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{{Short description|English surgeon, artist and scholar (1780–1852)}} | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} | ||
[[Image:James Atkinson by James Atkinson.jpg|thumb|170px|right|James Atkinson self-portrait c.1845, digital image (c) [[National Portrait Gallery (London)|National Portrait Gallery]], London 2009]] '''James Atkinson''' (17 March 1780 – 7 August 1852) was a surgeon, artist and Persian scholar — "a Renaissance man among Anglo-Indians"<ref>p.185 The Raj, India and the British 1600-1947, various contributors edited by [[Christopher Bayly|C. A. Bayly]], Published by the National Portrait Gallery Publications 1990</ref> | [[Image:James Atkinson by James Atkinson.jpg|thumb|170px|right|James Atkinson self-portrait c.1845, digital image (c) [[National Portrait Gallery (London)|National Portrait Gallery]], London 2009]] '''James Atkinson''' (17 March 1780 – 7 August 1852) was a surgeon, artist and Persian scholar — "a Renaissance man among Anglo-Indians".<ref>p.185 The Raj, India and the British 1600-1947, various contributors edited by [[Christopher Bayly|C. A. Bayly]], Published by the National Portrait Gallery Publications 1990</ref> | ||
First arriving in India in 1802 as a surgeon, he was later appointed Assistant to the Assay Master at the [[India Government Mint, Kolkata|Calcutta Mint]] in 1812; and was also editor of the ''Calcutta Gazette''. Closely associated with the British colonial authorities and their community in India, he would meet [[Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto|Lord Minto]] and [[Lord William Bentinck|Lord Bentick]], the latter with whom he had a notorious disagreement. He was best known for his study of Persian and his translation of a number of texts in to English. He was a gifted amateur artist and published a number of illustrated books, including on his travels in Afghanistan in the early 1840s. | |||
== Early life == | == Early life == | ||
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== Government Gazette == | == Government Gazette == | ||
Atkinson was also | Atkinson was also editor of the ''Calcutta Gazette'', one of the earliest English language newspapers in India being founded in 1784. It was a weekly newspaper which had the exclusive rights of publishing Government announcements and advertisements affording it an increased circulation and the potential of increased advertising revenues from other sources. In 1815 the Government transferred these rights to the Bengal Military Orphan Society in order to provide an income for the charity as well as providing the orphans with a potential trade. The new paper was named the ''Government Gazette'' and was thenceforth printed from the Orphan Society's Press. Atkinson became the Editor of the new ''Government Gazette'' in 1815 and in 1817 the Superintendent of the Press.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> | ||
Under Atkinson the ''Government Gazette'' continued to be a great success publishing two issues per week from 1823 and in 1827 it was the most widely circulated of all the English language newspapers in Bengal.<ref>pp 43-44 History of English Press in Bengal 1780 to 1857, Mrinal Kanti Chanda, Published by KP Bagchi & Company, 1987 {{ISBN|81-7074-015-0}}</ref> The ''Government Gazette'' included local and national news including extracts from English newspapers and those of Bombay and Madras, letters from correspondents, information on the customs and manners of the people of India as well as occasionally translations of Sanskrit hymns and Persian poetry.<ref>p. 115 A History of the Calcutta Press , P Thankappan Nair, Published by Firma KLM Pvt Ltd 1987</ref> For the years 1825-1828 Atkinson leased the Press and the Government Gazette from the Orphan Society for an annual fee of 40,000 rupees effectively becoming its proprietor to run as his own business. | Under Atkinson the ''Government Gazette'' continued to be a great success publishing two issues per week from 1823 and in 1827 it was the most widely circulated of all the English language newspapers in Bengal.<ref>pp 43-44 History of English Press in Bengal 1780 to 1857, Mrinal Kanti Chanda, Published by KP Bagchi & Company, 1987 {{ISBN|81-7074-015-0}}</ref> The ''Government Gazette'' included local and national news including extracts from English newspapers and those of Bombay and Madras, letters from correspondents, information on the customs and manners of the people of India as well as occasionally translations of Sanskrit hymns and Persian poetry.<ref>p. 115 A History of the Calcutta Press , P Thankappan Nair, Published by Firma KLM Pvt Ltd 1987</ref> For the years 1825-1828 Atkinson leased the Press and the Government Gazette from the Orphan Society for an annual fee of 40,000 rupees effectively becoming its proprietor to run as his own business. | ||
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* {{Cite book|display-authors=0 |last=Atkinson |first=James |author-link=James Atkinson (Persian scholar) |title=Soohrab, a poem, from the original Persian of Firdousee, being a portion of the Shahnama of that celebrated poet |publisher=Smith, Elder & Co. |location=London |year=1814 |url=https://archive.org/details/soohrabpoemfreel00fird |oclc=474687892}} | * {{Cite book|display-authors=0 |last=Atkinson |first=James |author-link=James Atkinson (Persian scholar) |title=Soohrab, a poem, from the original Persian of Firdousee, being a portion of the Shahnama of that celebrated poet |publisher=Smith, Elder & Co. |location=London |year=1814 |url=https://archive.org/details/soohrabpoemfreel00fird |oclc=474687892}} | ||
* {{Cite book|display-authors=0 |last=Atkinson |first=James |author-link=James Atkinson (Persian scholar) |title=Antiquities of Dacca, with engravings by J Landseer from drawings by Sir C D'Oyly |publisher=John Landseer |year=1816}} (James Atkinson wrote the descriptive text.) | * {{Cite book|display-authors=0 |last=Atkinson |first=James |author-link=James Atkinson (Persian scholar) |title=Antiquities of Dacca, with engravings by J Landseer from drawings by Sir C D'Oyly |publisher=John Landseer |year=1816}} (James Atkinson wrote the descriptive text.) | ||
* {{Cite book|display-editors=0 |editor-last=Atkinson |editor-first=James |editor-link=James Atkinson (Persian scholar) |title=Hatim | * {{Cite book|display-editors=0 |editor-last=Atkinson |editor-first=James |editor-link=James Atkinson (Persian scholar) |title=Hatim Ta'ee, an old romance in the Persian language |year=1818 |publisher=Philip Pereira, at the Hindoostanee Press (Calcutta) |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.granth.18484 |oclc=46460413}} | ||
* {{Cite book|display-authors=0 |last=Atkinson |first=James |author-link=James Atkinson (Persian scholar) |title=First Canto of Ricciardetto |location=Calcutta |year=1818 |oclc=644012027}} | * {{Cite book|display-authors=0 |last=Atkinson |first=James |author-link=James Atkinson (Persian scholar) |title=First Canto of Ricciardetto |location=Calcutta |year=1818 |oclc=644012027}} | ||
* {{Cite book|display-authors=0 |last=Atkinson |first=James |author-link=James Atkinson (Persian scholar) |title=The Aubid, an eastern tale |publisher=Black, Kingsbury, Parbury and Allen |location=London |year=1819 |url=https://www.google.com/books?id=P0kVAAAAQAAJ |oclc=838238141}} | * {{Cite book|display-authors=0 |last=Atkinson |first=James |author-link=James Atkinson (Persian scholar) |title=The Aubid, an eastern tale |publisher=Black, Kingsbury, Parbury and Allen |location=London |year=1819 |url=https://www.google.com/books?id=P0kVAAAAQAAJ |oclc=838238141}} | ||
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[[Category:British military personnel of the First Anglo-Afghan War]] | [[Category:British military personnel of the First Anglo-Afghan War]] | ||
[[Category:British surgeons]] | [[Category:British surgeons]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:British people in colonial India]] | ||
[[Category:British East India Company civil servants]] | [[Category:British East India Company civil servants]] | ||
[[Category:1852 deaths]] | [[Category:1852 deaths]] | ||
[[Category:1780 births]] | [[Category:1780 births]] | ||
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh]] | [[Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh]] | ||