412 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY, 



first American ancestor, who settled in Windsor, Conn., in 1G39. 

 Other subjects than those already specified, mentioned by Prof. 

 Newton as those on which Prof. Loomis made experiments and 

 published papers, were the phenomena of optical moving figures ; 

 the vibrations sent out from waterfalls as the water flows over 

 certain dams ; the orbits of the satellites of Uranus ; the tempera- 

 ture of the planets ; the variations of light of the stars -q Argus 

 and Algol ; and the comet of 18G1. 



A striking illustration of the value of Prof. Loomis's improve- 

 ment in the construction of weather maps is cited by Prof. New- 

 ton as among his recollections of conversations with Sir George 

 Airy and Le Yerrier. The former, before Prof. Loomis's maps 

 were published, expressed himself as having little hope for the 

 progress of meteorology in the shape in which the data then 

 appeared. Le Verrier, exhibiting, in 18G9, charts made like those 

 of Prof. Loomis, said : " I care not for the mass of observations 

 made in the usual form ; what I want is the power and material 

 for making such charts as these." 



A description of Prof. Loomis's characteristics as a teacher is 

 given by a biographer in the Phrenological Journal, who says : 

 " He was a man of quick impressions and very solid convictions. 

 A really kind man, but so strict in his views of propriety and 

 duty that the student, as a rule, regarded him as severe. "We re- 

 member him well as he appeared in the lecture-room of the uni- 

 versity, always calm and even-toned, strict in his demands upon 

 students who might be reciting, very brief in question, a mere 

 trace of a smile if the student acquitted himself well, and noth- 

 ing more than ' Sit down ' when a student showed his ignorance of 

 the lesson by his blundering. He was never sarcastic, never cen- 

 sorious. There might be a coldness of manner and a slight sharp- 

 ness in his tone when annoyed, but these were passing cloudlets, 

 so to speak, in the calm blue of his manner. He awed the frisky, 

 mischievous ones into quiet, even well-behaved young men while 

 they were under his penetrating eye, so that we never knew of a 

 single instance of insubordination in his room during our course." 

 In a description in general harmony with this. Prof. Newton in- 

 cludes an acknowledgment that was made by Chief- Justice Waite, 

 that " if I have been successful in life, I owe that success to the 

 influence of tutor Loomis more than to any other cause what- 

 ever." 



