sociation, etc. He discovered 14 comets and 1240 nebul?e as 

 given in Cattell's American Men of Science, 1910; other re- 

 ports not so reliable say 18 comets and 1300 nebulae; he was 

 also a student of shooting stars; solar eclipses; and intra- 

 Mercurial planets. 



Several years ago he was stricken blind, and forced to 

 give up his work. Dr. Swift first came into prominence in 

 1862, when he discovered the comet which took his name. 

 He went to Rochester, where he set up an observatory on 

 DuiT's cider mill. 



Though in the hardware business at the time, he discov- 

 ered a comet each year from 1877-1882. Some of the best 

 work and discoveries in Science have been and are being 

 made by men engaged in mercantile and other pursuits not 

 related to that special study. 



Dr. Swift was the author of "Simple Lessons in Astron- 

 omy." 



DR. JOSEPH C. NEVIN 



Joseph C. Nevin, a fellow of this xAcademy, died at his 

 home in Los Angeles in Alay, 1913. He was born in Pitts- 

 burgh, Pennsylvania, January 6, 1835, where he spent his 

 early life ; later moving to New York, from which latter place 

 he went, in 1859, to Canton, China, around the Cape, as a 

 missionary among the Chinese; he continued in this capacity, 

 with these people, in China and California, until too old and 

 feeble to continue, retiring from active work in Los Angeles 

 about 1901. In Canton, China, he became acquainted with 

 the Henry F. Hance, English Vice-Consul, and botanist of re- 

 nown. From Hance, Xevin received his interest and in- 

 centive to study botany. Nevin collected several hundred 

 sheets of plants while at Canton which he later brought with 

 him to California. Albert S. Bickmore, who was Director of 

 the American Museum of Natural Historv. was then travel- 

 in"- and collecting in the East Indies, Philipnines and China, 

 and with Dr. Xevin he went 300 miles up the North River, 

 finally separating and going to Shanghai, from whence he 

 returned home to America; Nevin returning to Canton. 



In 1878 Nevin left Canton, China, for Los Angeles, Calif., 

 where he has remained, with only short trips from this city, 

 still a worker among the Chinese. Los Angeles was then a 

 small town of barely 9000 people, and the region which is 

 now covered with buildings and pavements was his botanical 

 collecting ground. He gathered an herbarium of about 2000 

 sheets, and these, together with his library, was presented to 



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