FORSTER, Johann Reinhold. Dirschau, West Prussia (now Tczew in Poland) 22.10.1729 — Halle 9.12.1798. German Scientist. Son of George Reinhold Forster (1693–1753), a mayor, of an originally Scottish family (Forrester) emigrated to Germany in the mid-17th century, and Eva Wolf. After theology studies at Halle started his career as an…
FORSTER, Johann Georg Adam (George Forster). Nassenhuben near Danzig (now Mokry Dwór in Poland) 27.11.1754 — Paris 10.1.1794. German Scientist, Author and Traveller interested in India. The eldest son of —> Reinhold Forster (1729–1798) and Justine Elisabeth Nicolai. As a youth travelled with his father in 1765 in Russia and…
FORSTER, Henry Pitts. 1766? (or 1761) — Calcutta (?) 10.9.1815. British Civil Servant in India and a Pioneer of Indology. Possibly studied at Oxford. In 1783 joined the Bengal Civil Service, from 1793 Collector of Tipperah, from 1794 Registrar of the Sadr Diwani Adalat of 24 Parganas. From 1803 in…
FORSTER, George. 1752 — Nagpur 5.1.1792. British Civil Servant and Traveller in India. Served in Madras as early as 1776. In 1782 he travelled from India using the unusual route through Kashmir, Afghanistan, Herat, by the Caspian Sea to Baku, then to Astrakhan and Moscow and by ship from St.Petersburg…
FORBES, James. London 19.5.1749 — Aix-la-Chapelle 1.8.1819. British (Scottish) Civil Servant and Artist in India. Son of Timothy Forbes and Elizabeth Crow. In 1765 he came to Bombay as a writer, 1775 private secretary to Lieutenant-Colonel Th. Keating. After a visit to England in 1780 collector and resident in Dabhoy.…
FITZCLARENCE, George Augustus Frederick, First Earl of Munster. London 29.1.1794 — London 20.3.1842. British Officer and Traveller. Illegitimate son of the future king William IV and Dorothea Bland (née Jordan, 1761–1816, an actress from Ireland). Served as officer in Napoleonic wars and 1815-18 in India. Major-General. Earl and Privy Councillor…
FERRAND, Paul Joseph Gabriel. Marseille 22.1.1864 — Paris 31.1.1935. French Diplomat, Oriental (esp. Arabic) Scholar and a Specialist of Asian Historical Geography. Studies at É.L.O.V.. Served in administrative offices in French Somaliland (Djibouti) and 1887-96 in Madagascar, then as French Consul in Thailand (1896-98), Iran (1898-1900), Indonesia, Germany, and finally…
FERGUSSON, John. 17?? — Cape of God Hope 4.9.1773 (?). British Colonial Officer in India. Captain. The author of the first English Hindustani dictionary in 1773, describing the colloquial speech of soldiers for the use of officers, mixing together different forms of language (but with some preponderance of Magahī). Early…
FAURIEL, Claude Charles. Saint-Étienne (Loire) 21.10.1772 — Paris 14/15.7.1844. French Linguist interested in Sanskrit. Professor in Paris. Son of Joseph Fauriel, a carpenter, and his wife Anne (d. 1772), lost early his mother. Studied at his uncle’s expense in Tournon and Lyon. With revolution became a civil servant and a…
FAUCHE, Hippolyte. 23.5.1795 (or 1797) — Juilly (Seine-et-Marne) 28.2.1869. French Author and Translator of Sanskrit Classics. Born in Juilly or Auxerre, spent most of his life in Juilly. He attended Burnouf’s classes, developed a great interest in Sanskrit literature and spent the last 20 years of his life translating its…