Sir William Henry Sleeman (8 August 1788 ? 10 February 1856) was a British soldier and administrator in British India.A great admirer of India's rich natural beauty, he was born in Stratton, Cornwall, the son of Philip Sleeman, a yeoman and supervisor of excise of St Tudy. In 1809 William joined the Bengal Army, served in the Nepal War (1814?1816), and in 1820 became assistant to the Governor-General's agent in the Saugor and Nerbudda territories. He is best known for his suppression of the Thuggee secret society. He had captured "Feringhea" (also called Syeed Amir Ali, on whom the novel...