KA EMPFER, ENGELBERT, a learned German traveller and naturalist, was born at Lemgo, a town of the county of Lippe in Westphalia, on the 16th of September, 1651. He discovered an early' attachment to the study of natural his tory, medicine, and various languages. After having com pleted his elementary education at different schools, be stu died, during four years, at the university of Koningsberg in Prussia. His desire of travelling into foreign parts in duced him, in 1683, to embrace the opportunity of accom panying the Swedish embassy to Persia, in the capacity of secretary ; and he remained in that country for some years after the embassy returned to Sweden. Although he had as yet obtained no medical degree, he accepted the situa tion of a physician in Georgia ; which, however, he soon af terwards relinquished, in order to visit other distant coun tries. With this view, he went on board the Dutch fleet, which was then cruising in the Persian Gulf, as a naval surgeon ; and after visiting a number of the English and Dutch settlements, he came to Batavia in 1689. In the following year, he went, as physician to the embassy of the Dutch East India Company, to Japan, where he remained more than a year. In the beginning of 1692, he set out on his return to Europe ; obtained the degree of Doctor of Physic at Leyden, in 1604 ; and then returned to his native country, where he was appointed physician to the Count Frederick Adolphus of Lippe.
During the course of his extensive travels, Kaempfer, actuated by an insatiable curiosity, had studied, with great attention, the natural and political history, manners, and customs of the different countries which he visited ; and brought home complete journals, drawings, and various curiosities. He now began to digest his materials, and to communicate his discoveries to the public, in a work enti tled, ?menitates exotica politico-medica, Lemgo, 1712, in 4to, of which, however, only five fasciculi appeared, with plates. At his death, which took place in November, 1716, he left behind him a great mass of manuscripts and draw ings, and particularly an History and Description of Japan.
These treasures were purchased by Sir Hans Sloane, who caused a translation to be executed of the work upon Japan, which appeared at London in 1727, in two volumes 4to. A copy of the German manuscript of this book was afterwards discovered at Lemgo, and published by Kaempfer's coun tryman, Dohm, in the years 1777 and 1779, in two volumes 4to, with many additions.
The extensive knowledge, acute observation, and love of truth, which are displayed in the works of Kaempfer, have acquired for their author a considerable portion of cele brity. These works consist of his History of Japan ; the .4meenitates exotica•• ; ail Herbarium Ultra Gangeticum ; dissertation de Magistatis divisione; and his Inaugural Thc ,:cs, on taking his degree at Leyden.
is the name of a new instrument, ed by Dr. Brewster, for the purpose of creating and biting an infinite variety of beautiful and perfectly symme trical forms, and is derived from the Greek words xxxos, beautiful, rao;, a form, and to sce.
This instrument, in its simplest form, consists of two rc fleeting surlaccs, a s.,,L.%%ii lac CCCXLI. Fig. I, plac ed between the c?e and certain objects, by the combina tion of which the picture is to be created; but as the re flectors may have an infinite number of positions with re spect to each other, as the eye may have an infinite num ber of positions with respect to the common section of the two planes, and as the object may also have an infinite num ber of positions with respect to the reflectors, it is neces sary to ascertain the effects which are produced under these various circumstances, and to discover if there are any determinate positions of the reflectors, the object, and the eye, which enable the reflectors to form and carry to the eye of the observer a picture mathematically symme trical, and in which all the reflected images shall have as nearly as possible the same intensity of light.