Josiah Harlan - Early Travels

Early Travels

In 1820, Harlan embarked on his first travels. His father secured him a job as supercargo on a merchant ship bound for the East, sailing to Calcutta, India, then Guangzhou, China and back. Returning from this first trip and preparing for the next, he fell in love. It was arranged that they were engaged and to be married when he returned. However, in Calcutta he received notice that his fiancée had broken the engagement and already married another.

Broken by this news, Harlan vowed never to return to America, instead seeking adventure in the East. In July 1824, without any formal education, he enlisted as a surgeon with the British East India Company. The Company was about to enter a war in Burma, and was in need for qualified surgeons. Relying on his self-studies and some practice while at sea, Harlan presented himself to the medical board for examination and was appointed as surgeon to the Calcutta general hospital. From January 1825 he served with the army in Burma, until he was injured or became ill. Meanwhile, the Treaty of Yandaboo in 1826 ended hostilities. Once recuperated, Harlan was posted to Karnal, north of Delhi, where he soon grew weary with taking orders from the Company. In the summer of 1826, he left their service. As a civilian, he was granted a permit to stay in India by the Governor General Lord Amherst.