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Borri, Christofero

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Borri, Josefo Francesco (Burrus)

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an Italian missionary, was a native of Milan. He made a trip to the East, and on his return taught mathematics at Coimbra and Lisbon. It is said that he was ordered to Madrid by the king of Spain, who was informed that he had found means of determining the longitude by the declination of the needle. But his science led to his being suspected, it is thought, by his society, which he excluded from his regard in order to occupy himself in matters foreign to this organization. He afterwards entered the order of Cistercians, and died May 24, 1632. He wrote, under the pseudonym of Onuphrius, Doctrina de Tribus Coelis; Aereo, Siderio, et Empyreo (Lisbon, 1641): — Relatione a Sua Santita delta. Cose delle Indie Orientale, di Giappelneo, della China, dell' Etiopia, dell' Isola di San Lorenzo, del regno di Monomol-cpa, e della -Terra Incognita Australe (Rome, 1631); with observations upon the manner in which the missionaries attempted to civilize the natives. He also corrected the charts used by navigators. This work was translated into French by P. Antony de la Croix (Rennes, 1631; in Latin, Vienna, 1633; in English by Robert Astley, London, eod.). This last translation was inserted by Churchill in vol. 2 of his Collection of Voyages. See Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, s.v.