Engraving of Sir Richard Francis Burton, the English explorer, linguist and diplomat, pictured circa 1870. A master of up to 30 languages, Burton made a pilgrimage to Mecca disguised as a Pathan in 1853 and later explored Africa, settting out with John Hanning Speke, to search for the source of the Nile River. In later life he served as a British diplomat in Brazil, Syria and Italy Date: 1890