birks herbert rev (1 Ergebnisse)

FIRST EDITION. 2 vols. 8vo (23 x 15 cm.). pp.xxiv+407; ix+422+[2, ads). Original blue cloth gilt. Volume one with photographic portrait frontispiece, 3 plates and a map; volume 2 with photographic frontispiece of the Cathedral at Lahore and and view of the Cemetery at Muscat and two maps including one of the middle east including the Persian Gulf Yellow labels of Mudie's Select Library*to upper cover of both volumes, neat ownership inscription of Hugh R. Horsley dated 1968 to verso of ffep in each volume. Bindings lightly worn, generally very good. Thomas Valpy French (1 January 1825 14 May 1891) was an English Christian Missionary in India and Persia, who became the first Bishop of Lahore, in 1877, and also founded the St. John's College, Agra, in 1853. After Henry Martyn, French is considered the second most important Christian missionary to the Middle East. French reached Muscat, on his final missionary work, on 8 February 1891 and became the first missionary to visit the region; he had just started setting up his work there, when his health started failing, and having been cared for by Portuguese Catholics he died on 14 May 1891 in Muscat, and was buried in a Christian cemetery. There are various various references in volume two to Muscat, in particular, chapters 26 (pp.361-391) and 27 (pp.392-408) are devoted to his time in and around Muscat, with a surprising amount of correspondence considering his relatively short time there but including detailed descriptions of daily life including visits to hospitals, descriptions of Muttra etc etc. A wealth of observation and information. pp.405-408 describe his final resting place in the Christian cemetery in Muscat and the illustration shows his exact cross: "He sleeps surrounded by others of our race, chiefly sailors and officers of the Indian Marine and gunboats of the Royal Navy, which often put in at Muscat, and a few civilian. There are thirty-six graves in all.".