1775 Rudolf Eric Raspe 129 



actually lived there, being specially fitted to withstand 

 cold a conclusion which has long been acknowledged to 

 be well-founded. The Society printed his essay in the 

 Philosophical Transactions, and on ist June 1769 elected 

 him one of its Fellows on the foreign list. 



After Raspe had been commissioned to travel in Italy 

 for the purpose of collecting gems and antiques for the 

 Hesse-Cassel cabinet', it was found that he had abstracted 

 valuable objects from the collection of which he had charge 

 and sold them, receiving more than 2000 rixdollars for 

 his thefts. Before legal proceedings were taken against him 

 he absconded. An advertisement was issued for the arrest 

 of Councillor Raspe, " a long-faced man with small eyes, 

 crooked nose, red hair under his stumpy periwig and a jerky 

 gait, wearing sometimes a scarlet coat enbroidered with 

 gold, sometimes suits of black, blue or grey/' Traced to 

 the Harz he was caught there in March 1775, but escaped 

 from custody and fled to Britain, where he lived till his 

 death nineteen years later. 



He probably reached London early in August. In those 

 days news travelled slowly, and as his case had not come 

 before a public court, he could probably count on a good 

 start before tidings of his doings could arrive. He appears 

 to have gone boldly to the rooms of the Royal Society and 

 claimed the privileges due to a Fellow of that illustrious 

 body. Sir John Pringle, the President, as in duty bound, 

 treated him with courteous hospitality and invited him 

 as his guest to dine with the Royal Philosophers on August 

 loth. He there met Henry Cavendish, Maskelyne, Dr. 

 Watson, Solander with two Swedish guests, Aubert and 

 some others, making a party of thirteen in all. Again on 

 the 3 ist of the month Pringle brought him to the Club, 

 and no doubt showed him many other marks of attention 

 of which no record remains. No further trace of his presence 

 has been found in any of the dinner-registers. 



Though the tidings of his misdeeds might be slow in 

 reaching England, they could not fail to arrive at last. On 

 the 7th December 1775, " authentic information " came 



