[Heinrich Leberecht Fleischer, German orientalist.] Autograph Letter Signed ('Fleischer'), in French, to Edward William Lane, full of interesting content about orientalists, including an attack on Juynboll's edition of the 'Merasid el-ittila'.

Author: 
Heinrich Leberecht Fleischer (1801-1888), German orientalist, Professor of oriental languages at the University of Leipzig [Edward William Lane (1801-1876), orientalist, translator of Arabian Nights]
Publication details: 
23 June 1851; Leipzig.
£650.00
SKU: 22793

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, aged and worn, no thin paper, with several folds. Seventy-two lines of closely and neatly written text. Addressed by Fleischer on reverse of second leaf 'A Monsieur Edward Wm. Lane | en | Angleterre. | West Terrace, Worthing, Sussex. | par l'entremise de Mss. Williams & Norgate. | avec | Zeitschrift d. D. M. G. | T. 5, Cah. 3.' A fine letter, full of interesting content indicating a liberal attitude to the sharing of information among Victorian orientalists. He begins by writing that he received Poole's letter of 3 May a little before one from 'Mr. Mordtmann, agent consulaire des villes anséatiques à Constantinople', who undertook to remit to Poole 'les cahiers de notre journal'. He continues with reference to 'ce fonctionnaire' and 'vos amis en Egypte', urging Poole to deal with the long-running issue of numbers of the magazine wanted by Poole. He next turns to Poole's 'conjecture' concerning a phrase in Arabic script and 'l'ordre de lettres dans le Mohkam', which he feels carries 'toute l'empreinte de la vérité'. He has communicated this to 'Mr. Flügel [German orientalist Gustav Leberecht Flügel (1802-1870)] pour son commentaire sur Hagi Khalfa'. Flügel is in Vienna at present, revising for publication the catalogue of Persian and Turkish manuscripts, 'laissé en manuscrit par feu Mr. Krafft'. Poole has no doubt seen the specimens of Arab types, engraved and founded in Leipzig a few years before 'sous la direction de Mr. Eli Smith [American Protestant missionary (1801-1857)] pour la mission américane à Beirout'. Charles Tauchnitz has obtained a complete set, which he has used to print two 'traités métaphysiques' by 'un élève d'Avicenne', whose name is given in Arab script, edited by 'Mr. Poper, jeune Orientaliste de beaucoup de mérite'. He next discusses the new edition of the 'séances de Hariri paru à Boulak', which corrects the faults of 'Mr. de Sacy', regarding which he wrote a review, to which he gives a citation. The next topic is Poole's projected dictionary, with Fleischer enquiring if he will be including proper names, a 'lacune de nos dictionnaires européens' which he hopes Poole's work will fill. He continues with reference to an edition of 'les trois cahiers des Merasid el-ittila', just published by 'Mr. Juynboll [Dutch philologist Theodor Willem Johannes Juynboll (1802-1861)]', regarding which he writes damningly: 'J'estime l'activité du professeur de Leyde, mais cette absence totale de critique et presque de jugement produit des phénomènes inconcevable et rend son édition à peu près inutile pour quiconque n'a pas les moyens d'en corriger les innombrable bévues'. He concludes the letter: 'Je vous prie de me donner toujours des nouvelles de votre dictionnaire. C'est pour moi et pour tous ceux qui savent en juger, le Messie à venir'.