132 THE MICROSCOPE. 



In 1847 Mr. Spencer visited New York City, and while there 

 met Dr. C. R. Oilman, who had a microscope constructed by Cheva- 

 lier, of Paris. Mr. Spencer said he could make a better instrument, 

 and at once was told to try. 



When the instrument was complete, and Spencer was on his 

 way to deliver it, he .stopped at West Point to visit Prof. Bailey, at 

 that time the first microscopist in America. The instrument had a 

 safety-stage, two eye-pieces, and three objectives — a ^, a ^, and a 

 -jlj- inch, a polariscope and a Lieberkuhn for the yz inch. With this 

 instrument Prof. Bailey resolved the Navicula Spencerii^ noticed in 

 our quotation from Queckett. Prof. Bailey was able to resolve 

 markings he had never succeeded in doing with any other objective. 

 He pronounced the instrument "decidedly superior to Chevalier's." 

 Spencer said that when he saw how easily his objective resolved the 

 hippocampus, he almost instantly lost his reverence for the "English 

 test oh]&ci par excellaftce." 



Thus success followed success, until with a ^^ he was able to re- 

 solve the 19th band of Nobert's test plate with ordinary daylight il- 

 lumination, and also with artificial light. 



A number of years ago a naturalist, intending to travel abroad, 

 concluded to take some of Mr. Spencer's glasses with him, and see 

 how they compared with the best of those in Europe. He first 

 called upon Mr. Ross, of London, who praised them to the extreme. 

 Chevalier, of Paris, at that time the best maker in Europe, compared 

 the glasses with his own, and earnestly proclaimed " this is one im- 

 mortality," meaning the maker was immortal. Prof. Amici, of the 

 University of Genoa, declared that Europe had never surpassed such 

 work, and he questioned if it ever would. Thus did the most com- 

 petent judges of Europe acknowledge his superior gifts and talents, 

 and that too at a time when, in his own country he was (juite un- 

 known, and certainly unappreciated. 



Our readers are familiar with his later triumphs, and his friends 

 in this country were not surprised when, at the Paris Exposition, he 

 received the highest reward, a magnificent gold medal. 



For several years, owing to failing strength and the infirmities 

 of age, Mr. Spencer has done little more than to superintend the work 

 of his sons, and finally, after a severe illness of less than four days, 

 on the evening of September 28, 1881, he breathed his last. The 

 funeral services were held at Canastota on the afternoon of the 30th. 



