BURNOUF, Jean-Louis. Urville near Valognes (Manche) 14.9.1775 — Paris 8.5.1844. French Classical Scholar interested in Sanskrit. Professor in Paris. Father of —> Eugène Burnouf (1801–1852) and uncle of —> É.-L. Burnouf (1821–1907). One of the 8 children of a poor weaver, lost early his father. In 1793 concluded the collège…
BURNEY, Henry. Calcutta 27.2.1792 — at sea 4.3.1845. British Colonial Officer (Captain, 1834 Lieutenant-Colonel) and Diplomat in South-East Asia (Burma). Son of Richard Thomas Burney (1768–1808) and Jane Ross (1772–1842), father was the headmaster of Orphan School at Kidderpore near Calcutta. Joined Indian army in 1807. Attached to the 20th…
BUNSEN, Christian Karl Josias (then Karl, Freiherr von Bunsen). Korbach, Waldeck 25.8.1791 — Bonn 28.11.1860. German Diplomat and Scholar. Son of a Dutch officer, Heinrich Christian Bunsen, who died already before his birth in 1790 (but see below), and Johanette Brocken (or Brocki, 1750–1819). School in Korbach, studies of theology…
BUCHANAN-HAMILTON, Francis (until 1815 Francis Buchanan, then Francis Hamilton). Branziet, Callander, Pertshire 15.2.1762 — Callander 15.6.1829. British (Scottish) Physician in India, Traveller and Naturalist, a Pioneer of Burmese Studies and of Indian Archaeology. Son of Thomas Buchanan (1715–1791), a physician, and Elizabeth Hamilton, took himself a M.D. at Edinburgh in…
BUCHANAN, Claudius (born Claud Buchanan). Cambuslang near Glasgow, Lanarkshire 12.3.1766 — Broxbourne, Hertfordshire 9.2.1815. Rev. British (Scottish) Missionary in India. Son of Alexander Buchanan, a schoolmaster, and Janet Somers, educated in Inverary. Studies at Glasgow 1782-84 and 1786 and, after several years’ interval spent in London, from 1791 at Cambridge…
BROWNE, James. 1744 — Patna 22.6.1792. British Colonial Officer in India. Lieutenant-Colonel. Joined Indian army in 1765, 1772 aide-de-camp of Warren Hastings. “Collector of the Jungleterry districts, 1773; had difficult work in administering the country and settling disturbances. Sent by the Council on an embassy to Shah Alam at Delhi…
BROWN, William. 1??? — 18??. British Colonial Officer in India. Captain, of the Revenue Survey (mentioned in 1822/42), in Dehra Dun. In 1828 surveyed Saharanpur, in 1842 Ludhiana. In 1842 he was Major. Publications: “Account of an ancient temple at Hissar, and of the ship model at that place”, JASB…
BROWN, William. 1757/67? — 1837. British Civil Servant in India. Senior merchant in Madras in the 1810s, in 1817 decribed himself as “many years resident in Northern Sircars”. Completed his dictionary, with the help of Telugu pandits, in 1807. Publications: Anonymously published: A Grammar of Gentoo Language, as it is…
BROWN, Thomas Richard. Whatton, Nottinghamshire 1791 — Southwark, West Sussex 1.9.1875. British Priest and a Self-Made Scholar. Son of Richard Brown of Cambridge. From 1810 studies at St. John’s College, Cambridge (B.A. 1815, M.A. 1820). Ordained deacon 1815, priest 1818. Some time in orders, in 1834 nominated to the vicarage…
BROWN, Charles Philip. Calcutta, India 10.11.1798 — London 12.12.1884. British Civil Servant in India (1817-55) and Indologist, specialist of Telugu language. Son of Rev. David Brown (1763–1812), the provost of Calcutta College, and Frances Cowley. Educated by his father in India, after his death came to England in 1812. After…