HALL, Fitzedward. Troy, N.Y. 21.3.1825 — Marlesford, Suffolk 1.2.1901 (or 11.2.?). U.S. Indologist, in India 1846-62 and then in the U.K. Born in an old New England family, son of Daniel Hall, a lawyer, and Anginetta Fitch. Educated in Troy, Walpole and Poughkeepsie, graduated 1842 from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as civil engineer. Studies at Harvard, published translations from German, but could not conclude his studies, because in 1846 he was sent to Calcutta to search for his brother, who had run away to the sea. Because of a shipwreck he had to remain longer as planned and became interested languages. He learned Sanskrit, Hindūstānī and Persian and decided to stay in India. After three years he came to Benares, where in 1850 “he was appointed in the Government College to a post, which was converted in 1853 into an Anglo-Sanskrit professorship. In 1855 he was transferred to Rajputana as Inspector of Public Instruction for Ajmere and Mairmara, in December 1856 to alike inspectorship for the Central Provinces, with headquarters at Saugor, and during the Sepoy mutiny did good service with his rifle.” After peace 18 months travels in England, France and America, then back to India.
Leaving India in 1862 Hall settled down in London and worked 1864-69 as Librarian of India Office. In 1869 resigned, apparently because of false accusations (he was accused by Goldstücker, also otherwise known as quarrelsome, of being a drunkard and a foreign spy), and moved to Marlesford in Suffolk, where he lived until his death. In 1864–69 also Professor of Sanskrit, Hindustani and Indian Jurisprudence at King’s College in London. From 1864 Examiner in Hindustani and Hindi in connection with the civil service commissioner, from 1880 Examiner in Sanskrit and from 1889 also in English, all until his death. D.C.L. 1860 Oxford, LL.D. 1895 Harvard. Kept his U.S. citizenship. In 1854 he married Ameha Warde, daughter of an officer, five children.
Hall was a good Sanskrit scholar, epigraphist, active editor and discoverer of several texts (e.g. the Bṛhaddevatā). He was also interested in English and became the first U.S. collaborator of the O.E.D. To Harvard he presented thousand Oriental manuscripts and as many books.
Publications: Edited in B.I.: Sūryasiddhānta, an ancient system of Hindu astronomy, with Ranganātha’s exposition, the Gūḍhārthaprakāśaka. Edited with the assistance of Pandit Bapu Deva Sastrin. 388 p. B.I. 25. Calcutta 1854-58; Vijñāna Bhikshu, Sānkhya-pravachana-bhāshya, a commentary on the aphorisms of the Hindu atheistic philosophy. 66+233+56 p. B.I. 27. C. 1854-56; Subandhu, Vāsavadattā. A romance. Accompanied by Sivarāma Tripāthin’s perpetual gloss, entitled Darpana. 56+300 p. B.I. 30. C. 1855-59; Dhanañjaya, the Dasa-rūpa, or Hindu canons of dramaturgy, with the expositions of Dhanika, the Avaloka. 39+ 241 p. B.I. 36. C. 1861-65; Vijñāna Bhikshu, Sānkhya-Sāra, a treatise of Sankhya philosophy. 51+48 p. B.I. 83. C. 1865.
– Edited: The Ātma-bodha, with its commentary, also the Tattwa-bodha: being two treatises of Indian pantheism. 29+9 p. Mirzapore 1852; Lallú Lál: Rájníti, a Collection of Hindu Apologues. With a Preface, Notes, and Supplementary Glossary. Allahabad 1854.
– Translated into Hindī: The Tarkasangraha of Annam Bhaṭṭa. Allahabad 1850 (together with Ballantyne’s text edition); Siddhantasangraha. Agra 1855 (Ballantyne’s Synopsis of Science); edited Ballantyne’s Hindi Grammar. L. 1868; from Hindī: A rational refutation of the Hindu philosophical systems By Nehemial Nílakaṇṭha Śástrí Gore. 10+284 p. Calcutta 1862.
– A Contribution Towards an Index to the Bibliography of the Indian Philosophical Systems. 4+236 p. Calcutta 1859.
– “On the Árya-Siddhánta”, JAOS 6, 1860, 556-564.
– Hindî Reader. 19+184 p. Hertford 1870, 2nd ed. 1884.
– A number of articles on epigraphy, literature, etc., in JASB 17:1-34:1, 1861-65, in AJPh, JAOS 1860-62, JRAS 1863, etc.
– Recent Exemplifications of false [English] Philology. 124 p. N.Y. 1872; Modern English. 10+394 p. N.Y. 1873; On English Adjectives in -able. 238 p. L. 1877; Doctor indoctus: Strictures on Professor John Nichol, of Glasgow; With Reference to His English Composition. 68 p. L. 1880; editions for Early English Text Society.
Sources: W.B.O[wen], D.N.B. Suppl. 2, 1912, 187f,; Nat. Cyclop. of Amer. Biogr. 448f.; Buckland, Dictionary; C. Harrison, Modern Language Notes 16, 1901, 92-96; Wikipedia with drawing; Andrew Huxley, an e-mail message about the Goldstücker–Hall case, 2005.
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