1868.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 23 



Franz Bopp, ordinary Professor of Oriental languages of the Faculty 

 of Arts of the University of Berlin, to which he had belonged since 

 1822. He was born on the 14th September 1791, at Mayence, 

 and was famous as being the founder of Comparative Philology, also 

 as the author of many scientific works. He was a member of the 

 Institute, a Knight of the Civil Order of Merit, Knight of the Red 

 Eagle of the second class with the Star. 



This brief newspaper notice gives but a faint outline of the history 

 of this eminent Philologer, whose whole life was devoted to the study 

 of language, and especially of oriental literature. Dr. Bopp's philologi- 

 cal labours have formed a new era in linguistic studies. His great 

 work, the Comparative Grammar of the Sanscrit, Greek, Latin, Lith- 

 uanian, Ancient Sclavonic, Gothic and German, presents a complete 

 analysis of the grammatical form of the Indo- Germanic languages ; and 

 the general laws he deduces from them, are considered highly creditable 

 to his perspicacity. His writings which are both numerous and 

 voluminous, have greatly facilitated the acquirement of the Sanscrit 

 language, and his translations of various Indian classics have contri- 

 buted largely to our knowledge of oriental poetry, morals, and philo- 

 sophy, as exhibited in the ancient literature of India. For a general 

 notion of what has been achieved by this great scholar, reference 

 may be made to the Edinburgh Review, No. 192, p. 298, and to the 

 Calcutta Review, No. 24, p. 468. It will there be seen that this 

 work has created a new epoch in the Science of Comparative Philology, 

 and that it may justly be assigned a place in that department of 

 study, corresponding to that of Newton's in Mathematics, Bacon's in 

 Mental Science, or Blumenbach's in Physiology." Professor Bopp, for 

 his great services in the Science of Comparative Philology was elected 

 an honorary member of this Society in the year 1831. It is but little 

 to say of him, that Philology has lost its greatest light, and this 

 Society one of its brightest ornaments. 



In the Raja, Sir Radhakant Deva Bahadoor, K. S. I. we have 

 also to mourn the loss of a Sanscrit scholar, and author of the highest 

 distinction, whose name has adorned our list since March, 1855, when 

 for his great services in the course of oriental literature, he was elected 

 an honorary member. It was my duty on a former occasion to an- 

 nounce to the Society the death of this great man at a ripe old age, 



