The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1891-01-03
.ACREAT GAL WAY TRAVELLER.
The Late Sir Richard Francis Burton
and His Extensive Rambles in
Foreign Lands.
IRELAND is PROUD or HIS FAME.
He Was Distinguished Man IN Several
Ways ana Became Catholic Be-
fore He Died.

I tore de Dled.
! A man of extensive travels and sing
ular talents was the late Sir Richard
Francis Burton. the distinguished Af
rican explorer, whose conversion to the
Catholic church before his recent death
is the subject of brief paragraph that
is now going the rounds OF tue Catholic
press. Scotland is Justly proud of the
fame which.Liy!ngstone w0nln the dark
continent; America claims part OF
| the renown which Stanley recently
brought home from the same country,
and Ireland, with good reason. boasts
that Burton. who in bis day was one OF
| the best informed men about matters
appertaining to equatorial Africa, was
one OF her children. For Richard
Francis Burton, who shared with Speke
the distinction of having been the first
European 80 explore Lake Tanganylka,
was born in the archlepiscOpal CITY of
Tuam IN 1921, and he was, consequently,
a GALWAY man. whose subsequent ram"
bes in foreign lands would seem to
entitle him to the name of being CON
naught ranger, even it he never served
in the famous regiment that is distlng'
uished by that appellation. When
young Burton was growing up, his par
ents, who were Anglicans in religion.
destined him for the ministry. but the
cassock and surplice bad little attrac-
tions for the young Galwegian, who
perferred to follow in the parental foot
steps. and finally persuaded his father,
Colonel Burton, to buy him commits
sion in the army. At the time that his
commission was purchased for him,
Burton Junior was student at Oxford, ,
but once he had obtained his billet, he
abandoned his collegiate studies, and
the year 1912 saw him en- route for India
to join the Bombay forces. The long
voyage around the Horn be turned to
good profit by stndying the Hindostani
language. and becoming SO proficient
in 1t that he was able to pass the exam
inatjon in that tongue successfully on
his arrival at Bombay, a performance
which was justly regarded by his army
superiors as marking him as a man OF
more than usual talent. Hts success in
acquiring command Of the uindostani
tongue urged him to apply himself to
the study OF other Indian languages.
and in a comparatively brief time he
had mastered. and been successfully
examined in fvs or six other tongues
and dialects. -Four years after his ar
rival out in India he was made lieu
tenant, and he remained an officer of
that rank until 1850 when he was pro-
NOTED to captaincy. In 1864 Down"
ing street made radical changes in the
management OF the Indian forces, and
Captain Burton, not liking overmuch
the new superiors who were placed in
command. threw up his commission and
retired from the service; but of this
period Of bis life more details will be
found further on in this article.
Sir Charles Napier had charge of the
Indian armv when Burton went to
Bombay, and that commander employed
the young Irishman in many difficult
commissions, always found him reliable
and efficient and so reported to the war
Office. These recommendations never
profited Burton much, however, prob
ably because Napier was always at log
gerheads with the war officials. Burton
himself did not fancy the army OYER
much, and he was, therefore, not at all
displeased when he was assigned to the
Scinde survey, on which he sarved for
five years, and gained vast amount OF
information concerning the locali lies
wherein his work lay. and the people he
was brought into contact with there.
His surviving labors ended he began
that travelling career which gave him
his chief fame. One of his earliest and
most hazardous exploits was a journey
which he undertook to Mecca and
Medina just on the eve of the Crlmean
war. when all Turkey was angrily in
famed toward Europeans. Knowing
that he stood no chance of making this
journey 10 European attire, Burton as
suned the disguise of MOhammedan
theological student. in order to do
which he had to pass an examination
before a Mohammedan doctor Of divin
itv, test which the singular accomp-
lishments of the man aud his pro.
iciency In eastern languages enabled
him to undergo successfully. The fruit
of his pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina
was book which he published on his
return, and IN which much valuable in
formation about these then unknown