BURTON, Six Richard Francis, English traveler, linguist and author: b. Barham House, Hertfordshire, 19 March 1821; d. Trieste, Aus tria, 20 Oct. 1890. He was educated at Oxford with the intention of entering the Church, but in deference to his own urgent request his father obtained a commission for him in the East India Company's service. He joined the army in 1842, served for some years in Sind under Sir C. Napier, explored the Neilgherry Hills, published an important work on Sind and acquired a complete knowledge of the Persian, Afghan, Hindustanee and Arabic languages. Returning to England in 1851, he soon after ward set out to explore Arabia, disguised as an Afghan pilgrim, and published on his return a 'Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to El-Me dinah and Mecca' (1855) as the result of this daring adventure. His next expedition was into the Somali country in East Africa, from whence he proceeded to the Crimea, where he was chief of the staff of General Beatson, and organized the irregular cavalry. After peace was pro claimed, Burton set out in 1856 along with Captain Speke to explore the lake region of central Africa. The expedition was absent three years, and during that time the great Lake Tanganyika was discovered by Burton. Subsequently he made a journey in the West ern States of North America and published an account of the Mormon settlement at Utah in his 'City of the Saints.' In 1861 he mar ried, and he received the same year an appoint ment as consul at Fernando Po. While ful filling his duties there he explored the Bight of Biafra, visited the Kamerun Mountains and conducted a dangerous mission to the King of Dahomey. Afterward he was transferred to the consulate of Santos in Brazil, and here he explored his own province, visited the Argen tine Republic, crossed the continent to Chile and Peru, returned home after exploring the Pacific coast and published his (Explorations of the Highlands of the Brazil.> He was now
(1821) made consul of Damascus but was soon recalled, and in the following year, after a journey to Iceland, an account of which he wrote, he was appointed consul at Trieste. While this position he led two expe ditions into Midian (1876-78), and in company with Commander Cameron he conducted an expedition into the gold-producing country be hind the Gold Coast. He remained English consul at Trieste until his death. In his latter Years his services to geographical science were acknowledged by the gold medals of the French and English Geographical societies, while in 1886 his services to his country were tardily recognized by the honor of K.C.M.G. Besides the books of travel already mentioned, he was the author of many others, such as 'Sind, or the Unhappy Valley' (1851); 'Goa and the Blue Mountains' (1851) ; 'Falconry in the Val ley of the Indus> (1852) ; Footsteps in East Africa' (1856) ; 'The Lake Regions of Equatorial Africa' (1860) ; 'Abeokuta, or an Exploration of the Kamerun Mountains' (1863) ; 'Narrative of a Mission to the King of Dahomey' (1864) ; 'The Nile Basin' (1864) ; (Vikrain and the Vampire' (1869); 'Zanzibar' (1872); 'Gorilla Land' (1875) ; 'Ultima Thule, or a Summer in Iceland' (1875) ; 'Etruscan Bologna> (1876) ; 'Sind Revisited' (1877), and 'The Gold Mines of Midian' (1878). In 1885 88 he published a remarkable literal translation of the 'Arabian Nights' entitled 'Ten Thou sand Nights and a Night,' on which his repu tation is firmly established. His manuscript translation, with notes, from the Arabic of 'The Scented Garden,' of great value to schol ars, was burned by his widow, who deemed it an immoral work. Consult 'Lives' by Hitch man (1887), Lady Burton (1893), Stisted (1897), Wright (2 vols., 1906).