BOWRING, Lewin Bentham. Hackney, London 15.7.1824 — Torquay, Devon 14.1.1910. British Civil Servant in India. Son of Sir John Bowring (1792–1872), a linguist, traveller, politician, diplomat, governor of Hong Kong, even poet, and Maria Lewin. Educated in Exeter, at Haileybury and Fort Williams (Calcutta). Worked in Bengal Civil service in…
BOWREY (Bowry), Thomas. Wapping, London 7.9.1659 — 1?.7.1713. British Sea Captain in the East. Came to Madras as a child of 7 after the 1666 great fire of London. In India and South-East Asia in as sailing master, then captain, until 1688. If the Hudson Bay Dictionary is by him,…
BOWER, Hamilton St.Clair. Portsea Island, Hampshire 1.9.1858 — North Berwick, East Lothian 5.3.1940. Sir. British (Scottish) Colonial Officer and Traveller in Central Asia. Son of Admiral James Paterson Bower (1806–1889) and Barbara Hickson (from Ireland). Educated in Edinburgh and at Royal Naval School. Served in British India from 1884. As…
BOGLE, George. Daldowie on Clyde near Glasgow 26.11.1746 — Calcutta 3.4.1781. British (Scottish) Traveller and Diplomat. Youngest son of George Bogle (1700–1784), an important Glasgow merchant, and Ann Sinclair, mother died when he was 17. Educated at Haddington, Glasgow, then at Edinburgh University. After four years in family business joined…
BERNIER, François. Joué-Étiau (Maine-et-Loire) 26.9.1620 — Dauphine (or Paris?) 22.9.1688. French Physician and Traveller in India. Spent twelve years (1656-68) in India, and was eight years physician at the Mughal court. Son of Pierre Bernier, one of the foremost tenants of the chapter of Angers, and Andrée Grimault. He lost…
BELL, Harry Charles Purvis. India 21.9.1851 — Kandy 6.9.1937. British Archaeologist of Sri Lanka. Son of General Harry Wainwright Bell (1821–1888) of Irish/Scottish descent, and Harriet Croker. From 1864 educated at Cheltenham College, but never went to a university. From 1873 in Ceylon Civil service, served in various positions, finally…
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…
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…
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…
ALTUCHOW, Nicolás (Mikołaj Ałtuchow). Kiev (Kyiv) 12.9.1912 — Montevideo 3.5.1983. Polish Indologist in South America. Born in Ukraina, son of engineer Wladimir Altuchow and Anna Hornung, family moved to Poland in 1917. Student of Stasiak at Lwów (Lviv), in 1936-39 his Assistant. Then emigrated to England. From 1951 he was…