The British colonial administrator Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere (1815-84) left his mark on both India and South Africa. In 1894, John Martineau (1834-1910) published this sympathetic two-volume biography, which traces Frere's rise to prominence and his fall from grace.

Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere (1815-84) was recognised as one of the ablest colonial administrators of his generation. His service in British India, where he rose to serve on the Supreme Council, was distinguished by his promotion of municipal institutions and his inclusion of the Indian people. In this respect he was ahead of his time. At the outbreak of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, his actions helped limit the spread of the uprising. As Governor of the Cape Colony in South Africa he was directed to confederate the disparate territories there into a single nation, but this mission was marred by his unilateral decision to wage war on the Zulus. In 1894, John Martineau (1834-1910) published this sympathetic two-volume biography. Volume 2 covers Frere's successful attempt to halt the Zanzibar slave trade as well as his service in South Africa, from which he returned home in disgrace.