John Bell (traveller)
Encyclopedia
John Bell, Scottish doctor and traveller, was born at Antermony, near Milton of Campsie
in Scotland
in 1691. He studied medicine in Glasgow
and in 1714 set out for St Petersburg, where, through the introduction of a fellow Scot, he was nominated medical attendant to Artemy Petrovich Volynsky
, recently appointed to the Persian embassy, with whom he travelled from 1715 to 1718. The next four years he spent in an embassy to China
, passing through Siberia
and the great Tatar deserts. He had scarcely rested from this last journey when he was summoned to attend Peter the Great in his expedition to Derbend and the Caspian Gates. In 1738 he was sent by the Russian government on a mission to Constantinople, returning in May to St Petersburg. It appears that after this he was for several years established as a merchant at Constantinople, where he married in 1746. In the following year he retired to his estate of Antermony, where he spent the remainder of his life. He died in 1780 and is buried in Campsie Glen. His travels, published at Glasgow
in 1763, were speedily translated into French, and widely circulated in Europe.
Milton of Campsie
Milton of Campsie is a small village situated in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland roughly 10 miles north of Glasgow. Nestling at the foot of the Campsie Fells, it is neighboured by Kirkintilloch and Lennoxtown...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1691. He studied medicine in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and in 1714 set out for St Petersburg, where, through the introduction of a fellow Scot, he was nominated medical attendant to Artemy Petrovich Volynsky
Artemy Petrovich Volynsky
Artemy Petrovich Volynsky was a Russian statesman and diplomat. His career started as a soldier but was rapidly upgraded to minister under Peter the Great and governor of Astrakhan...
, recently appointed to the Persian embassy, with whom he travelled from 1715 to 1718. The next four years he spent in an embassy to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, passing through Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
and the great Tatar deserts. He had scarcely rested from this last journey when he was summoned to attend Peter the Great in his expedition to Derbend and the Caspian Gates. In 1738 he was sent by the Russian government on a mission to Constantinople, returning in May to St Petersburg. It appears that after this he was for several years established as a merchant at Constantinople, where he married in 1746. In the following year he retired to his estate of Antermony, where he spent the remainder of his life. He died in 1780 and is buried in Campsie Glen. His travels, published at Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in 1763, were speedily translated into French, and widely circulated in Europe.
Works
- Bell, John (1788). Travels from St. Petersburgh in Russia, to various parts of Asia (Vol. 1) Edinburgh : Creech. -University of Hong Kong Libraries, Digital Initiatives, China Through Western Eyes. Also available at the Internet Archive, volume one
- Bell, John (1788). Travels from St. Petersburgh in Russia, to various parts of Asia (Vol. 2) Edinburgh : Creech. -University of Hong Kong Libraries, Digital Initiatives, China Through Western Eyes, also available at the Internet Archive, volume two
See also
- Google Books version of William Fordyce Mavor's later retelling of Bell's travels in Russia and Asia