Nathaniel Brassey Halhed, credited with writing the first systematic Bengali grammar, for the publication of which the first Bengali press was set up, passed away on this day.
Born in Westminster, London, Halhed was educated at Harrow and Oxford. Influenced by William Jones, who founded Asiatic Society and introduced the idea of the Indo-European languages, Halhed took up the study of “Oriental” languages at Oxford.
He came to Bengal as a writer for the East India Company, where, at the suggestion of Governor General Warren Hastings, he first translated the Hindu legal code from Persian, which had been translated from Sanskrit. Halhed’s translation was titled A Code for Gentoo Laws (1776). His next project, A Grammar of the Bengal Language, was published in 1778 from the first Bengali press. For the publication of the grammar book Halhed had commissioned from Charles Wilkins the first successful Bengali type font.
In 1785, Halhed went back to England and subsequently became a Member of Parliament, defending Hastings during his impeachment. But he had to leave the Parliament for supporting Richard Brothers, founder of a new Christian sect.
Halhed lived the rest of his life in relative obscurity, though he worked on other translations, such as a collection of Tipu Sultan’s dreams and parts of Mahabharata. He is buried at St Peter’s Church, Petersham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.