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Emil Forchhammer was a German-born Swiss Professor of Pali at Rangoon College, Myanmar. He collected and copied Pali and Talaing manuscripts which he deposited in the Bernard Free Library in Rangoon (now the National Library of Myanmar). He also worked as an archaeologist for the Survey of Burma, including being its first Director. In 1883 and 1884 he visited the Amherst, Prome and Thayetmyo districts collecting manuscripts and copying inscriptions. In 1885 he made an extensive tour of Arakan. He created a publication about Arakan which went to the Press in 1886 but was not actually published until 1891, a year after his death. From 1886 to 1888 he catalogued the library of the late Nyaungyan Prince and other Pali manuscripts. He suffered from ill health, but wished to survey Pagan, which he undertook in 1888-9. It was requested that he be allowed to return to Europe to complete his work on Pagan. Unfortunately, Forchhammer died in 1890 before his work could be completed.

Edward Rehatsek was born in 1819 in Ilok (then in Hungary, now in Croatia). He graduated from the university in Budapest with a masters degree in civil engineering. He left Hungary in 1842, visiting Paris before spending four years in the United States of America. In 1847 he sailed to India, where he remained for the rest of his life. He studied Asian languages and literature and accompanied Dr Bhau Daji on his research travels. As a competent mathematician and good Latin scholar, he became employed as Professor of Mathematics and of Latin at Wilson College, Bombay, remaining in post until 1871, besides giving private lessons in Latin, Persian, Arabic and French.
Rehatsek became an Examiner at Bombay University from 1869-1881, being made a Felwow in 1873 and twice being the Wilson Philological Lecturer in Hebrew and Semitic languages. In 1874 he was elected an honorary member of the Bombay Asiatic Society in recognition of his oriental learning. Rehatsek translated a number of Persian and Arabic works including "Biography of Our Lord Muhammad, the Apostle of Allah" according to Ibn Hisham, the first two parts of "Mirkhond's General History" and the first part of "The Rauzat-us-safa" for the Oriental Translation Fund.
Rehatsek remained unmarried and lived something of the life of a recluse. he had no servants and cooked his food using a spirit lamp. He owned a small house with little furniture but many books on which he worked continuously. He died on 11 December 1891 and was given a Hindu cremation at his request. His savings were left for the education of poor boys in Bombay.

Forster Fitzgerald (F. F.) Arbuthnot (1833-1901) was a linguist and translator. He spent his early career in the Indian civil service in Bombay where he would have known Edward Rehatsek. He was also a close friend of Richard Burton and collaborated with him on publications. He acted as an editor for some of Rehatsek's work.