VINCENZO MARIA DI SANTA CATERINA DA SIENA (lay Antonio Murchio di Bormio). Bormio 1626 — Rome 5.11.1679. Father. Italian Carmelite, Procurator of his order. In 1656 sent by Pope Alexander VII and Propaganda Fide to India to inspect Catholic mission in Goa and Kerala. Used land route via Turkey and Persia. Returned via Muskat to Rome in 1658.…
VALENTIJN, François. Dordrecht 17.4.1666 — the Hague 6.8.1727. Dutch Priest and Naturalist. Son of a school director. Studied theology and philosophy at Leiden and Utrecht. From 1684 spent 16 years as minister in Dutch Indonesia, mainly in Ambon, where he befriended with Rumphius. After ten years in the Netherlands returned…
VAILLANT, Louis Auguste André Marie. Paris 26.11.1876 — Arras 18.2.1963. French Army Physician, Naturalist and Explorer. Son of Léon Louis V., Professor of Zoology. Studied medicine at Bordeaux, graduated 1902 and became physician in French colonial army. In 1906-08 he travelled with Pelliot and Nouette in Central Asia, acting on behalf…
TORRENS, Henry D’oxley. Meerut 24.2.1823 — London 1.12.1889. Sir. British Colonial Officer in India. Son of —> H. W. Torrens and Eliza Mary Roberts. Joined army in 1849, Colonel 1864, Major-General 1869 and Lieutenant-General 1884. Served in Crimean war and 1857 mutiny. Travels in Ladakh, etc. during summer holiday of…
SCHÖNBERG, Wolf Erich, Baron von. Herzogswalde, Sachsen 30.4.1812 — Herzogswalde 14.5.1883. German Traveller. Son of Friedrich August Wolf v. S. and Henriette von Bühnau (who died in childbed). Studied forestry at the academies of Tharandt and Dreissigacker. Travelled in India and Persia in the 1840s, then also in Africa. Married 1854 Luise…
SALT, Henry. Lichfield 14.6.1780 — Desuke near Alexandria, Egypt 30.10.1827. British Diplomat, Traveller, Collector of Antiquities and Pioneer of Egyptology. Son of physician Thomas Salt and Alice Butt, educated in Lichfield and Birmingham. Trained as portrait-painter and went to London in 1797, but soon abandoned the career as an artist.…
ROBERTS, Emma. Methley near Leeds 1793? — Poona 16.9.1840. British Journalist and Poet in India. Daughter of an officer (Captain), who died before her birth, grew up with her mother in Bath. Moved in literary circles and studied historical material in British Museum. In 1828 went to India with her…
REGEL, Johann Albert (Russian Ioann-Al’bert Regel’). Zürich 12.12.1845 — Odessa 6.7.1908. Swiss Physician, Botanist and Exporer in Russia. Son of Eduard R. (1815-1892, 1873 Russian title of nobility), a garden architect and botanist, and Elisabeth Locher. The family moved in 1855 to St.Petersburg. Studied medicine at St.Petersburg, Göttingen, Vienna and Dorpat (Tartu).…
PIRES, Tomé. 1468? — 1540? or little earlier. Portuguese Traveller. 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 Java. Returned to Goa in 1515 and in 1516 was made ambassador to China.…
PORTNJAGIN, Pavel Konstantinovič. Vladivostok 1903 — Samarkand 1977. Russian Traveller. Interested early in Theosophy and eastern religions. In 1925-26 travelled in China and Mongolia, in 1926 joined in Urga the Roerich Central Asian expedition, until 1928, then with I. A. D’jakov in Burma. After a while as teacher in Harbin…