BURT, Thomas Seymour. 1805 — Cotmandene, Dorking, Surrey 8/9.3.1890. British Colonial Officer in India. Possibly from Plymouth. Educated in 1821-23 at Addiscombe. From 1824 served as lieutenant in Bengal Engineers, from 1843 Major, in 1847 dismissed. In 1840 discovered the Bairāṭ Edict (erroneously called the Bhabra Edict) of Aśoka.
N.B. all sources available fail to discern between the Major and his namesake, the vicar of Cannington (Somerset), who wrote poetry (partly under nom-de-plume Koi-Hai). In every source checked only one of them is mentioned and under him are given the works of both.
Publications: “A Description, with Drawings, of the Ancient Stone Pillar at Allahabad called Bhim Sen’s Gadá or Club, with accompanying copies of four inscriptions engraved in different characters upon its surface”, JASB 3, 1834 105-113, 1 pl.; ”Notice of an Inscription on a Slab discovered in February, 1838, ib Bundelkhand, near Chhatarpur”, JASB 8, 1839, 159-184 (apparently by Prinsep); “Inscription found near Bhabra, three marches from Jeypore on the road to Delhi”, JASB 9, 1840, 616-619 (with notes by others); “Inscription taken from a Baolee at Bussuntgurh, at the foot of the Southern range of Hills running parallel to Mount Aboo”, JASB 10, 1841, 664-674; “Observations on a second Inscription taken in fac-simile from the neighbourhood of Mount Aboo”, JASB 10, 1841, 821.
– Also papers on science, e.g. “Description of the Mode of Extracting Salt from the damp Sand-beds of the river Jumna, as practised by the Inhabitants of Bundelkhand”, JASB 3, 1834, 33-36.
– Miscellaneous Papers on Scientific Subjects, written in India. 1-3. L. 1858-65 (or 1837-68?).
Sources: Four confused accounts (the best by Boase) in Br. Biogr. Arch.; a new check with Internet in 2020 did not help much.
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