MEMOIR OF FLEISCHER. 509 



parish schoolmaster Unruh, at Prietitz, near Pulsnitz. At Schandau 

 the boy attended the public school, where his talents soon attracted 

 the attention of the principal, Edelmaun, who undertook to teach young 

 Fleischer the elements of Latin. Thus his father was enabled to enter 

 him in 1814, as a student at the high-school in Bautzen, where he re- 

 mained until 1S11>. Here he was instructed in Hebrew, thus for tbe 

 first time comiug in contact with the Orient. When next he became 

 interested in an Eastern subject it was by chauce, and it decided his 

 whole future career. He accidentally found among the wrapping-paper 

 of a cheese-dealer at market sheets of an Arabic grammar, to the study 

 ot which he at once applied himself. He became so deeply interested that 

 when he entered upon his course in the University of Leipzig at Easter, 

 1819, he not only did not neglect his theological pursuits, nor fail to 

 devote himself under the guidance of Gottfried Hermann to classical 

 studies, but he also indulged his love for Orieutalia. In fact, after hav- 

 ing passed with distinction a theological examination, he spent one more 

 year in the exclusive study of Oriental languages. He soon arrived at 

 the conviction that it was necessary for him to be at Paris with De Sacy. 

 By the assistance of a young French merchant named Bernard, with 

 whom he had become acquainted, he succeeded in obtaining a i)osition 

 as tutor in the household of Mons. de Caulaiucourt (under Napoleon 

 Duke of Vicenza). On March 4, he received his degree, and on Ai)ril IS, 

 he began his journey to Paris. For one year and a half he was in Caul- 

 aincourt's house. Later he lived alone, earning a livelihood by giving 

 private lessons. But during the whole time he was zealously occupied 

 with his studies under De Sacy, paying particular attention to Arabic, 

 Persian, and Turkish. The impression made upon him by the great 

 French savant was never obliterated, — neither by the work, nor the suc- 

 cess, nor the honors with which his long life was replete. He continued 

 to pay the tribute of love and esteem to his master long after he himself 

 had come to be looked upon as the master Arabist. At the same time he 

 made diligent use of the valuable manuscrii)ts in the library. Thus, 

 the first essay published by him was a review, in the Journal Asiatlque 

 of 1827, of the first volume of Habicht's edition of the Thousand and 

 One Nights, based upon Galland's manuscript. His editions of Abul- 

 feda and Beidhawi, as well as the essay, Deglossis Ilabichtianis, all [uib- 

 lished later on, are also proofs of his industry in gathering material 

 while at Paris. At the same time he sought the society of Orientals, 

 especially of twoP]gyi)tians, a Mohammedan — Kefa'a, and a Christian — 

 Ayde, both mentioned honoris causa in the above-named essay. Al- 

 though the article in the Journal Asiatique shows that he was a ripe 

 scholar at that time, he continued to devote himself after his return, in 

 1828, to private study, partly at his own home and partly at Dresden, 

 where he catalogued the Arabic, Persian, and Turkish manuscrii)ts in 

 the royal library. The catalogue was published at Leipzig in 1831 ; 

 likewise, his edition and translation of AbulCcda'.s Ilistoria anteislamica. 



