Georges Bernard Depping, a miscellaneous writer, born at Minister in Westphalia, May 11, 1784, died in Paris, Sept. 5, 1853. He went to Paris in 1803, and during the rest of his life was engaged in writing books on a variety of subjects and preparing articles for various periodicals and cyclopaedias. Among his works were two juvenile books which obtained great popularity, and were translated into several languages: Les soirees d'hiver, ou entretiens d'un pere avec ses enfants sur le genie, les moeurs et vindustrie des divers peuples de la terre (2 vols., 3d ed., 1832), and Merveilles et beautes de la nature en France (2 vols., 1835). He assisted Malte-Brun in his geographical works, and wrote descriptive sketches of Switzerland, Greece, England, and other countries. His most important historical works are: Histoire generale de l'Espagne (2 vols., 1811); Histoire des ex-peditions maritimes des Normands et de leur etablissement en France au dixieme siecle (1826); Histoire du commerce entre le Levant et l'Europe, depuis les croisades jusqu'd la fon-dation des colonies d' Amerique (2 vols., 1832); Les Juifs dans le moyen age (1834); and Histoire de la Normandie sous le regne de Guil-laume le Conquer ant et de ses successeurs (2 vols., 1835). Several of these have been translated into other languages.

He also wrote several books of travel, made various translations, edited the Romancero castellano and other works, contributed to the Biographic universelle and the Encyclopedic portative, and published an autobiography in German entitled Erinnerungen aus clem Leben eincs Deutschen in Paris. An account of his life and works, by Alfred Maury, was published in Paris in 1854.