1808.] - 
of the human race, and study the history 
of man in his primitive state. 
Atthis time an expedition was fitting 
out for the East Indies, in port L’Orient. 
M. Anquetil flattered himself he should 
be able to go out with it; but the govern- 
Ment thought only of sending soldiers to 
defend their establisinmments against the 
English, and would suffer no person to go 
in the character of a passenger. His own 
zealand resolution, however, avercame 
this obstacle. ‘Confident,’ said he, 
“ of my own strength of constitution, ha- 
bituated for a nuinber of years to a life 
of vigilance, austerity, and temperance, 
the character of a soldier in the East 
India company’s service seemed to be 
the only resource left to accomplish my 
object.” With this determination, un- 
known to his relations, or any person in- 
terested about him, he offered his services 
to a recruiting officer,and in spite ofremon- 
Strances, enlisted himself, and marched 
off with his comrades on the 7th of No- 
vember, 1754,—with a knapsack upon 
his back, his baggage consisting of a He- 
brew bible, Montaigne, and Charron’s 
‘works, a case of mathematical instru- 
™ments, and a map of India. 
’ As soon zs the Abbé Barthelemy, and 
his other friends, were informed of the 
extravagant step he had taken, they re- 
newed their application to the minister, 
who, surprized at the zeal Anquetil had 
‘manifested, allowed him a free passage on 
board at the captain’s table, and a salary, 
the terms of which were left to the dis- 
cretion of the French governor in Tndia. 
He reached Indiaabout nine months after 
his departure; namely, on the 10th of 
August, 1755. Having disembarked at 
Pondicherry, a commercial and military 
‘city, which offered a wide theatre to am- 
‘bition and cupidity, he attracted for a 
time the ‘attention of those multitudes, 
who had quitted their country, only with 
“a view of seeking theirfortunes in another 
‘hemisphere. It would be difficult to de- 
“scribe their surprize, when they found 
that his motive for coming to India was 
“not to amass wealth, but simply to dis- 
‘cover the books of Zoroaster, a name 
which, perhaps, many of them had never 
heard; and to enrich Europe with 
‘their contents. Many refused to give 
“ctedit to such a story ; others considered 
him as a person sent out by the govern- 
‘Ment to be a spy upon their conduct; 
‘whilst others, less suspicious, looked 
“Upon him as an eccentric character, 
“whom his family had sent abroad to get 
Re 
Memoirs of Anquetil Duperron. 
135 
tid of him. All however agreed in neg- + 
lecting or forsaking him. ‘ 
This neglect, however, could not afflict 
him, who thought every moment lost 
that was not devoted to study, and he 
‘availed himself of this opportunity, to 
make himself master of the modern 
Persian, which was become the general 
language of India, so as to converse in it 
in the most fluent manner. Having 
made this acquisition, he resolved te 
quit Pondicherry, antl to penetrate into 
the interior of the country, in order to 
study the Malabar language, visit the 
Bramins, and learn the Shanscrit, near 
some Pagoda. But, being considered as 
a stranger to commercial, as well as mi- 
litary and political affairs, he met with 
many difficulties before he could obtain 
that settlement which the governor was 
enjoined to allot to him; and when fixed, 
it was found inferior to that of the 
lowest clerk in India, Anquetil, however, 
was still contented; a stranger to the 
imaginary wants of most men, he despised 
luxury and ease, he knew how to accom- 
modate his wants to his means, and was 
wholly occupied in prosecuting the ob- 
ject of his researches, considering those 
privations and hardships which it sub- 
jected him to, as trifling. He prosecuted 
his journey towards the mouth of the 
Ganges; but a violent fever which ate 
tacked him, while traversing the mouu- 
tains of Gengy, where he had made 
some stay, obliged him to return to Pon- 
dicherry; this, however, did not discou- 
rage bim, he embarked and arrived safe 
at Chandernagor. His uneasiness was 
farther augmented by accounts he re- 
ceived from the French Consul, at Surat, 
of his having discovered the books of 
Zoroaster, particularly the Vendidas 
Zend, and Pehiwi. As soon as he re- 
‘gained a little strength, he thought of 
nothing but his journey to Surat, bat ex- 
clusive of the ditheulties of the voyage, 
“the commencement of hostilisies between 
the French and English, was also a se- 
rious obstacle. 
Chandernagor was threatened by the 
English, whose troops oecupied the whole 
of the surrounding country. Anquotil 
thought it his first duty to serve his coun- 
try, and being conversant in the modern 
Persian, he undertook the office of inter- 
préter, and accordingly joined the French 
army destined for the defence of Bengal. 
He'soou heard of the fall of Chanderna- 
gor; aud fearful lest the chances of war 
should defeat the object of his wayege/ibe 
t 
. 
