take the Office of President.) H.P.B. flatly refuses to do so (ODL, IV, 251-52; Ransom, 271; Theos., XII, General Report, as Suppl. to January, 1891, pp. 11-13).

Oct. 27—Col. Olcott leaves Ceylon; goes to Tinnevelly where he is met by Bertram Keightley; they make a tour of Southern India together; return to Adyar Nov. 10th (Theos., XII, Dec., 1890, pp. 186-87 ; ODL, IV, 252-53) .

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Nov. 17—Col. Olcott issues Executive Order regarding the formation of the Indian Section T.S., with Bertram Keightley as Inspector-General of Indian Branches (Theos., XII, Suppl. Dec., 1890, p. xiii).

December 1—First issue of The Vahan published in London (Path, V, Dec., 1890, p. 295; Lucifer, VII, Nov., 1890, p. 253) .

December—Col. Olcott, owing to bad health and fatigue, places the Presidency “in Commission”; appoints Tookarâm Tatya, Norendro Nath Sen, N. D. Khandalavala, W. Q. Judge, as President's Commissioners (Ransom, 272; Path, V, March, 1891, p. 393).

KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS

Lucifer—A Theosophical Magazine, designed to “Bring to Light the Hidden Things of Darkness.” London, 1887, etc.

Minutes—Minutes of the Blavatsky Lodge in London. Original in the Archives of that Lodge at present.

ODL—Old Diary Leaves, by Col. Henry Steel Olcott. Fourth Series,1887-1892. London: Theos. Publ. Society; Adyar: Office of The Theosophist, 1910.

Path—The Path. Published and Edited at New York by William Q. Judge. Vol. I, April, 1886, etc.

Ransom—A Short History of The Theosophical Society. Compiled by Josephine Ransom. Adyar: Theosophical Publishing House, 1938.

Theos.—The Theosophist. Founded by H.P.B. and Col. Olcott in October, 1879. In progress.

Vahan—The Vahan. A Vehicle for the Interchange of Theosophical News and Opinions. Issued by the Council of the British Section T.S. Vol. 1, No. 1, December 1, 1890, etc.