BUCHANAN. 



ary 9, 1815, while his task was still incomplete, at the 

 nge of forty-eight. 



BUCUAN.AN, Dugald, a Gaelic poet of merit, was born, 

 in the early part of the eighteenth century, in the 

 parish of Balquhidder. Perthshire. Little is known 

 of him till he was found keeping a small school in a 

 hamlet of his native country, ami in possession of much 

 local fame as a writer of devotional ami pious verses. 

 Some respectable persons, struck l>y his talents, inter- 

 ested tin -HI^IM -s in liis fair, and obtained for him the 

 superior situation of schoolmaster and catechist at 

 Rannnoh, on the establishment of the society for pro- 

 pagating Christian knowledge. An effort was made 

 lo obtain for him a license as a preacher of the Scot- 

 tish church, but without success. He was of much 

 service to the Rev. James Stewart of Killin, in trans- 

 lating the NYw Testament into Gaelic. His poems 

 and hymns, which have been repeatedly printed, are 

 allowed to be equal to any in the Gaelic language for 

 style, matter, and harmony of versification. The 

 pieces entitled " La a' Bhreitheanais" and " An Claig- 

 ann," are the most celebrated, and are read with 

 perfect enthusiasm by all Highlanders. Though the 

 circumstances of this ingenious poet were of the hum- 

 blest description, he was most religiously cheerful and 

 contented under his lot. He died on the 2d of July, 

 1768. 



BUCHANAN, Francis, M. D., author of Travels in the 

 Mysore, a History of Nepal, &c., was born at Bran- 

 iet, in Stirlingshire, February 15, 1762. After 

 finishing the elementary parts of his classical educa- 

 tion at the grammar school of Glasgow, he commenced 

 his medical studies at th.6 university, where he re- 

 mained till he had received his diploma. He soon 

 after was appointed assistant-surgeon on board a man- 

 of-war, a situation from which he was afterwards 

 obliged to retire on account of ill health. He now 

 spent some years at home, in the country, his health 

 being so bad as to disqualify him for all active exer- 

 tion, till 1794, when he received an appointment as 

 surgeon in the East India Company's service, on the 

 Bengal establishment. The voyage to India com- 

 pletely restored his health, and on his arrival he was 

 sent with Captain Symes on his mission to the court 

 of Ava. In the course of his medical studies, Dr 

 Buchanan had paid particular attention to botany, 

 and its cognate branches of natural science ; and 

 during his present visit to the Birman empire, he had 

 an opportunity of making some valuable collections 

 of the plants of Pegu, Ava, and the Andaman islands, 

 which, together with several interesting drawings, 

 he transmitted to the court of directors, by whom they 

 were presented to Sir Joseph Banks. On his return 

 from Ava, he was stationed at Luckipoor, near the 

 mouth of the Burrampooter, where he remained two 

 years, principally occupied in describing the fishes 

 found in the neighbourhood. In 1798 he was em- 

 ployed by the board of trade at Calcutta, on the 

 recommendation of Dr Roxburgh, superintendent of 

 the botanical garden, to visit the district of Chatigang 

 and its neighbourhood, forming the chief part ot the 

 ancient kingdom of Tripura. The numerous speci- 

 mens which he collected in this interesting country 

 were also transmitted to Sir Joseph Banks. Part 

 of the following year Dr Buchanan spent in describ- 

 ing the fishes of the Ganges, of which he afterwards 

 published an account. In 1800 he was employed by 

 Marquis Wellesley, then governor-general of India, 

 to examine the state of the country which the com- 

 pany's forces had lately conquered from Tippoo Sul- 

 tan, together with the province of Malabar. The 

 results of his inquiries in the Carnatic and Mysore he 

 afterwards, on his return to England, in 1807, pub- 

 lished under the patronage of the court of directors. 

 This work, "Travels in the Mysore," &c., extending 



to three large quarto volumes, illustrated with maps 

 and drawings, contains much valuable information 

 concerning the agriculture, laws, customs, religious 

 sects, history, c., ot India generally, and particularly 

 of the interior dependencies of Madras. Soon aftei 

 Dr Buchanan had finished his survey of the Mysore 

 country, he changed the scene of his labours from the 

 soutli to the northeast of Hindostan, being appointed, 

 in 1802, to accompany the embassy to Nepal, con- 

 ducted by captain Knox. In the course of this journey 

 and his subsequent residence in Nepal, he made large 

 additions to his former collections of rare plains ; 

 which, with descriptions and numerous drawings, he 

 transmitted to Mr J. E. Smith. It was during tliis 

 period also that he collected the greater part of (lie, 

 materials for his " History of Nepal," which he pub 

 lished in 1818, some years after he had retired from 

 the company's service. On his return from Nepal, he 

 was appointed surgeon to the governor-general, and 

 he employed such leisure time as he had for the study 

 of natural history, in superintending the menagerie 

 founded by the marquis Wellesley, and in describing 

 the animals which it contained. In 1805 Dr Bu- 

 chanan accompanied his noble patron to England ; 

 and, in the following year, was again sent to India 

 by the court of directors, for the purpose of making a 

 statistical survey of the territory under the presidency 

 of fort- William, which comprehends Bengal Proper, 

 and several of the adjoining districts. With this la- 

 borious undertaking he was occupied for upwards of 

 seven years, after which he returned to Calcutta ; and, 

 on the death of Dr Roxburgh, in 1814, he succeeded 

 him as superintendent of the botanical garden, having 

 been appointed successor lo that respectable botanist 

 by the court of directors so early as 1807. But he 

 was now exhausted with long continued exertion : his 

 services had been liberally rewarded by the East India 

 company; an independent and honourably acquired 

 fortune relieved him from the necessity of encounter- 

 ing any longer the hardships incident to his former 

 mode of life, among tribes half civilized, and often 

 somewhat less than half friendly, and exposed to the 

 malignant influence of Indian climate ; and he natu- 

 rally wished to enjoy the close of a busy life, free from 

 the responsibility and inquietudes of public service, in 

 some peaceful retirement in his native land. On his 

 arrival in England, in 1815, he presented to the court 

 of directors his collection of plants and minerals, some 

 papers on the geography of Ava, several genealogical 

 tables, nine hundred Indian coins, gold and silver, a 

 collection of Indian drugs, his notes on Natural His- 

 tory, a few drawings, andabout twenty curious Hindoo 

 MSS. He then proceeded to Scotland, and fixed his 

 residence at Leney, where he amused himself with 

 adding to the natural beauties of one of the loveliest 

 spots in Perthshire such improvements as a cultivated 

 taste and an ample fortune enabled him to supply* 

 In this sweet retirement he still found pleasure in 

 prosecuting the studies and scientific pursuits which 

 had engrossed the busier part of his life. His garden 

 occupied much of his attention ; he introduced into 

 his grounds many curious plants, shrubs, and saxi- 

 frages, and contributed largely to the scientific jour- 

 nals of the day. In 1819 he published his History of 

 the Kingdom of Nepal, and in the same year a Gene- 

 alogy of the Hindoo Gods, which he had drawn up 

 some years before with the assistance of an intelligent 

 Brahmin. In 1822 appeared his Account of the 

 Fishes of the Ganges, with plates. He died June 15, 

 1829. 



BUCHANAN, George, one of the most distinguished 

 reformers, political and religious, of the sixteenth 

 century, and the best Latin poet which modern 

 Europe has produced, was born in the parish of 

 Killearn, Stirlingshire, in February, J506, "of u 



