GOSSELLIN, Pascal-François-Joseph. Lille 6.12.1751 — Paris 8.2.1830. French Merchant, Geographer and Historian of Geography. Born in a family of merchants, came early into family business. Member of Chambre de commerce in Lille, from 1784 of Conseil royal du commerce for Flanders, Hainaut and Cambrésis. Travelled much in Europe on business.…
FREUDENBERG, Johann Philipp. Raubacher Hütte bet Dierdorf, Kr. Neuwied 18.2.1843 — Colombo 2.2.1911. German Merchant in Sri Lanka. Son of an industrialist. Entered business and served in a coffee firm in Cologne, Rotterdam, Marseille and London. In 1873 went to Colombo and established his own, very succesful firm. From 1876 Imperial…
FITCH, Ralph. 1550? — London (?) 1611. English Merchant and Traveller in India. In February 1583 left London with other merchants of the Levant Company (with John Newberry as leader) with the purpose of opening trade with India. They travelled through Tripolis, Aleppo (May), Baghdad and Basra to Ormuz (September),…
FINCH, William. 15?? — Baghdad ?.8.1613. British Merchant and Traveller in India. Native of London. He came to Surat with Hawkins in 1608 and had to stay there because of an illness, but joined later Hawkins in spring 1610 at Jahangir’s court and spent one and a half year in…
FEDERICI, Cesare de (Fedrici). Erbanno (Brescia) c. 1530 — 1600/03. Italian (Venetian) Merchant and Traveller in India. Left Venice in 1567 (Charpentier & Lach 1563, long stay in the Near East), travelled via Aleppo and Basra to Ormuz, by ship to Diu and Goa. From Goa he went by land…
DALGLEISH, Andrew. 1853 — near Karakorum 6.4.1888. British (Scottish) Tradesman, Traveller, Spy and Geographer of Central Asia. “For years [from 1873] he journeyed for commercial purposes between Kashmir and Yarkand, joined the Central Asian Trading Company, went with a party to Yarkand, and afterwards made frequent journeys to Kashgar; in…
BRIGGS, Henry George. Bombay 20.10.1824 — Bombay 4.7.1872. British Merchant, Traveller, and Orientalist. Son of Henry Briggs. In 1843 travelled in South Africa, in 1845 in China. In 1846 settled at the office of Briggs & Co. in Bombay. For a while lived in Karachi (1854/55), then from 1856 Assistant…
BOHLEN, Peter von. Wüppels, Jeverland 13.3.1796 — Halle 6.2.1840. German Indologist and Orientalist. Professor in Königsberg. Son of a poor farmer, Christian B., belonging to an old Pomoranian noble family, and Frauke Margaretha Ocken. Parents died early and he had a checquered life. He took up the old title of…
BALBI, Gasparo. 15?? — after 1590. Italian Merchant and Traveller, in the East 1579-86. He was from Venice and dealt in jewels, and therefore went to India. Started from Venice in 1579, travelled by the land route, via Aleppo, Basra, and Ormuz to Goa, where he stayed till 1582. Then…