Henry Beveridge

“ Prefixed to the translation is a valuable life of Abul-Fazl, of whom, however, he formed too high an estimate. Another important work was 'The Prosody of the Persians,' Calcutta, 1872. At the time of his death he had been working at a Persian dictionary, but no trace of the manuscript could be found among his papers. With all his learning, Blochmann was the most modest of men, and welcomed criticism and correction. ”

“ They met again in Calcutta, and Erskine, in his dedication of the translation of 'Babar's Memoirs' to Mountstuart Elphinstone, refers to Ley- den as 'a friend rendered doubly dear to me, as the only companion of my youthful studies and cares, whom I have met, or can ever hope to meet, in this land of exile.' Other associates of his at this time were Thomas Brown (1778-1820) [q. v] the metaphysician, and the poet Thomas Campbell (1777-1844) [q.v.] He was also a friend and fellow-student of Francis Horner [q. v.] ”

“ In 1828 he published in London a quarto volume entitled ‘Researches into the Origin and Affinity of the Principal Languages of Asia and Europe,’ and in 1831 he followed this up by another quarto entitled ‘Researches into the Nature and Affinity of Ancient and Hindu Mythology.’ Both these works exhibit much learning and vigorous and independent thinking, but are now nearly obsolete. ”

“ Though Blochmann made some archæological tours in India and British Burma, he generally lived quietly in Calcutta, worked hard at Persian and Arabic, and in 1868 became philological secretary to the Asiatic Society of Bengal. ”

“ He was a highly accomplished man and a good lawyer. He died in London on 5 June 1893.
Erskine's younger son, Henry Napier Bruce Erskine, C.S.I. (1832-1893) , also a distinguished civilian, arrived in Bombay in 1853, was commissioner of northern division, 1877-9, and commissioner of Scinde, 1879-1887. He died at Great Malvern on 4 Dec. 1893 (article in Times of India, 20 Jan. 1894; Martin Wood, Things of India made Plain, London, 1884, p. 13; private information; Fergusson, Chronicles of the Cumming Club, Edinburgh, 1887) . ”

“ He accepted Mackintosh's offer and left Edinburgh almost immediately. On 12 Dec. 1803 he reached London, and sailed from Hyde with Mackintosh and his family in February 1804. Mackintosh's estimate of Erskine is given in a letter dated 28 May 1807, and addressed to Dr. Parr, where he says, 'I had the good fortune to bring out with me a young Scotch gentleman, Mr. Erskine, who is one of the most amiable, ingenious, and accurately informed men in the world ' (Mackintosh, Life, i. 331) . Erskine arrived in Bombay in May 1804, and on 26 Nov. ”

“ In 1856 he published a splendid folio, being a description of a planispheric astrolabe constructed for Shāh Sultan Husain Safavī. He also edited in 1848, for the Society for publishing Oriental texts, Mir Khwand's ‘History of the Atabeks of Syria and Persia,’ with a description of Atabek coins by William Sandys Vaux [q. v.] ”

“ Overwork and the exhausting climate caused his early death on 13 July 1878. He is buried in the Circular Road cemetery, Calcutta. He married an Irish lady, who survived him, and left three children. A well-executed marble bust adorns the rooms of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. ”

“ He took to gambling, had to sell Randalls Park, and eventually committed suicide at Hombourg-les-Bainson 10 Aug.1865. His valuable collection of Persian and other manuscripts was sold through Bernard Quaritch in 1866 and purchased by the Earl of Crawfurd. ”