WILLIAM AUGUSTUS NOBTON. 533 



" His earliest memoir was in the forty-sixth vohime of the first 

 series, and was on the mode of formation of tails of comets. The 

 manner of action of a solar repulsion in producing the comet's tails 

 was developed at length. Some of the ideas, though original with 

 Professor Norton, had been anticipated by Olbers and Bessel. A 

 series of papers followed upon the relations between the distribution 

 of heat on the earth and the phenomena of terrestrial magnetism. 



" From these he was led on to further discussion of magnetic action 

 over the earth, and of like action, as he argued, in the body of the 

 sun, and in the formation of the comas and tails of comets. These 

 papers included especially an elaborate discussion of the famous comet 

 of 1858. 



" After this followed a series of papers on molecular physics, in 

 which, starting from a few elementary assumptions, he arranged 

 in one system the various phenomena of physics, explaining the gase- 

 ous, liquid, and solid forms of matter, the various phenomena of elec- 

 tricity and magnetism, of light, heat, attraction, crystallization, and 

 chemical action ; also explaining terrestrial, cometary, and solar physics, 

 the whole worked out in detail. Many of his conceptions and argu- 

 ments are in direct opposition to widely accepted theories. But if 

 some, or even if all of them shall, in the end, fail to be accepted as 

 truths of nature, yet these memoirs will continue to testify to his love 

 of truth, his 2)ainstaking labor, and his complete grasp of the problems 

 to be solved." 



In addition to the special purely scientific work above mentioned, 

 Professor Norton was, in 1859, appointed engineer on the part of the 

 State of Connecticut to detei-mine the boundary line in controversy 

 between this State and that of New York. 



Of late years Professor Norton's contributions have been few, owing 

 to his almost complete absorption in the preparation of a work which 

 should present in systematic shape the views and conclusions above 

 alluded to. Upon this work, containing the ripest results of his life 

 of study, he based his claim to scientific reputation. He spoke of it 

 always with enthusiasm, regarding his views as having passed out of 

 the region of mere theory and as being capable of conclusive demon- 

 stration, and he ardently hoped that he might live long enough to 

 complete the work. This we believe he did, but his sudden death ha3 

 prevented his superintending its publication. It is to be hoped that 

 it will yet see the light, and constitute, as he always hoped it would, 

 his best claim to scientific reputation. 



Professor Norton needs, however, no such work as his best claim 



