RASK, Rasmus Kristian (bapt. Rasmus Christian Rasch). Brændekilde near Odense 22.11.1787 — Copenhagen 14.11.1832. Danish Linguist and Traveller, also interested in Sanskrit and Old Iranian. Professor in Copenhagen. Son of Niels Hansen Rasch (1749–1810), a smallholder and tailor, and Birthe Rasmusdatter (d. 1801). Educated at home and in Odense, became…
RAMSTEDT, Gustaf John. Tammisaari 22.10.1873 — Helsinki 25.11.1950. Finnish Altaic Scholar. Son of Gustaf Adolf Ramstedt, a machineman, and Edla Matilda Holmberg. Studies of classics, Sanskrit (under Donner and Reuter) and Finno-Ugrian at Helsinki. M.A. 1898, Lic. phil. (Ph.D.) 1902 (diss. on Mari language under E. N. Setälä), Docent of…
TURNER, Samuel. Gloucestershire 19.4.1759 (hardly 1749) — London 2.1.1802. British Colonial Officer in India, a Traveller and Diplomat. “Connected with Warren Hastings; entered the military service of the E.I.Co., 1780, and was Captain in 1799. Was sent by Warren Hastings on an embassy to Tibet, from Jan. 1783 to March…
TREBECK, George. Middlesex 1800 — Shah Merdon, Afghanistan 30.8.1825. British Traveller in Central Asia. Son of Charles Trebeck. In 1815 arrived at Calcutta with his father and brother, trained as a solicitor. In 1819 became Moorcroft’s assistant in his travels in Kashmir and Afghanistan. Died a few days after Moorcroft.…
THÉVENOT, Jean de. Paris 16.6.1633 — Mianeh (Miana), Persia 28.11.1667. French Traveller in Persia and India. Nephew of the travel writer Melchisédek Thévenot (1620–1692), librarian and Oriental scholar. Educated at Collège de Navarre, studies at Paris. With paternal inheritance made first several travels in Europe (1652-55), Levant (1655-59) and Persia…
TERRY, Edward. Leigh near Penshurst, Kent 1590 — Great Greenford, Ealing (London) 8.10.1660. Rev. British Traveller in India. Probably of a well-to-do family. After school in Rochester studied from 1608 at Oxford (Christ Church): B.A. 1611, M.A. and ordination 1614. In 1616 he sailed to India as ship’s chaplain and…
TEIXEIRA, Pedro. 15?? — after 1610. Portuguese Traveller. Born in a Portuguese Jewish family, probably in Lisbon, but without Jewish education. Of his life, little is know beyond the meagre information in his book. Even his profession is unknown, Fleming thinks that perhaps he was physician. He spent a long…
TAVERNIER, Jean Baptiste (1669 baron d’Aubonne). Paris 1605 — Moscow (?) 1689. French Jeweller and Traveller in India. Son of Gabriel T., a Huguenot merchant and geographer, originally from Antwerp, and Suzanne Tonnelier. Early travels in England, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Italy and Hungary. Some time served in Austrian army. Also…
PYRARD DE LAVAL, François. Laval c. 1578 — Paris c. 1623. French Traveller in Maldives and India. Son of a trader. In May 1601 he sailed on Corbin one of the two ships equiped by the merchants of St.Malo, Laval and Vitré in order to compete with the Dutch E.I.C. in…
PRICE, William. Worcester 1780 (or 1771 acc. to G.-V.) — Merryman’s Hill near Worcester ?.6.1830. British Colonial Officer and Oriental Scholar in India. In 1811-12 Assistant Secretary and Interpreter of Gore Ouseley’s mission to Persia. He kept a detailed diary, draw buildings and landscapes and copied cuneiform inscriptions. Returned to…