2G2 TRANSACTIONS OF THE SOCIETY OF 



a straightforward integrity, and a scientific accuracy quite exceptional, 

 as well as a liberality rarely met with, which rendered him indifferent 

 as to whether or not his ideas were appropriated by others. The perfect 

 honesty and great conscientiousness with which he pursued his researches 

 often prevented him from publishing them. He was always afraid of 

 not having sufficiently investigated the ground gone over, and would 

 go again to places he perhaps had previously visited many times. 



He belonged to the geological commission of Switzerland, and was one 

 of its most influential members. This commission assigned to him the 

 preparation of the part of the Federal Atlas which contained the Sentis. 

 He had devoted more than twenty years to the study of this mountain, 

 and as early as in 1848 the cuts furnished to Murchison, which were pub- 

 lished in the memoir of the English savan, prove that he was master of 

 the subject. When death prevented Escher from making the publication 

 which had been intrusted to him by the commission, the latter found 

 among his papers, with many inestimable scientific treasures, enough 

 documents to prepare a large special map of Sentis, on a scale of fifty 

 thousands, (the ordinary maps of the commission Avere of one hundred 

 thousands,) with text, both almost entirely from the hand of Escher, 

 a work which reflects much honor on his memory. 



I should also add that Escher joined MM. Martins and Desor in an 

 expedition to the desert of Sahara, the results of which, especially those 

 which relate to the meteorological influence of the simoon, or wind of 

 the desert, upon the meteorological condition of the Alpine regions, were 

 given in the account of the expedition published by M. Desor, under the 

 form of letters addressed to M. Liebig and M. Ch. Vogt. 



A description of Arnold Escher would be very incomplete were it con- 

 fined to an account of his scientific life. The integrity and love of truth 

 which distinguished him in his researches, he carried into his private re- 

 lations, where they were associated with great simplicity of manner, and, 

 we may say, jierfect amiability, accompanied by a slight dififldence, which 

 only rendered him the more attractive. It was a real i^leasure to see 

 him enter our reunions of the Helvetic Society of Natural History, into 

 which he brought a warm and cheerful kindliness it is impossible to 

 forget. The void made by his death has been deeply' felt, and in the 

 month of August last, at the Fribourg meeting, every one deplored his 

 absence, with that of our excellent colleague Pictet de la Rive. It was 

 a great sorrow not to meet again the two friends, lately so full of life, 

 and with nothing about them to indicate premature death. 



If the society lost none of its ordinary members during the year that 

 is passed, it added several to its number. MM. Emile Ador, Edmond 

 Sarasin, and William Barbey were elected as ordinary members, on ac- 

 count of interesting communications made by these young savcois in 

 regard to organic chemistry, geology, and botany. M. Casin, professor 

 of the lyceura of Charlemagne, well known for important researches 

 in physics, of which he in person made an exposition, in part, at 



