ALEXANDER BRAUN. 32o 



1858, The twenty-fourth volume of the results of the exploring expe- 

 dition, " General Physics," was prepared by him (nearly ready for the 

 press), but was never published, although money was appropriated by 

 Congress for that purpose. It was to contain moon cuhninations for 

 longitude ; transit observations of the sun and stars, for error and rate 

 of astronomical clock ; reduced rates of clock or chronometer, by tran- 

 sit of stars, &c., &c. ; pendulum observations — not the least valuable 

 those made on Mauna Loa, Hawaii ; magnetic observations for vai'ia- 

 tion, dip, and intensity ; tides, heights, and a variety of subjects, prin- 

 cipally the result of his own observation and experience. 



Admiral Wilkt^s was emphatically a hard worker, never idle ; and his 

 eflforts in behalf of science were fully appreciated and acknowledged 

 by many learned societies, as were also his nautical achievements. He 

 was made the recipient (1848) of a splendid gold medal, awarded by 

 the Royal Geographical Society of London, in acknowledgment of his 

 discovery of the Antarctic Continent. In 1862, the merchants and 

 citizens of Boston presented him with an elegant sword, and he was 

 complimented with honorary membership in several scientific associa- 

 tions in this country and abroad. 



It is worthy of note, that Admiral "Wilkes, but a few days after the 

 registering telegraph of Professor Morse was put in operation between 

 Washington and Baltimore, in 1844, by a series of observations, having 

 a well-rated chronometer at each end of the line, determined the differ- 

 ence of longitude between the two cities. 



ALEXANDER BRAUN. 



Alexander Braun, one of the ablest botanists of our day, died at 

 Berlin, on the 29th of March last, after a short illness. He was born 

 at Ratisbon, May 10, 180-5, and therefore had not quite completed his 

 72d year. In his childhood the family removed to Carlsruhe, where 

 his father took an appointment in the postal service, and at length be- 

 came postmaster-general of the Grand-Duchy of Baden. Just fifty 

 years ago, Braun was a student at the University of Heidelberg with 

 Agassiz, Carl Schimper, and Engelmann as intimate companions. 

 Our associate. Dr. Engelmann, is now the sole survivor. Braun, 

 Schimper, and Agassiz soon went to ^luuich, where Oken, Schelling, 

 DoUinger, and Martius (just returned from Brazil) were teaching:* but 

 the party, Schimper excepted, was again united at Paris in 1832. The 

 iiUiance with Agassiz was cemented by the marriage of the latter to 

 Braun's sister. 



