Burton, Sir Richard
Copyright 1995 by Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc.
Sir Richard Francis Burton, an intrepid English explorer of inner Africa
in the mid-19th century, discovered the great Central African lakes. Born
on Mar. 19, 1821, he was brought up in France and Italy. He studied for
a time at Oxford University and then purchased a commission in the Bombay
Native Infantry. From 1843 to 1848 he soldiered in Sind in northwestern
India (now Pakistan). Between 1853 and 1855, Burton visited the Muslim holy
cities of Mecca and Medina in disguise and made a dangerous foray to the
forbidden city of Harar in eastern Ethiopia.
Burton's greatest journey began in 1857 on the coast of what is now eastern
Tanzania. Following African paths, he became (1858) the first white in modern
times to view Lake Tanganyika. Ill with malaria, he did not travel north
with John SPEKE to Lake Victoria and thus failed to discover the source
of the Nile.
Later, Burton crossed the United States to Salt Lake City and went on to
Panama before returning to England in 1861. For the next three years he
served as British consul at Fernando Po, off the coast of Nigeria, went
up the Congo River, and journeyed to Dahomey (now Benin). He was later consul
in Santos, Brazil (1865-69), Damascus, and Trieste (1872-90). Burton died
on Oct. 20, 1890.
In addition to his travels, which he celebrated in 21 books, Burton produced
books on swordsmanship and falconry and is widely remembered for his translation
of the Tales of the Arabian Nights. A brilliant linguist, he also secretly
translated a number of Eastern erotic manuals. Burton's frankness about
sexuality in his publicly distributed works offended many Victorians, and
after his death his widow destroyed his papers to avoid scandal.
Robert I. Rotberg
Bibliography: Brodie, Fawn, The Devil Drives: A Life of Sir Richard Burton
(1967; repr. 1984); Burne, G. F., Richard F. Burton (1985); Rice, Edward,
Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton (1990).
Copyright 1995 by Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc.