(John Joachim), a celebrated chemist, was born at Spires, in 1645. He was connected with the most learned men in Europe; and the emperor, the electors of Mentz and Bavaria, and other persons of high rank, furnished him with the means of making experiments in mathematics, natural philosophy, medicine, and chemistry. As his thoughts were very judicious and uncommon with respect to economy and to increasing the revenues of a state, he was invited to Vienna, where he contributed greatly to the establishment of several manufactures, a chamber of commerce, and an India company; but the jealousy of some of the ministers occasioned his disgrace and ruin. He was not less unhappy at Mentz, Munich, and Wurtzburg; which determined him to go to Haerlem, where he invented a machine for working a great quantity of silk in a little time, and with few hands: but new misfortunes made him come to England, and he died at London in 1685. He wrote many works; the principal of which are, 1. Physica Subterranea, which was reprinted at Leipzig in 1703, and in 1739, in octavo, with a small treatise, by E. Stahl, intitled Specimen Becherianum. 2. Experimentum chymicum novum, 8vo. 3. Character pro Notitia Linguarum universali. 4. Institutiones Chymicae, seu Manuductio ad Philosophiam Hermeticam, 4to. 5. Institutiones Chymicae prodromae, 12mo. 6. Experimentum novum ac curiosum de Minera arenaria perpetua, &c.