FARIA Y SOUSA, Manuel de. Pombeiro 18.3.1590 — Madrid 3.6.1649. Portuguese Historian and Poet. Born of an ancient noble family, educated in Braga, from c. 1604 in the service of the Bishop of Porto. In 1631-34 member of Portuguese embassy in Rome, then mainly living in Madrid. Married Catarina Machado. Often wrote…
CAPPER, John. Lambeth, Surrey 29.9.1814 — Fulham, Middlesex 31.3.1898. British Journalist and Writer in Sri Lanka. Son of Benjamin Pitts C. and Maria Margaret Bessell. In 1837 he joined a coffee wholesale business and was sent to Ceylon. He was interested in journalism and in 1840 founded short-lived (to 1842)…
BELL, Thomas Evans. London 11.11.1825 — Kensington, London 12.9.1887. British Colonial Officer in India. Major. Son of William Bell and Elizabeth Kinnear, educated at Wandsworth (London). Joined Madras Army in 1842. In 1855-60 Assistant Commissioner in Nagpur, lost his position because of disagreement with Chief Commissioner. In 1861-63 Deputy Commissioner of…
MAFFEI, Giovanni Pietro (Giampietro). Bergamo 1533 — Tivoli 20.10.1603. S.J. Italian Jesuit Historian. Born in a noble family living in poverty. Educated by two maternal uncles and in Rome. From 1563 worked as Professor of Rhetorics in Genoa, before joining Jesuits in 1565. From now on studies in Rome, ordained 1571.…
FURBER, Holden. Boston 13.3.1903 — Bedford, MA (or Concord?) 19.1.1993. U.S. Historian of Colonial India. Professor in Philadelphia. Educated in Boston area, graduated 1924 from Harvard. Further studies at Queen’s College, Oxford (B.A. 1925, M.A. 1930). Ph.D. 1929 Harvard. Nine years Lecturer at Harvard. In 1934 visited South-East Asia and…
BARROS, João de. Vila Verde, Viseu (?), Portugal 1496? — Ribeira de Litém near Pombal 20.10.1570. Portuguese Humanist, Civil Servant, and Contemporary Historian of Early Colonial India. Illegitimate son of nobleman Lopo de Barros from Northern Portugal. Attracted attention of the court with his literary products. In 1522 he was sent to…
POTT, Pieter Hendrik. Groningen 3.10.1918 — Driebergen-Rijsenburg, prov. Utrecht 29.7.1989. Dutch Archaeologist, Indologist, Tibetologist and South-East Asian Scholar. In 1938-46 studies of Indonesian languages at Utrecht (with interruptions caused by war) intending to serve in colonial administration. Ph.D. 1946 Leiden (under Bosch). In 1945-60 conservator (part-time) of the Kern Institute…
PEREIRA, António Pinto. 15?? — 1587. S.J. Portuguese Historian of India. From Mogadour, Bragança. Apparently secretary of an officer in Goa. His work, dealing with the contemporary history of Portuguese in India, was published only posthumously. Publications: História da Índia no tempo em que a Governou o Visorei Dom Luís…
MALLESON, George Bruce. Wimbledon 8.5.1825 — Kensington, London 1.3.1898. British Colonial Officer in India. Colonel. Son of John M. and Lucy Nesbitt. “Educated at Wimbledon and Winchester; joined the Bengal Native Infantry in 1844. In the second Burmese war of 1852-3, in the Commissariat Department until 1856… Sanitary Commissioner in…
SYKES, William Henry. near Bradford, Yorkshire 25.1.1790 — London 16.6.1872. British Colonial Officer in India, with wide scholarly interests. Colonel. Son of Samuel Sykes, an estate owner. Entered as cadet in 1803, Lieutenant in Bombay Army 1805, participated in the siege of Bharatpur. Learned soon Hindī and Marāṭhī and became…