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…
POTTINGER, Henry. Ballymacarrett, county Down 3.10.1788 — Malta 18.3.1855. Sir (Bart). British Colonial Officer in India. Born in a Berkshire family settled in Ireland. Son of Eldred Curwen P. and Anne Gordon, educated at Belfast; went to sea and to India [1804] to join the marine service, but entered the…
POLO, Marco. Venice 1254 (or 1250?) — Venice 8.1.1324. Famous Italian (Venetian) Traveller in the Middle Ages, spent many years in China. Born in a wealthy family of nobility, he left Venice in 1271 together with his father Niccolò and uncle Maffeo, who had returned from their earlier commercial visit…
POLIER, Antoine-Louis-Henri. Lausanne ?.2.1741 — near Avignon 9.2.1795. Swiss Officer and Traveller in India. Born in a French Huguenot noble family naturalized in Switzerland, son of Jacques H. E. Polier (1700–1781) and Jeanne-Francoise Moreau de Brosses. He had a good education and showed interest in mathematics. Invited by his uncle…
PAES (Pais), Domingo. 14?? — 15??. Portuguese Merchant in India. In a group of merchants from Goa he went to Vijayanagara c. 1520 and then wrote his account, characterized by reliable and exact observations and including important information about the Hindu state. The manuscript came to Portugal and was used…
VIGNE, Godfrey Thomas. Walthamstown, Essex 1.9.1801 — Woosford, Essex 12.7.1863. British Traveller in India and America. Son of Thomas Vigne, “educated at Harrow. Called to the bar at Lincoln’s Inn, 1824. Travelled in [North] America, 1831. Went to India, 1832, through Persia. Visited Kashmir, Ladak, Afghanistan, saw the Amir [1836]……
VARTHEMA, Ludovico di (Barthema, Vertomannus). Bologna 1470? — Rome before June 1517. Italian Traveller in India. Claiming to have started his travels only in order to win fame he left Italy late in 1502 and travelled on the route Venice–Cairo–Beyrout–Damas–Mecca (the first known non-Muslim there), using Muslim robe (under the…
YULE, Henry. Inveresk near Edinbourgh 1.5.1820 — London 30.12.1889. British (Scottish) Historian in India. The youngest son of Major William Yule (1764–1839, retired from Indian service in 1806) and Elizabeth Paterson (d. c. 1827). Educated in Edinburgh, from 1833 in Yorkshire and then near Cambridge. After a brief period at…
YOUNGHUSBAND, Francis Edward. Murree, Rawalpindi dt. 31.5.1863 — Lytchett Minster, Dorset 31.7.1942. Sir. British Colonial Officer, Diplomat, Traveller, and Central Asian Scholar. In 1882-1909 in India and Asia. Son of Major (then Major-General) John William Y. (1823–1907, in India 1840–70) and Clara Jane Shaw (1832–1891, sister of —> Robert Shaw).…
ODORICO DA PORDENONE (Odorico Mattiuzzi). 1265/74/86 — Udine 14.1.1331. Italian Franciscan Friar and Traveller in Asia. From Pordenone in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Wrote a famous account of his journey to China and Central Asia. Started for his journey between 1314/18, together with James of Ireland, and remained several years in the…