PIRES, Tomé. Lisbon or Leiria 1468? — China 1540? or little earlier. Portuguese Traveller. Son of an apothecary, followed his father on this profession. Came to India in 1511, as apothecary and not very young, obtained soon official position under Albuquerque and went to Malacca. From there he also visited…
PULLAN, Ayrton. Staveley, Derbyshire 31.3.1834 — Clifton, Cumbria 30.4.1891. British Colonial Officer in India. Son of Rev. Benjamin William Pullan (1803–1838) and Catherine Dewhurst, educated at Cheltenham College. In 1856 joined Bengal Native Infantry. Participated in the Trigonometrical Survey. Colonel 1886. He was a noted artist who made water colours…
PUGLISI PICO, Mario. Aci S.Antonio near Catania 31.12.1867 — Parma 11.12.1954. Italian Philosopher, Theologian and Ecumenical Methodist. Professor (in Florence?). Publications: Translated: Consigli ai cattivi poeti, poema Indostanica. Palermo 1891 (Mīr Taqī Mīr’s Ajgarnāma). – Much on Italian (esp. Sicilian) literature, religion, philosophy, etc. Sources: S. Corso, “M.P.P. (1867–1954). Dalla letteratura alla filosofia di Brentano…
PRYSE, William. Llanwrtydd, Breconshire 1820 — Sylhet (?) 2.8.1869.Rev. British (Welsh) Presbyterian Missionary in India. Born in Llanwrtyd, but the family moved soon to Tredegar in Monmouthshire. Studies in 1842-46 at Trefecca College. For a while pastor of Narbeth church, in 1848 ordained as missionary and sailed with his wife…
PRYM, Eugen. Düren (between Aachen and Köln) 15.12.1843 — Bonn 6.5.1913. German Semitic Scholar. Professor in Bonn. Son of Richard Prym, a cloth manufacturer, and Ernestine Schoeller. Gymnasium in Düren. Studies of comparative linguistic and Oriental languages at Berlin, Leipzig (Fleischer) and Bonn (Gildemeister). Ph.D. 1868 Bonn, then fieldwork in…
PROCTER, Thomas. 1797 — Bath or Calcutta (?) 16.6.1836. Rev. British Clergyman in India. Son of Major T. Procter. From 1818 studies at Oxford (Jesus College), B.A. 1821, M.A. 1824. Fellow of Queen’s College 1824-26. Chaplain in Calcutta and Examiner at College of Fort William (1828). In 1831 among the…
PROCHNOW, Johann Detloff. Lassan, Pomerania 24.2.1814 — Berlin 17.10.1888. Rev. German Missionary in India. Son of Johann Christian Prochnow and Johanna Detlof. Studies of theology in 1837-40 at Griefswald, was accused of belonging to a students’ fraternity. Dr. Arrived with his wife in India in 1840. From 1843 worked in…
PRICE, William. 17?? — 18??. British Colonial Officer and Oriental Scholar in India. Lieutenant (1807), then Captain (1823) and Major (1831) in the 5th native regiment in Bengal. From 1813 taught Bengali, Marathi and Sanskrit at Fort William College, from 1824 Professor of Hindee (i.e. Braj) and Hindoostanee there. Retired…
PRENDERGAST, M. H. 18?? — 1???. In 1880 he was Assistant Superintendent of Police in Yizigapatam of the Madras Province. Publications: “Short Vocabulary of the Savara Language”, JRAS N.S. 13, 1881, 425-428. Sources: With mere initials he is very difficult to trace, according to geni.com no close relative of Thomas Pr.
PRATT, James Bissett. Elmira, NY 22.6.1875 — Williamstown, MA 15.1.1944.U.S. Philosopher and Scholar of Religion. The only child of banker Daniel Ransom Pratt and Katharine Graham Murdoch. Graduated 1893 from Elmira Free Academy and 1898 from Williams College. Studies at Harvard (M.A. 1899) and Berlin. Ph.D. 1905 Harvard under W.…