72 THE NAUTILUS. 



OBITUARY B. SCHMACKEE. 1 



A letter just received from Shanghai, China, announces the death 

 of B. SCHMACKER, ESQ., of that city, in Yokohama. 



Mr. Schruacker was a most enthusiastic conchologist. It was his 

 aim and purpose to close up all his business affairs next winter and 

 devote the balance of his life to his shells. During his long resi- 

 dence in the far East he had collected extensively in China, Japan, 

 and the islands of the coast, and had, at the time of his death, prob- 

 ably the finest private collection of oriental laud and fresh-water 

 shells in the world. 



From time to time, as his business engagements permitted, he 

 published papers upon various conchological topics. I can now 

 only recall certain pamphlets upon Formosa shells, Chinese Clau- 

 siliae, Chinese Helices, and, I believe, a paper upoii the Molluscan 

 fauna of the island Hainan. 



Much of his literary work was done in connection with Boettger 

 and von Mollendorff. He told me a year ago that it was his purpose 

 to write a comprehensive work upon Chinese land and fresh-water 

 shells, and that it was to that end that he had made such extensive 

 collections in China and the neighboring islands. I doubt if any- 

 one could have been better qualified for this undertaking. 



Personally, Mr. Schmacker was a most charming man. He was 

 kindness itself, and his greatest happiness seemed to be to give others 

 pleasure. He had a keen sense of humor, and was a most agreeable 

 conversationalist. Unfortunately, he was somewhat deaf; but I be- 

 lieve it was only the disagreeable things he could not hear. 



He was manager of the great German trading firm of Carlowitz 

 & Co., of Shanghai, and was a man of some wealth. 



His death will be mourned by a host of friends in Asia and Eu- 

 rope, and his loss will be felt by the brotherhood of conchologists 

 all over the world. 



JOHN B. HENDERSON, JR. 



Bar Harbor, Me., Sept. 17, 1896. 



1 We take the liberty of publishing the above letter from Mr. John B. Hen- 

 derson, Jr., bringing us the sad news of the death of one of the most capable 

 of Oriental conchologists. During a short visit to Philadelphia some years 

 ago, Mr. Schmacker became known to us ; but it is not alone as an excellent 

 conchologist, but as a man of rare and attractive personal qualities that we 

 have valued his friendship and regret his untimely death. 



