KLAPROTH, JULIUS HEINRICH VON. 



KLE.BER, JEAN-BAPTISTS. 



726 



establishing a school of Oriental languages at Wilna, and in making a 

 descriptive catalogue of the Chinese and Mandshu manuscripts in the 

 imperial library at St. Petersburg. He was sent, in 1811, to Berlin, 

 for the purpose of superintending the engraving of the characters 

 which were intended for printing those manuscripts. In 1812 he 

 tendered his resignation to the Russian government, and after a consi- 

 derable time received his dismission, with the remark that by soliciting 

 permission to retire he had forfeited all his civic and scientific titles 

 and privileges in Russia. In St. Petersburg however there were strange 

 rumours afloat as to the real cause of his disgrace, and it was said there, 

 and afterwards repeated iu foreign countries, that his love of rare 

 manuscripts and books went beyond mere scientific attachment. 



No sooner was Klaproth free than he began to bring out his journal 

 of his travels in the Caucasus ; but Germany became the theatre of a 

 long and bloody war, and the learned Orientalist fled from place to 

 place without finding repose for his pursuits. During this war he 

 became acquainted with some of the most distinguished men in the 

 French armies, and his name became known to Napoleon. Klnproth's 

 admiration for the French emperor must have been great, for after 

 Napoleon had been banished to Elba he suddenly left Gtrraany and 

 visited the fallen hero in his exile. Napoleon received him very well, 

 and it appears that Klaproth, expecting the emperor's early return to 

 France, offered him his services, and was chosen the future editor of 

 one of the first newspapers in France. The ' hundred days ' however 

 passed away without any notice being taken of Klaproth, and when 

 the Bourbons returned to Paris he was at Florence, in rather uncom- 

 fortable circumstances. Count John Potocki having heard of this, 

 invited him to settle in Paris, and there Klaproth lived some time by 

 his pen, when he accidentally met with William von Humboldt, who, 

 although he had seen him only once, employed all his influence to 

 procure for him a situation suitable to his pursuits and his merits. 

 It was at Uumboldt's recommendation that the late King of Prussia, 

 Frederick William IIL, conferred "upon Klaproth the honorary title of 

 Royal Professor of Oriental Languages and Literature, which was 

 accompanied with a liberal pension, and a promise to defray the 

 expenses of printing whatever works the professor might think fit to 

 publish. Klaproth wag further allowed to stay iu Paris as long as he 

 pleased. Placed beyond all want, and moreover enjoying an income 

 which enabled him to gratify his love of pleasure and refined society, 

 Klaproth now exhibited an extraordinary activity, and it was in the 

 years subsequent to 1816 that he published most of those literary 

 productions which established his European reputation. The life 

 which Klaproth led in Paris, leaving his study only to plunge into the 

 torrent of mental and physical excitement of the gayest capital of 

 Europe, proved fatal to his health. In 1833 the symptoms of a dropsy 

 of the chest becoming alarming, a tour to Berlin, where he was received 

 with great distinction by the king and the public, produced a good 

 effect ; but shortly after his return to Paris the symptoms became 

 worse, and his bodily sufferings were unfortunately accompanied by 

 occasional derangement of bis intellectual faculties. The skill of the 

 first physicians of Paris proved ineffectual, and after long and painful 

 sufferings Klaproth died suddenly, on the 27th of August 1835, and 

 was buried in the cemetery of Montmartre. 



Klaproth was one of the best scholars and decidedly the best 

 linguist of an age which can justly boast of great linguists. His 

 penetration and sagacity, and the quickness of his perception, were 

 extraordinary ; clearness and perspicuity distinguish his style ; and 

 his memory was so happy and capable of retaining the most different 

 impressions without ever confounding them, that he seldom made 

 more than scanty extracts. When he began a work it was already 

 clear and distinct in bin mind, and the composition did not take him 

 more time than was required for the mechanical act of writing. If 

 we compare Klaproth with William von Humboldt, we find that 

 Klaproth had the superiority in analytical power, while Humboldt 

 surpassed Klaproth in the synthetical Klaproth's biographer in the 

 'Biographic Universelle,' says that he was naturally of a kind dispo- 

 sition towards everybody. Yet this kind man was the dread both of his 

 literary enemies and friends. The former dreaded his answers to 

 their attacks, and the latter observed the greatest precaution in their 

 intercourse with him, lest they should irritate his irascible temper ; 

 and it would seem as if he made no distinction between scientific and 

 moral error, so severely did he handle those who incurred his scorn 

 through a display of inaccuracy or ignorance in matters of learning. 

 Hix controversy with Professor Schmidt, the Mongol scholar in St. 

 Petersburg, is an instance of this. 



It would take much space to give a complete catalogue of his 

 numerous publications, especially as the majority of them consist of 

 pamphlets, memoirs, and dissertations, many of which are not of any 

 general interest. Previous to 1812 he had only published some minor 

 works, as, for instance, 'Insohrift des Yii, ubersetzt und erkliirt,' 

 4to, Halle, 1811, being a German translation, with notes, of a Chinese 

 inscription; and articles in different learned periodicals. The 'Asia- 

 tisches Magazin ' was edited by himself. The following are his most 

 remarkable works : 



J, 'Raise in den Kaukasus," with map*, Halle and Berlin, 1812-14, 

 2 vols. 8vo : of these ' Travels in the Caucasus ' a French translation, 

 with valuable additions, appeared in Paris in 1823; 2, 'Execution 

 d'Automne ('The Autumnal Execution'), Peking, 20eme annexe Kia 



King, Seme lune, jour malheureux : ' this severe critique of Weston's 

 translations from the Chinese was published in Paris in 1815; 3, 

 ' Supplement au Dictionnaire Chinois-Latin du Pore Basile de 

 Glemona, imprime' en 1813, par leg solas de M. de Guignea,' Paris, 

 1819, foL ; 4, ' Abhaudlung iiber die Sprache und Schrift der Uiguren,' 

 &c., Paris, 1820, 8vo (a 'Treatise on the Language and the Characters 

 of the Uigurs ') ; 2nd edition, in French, Paris, 1823 ; 5, ' Asia Poly- 

 glotta,' in 4to, with tables, in folio, Paris, 1823 ; 2nd edition, Paris, 

 1829, with a Life of Buddha according to the legends of the Mongols : 

 this is a classification of the Asiatic nations according to their 

 languages, with a comparative vocabulary of moat of the Asiatic 

 languages ; 6, ' Examen critique des Extraits d'une Histoire des Khans 

 Mongols, inse're' par M. Schmidt dans le 6ieme vol. des Mines de 

 I'Orient,' Paris, 1823, 8vo; 7, 'Sur 1'Origine du Papier Monnaie en 

 Chine,' Paris, 1823, 8vo : this very interesting treatise on the origin 

 of paper-money was shortly afterwards translated into English; 8, 

 ' Tableaux Historiques de 1'Asie depuis la Monarchie de Cyrus jusqu'Ji 

 nos Jours,' with twenty-four maps, Paris, 1824-26; 9, 'Me"moires 

 relatifs a 1'Asie,' &c., Paris, 1824-28, 3 vols. 8vo, with maps and 

 engravings; one of the most valuable works on Asia. 10, Dr. W. 

 Schott's ' Angebliche Uebersetzuug der Werke des Confucius aus der 

 Ursprache, eine literarische Betriigerei," Leipzig and Paris, 1825, 8vo : 

 ' Dr. W. Schott's alleged translation of the works of Confucius, from 

 the language in which they were originally written ; a literary fraud,' 

 by W. Lauterbach (the pseudonymous name of Klaproth). Two 

 Chinese, the one a labourer and the other a cook, having arrived in 

 Germany, got their livelihood by sbowiug themselves for rnone)'. 

 They excited the curiosity of the learned, whom they persuaded that 

 they were priests of high rauk, aud the Prussian government 

 believing their story, sent them to Halle, where they were to teach 

 Chinese iu the university. There Professor Schott became acquainted 

 with them, and made use of their names and assistance in publishing 

 a German edition of the works of Confucius, which however was little 

 better than a re-translation of previous English translations. Klap- 

 roth, with his usual sagacity, discovered the fraud, unmasked the 

 Chinese impostors, and chastised Schott most severely, but, in this 

 instance at least, most deservedly. 11, 'Tableau historique, g<*o- 

 graphique, ethnographique, et politique du Caucase et des provinces 

 limitrophes entre la Russie et la Perse,' Paris, 1827, 8vo; one of the 

 most important works on the Caucasus, especially at the time when 

 it was written. 12, ' Vocabulaire et Urammaire de la Langue 

 Gdorgienne, public* par la Socie*te* Asiatique,' Paris, 1827 : the first 

 part is Georgian-French, the second French-Georgian. 13, ' Vocabu- 

 laire Latin, Persan, et Corean, d'apres MS. e*erit en 1303,' Paris, 1828, 

 8vo. This vocabulary was copied from a manuscript which once 

 belonged to Petrarch, and was first published in the ' Journal 

 Asiatique.' 14, ' Chrestomathie Mandchou,' Paris, 1828, 8vo; 15, 

 ' Aperju de 1'Origiue des diverse* e"critures de 1'ancien Monde," Paris, 

 1832; 16, 'Lettre sur les De*couvertes des HieVoglyphes Acrologiques 

 adresse'e a M. le Comte de Goulianoff," Paris, 1827, 8vo, followed by a 

 ' Seconds Lettre ' on the same subject, addressed to Mr. D. S , pub- 

 lished in the same year ; and, 17, ' Examc-n critique des Travaux da 

 M. Champollion, jeune, sur les Hie*roglyphes,' l j aris, 1832, 8vo; 18, 

 ' Notice d'une Mapjiemonde et d'uue Cosmographie Chinoises, publie'es 

 en Chine, lune en 1730, 1'autre en 1793,' Paris, 1833, 8vo ; 19, ' Nipon 

 o Dai itsiran, ou Anuales des Kmpereurs du Japou, traduit par M. 

 Isaac Titsingh, revu et corrigo* sur 1'original par M. Klaproth, et 

 pre'ce'de' d'une Histoire Mythologique du Japon," Paris, 1834, 4to. 



Amoug the publications edited or translated by Klaproth, wo must 

 mention the publications of the Asiatic Society of Paris, of which he 

 was one of the founders; Guldenstadt's Travels in the Caucasus; 

 Count John Potocki's Travels in the steppes of Astrakan and tho 

 Caucasus ; Father Delia Penna's description of Tibet ; a description 

 of the same country, translated from the Tibetan language into 

 Russian, and thence into French ; Timkowski's Travels to Pekiu ; 

 ' Magazin Asiatique,' from 1825-27, &c. Among his miuor productions 

 a letter to Baron Alexander von Humboldt on the invention of the 

 compass, and another on the art of printing and gunpowder, are both 

 important and interesting. Klaproth's contributions to the learned 

 periodicals of France, Germany, and Russia would fill more than 

 twenty octavo volumes. Klaproth was not only an Oriental scholar, 

 but al.-o an excellent theoretical as well as practical geographer, as 

 appears from Critical Observations on Arrowsmith's Map of Asia ; his 

 ' Carte de 1'Asie Centrale, d'apres les cartes levies par 1'ordre de 

 1'Empereur Kiang-Loung, par les Missionaires de Pekin," Paris, 1835, 

 in four large sheets; ' Carte de la Mongolie, du Pays des Mandohou, 

 de la Core*e, et du Japon,' Paris, 1833 ; and many others of a smaller 

 compass, in several of his works. Klaproth left ready for the press, 

 ' Description gcSographique, statistique, et historique de 1'Empire 

 Chinois,' which was to appear in French and English, but has not yet 

 been published. He left incomplete a manuscript containing the plan 

 of a new 'Mithridates,' aud a Commentary on Marco Polo. A com- 

 plete catalogue of all his publications is contained in ' Catalogue de la 

 Bibliotheque de feu M. de Klaproth, par le Libraire Merlin, Paris, 

 1839, 8vo. 



KLEBER, JEAN-BAPTISTE, according to the best authorities, 

 was born at Strasbourg in the year 1754, though some place the date 

 of his birth three or four years earlier. He was brought up by his 



