JAMES BICHENO FRANCIS. 339 



Cambridge Observatory for the establishment of an observatory at 

 Arequipa, Peru. 



It was Mr. Francis's fortune to be known and appreciated ; he was 

 one of the earliest members of the American Society of Civil Engineers, 

 its President, and an Honorary IMember; President of the Boston 

 Society of Civil Engineers ; member of the American Philosophical 

 Society of Philadelphia, of the Boston Society of Natural History, 

 of the AYinchester Historical Society, of the Arkwright Club, of the 

 Trinity Historical Society, Dallas, Texas, and of the American So- 

 ciety of Irrigation Engineers, of Salt Lake City, Utah. He received 

 the honorary degree of Master of Arts from Dartmouth College in 

 1851, and from Harvard College in 1858. He was a member of the 

 Corporation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ; President 

 of the Stony Brook Railroad for twenty years; Director of the Rail- 

 road Bank for thirty-two years, and of the Lowell Gas Light Com- 

 pany for forty-three years. 



Mr. Francis was elected a Fellow of this Academy on the 13th of 

 November, 1844, and served as a member of the Rumford Committee 

 from 1868 to 1878. He contributed to the sixth volume of our 

 Proceedings an important paper, " On the Strength of Cast-iron 

 Pillars," afterwards reprinted and published as a separate volume by 

 D. Van Nostrand. 



Never desirous of political office, as a matter of duty he served one 

 term in the Legislature, longer in the City Government and on the 

 School Committee, as a Director of the City Library, and as Commis- 

 sioner for the erection of the new City Hall. 



Mr. Francis resigned the office of agent and engineer of the Proprie- 

 tors of Locks and Canals on Merrimac River, January 1, 1883, and 

 was appointed consulting engineer, which position he held at the time 

 of his death, September 18, 1892. Although affected for some time 

 with a complaint dangerous to any man of his years, he continued 

 almost to the day of his death his interest in his usual pursuits, and 

 died, leaving a widow, four children, and grandchildren. 



Mr. Francis, in the many positions to which he was called with 

 varied duties, showed himself an admirable executive and administra- 

 tive officer, and in his published works and reports a close and careful 

 investigator, suggestive in his methods, and of good judgment. Often 

 chosen from his established integrity referee and commissioner, not 

 only in the line of his profession, but outside, his decisions were without 

 bias. As leading hydraulic expert of this country and often retained 

 in suits, he never considered himself the attorney of his client, but 



