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OBITUARY. 



C'liAKLES Lees Curties. 1861-1910. 



We regret to record the death of Mr. C. Lees Curties, at the early 

 age of fifty-five. He had been a Fellow for twenty-two years, and 

 had served more than one term on the Council of the Society as 

 trade Member, representing the firm of Charles Baker, a position 

 he occupied at the time of his death, besides serving on various 

 committees. 



Apart from trade interests he was, as a young man, one of the 

 pioneers of Photomicrography, as references to his work in several 

 of the earlier books on this branch of Microscopy testify, but the 

 death of the founder of the firm in 1894, and of his father — who 

 had succeeded to the business — a few years later, left him but little 

 leisure for aught else but the problems inseparable from the 

 conduct of a business in scientific instruments. These problems 

 were more particularly numerous and perplexing in his case 

 owing to the fact that the staff on whom he had to depend had 

 grown old with the original founder, and were thus incapable of 

 appreciating the changes which the vast expansion of science about 

 that time rendered necessary. 



That he successfully piloted the business through these diffi- 

 culties, and has left to the succeeding partners, one of whom is his 

 son, a business securely grounded on modern principles, with largely 

 extended workshops and showrooms, rebuilt within the last ten 

 years, is no mean record of industry and perseverence. 



We cannot close this short memoir without referring to his 

 very extensive knowledge of all kinds of scientific instruments, 

 the foundation of which was laid in very early boyhood, when, 

 as was at that time the custom, his father lived with his family 

 over the business premises ; there were few scientific instruments, 

 however obscurs their use and antiquated their design, that Charles 

 Curties could not name, give some idea of the use for which it 

 was designed, and the probable date of manufacture. 



H. F. Angus. 



