Kampfer, Or Kaempfer, Engelbrecht, a German traveller, born in Lemgo, Lippe-Detmold, in 1651, died in Detmold, Nov. 2, 1716. He studied at Konigsberg, and accompanied as secretary a Swedish ambassador to Persia. In 1685 he entered as surgeon the naval service of the Dutch East India company, and sailed for Batavia, whence in 1690 he was despatched to Japan as physician to the embassy. He remained in Japan two years, and gathered materials for his great work on the history, resources, etc, of that empire. In 1693 he returned to Europe. He was the author of various valuable works, but published nothing himself, save his Amoenitates Exotica, (1712), which contains much curious matter touching the natural history, antiquities, etc, of Persia and other countries of western Asia. His account of the Japanese empire has never been published in the original, but an English translation of it, under the title of " History of Japan and Description of Siam," appeared in London in 1727, and from this the French and German versions have been taken.