EDITOR'S TABLE. 



501 



of her birth. Her' maiden name was 

 Mary Fairfax; she was of Scotch an- 

 cestry and an admiral's daughter. She 

 was twice married, first to Captain 

 Greig, of the Russian Navy, an officer 

 of scientific accomplishments, and to 

 whom she is said to have owed the 

 mathematical and physical culture 

 which subsequently made her name 

 illustrious as the wife of Dr. "William 

 SomerTille. She became first known by 

 a paper in the Philosophical Transac- 

 tions, printed in 1S20, describing her 

 experiments on the magnetizing power 

 of the more refrangible solar rays. " In 

 her experiments, sewing-needles were 

 rendered magnetic by exposure for two 

 hours to the violet ray, and the magnetic 

 virtue was communicated in still shorter 

 time when the violet rays were concen- 

 trated by means of a lens. The indigo 

 rays were found to possess a magnetiz- 

 ing power almost to the same extent 

 as the violet ; and it was observed, 

 though in a less degree, in the blue and 

 green rays. It is wanting in the yellow, 

 orange, and red. Needles were like- 

 wise rendered magnetic by the sun's 

 rays transmitted through green and 

 blue glass." Such is the statement made 

 by Dr. Turner in his old chemistry, 

 but he adds that "the accuracy of the 

 experiments had been doubted, and that 

 the result must therefore be regarded as 

 one of the disputed points in science." 

 Dr. J. "W. Draper went over the subject 

 in 1835, with the sunlight of Virginia, 

 and, although adopting far more deli- 

 cate methods than Mrs. Somerville, 

 failed to produce the alleged effects. 



In 1831 Mrs. Somerville published 

 " The Mechanism of the Heavens," an 

 abridgment and attempted populariza- 

 tion of Laplace's "Mecanique Celeste," 

 which she was induced to undertake 

 by Lord Brougham. The " Connection 

 of the Physical Sciences," perhaps her 

 most valuable work, was issued in 

 1834, and her "Physical Geography" 

 in 1838. Her last work, on "Molecular 

 and Microscopical Science," published 



when she was near ninety years of age, 

 is beyond doubt the most remarkable 

 exploit of her life. It is a survey of 

 what has recently been done in the field 

 of Molecular Physics, describes the 

 brilliant discoveries in dialysis and at- 

 molysis, the crystalline and colloid 

 states of matter, spectrum analysis in its 

 celestial applications, the microscopical 

 structure of the vegetable world, and 

 the physics of organization, and all in a 

 constantly clear and often an attractive 

 style. Mrs. Somerville was the recipi- 

 ent of many honors on account of her 

 scientific labors. She received a pen- 

 sion from the Government, was made 

 an honorary fellow of the Royal Astro- 

 nomical Society, at the same time with 

 Miss Caroline Herschel, received a gold 

 medal from the Royal Geographical 

 Society, and had her bust placed in the 

 library of the Royal Society. She main- 

 tained her interest in the movements of 

 the scientific world, was supplied with 

 the latest works in various branches 

 of knowledge, and kept up her corre- 

 spondence with many of the leading 

 mathematicians and physicists, to with- 

 in a few weeks of her death. It has to 

 be added that Mrs. Somerville did not 

 neglect the lighter accomplishments 

 and tastes of her youth, but continued 

 her painting, and music, and even her 

 lace-work and other feminine trifles. 



If it be asked how she contrived to 

 do these things which are such con- 

 sumers of time, while also making such 

 extensive scientific acquisitions, the 

 reply is, first, that she was a woman 

 of great capacity and great industry; 

 and, second, that her scientific work 

 was by no means of that highest or 

 creative kind which is produced only 

 by genius and requires the concentra- 

 tion of a life within a narrow sphere 

 of effort. "We prefer, however, to ab- 

 stain from estimating Mrs. Somerville's 

 intellectual character, but will quote 

 the opinions expressed upon this sub- 

 ject by her own countrymen. The 

 Saturday Review says : 



