No sooner was Klaproth free than be began to bring out his journal of his travels in the Caucasus; but Germany became the theatre of a long and bloody war, and the learned Orientalist fled from place to place without finding repose for his pursuits. During this war he became acquainted with some of the most distinguished men in the French armies, and his name became known to Napoleon. Klaproth's admiration for the French emperor must have been great, for after Napoleon bad been banished to Elba he suddenly left Germany and visited the fallen hero in his exile. Napoleon received him very well, and it appears that Klaproth, expecting the emperor's early return to France, offered him his services, and was chosen the future editor of one of the first newspapers in France. The ' hundred days' however passed away without any notice being taken of Klaproth, and when the Bourbons returned to Paris be was at Florence, in rather uncom fortable circumstances. Count John Potocki having heard of this, invited him to settle in Paris, and there Klaproth lived some time by his pen, when be accidentally met with William von Humboldt, who, although he had seen him only once, employed all his influence to procure for him a situation suitable to his pursuits and his merits.
It wss at Humboldt's recommendation that the late King of Prussia, Frederick William IlL, conferred•upon Klaproth the honorary title of Royal Professor of Oriental Langusges and Literature, which was accompanied with a liberal pension, and a promise to defray the expenses of printing whatever works the professor might think fit to publish. Klaproth was further allowed to stay in Paris as long as he pleased. Placed beyond all want, and moreover enjoying an income which enabled him to gratify his love of pleasure and refined society, Klaproth now exhibited an extraordinary activity, and it was in the years subsequent to 1816 that he published most of those literary productions which established his European reputation. The life which Klaproth led in Paris, leaving his study only to plunge into the torrent of mental and physical excitement of the gayest capital of Europe, proved fatal to his health. In 1833 the symptoms of a dropsy of the cheat becoming alarming, a tour to Berlin, where he was received with great distinction by the king and the public, produced a good effect; but shortly after his return to Paris the symptoms became worse, and his bodily sufferings were unfortunately accompanied by necasioual derangement of his intellectual faculties. The skill of the first physicians of Paris proved ineffectual, and after long and painful sufferings Klaproth died suddenly, on the 27th of August 1835, and was buried in the cemetery of Montmartre.
Klaproth was one of the best scholars and decidedly the best linguist of an ago which can justly boast of great linguists. His penetration and sagacity, and the quickness of his perception; were extraordinary ; clearness and perspicuity distinguish his style ; and his memory was so happy and capable of retaining the most different impressions without ever confoundiog them, that he seldom made more than scanty extracts. When he began a work it was already clear and distinct in his mind, and the composition did not take him more time than was required for tho mechanical act of writing. If we compare Klaproth with William von Humboldt, we find that Klaproth had the superiority in analytical power, while Humboldt surpassed Klaproth in the synthetical. Klaproth's biographer in the `Biographic Universelle,' says that he was naturally of a kind dispo sition towards everybody. Yet this kind man was the dread both of his literary enemies and friends. The former dreaded his answers to their attacks, and the latter observed the greatest precaution in their intercourse with him, lest they should Irritate his irascible temper ; and it would seem se if he made no distinction between scientific) and moral error, so severely did he handle those who incurred his scorn through a display of inaccuracy or ignorance in matters of learning. His controversy with Professor Schmidt, the Mongol scholar in St. Petersburg, is an instance of this.
It would take much space to give a complete catalogue of his numerous publications, especially as the majority of them consist of pamphlets, memoirs, and dissertations, many of which are not of general interest. Previous to 1812 he had only published some minor works, as, for instance, ` Inschrift des Yil, tibersetzt and erkliirt,' 4to, Halle, 1811, being a German translation, with notes, of a Chinese inscription ; and articles in different learned periodicals. The Asia thsches Magazin ' was edited by himself. The following are his most remarkable works : 1, 'Heise in den Kaukssus,' with maps, Halle and Berlin, 1812-14, 2 vole. 8vo : of these Travels in the Caucasus' a French translation, with valuable additions, appeared in I'aris in 1823; 2, Execution d'Automne (' The Autumnal Execution'), Peking, 20eme armee Kia King, Sense lune, jour malheureux :' this severe critique of Weston's translations from the Chinese was published in Paris in 1815; 3, ` Supplement an Dictionnaire Chinois-Latin du Pere Basile de Glemona, imprim6 en 1813, par les coins de M. de Guignes,' Paris, l, 1819, fo; 4, `Abhandlung fiber die Sprache and Schrift der Uiguren,' &c., Paris, 1820, 8vo (a ` Treatise on the Language and the Characters
of the Uigurs '); 2nd edition, in French, Paris, 1823 ; 5, ` Asia Poly glotta,' in 4to, with tables, in folio, Paris, 1823; 2nd edition, Paris, 1829, with a Life of Buddha according to the legends of the Mongols : this is a classification of the Asiatic nations according to their languages, with a comparative vocabulary of most of the Asiatic languages; 6, 'Examen critique des Extraits d'une Histoire des Khans Mongols, insere par M. Schmidt dans le biome vol. des Mines de l'Orient,' Paris, 1823, 8vo; 7, `Sur 1'Origine du Papier Mounaie eu Chine,' Paris, 1823, Svc : this very interesting treatise on the origin of paper-money was shortly afterwards translated into English; 8, ` Tableaux Historiques de l'Asie depuis la Monarchie de Cyrus juequ'lt nos Jours,' with twenty-four maps, Paris, 1824-26; 9, 'Memoires relatifs it &c., Paris, 1824-28, 3 vols. 8vo, with maps and engravings ; one of the most valuable works on Asia. 10, Dr. W. Schott's 'Augebliche Uebersetzuug der Werke des Confucius aus der Ursprache, eine literariscbe Betriigerei; Leipzig and Paris, 1825, 8vo : ' Dr. W. Schott's alleged translation of the works of Confucius, from the language in which they were originally written; a literary fraud,' by W. Lautcrbach (the pseudonymous name of Klaproth). Two Chinese, the one a labourer and the other a cook, having arrived in Germany, got their livelihood by showing themselves for money. They excited the curiosity of the learned, whom they persuaded that they were priests of high rank, and the Prussian government believing their story, sent them to Halle, where they were to teach Chinese in the university. There Professor Schott became acquainted with them, and made use of their names and assistance in publishing a German edition of the works of Confucius, which however was little better than a re-translation of previous English translations. Klap roth, with his usual sagacity, discovered the fraud, unmasked the Chinese impostors, and chastised Schott most severely, but, in this instance at least, most deservedly. 11, 'Tableau historique, geo graphique, ethnographique, et politique du Caucase et des provinces limitrophes entre 1a Russie et la Perse,' Paris, 1827, 8vo; one of the most important works on the Caucasus, especially at the time when it was written. 12, Vocabulaire et Grammaire de la Langue Georgienne, public par la Societe Asiatique,' Paris, 1827 : the first part is Georgian-French, the second French-Georgian. 13, ` Vocabu lairs Latin, Persan, et Cordan, d'apres MS. 6crit en 1303,' Paris, 1823, 8vo. This vocabulary was copied from a manuscript which once belonged to Petrarch, and was first published in the Journal Asiatique.' 14, 'Chrestomathie Mandchou,' Paris, 1828, Svo; 15, Apercu de rUrigine des diverses ecritures de l'ancien Monde,' Paris, 1832; 16, `Lettrc sur les Decouvertes des Hidroglyphes Acrologiqucs adressee It M. le Comte do Goulianoff,' Paris, 1827, 8vo, followed by a Seconds Lettre ' on the same subject, addressed to Nr. D. S-, pub lished in the same year ; and, 17, Examen critique des Travaux de Champollion, jenne, sur les Hidroglyphes,' Paris, 1832, Svo; 18, `Notice dune 3Iappemonde et dune Cosmographie Chinoises, publides en Chine, l'une en 1730, l'autre en 1793,' Paris, 1833, Svo; 19, Nipon o Dal itsiran, ou Annales des Empereurs du Japon, traduit par M. Isaac Titsingh, revu et corrig6 sur l'original par M. Klaproth, et precede dune Histoire Mythologique du ' Paris, 1834, 4to.
Among the publications edited or translated by Klaproth, wo must mention the publications of the Asiatic Society of Paris, of which he was one of the founders; Gfildenstacit's Travels in the Caucasus; Count John Potocki's Travels in the steppes of Astrakan and tho Caucasus; Father Della Penna's description of Tibet; a description of the same country, translated from the Tibetan language into Russian, and thence into French ; Timkoweki's Travels to Pekin; 'Magazin Asiatique,' from 1825-27, &o. Among his minor productions a letter to Baron Alexander von Humboldt on the invention of the compass, and another on the art of printing and gunpowder, are both important and interesting. Klaproth's contributions to the learned periodicals of France, Germany, and Russia would fill more than twenty octavo volumes. Klaproth was not only an Oriental scholar, hut oleo an excellent theoretical as well as practical geographer, as appears from Critical Observations on Arrowsmith's Map of Asia ; his Carte de l'Asie Centrale, d'apres les cartes levees par l'ordre de l'Empereur Kiang-Loung, par lea Missionaires de Pekin; Paris, 1835, in four large sheets; ' Carte de la Mongolie, du Pays des Mandohou, de la Cor6e, et du Japon,' Paris, 1833 ; and many others of a smaller compass, in several of his works. Klaproth left ready for the press, ` Description gdographique, statistique, et historique de l'Empire Chinois,' which was to appear in French and English, but has not yet ' been published. He left incomplete a manuscript containing the plan of a new ‘Mithridates; and a Commentary on Marco Polo. A com plete catalogue of all his publications is contained in ' Catalogue de la Bibliotheque de feu M. de Klaproth, par le Libraire Merlin, Paris, 1839, 8vo.