RASPS, rb.sipc, RUDOLPII ERICA (1737-941. A German-English writer and mineralogist. born in Hanover. He studied in 1756-60 at Giittingen and Leipzig. In 1767 he became a professor in the Collegium Carolinum at Cassell. and curator of the Laudgrave's cabinet of antiquities and coins. During this time he translated (1763) Leibnitz's philosophical works, wrote the poem Rennin and Ganilde (1766). published a critical treat ise on Percy's ReIbiza's, and papers on geol ogy and mineralogy. In 1775 he was charged with purloining coins and other articles of value. and fled to England, where he published Some German Volcanoes and Their Productions (1776), a translation of Lcssing's Nathan der Weise (1781). and, with the assistance of Horace Walpole, a treatise on the origin of painting in oil (1781). Later he became assay-master at mines in Dolc•o3th, Cornwall (1782-85 , and compiler of the excellent Deseri-ptire Catalogue of more than 15.000 casts of gems, forming the
collection of James Tassie of Edinburgh. In 1791 he was in the north of Scotland, where he obtained from Sir John Sinclair of Ulster funds for metallurgical experiments. He then decamped with the money to .Muckross, County Donegal, Ireland. This incident was introduced by Scott in Thr Antiquary. Raspe published in 1785, in chap-book form, Baron Miinehhausen's Narratire of His Marvelous Travels and Campaigns in Rus sia, based partly on his recollections of llieroni mus Karl Friedrich, Baron von Sliinchhausen (1729-97) , who had umeh local renown in Han over for his exaggerated tales of putative hunting adventures, and partly on similar material pre served in his commonplace-book. His work con stitutes chapters 2-6 of the latter-day .Mfinch hausen. See TM UTNCIIIIAUSEN.