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Nathaniel Brassey Halhed (25 May 1751 – 18 February 1830) was an English
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
 Orientalist and philologist.

Halhed was born at Westminster
Westminster

Westminster is an area of Central London, within the City of Westminster. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross....
. He was educated at Harrow
Harrow School

Harrow School, commonly known as "Harrow", is a world-famous boys' independent school in United Kingdom. Harrow has educated boys since 1243 but was officially founded by John Lyon under a Royal Charter of Elizabeth I in 1572....
, where he began his intimacy with Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Richard Brinsley Sheridan

Richard Brinsley Sheridan was an Irish playwright and British Whig Party statesman....
, which continued after he entered Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford

Christ Church , is one of the largest Colleges of the University of Oxford of the University of Oxford in England. As well as being a college, Christ Church is also the cathedral church of the diocese of Oxford, namely Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford....
. At Oxford he also made the acquaintance of William Jones
William Jones (philologist)

Sir William Jones was an England Philology and student of ancient India, particularly known for his proposition of the existence of a relationship among Indo-European languages....
, the famous Orientalist, who induced him to study Arabic
Arabic language

Arabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages languages such as Hebrew language and Aramaic language....
.

Accepting a writership in the service of the East India Company
British East India Company

The East India Company was an early England joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the Indies, but that ended up trading with the Indian subcontinent and China....
, Halhed went out to India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, and here, at the suggestion of Warren Hastings
Warren Hastings

Warren Hastings was the first Governor-General of Bengal, from 1773 to 1785. He was famously accused of corruption in an impeachment in 1787, but acquitted in 1795....
, by whose orders it had been compiled, translated the Hindu legal code from a Persian
Persian language

name=Persian|nativename=|pronunciation=[f??r'si]|image=|caption=Farsi in Perso-Arabic script |states= Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Bahrain....
 version of the original Sanskrit
Sanskrit

Sanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India....
.






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Nathaniel Brassey Halhed (25 May 1751 – 18 February 1830) was an English
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
 Orientalist and philologist.

Halhed was born at Westminster
Westminster

Westminster is an area of Central London, within the City of Westminster. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross....
. He was educated at Harrow
Harrow School

Harrow School, commonly known as "Harrow", is a world-famous boys' independent school in United Kingdom. Harrow has educated boys since 1243 but was officially founded by John Lyon under a Royal Charter of Elizabeth I in 1572....
, where he began his intimacy with Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Richard Brinsley Sheridan

Richard Brinsley Sheridan was an Irish playwright and British Whig Party statesman....
, which continued after he entered Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford

Christ Church , is one of the largest Colleges of the University of Oxford of the University of Oxford in England. As well as being a college, Christ Church is also the cathedral church of the diocese of Oxford, namely Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford....
. At Oxford he also made the acquaintance of William Jones
William Jones (philologist)

Sir William Jones was an England Philology and student of ancient India, particularly known for his proposition of the existence of a relationship among Indo-European languages....
, the famous Orientalist, who induced him to study Arabic
Arabic language

Arabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages languages such as Hebrew language and Aramaic language....
.

Accepting a writership in the service of the East India Company
British East India Company

The East India Company was an early England joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the Indies, but that ended up trading with the Indian subcontinent and China....
, Halhed went out to India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, and here, at the suggestion of Warren Hastings
Warren Hastings

Warren Hastings was the first Governor-General of Bengal, from 1773 to 1785. He was famously accused of corruption in an impeachment in 1787, but acquitted in 1795....
, by whose orders it had been compiled, translated the Hindu legal code from a Persian
Persian language

name=Persian|nativename=|pronunciation=[f??r'si]|image=|caption=Farsi in Perso-Arabic script |states= Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Bahrain....
 version of the original Sanskrit
Sanskrit

Sanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India....
. This translation was published in 1776 under the title A Code of Gentoo Laws.

In 1778 he published a Bengali grammar
Bengali language

Bengali or Bangla is an Indo-European languages language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages....
, to print which he set up, at Hugh, the first press in India. It is claimed that he was the first writer to call attention to the philological connection of Sanskrit with Persian, Arabic, Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 and Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
.

In 1785 he returned to England, and from 1790–1795 was Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators....
 for Lymington, Hants
Lymington (UK Parliament constituency)

Lymington was a parliamentary borough in Hampshire, which elected two Member of Parliament to the British House of Commons from 1584 until 1868, and then one member from 1868 until 1885, when the borough was abolished....
. For some time he was a disciple of Richard Brothers
Richard Brothers

Richard Brothers was born in Admiral's Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador and became well known as both an early believer and teacher of a theory concerning the Lost Ten Tribes....
, and his unwise speech in parliament in defence of Brothers made it impossible for him to remain in the House of Commons
British House of Commons

The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the British monarchy and the House of Lords ....
, from which he resigned in 1795. He subsequently obtained a home appointment under the East India Company. He died in London on 18 February 1830.

His collection of Oriental manuscripts was purchased by the British Museum
British Museum

The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture situated in London. Its collections, which number more than 7 million Object , are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginning to the present....
, and there is an unfinished translation by him of the Mahabharata
Mahabharata

The is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetrys of History of India, the other being the '. The epic is part of the Hindu itihasa , and forms an important part of Hindu mythology....
 in the library of the Asiatic Society of Bengal.