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Go to record Dictionary of Indian Biography (Buckland) Dictionary of Indian Biography (Buckland)
 Dictionary of Indian Biography G to I

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Date transcribed2011-04-00
Transcribed byPeter Bailey
CommentNote that notables of Indian, Afghan, etc. origin do not always follow the alphabetical name pattern established by Buckland in his original work.

Surnames  Gilchrist    
First Name(s)  John Borthwick    
Year of Birth  1759    
Year of Death  1841    
Entry  Born in 1759 : educated at Heriot's Hospital, Edinburgh : to Calcutta in the E.I. Co.'s medical service, 1794 : was the first to reduce to a system the language, then unsettled, called Hindustani : published a dictionary and grammar in it, and popularized its study : he was also well versed in Sanskrit and Persian : the Marquis Wellesley made him Principal of the College of Fort William at Calcutta in 1800 : he supervised the preparation of works in Hindu and Urdu by native scholars, and himself wrote chiefly on those languages : left India in 1804 : LL.D. of Edinburgh : acted as Oriental Professor at Haileybury, Feb. to May, 1806 : retired in 1809 : taught privately in Oriental languages, 1816-8 : Professor of Hindustani at the Oriental Institution, 1818-26: his method of obtaining remuneration for his teaching, by the sale of his works, was irregular, and he turned to abusing his employers. After giving up his Professorship, he still taught Hindustani for a time : died in Paris, Jan. 9, 1841 : a scholarship in his name was founded in Calcutta.     
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A List of eminent persons who served in British India, together with short biographical notes of each
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