SEDDON, Felix John Vaughan. Pendleton, Lancashire 1798 — Murshidabad 25.11.1865.British Oriental Scholar. Son of attorney William S. (1757–1808) and Penelope Watson (1761–1826), educated in Manchester. In 1815 left for India. From 1820 Registrar of Rangpur, 1824-25 accompanied the army in Burmese war as translator, knew Assamese and Manipuri, also Persian and Hindūstānī. In 1830 left India because of health problems. In 1835-37 Professor of Oriental Languages at King’s College, London. Back in India he was tutor of Nawab Nazim and lived in Murshidabad the rest of his life. Manchester School Register (2, 1868, 244f.) claims that he also knew some Arabic, Sanskrit and Burmese.
Publications: An address delivered in King’s college, London: introductory to a course of Lectures Languages and Literature of Asia. 67 p. L. 1835 (much on NIA languages).
– Buckland and Sutton claim that he “made an Assamese grammar and dictionary”, but these remain untraced. Apparently they remained manuscripts.
Sources: Buckland, Dictionary; C.W.S[utton], D.N.B. 51, 1897, 176; woodlloydfamilyhistory.com/ind2671.html (claims that he also died at Pendleton, but according to Sutton he never left Murshidabad and died there).
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