FRASER, James Baillie. Edinburgh (or Reelig) 11.6.1783 — Reelig (Moniack) near Inverness 23.1.1856. 15th Laird of Reelig. British (Scottish) Artist and Traveller. Son of Edward Satchell Fr., grandson of —> James Fraser. Educated at home and in Edinburgh. In 1799-1811 in Guyana in care of the family’s sugar and cotton plantations. In 1813 to India, where his four brothers already served. In 1815-16 travelled in Himalayan hill states with his brother William (1784–1835). He was not succesful in business and in 1820 left Calcutta going via Delhi to Iran. Partly in disguise he visited Shiraz, Tehran, Mašhad and Tabriz and finally came via Tbilisi, Odessa and Vienna to home. In 1833-35 visited Iran again in government’s service for gathering information. Married Jane Tytler, no children. Noted for his landscape watercolours.
Publications: Journal of a Tour through part of the Snowy Range of the Himala Mountains, and to the Sources of the Rivers Jumna and Ganges. 20+548 p. L. 1820.
– Narrative of a Journey into Khorasan in the Years 1821 and 1822. 623+148 p. L. 1825; Travels and Adventures in the Persian Provinces of the Southern Banks of the Caspian Sea. 398 p. L. 1826; and other travel books; novels; articles.
– An Historical and Descriptive Account of Persia. From the earliest ages to the present time… Including a Description of Afghanistan and Beloochistan. 472 p. Edinburgh 1834.
– Military Memoir of Lieut.-Col. James Skinner. 1-2. L. 1851.
Sources: *M. Archer and T. Falk, India Revealed: The Art and Adventures of James and William Fraser 1801-35. London, 1989; Buckland, Dictionary; *D. Wright, “JBF: Traveller, Writer and Artist”, Iran 32, 1994, 125-134 D. Wright, Encyclop. Iranica 10, 192-195 (online); Wikipedia with portrait.
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