BEREZOVSKIJ, Mihail Mihajlovič. 1848 — St.Petersburg 5.4.1912. Russian Ornithologist, Ethnographer and Traveller in Central Asia. Born in a noble family, school in St.Petersburg. As young man involved in radical politics, but escaped punishments. Studied zoology at St.Petersburg. From 1876 repeatedly with Potanin in Mongolia, starting as zoologist and botanist, but…
BELLEW, Henry Walter. Nusserabad (Nasirabad, Ajmer dt.) 30.8.1834 — Farnham Royal, Buckinghamshire 26.7.1892. British Physician and Orientalist (Pashto Scholar) in India. Son of Captain (later Major-general) Henry Walter Bellew of the Bengal army (killed in Afghan war 1842), educated at St. George’s Hospital, London. Served in the Crimean war and…
BELL, Charles Alfred. Calcutta 31.10.1870 — Oak Bay, Victoria, B.C. 8.3.1945. Sir. British Tibetan Scholar, Traveller, and Civil Servant in India. Born as a son of a civil servant (in India) Henry Bell and his wife Anne, educated at Winchester and Oxford (New College). In 1891 joined Indian service in…
BASTIAN, Philipp Wilhelm Adolf. Bremen 26.6.1826 — Port-of-Spain, Trinidad 2.2.1905. Catholic German Anthropologist, Psychologist, and Traveller, a pioneer of South-east Asian studies. Born in a merchant family, son of Hermann Theodor Bassus (1796–1866) and Auguste Krafft. Studied biology and medicine at Berlin, Jena, Würzburg (under Virchow) and Prague (dr. med.…
BARBOSA, Duarte. Lisbon c. 1480? — Cebu, Philippines 1.5.1521. Portuguese Traveller in the East. Son of Diogo Barbosa, a high servant of the Dukes of Braganza. He came to India as a young man, apparently with Cabral in 1500 or in the third expedition in 1501, stayed mainly in Kerala…
BALDAEUS, Philippus (Philips Baelde). Delft bapt. 24.10.1632 — Geervliet 1671. Dutch Priest and Traveller. Son of Jan Baelde, a merchant, and Maria de Jomge (Junius, d. 1636), of Flemish origin, lost early his parents (1636). After Latin school in Delft studied at Groningen and, in 1650-54, Leiden universities. In 1654…
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…
BACOT, Jacques. St.-Germain-en-Laye (Indre) 4.7.1877 — Paris 25.6.1965. French Traveller and Tibetologist. Born in a family of cloth merchants, son of Raymond Bacot (1843–1917) and Marie Louise Bapterosses. With father and grandfather, who were experienced travellers, he himself made a journey round the world in 1904. In 1907 he conducted…
AVITABILE, Paolo Crescenzo Martino (called Abu Tabela). Agerola near Sorrento 25.10.1791 — Agerola 28.3.1850. Neapolitan Officer and Traveller in India. Son of farmer Bartolomeo Avitabile and Angela di Fortunato. From 1807 served in Neapolitan militia and from 1809 in army (artillery) under Joseph Bonaparte and Joachim Murat. In 1815 second…
ANQUETIL-DUPERRON, Abraham Hyacinthe. Paris 7.12.1731 — Paris 18.1.1805. French Orientalist, Pioneer of Iranian and Indian Studies. Travelled in India 1755-61, then member of the A.I.B.L. in Paris. He was the son of a spice merchant from Paris, Pierre Anquetil, and Angélique Coignard, and brother of historian Louis-Pierre Anquetil (1723-1806). He…