of the Ordnance Committee, 1886–9: retired in 1900: G.C.B.: from 1879 till his death he held appointments about the Court, and was Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod from 1896: died July 23, 1904.
BIDIE, GEORGE (1830–)
Educated at Aberdeen Grammar School and University: entered the Madras Medical Service, 1856: served in the mutiny: Professor of Botany, Madras Medical College: Superintendent of Lunatic Asylum, 1866–70: Secretary of head office of Medical Department, 1870–3: in charge of the Government Central Museum, 1872–85: Surgeon - General of Madras, 1886–90: discovered a preventive for insect pest in coffee plantations: author of several works, including Handbook of Practical Pharmacy, Nilgiri Parasitical Plants, etc.: C.I.E., 1883.
BIGANDET, RIGHT REV. PAUL AMBROSE (1813–1894)
Born 1813 at Besancon: educated there, and studied for two years at the Seminary of Foreign Missions, Paris: in 1837, sent by the Roman Church as missionary to Malacca: removed to Burma, and in 1856 was consecrated Bishop of Ramatha and Administrator of Pegu and Ava (soon after the annexation of Lower Burma): from 1870 was Vicar-Apostolic of Southern Burma: his residence for 50 years in that country was marked by many labours, not only that of organizing the Roman Catholic mission there, but also by his work in the promotion of native education, and the service he rendered to Buddhistic literature: he died at Rangoon, March 16, 1894: a noted Pali scholar, and the great authority on Burmese Buddhism: his most important work, the Life of Gautama, first published in 1858, went through three editions: it is based entirely on native Burmese MSS., and is one of the standard works of the 19th century: wrote also a Memoir on the Phoongis, or Religious Buddhists, 1865.
BIGNOLD, THOMAS FRANCIS ( ? –1888)
I.C.S.: educated at Canis College, Cambridge: Scholar: entered the Bengal Civil Service by competition: went to India, 1859: served in Lower Bengal: District Judge at several places: wrote Leviora: being the rhymes of a successful competitor, 1888: died in Melbourne while his book was still in the Press in Calcutta.
BILGRAMI, SAYYID ALI (1851–)
Son of Sayyid Zainuddin Husain Khan Bahadm:, of the Bengal Provincial Service, a member of the well-known [family of Sayyids of Bilgram who emigrated to India from Wasit in Mesopotamia: born Nov. 10, 1851: educated at Canning College, Lucknow; Patna College, Bankipur, and Thomason Civil Engineering College, Rurki: M.A., and B.L.: in 1876, visited Europe and England in the suite of Sir Salar Jang I. (q.v.): joined the Royal School of Mines, passed the Examination for the Associateship in two years, and obtained the Murchison Medal in Geology. On return to India, in 1879, he entered the service of the Nizam of Hyderabad: became Secretary in the Departments of Public Works, Railways and Mines for nearly ten years: retired in 1901 to settle in England: was Examiner in Sanskrit to the University of Madras from 1890–2: received the title of Shams-al-ulama for Arabic learning in 1891: Gold Medallist, Calcutta University: in 1902 was appointed Lecturer in Mahratti to the University of Cambridge: has published Civilization of the Arabs, translated from the French of Dr. Gustav Le Bon: Manual of Medical Jurisprudence, Monograph on the Book of Kalila and Damna, Notes on the Educational Value of Persian as compared with Sanskrit, A Guide to the Cave Temples of Ellora, The Geology and Economic Minerals of Hyderabad, etc: appointed, 1902, by the India Office, to catalogue the collections of Arabic and Persian MSS., known as the Delhi MSS., a work of some magnitude.
BIRCH, SIR RICHARD JAMES HOLWELL (1803–1876)
Son of the R. C. Birch of the Indian Civil Service, who was a grandson of J. Z. Holwell (q.v.): born in 1803: entered the Indian Army, 1821: held several Staff appointments: was Judge-Advocate General in Bengal, 1841: in the Sikh wars of 1845–6, and 1848–9: had a Brigade after Chilianwala: distinguished himself at Gujarat: C.B., 1849: under Sir Colin Campbell on the frontier in 1850: Secretary to the Govt, of India in
