68 EEPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



X)bysician lie visited Colorado for the summer. He, however, failed to 

 improve, and was brought to Waukegan in the autumn, and after much 

 suifering died, as stated, on the Gtli of January, 1880. 



xV. man of modest and agreeable demeanor, jMr. Milner, by careful obser- 

 vation and study, had mastered the theory and practice of fish-culture, 

 and had himself made many important improvements. His loss to the 

 Fish Commission is one which it will be extremely difficult to replace. 



Mr. J. Homer Lane must be mentioned as a valued collaborator of 

 the Institution, who died in this city May 3d of the past year. A grad- 

 uate of Yale College, he commenced his career as a teacher. His high 

 scientific and mathematical attainments having become known to the 

 Superintendent of the United States Coast Survey, he was early ap- 

 pointed to a position in that branch of the i)ublic service. About the 

 year 1847, on the recommendation of Professor Henry, Mr. Lane was 

 transferred to the United States Patent Office, as opening to him a more 

 varied and active occupation ; and he discharged the responsible duties 

 of an Examiner in that institution with a pains-taking fidelity for many 

 years. On the death of Mr. Saxton, who had charge of the construc- 

 tion and verification of the national and metric standards (under the 

 Coast Survey Office), Mr. Lane was recalled to that bureau to fill this 

 vacancy, — a position held by him till his death. 



Mr. Lane had given considerable attention and study to the mathe- 

 matical theory of electricity, and in 1859 he conducted, at the request 

 and iTjider the general supervision of Professor Henrj', a series of ex- 

 periments for this Institution, on several points of scientific interest 

 relating to the Atlantic telegraph, a brief notice of which investiga- 

 tion was given in the Smithsonian Eeport for 1859, !>. 38. To Mr. Lane 

 was also occasionally referred, for examination and report, communica- 

 tions or memoirs requiring for their thorough treatment a special famili- 

 arity with the higher mathematics. In 18GG, he undertook an elaborate 

 investigation into the conditions of successive exi^ansion or rarefaction 

 in gases, having particularly in view a more precise determination of 

 the absolute zero of temperature. In these experiments he was assisted 

 by apparatus specially constructed for him by the Institution. 

 His fastidious desire for extreme accuracy led him to postpone the 

 publication of results until it is feared that the valuable work actually 

 accomplished by him in this direction will not be available for the pro- 

 motion of knowledge among men, to which purpose he had so long and 

 earnestly devoted himself. Mr. Lane was remarkable for the logical 

 clearness of his mind and the strict conscientiousness of his moral 

 nature. 



When Mr. William H. Ball returned, in 1873, from his labors in 

 Alaska, under the direction of the United States Coast Survey, he 

 brought with him a young Aleute, named GeoritE Tsaroff, Avho com- 

 mended himself to him by his intelligence. With the aid of some 

 persons interested in education, Mr. Dall secured for his protege an ex- 



