Sir Alexander Burnes, a British geographer and diplomatist, born at Montrose, Scotland, May 16,. 1805, assassinated in Cabool, Nov. 2, 1841. His father was first cousin to Robert Burns. At the age of 16 he joined the Indian army at Bombay as cadet. He was appointed interpreter and translator in Surat, from his proficiency in Hindostanee and Persian, Dec. 25, 1822. In November, 1825, he became Persian interpreter to the army for the invasion of Sinde, and in 1826 assistant to the political agent at Cutch. In 1830 he went to Lahore, the capital of the Punjaub, ostensibly in charge of a present of horses from William IV. to Runjeet Singh, but really to obtain, accurate knowledge of the geography of the Indus. He surveyed the mouths of that river and made a map of the lower part of its course, and followed up this mission by an expedition into central Asia. A year was occupied on this tour through Sinde, Afghanistan, Balkh, Bokhara, and Persia. He returned to England in October, 1833, and received £800 for the first edition of his " Travels into Bokhara" (3 vols. 12mo). He was made a member of the royal Asiatic society and of the royal geographical society; the latter voting him its gold medal and a premium of 50 guineas " for the navigation of the Indus, and a journey by Balkh and Bokhara across central Asia." The French geographical society gave him its gold medal.

On returning to India in 1835, he undertook a mission to Hyderabad to prevent the necessity of a war with Sinde, and obtained permission from the ameers to survey the Indus, and a pledge that the practice of robbing stranded vessels should cease. In 1836-'7 he was sent to Dost Mohammed, at Cabool, on a commercial mission; but, persuaded that this prince meditated treachery toward the Anglo-Indian government, he remonstrated, was dismissed, and retired to Simla. When it was resolved to restore Shah Shujah to the throne of Cabool, he preceded the army, in charge of the commissariat, and while so employed received the announcement of his having obtained the honor of knighthood and the brevet rank of lieutenant colonel. In September, 1839, on the restoration of Shah Shujah, he was made political resident at Cabool. In this capacity he continued until Nov. 2, 1841, when on the outbreak of the Cabool insurrection he was murdered, with his brother Lieut. Charles Burnes and others. After his death was published "Cabool" (London, 1842), in which he gave a narrative of his journey to and residence in that city in the years 1836, '37, and '38.