274 SCIENTIFIC RECORD FOR 1884. 



30, 1883, after a short illness. Having graduated from the Swiss Poly- 

 technic School, he was engaged until 1871 in railroad and topographic 

 survey s, in which year he entered into the business of his father-in-law, 

 the well-known mechanician, Goldschmidt; after his death, in 1875, 

 Hottinger entirely conducted this business, in association with Dr. 

 Koppe, until the latter was appointed professor at Brunswick. The 

 accurate instruments made by this firm are well known throughout 

 Switzerland, especially the so-called Goldschmidt aneroid barometer, 

 which in its improved form has in Europe rapidly displaced all other 

 aneroid and even mercurial barometers for accurate and convenient 

 use in field surveying. {Z. 0. G. 31., xviii, p. 465.) 



57. Baron Vice Admiral von Wiillerstorf-Urbair, born January 29, 

 1816, at Trieste, died August 10, 1883, at Vienna. By his command of 

 the frigate IS^ovara on a scientific navigation of the globe, 1857 to 1859, 

 von Wiillerstorf became well known to the scientific world. He had 

 previously, from 1830 to 1848, been the director of the K^aval Observ- 

 atory at Venice and professor of astronomy at the Naval Academy. 

 {Z. 0. G. iM., XVIII, p. 361.) 



68. Sir Edward Sabine, born at Dublin, October 14, 1788, died near 

 London, June 26, 1883. At the age of fifteen, after graduating at the 

 military schools, he entered the English Artillery and attained to the 

 rank of lieutenant-general in 1850, and general in 1874. His scientific 

 activity began in 1818, when he became a member of the Eoyal Society 

 of London, and was appointed as astronomer to the i)olar expedition 

 under Sir John Eoss. Until 1827 his principal activity related to me- 

 teorology and geodesy, but from that time on his life became more com- 

 pletely devoted to terrestrial magnetism, which subject had, however, 

 attracted his attention and activity since 1821. His whole work in this 

 field has marked an epoch in the history of terrestrial j^hysics, and has 

 also been of the greatest practical value to navigation. The colonial 

 observatories of Great Britain were for many years under the sui)er- 

 vision of Sabine, who reduced and published the results. |It is not im- 

 proper to add tliat in all this work Lady Sabine has been his most 

 active assistant and colaborer.] {Z. 0. G. M., xviii, p. 362; Nature, 

 XXVIII, p. 218.) 



59. Prof. M. Kowalski, born August 15, 1821, at Dobrzyn, Russia, dietl 

 July 9, 1884. In 1850 Kowalski was made assistant astronomer of the 

 University of Kasan, and in 1854 director of the Observatory. His 

 memoir on atmospheric refraction shows a thorough knowledge of the 

 modern theory of distribution of temperature in the air. 



60. Prof. J. F. J. Schmidt, born October 25, 1825, in Oldenburg, Ger- 

 many, died February 7, 1884, at Athens. Schmidt became director of 

 the Observatory at Athens in December, 1858, and his activity in ad- 

 vancing our knowledge of the climate of Greece is remarkable, the more 

 especially when we consider his great labors in astronomy. 



61. L. J. Kapeller, born at Gratz July 20, 1804, died September 14, 



