BARKER, William Burckhardt. Aleppo, Syria 1810 — Sinope, Turkey 28.1.1856. British Traveller. Son of Consul-General John B. In 1819 brought to England for education, in 1835 returned to Syria, later on resident in Tarsus. He travelled much in Levant, occasionally carrying diplomatic duties. Some time Professor of Arabic, Turkish, Persian,…
VINCENZO MARIA DI SANTA CATERINA DA SIENA (lay Antonio Murchio di Bormio). Bormio, Lombardy 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…
VALENTIJN, François (Franciscus). Dordrecht 17.4.1666 — the Hague 6.8.1727. Dutch Priest and Naturalist. Son of school director Abraham V. and Maria Rijsbergen. 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…
VAILLANT, Louis Auguste André Marie. Paris 26.11.1876 — Arras (Pas-de-Calais) 18.2.1963. French Army Physician, Naturalist and Explorer. Son of Léon Louis Vaillant (1834–1914), Professor of Zoology, and Henriette Jeanne Hovius. Studied medicine at Bordeaux, graduated 1902 and became physician in French colonial army. In 1906-08 he travelled with Pelliot and Nouette…
TORRENS, Henry D’Oyley. Meerut 24.2.1833 — London 1.12.1889. Sir. British Colonial Officer in India. Son of —> H. W. Torrens (1806–1852) and Eliza Mary Roberts (1808–1834). Joined army in 1849, Colonel 1864, Major-General 1869 and Lieutenant-General 1884. Served in Crimean war and 1857 uprising. Travels in Ladakh, etc. during the…
SCHÖNBERG, Wolf Erich, Baron von. Herzogswalde, Sachsen 30.4.1812 — Herzogswalde 14.5.1883. German Traveller. Son of Friedrich August Wolf von Schönberg (1780–1830) and Henriette von Bühnau (1784–1812, 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…
SALT, Henry. Lichfield, Staffordshire 14.6.1780 — Desouk 80 km east of 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, Market Bosworth and Birmingham. Trained as portrait-painter and went to London in 1797, but soon…
ROBERTS, Emma. Methley near Leeds 1793? — Poona 16.9.1840. British Journalist and Poet in India. Daughter of Captain William Roberts, who died before her birth, and his wife Eliza, grew up with her mother in Bath. Moved in literary circles and studied historical material in British Museum. In 1828 went…
REGEL, Johann Albert von (Russian Ioann-Al’bert Regel’). Zürich 12.12.1845 — Odessa 6.7.1908. Swiss Physician, Botanist and Exporer in Russia. Son of Eduard Regel (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…
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…