320 M. Fischer’s Memoir of the Life of Klaproth. 
among those that he has left behind him, he thus expresses 
himself : “ I cannot boast of the instruction which I have re- 
ceded from my teachers. On the contrary, I was obliged to 
content myself with such information as I could gain, in those 
times, from the mechanical operations of my elder companions, 
and with the perusal of a few old Apothecary books, for the 
study of which, too, I had but little leisure.” 
He always regarded, as the epoch of his scientific instruc- 
tion, the time when he first entered the public laboratory 
at Hanover, in which he spent two years, namely, from Easter 
1766 till the same time in 1768. It was there that he first met with 
some chemical works of merit, especially those of Spielman and 
Cartheuser, in which a higher scientific spirit already breathed. 
The love of science thus awakened, naturally aimed at a 
more complete developement. He was anxious to go to Beilin, 
of which he had formed a high idea from the chemical works of 
Pott, Henkel, Rose the elder, and Markgraf. An opportunity 
presented itself, and, about Easter 1768, he was placed as assist- 
ant in the laboratory of Wendland, at the sign of the Golden 
Angel, in the Street of the Moors. Here he employed all the 
leisure which a conscientious discharge of the duties of his sta- 
tion left him, in completing his own scientific education. And 
as he judged very correctly, that a profounder acquaintance with 
the ancient languages, than he had been able to bring with him 
from the Latin school at Wernigerode, was indispensable for a 
complete scientific education, he applied himself with great zeal 
to the study of the Greek and Latin languages, and had the 
good fortune to enjoy in this study, the assistance of a worthy 
and learned Preacher and Doctor of Theology, who is still alive, 
I mean Mr Poppelbaum. 
After two years and a half, that is about Michaelmas 1 770, 
he was permitted, by fortunate circumstances, to go to Dantzig, 
as assistant in the public laboratory. But in March of the fol- 
lowing year, he returned to Berlin, as assistant in the office of 
the elder Valentin Rose, who at that time was known as one of 
the most distinguished chemists of his day. But this connection 
did not continue long, for Rose died in 1771. On his death- 
bed he requested Klaproth to undertake the superintendance of 
his office. He thus, af ter a most honourable and long continued 
