H. H. Wilson
Horace Hayman Wilson (26 September 1786 – 8 May 1860) was an English
Life
He studied medicine at
He acted for many years as secretary to the committee of public instruction, and superintended the studies of the
In 1832
On the recommendation of
He married Frances Siddons, a grand-daughter of the famous actress Sarah Siddons[5] through her son George.
Wilson died on 8 May 1860[4] and is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery.
Works
Wilson became deeply interested in the ancient language and literature of India, and was the first person to translate the Rigveda into English. In 1813 he published the Sanskrit text with a free translation in English rhymed verse of Kalidasa's lyrical poem, the Meghadūta, or Cloud-Messenger.[2][6]
He prepared the first Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1819) from materials compiled by native scholars, supplemented by his own researches. This work was only superseded by the Sanskritwörterbuch (1853–1876) of
He was interested in Ayurveda and traditional Indian medical and surgical practices. He compiled the local practices observed for cholera and leprosy in his publications in the Medical and Physical Society of Calcutta.[7][8]
In 1827 Wilson published Select Specimens of the Theatre of the Hindus, which contained a very full survey of the Indian drama, translations of six complete plays and short accounts of twenty-three others. His Mackenzie Collection (1828) is a descriptive catalogue of the extensive collection of Oriental, especially South Indian, manuscripts and antiquities made by Colonel
Publications
- 1813 The Mēgha Dūta; or, Cloud messenger by Kālidāsa (Revised Second Edition, 1843)
- 1819 A Dictionary, Sanscrit and English (Revised Second Edition, 1832 )
- 1827 Select Specimens of the Theatre of the Hindus Volume 1 , Volume 2 (Revised Second Edition, 1835 Volume 1 , Volume 2 )
- 1827 Documents Illustrative of the Burmese War
- 1828 Mackenzie Collection: A Descriptive Catalogue of the Oriental Manuscripts , co-authored with Colin Mackenzie
- 1828 Sketch of the Religious Sects of the Hindus, in Asiatic Researches, Volume XVI, Calcutta. (Expanded edition, 1846 )
- 1840 The Vishnu Purána: a system of Hindu mythology and tradition
- 1841 Travels in the Himalyayan Provinces of Hindustan and the Panjab... Volume 1 , Volume 2
- 1841 Ariana Antiqua: A descriptive account of the antiquities and coins of Afghanistan
- 1841 An Introduction to the Grammar of Sanskrit Language for the Use of Early Students
- 1845–48 The history of British India from 1805–1835 Volume 1 , Volume 2 , Volume 3
- 1850–88 Rig-veda Sanhitá : a collection of ancient Hindu hymns Volume 1 , Volume 2 , Volume 3 , Volume 4 , Volume 5 , Volume 6
- 1852 Narrative of the Burmese war, in 1824–25
- 1855 A glossary of judicial and revenue terms and of useful words occurring in official documents relating to the administration of the government of British India
- 1860 The Hindu History of Kashmir
- 1862–71 Posthumous Collected Edition: Works by the Late Horace Hayman Wilson Volume 1: Religion of the Hindus Vol 1 , Volume 2: Religion of the Hindus Vol 2 , Volume 3: Essays on Sanskrit Literature Vol 1 , Volume 4: Essays on Sanskrit Literature Vol 2 , Volume 5: Essays on Sanskrit Literature Vol 3 , Volume 6: The Vishnu Purana Vol 1 , Volume 7: The Vishnu Purana Vol 2 , Volume 8: The Vishnu Purana Vol 3 , Volume 9: The Vishnu Purana Vol 4 , Volume 10: The Vishnu Purana Vol 5 , Volume 11: Theatre of the Hindus Vol 1 , Volume 12: Theatre of the Hindus Vol 2
- Principles of Hindu and Mohammedan Law
- Metaphysics of Puranas
Notes
- ^ Lee, Sidney, ed. (1900). . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 62. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
- ^ a b c d e f g public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Wilson, Horace Hayman". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 692–693. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ^ Men and Events of My Time in India by Sir Richard Temple, John Murray, London, 1882 p. 18, accessed 9 Oct 2007
- ^ a b The Record of the Royal Society of London for the promotion of Natural Knowledge (Fourth ed.). London: Printed for the Royal Society. 1940.
- ^ Crawford, D. G. (1930). Roll of the India Medical Service. London: W. Thacker & Co. p. 58.
- ^ Truebner & Co. (1872) publisher's catalogue entry for Megha-Duta (The) Archived 16 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 9 Oct 2007
- ^ Wilson, H. H. (1825), "Kushta, or leprosy, as known to the Hindus", Transactions of the Medical and Physical Society of Calcutta, 1, 1–44
- ^ Wilson, H. H. (1826), "On the native practice in cholera, with remarks", Transactions of the Medical and Physical Society of Calcutta, 2, 282–292