GUIONFS, JOSEPH DE, was born In 1721 at Pontoise, and studied the Oriental languakea under Stephen Fourmont. In 1745 ho was nominated Oriental Interpreter to the royal library In the place of Founnont, and in 1752 was chosen • member of the Acaddmie. del Lettree. The French revolution reduced him to great desti tution, but he supported his misfortune with equanimity, and refnsed to accept any assistance. II. died at Paris In 1800.
Ilia • Iliatoire Gendrale des Huns, des Turns, des Mogols, et des entree Tartans. Occidentaux,' Paris, 1756-58, 5 vols. in 4to, is written with great industry, and founded upon Oriental authorities, many of which had not been made use of before ; but the work is defective in point of criticism and style. Be has however the undoubted merit of being the first writer who attempted to compare the accounts of Western authors with those of Chins. He was the first who also attempted to discover the origin of the Hans, Turks, Avers, and other barbarous nations, and to trace out the road by which they reached the west of Asia and Europe. The other principal works of De Guignes are—twenty-eight memoirs inserted in the collection of the Memoirs of the Acaddmie des Inscriptions. The most important of them are—'316moires sur quelques Evdnemens qui concernent I'llistoiro des Reis Grecs de la Bactriane;"Snr quelquea Peuplea qui out envahi l'Empire Romain; "Sur lea Liaisons et le Commerce dee Remains arec lea Tartares et les Chinois.' Many of his memoirs
are designed to prove the Egyptian origin of the Chinese. Of these the principal is entitled, 'Memoirs dans lequel, apres avoir oxamind l'Origine des Lettres Phdniciennes et Ilebraiques, on essaie d'dtablir que le caractere dpiatolique, hidroglyphique, et symbolique des Egyptiens se retrouvent dans lea earacterea Chinois, et quo la nation Chinoise eat une colonie Egyptienne.' The stir lo Com• move des Francois dans le Levant avant lea Croisades,' is one of con siderable valise. De Cuigncs wrote manyable papers for tho 'Journal des Savants' of which he was one of the most active editors for thirty-five years. He left in manuscript—I, 'Diverses Notices des Auteure Arabes;' 2, ' Mdmoire sur le Commerco des Chinoia avec les Busses ; ' 3, Histoire de la Chine,' compiled from Chinese authors; 4, ' Mdmoires Historiques of Gdographiques sur l'Afriques d'apres lea Auteura Arabes.' He also edited, 1, the translation of Cboo-King; 1770, by Gaubil, which he revised and corrected according to the Chinese text, and enriched with very valuable notes; 2, 'Eloge de la Ville Moukden, Poeme Chinois, composd par I'Empereur Kienlong.' 1770, and L'Art 31ilitaire des Chinois,' 1771, both translated by le Pere Ansiot.