William Marsden (orientalist)

William Marsden ( born November 16, 1754 Verval, County Wicklow, Ireland, † October 6, 1836 ) was an English orientalist, linguist, numismatist and scientific explorer of Indonesia.

Life and work

William Marsden was the son of a Dublin businessman; He was born on November 16, 1754 in Verval in County Wicklow in Ireland. William went to school in Dublin. He prepared himself preparing to visit the Trinity College in Dublin, but was convinced in 1770 from following his brother John and in the non-military service of the British East India Company (East India Company ) to occur in western Sumatra. In 1770 he took off from Gravesend and reached in 1771, at the age of 16 years, Bengkulu ( Bencoolen time ) on Sumatra. He initially worked there as a secretary at Fort Marlborough establishment, but was swiftly promoted to higher positions. He came into the Main Secretariat of the Government Office. Marsden learned over the years in the Bengkulu Malay languages ​​, exploring the country and peoples. In 1779 he returned to Europe and went to England. There he received a pension. From Joseph Banks and other members of the Royal Society, he was encouraged to publish his findings and brought materials. So he wrote his book History of Sumatra, which was published in 1783. It was the first detailed report on Sumatra. The work contained ample material on flora and fauna, economy, social structures, religion and language of Sundainsel. He also published in this book first bataksche the alphabet and thus contributed significantly to the language of this people in research.

From 1795 Marsden was only Second Secretary, and later from 1804 to 1807 First Secretary at the Admiralty.

In 1807 he went into retirement and lived in Edge Grove, Aldenham, Hertfordshire.

Its started in 1786 Grammar of the Malay language was published in 1812. 1818 was followed by a translation of the travels of Marco Polo from Italian. In 1834 he presented his collection of oriental and Indian coins to the British Museum.

Marsden suffered a stroke in 1833, the consequences of which he died on October 6, 1836 and was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery in London.

His autobiography was published by his widow Elizabeth in 1838 as A Brief Memoir of ... William Marsden in London. Marsden left behind a rich collection of letters, documents and research material; Parts of it he bequeathed was still alive in 1835 King's College London.

Honors and Memberships

In January 1783, he was admitted as a member ( "Fellow" ) to the Royal Society. He practiced from 1802 to 1810, the Office of the Treasurer, 1803 to 1810, the Vice- President of the Royal Society of. As vice president, he often had represented due to illness the President Joseph Banks.

In 1784 he was elected as a member of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta, in 1785 he became a member of the Society of Antiquaries. Marsden 1785 was one of the founding members (original member) of the Royal Irish Academy. 1786, he was awarded by the University of Oxford a Doctor of Civil Law. In 1799 he was a member of the Literary Club.

Writings (selection )

  • Marsden's major work, The History Of Sumatra
  • A Dictionary Of The Malayan Language, in Two Parts, Malayan And English And English And Malayan. - By William Marsden, F.R.S. Author Of The History Of Sumatra. - London: Printed for the Author by Cox and Baylis, Great Queen Street; and sold by Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, Paternoster - Row, and Black, Parry, and Kingsbury, Booksellers to the Honorable East -India Company, Leadenhall Street.. - 1812 - Bl, XV, 589 pp., Bl; 4 ° - PDF file ( PDF, 45.4 MB). Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  • A Catalogue Of Dictionaries, Vocabularies, Grammars, And the alphabet. In Two Parts. - Part I. Alphabetic Catalogue Of Authors. II Chronological Catalogue Of Works In Each Class Of Language. - By William Marsden, F.R.S. & c. - London:. Printed 1796 -, 154 S. 4 °
  • The Travels Of Marco Polo, A Venetian In The Thirteenth Century, Being A Description, By deed Early Traveller, Of Remarkable Places And Things, In The Eastern Parts Of The World. Translated From The Italian, With Notes. - By William Marsden, F.R.S. & c. - With A Map. - London: Printed For The Author, By Cox And Baylis, Great Queen Street; And Sold By Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, And Brown, Paternoster - Row; And Black, Parry, And Kingsbury, Parbury And Allen, Leadenhall Street. - MDCCCXVIII. - LXXX, 781 pp. 4 °.
  • Bibliotheca Marsdeniana Philologica Et Orientalis: A Catalogue Of Books And Manuscripts Collected With A View To The General Comparison Of Languages, And To The Study Of Oriental Literature, By William Marsden, FRS & c. - London: Printed By JL Cox, Great Queen Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields. 1827 -. 308 pp., 2 nn. Bl, 4 °. - Digitized. Retrieved June 6, 2012.

Swell

  • MARSDEN, William (1754-1836), biographical data sheet at King's College London ( English)
  • , Entry in the archive of the Royal Society (English)
  • William Marsden in the Britannica
  • William Marsden at the Classic Encyclopedia
  • William Marsden at the National Portrait Gallery ( short biography and portraits)
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