1885.] 



MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 



137 



of scientific work.' and the Bausch 

 & Lomb ' universal ' as one of the more 

 elaborate ones. 



Among the improvements during 

 the past six years are mentioned a 

 broad body to receive oculars of wide 

 field, the broad-gauge screw for 

 objectives, short body with draw- 

 tube, the Jackson model universally 

 adopted, the pinion of the coarse ad- 

 justment high up on the limb, and 

 the various improvements in the fine 

 adjustment by various makers ; the 

 stage is round and revolves around 

 the optic axis, and has various adjust- 

 ments : the swinging substage and 

 mirror-bar, moving independently or 

 together ; the various forms of con- 

 centric stands in which the body is 

 supported on a sectoral limb, instead 

 of swinging on trunnions. 



We cannot mention all the im- 

 provements that should be included 

 under this head. The new method 

 of mounting the Wenham prism 

 used by Messrs. Bausch & Lomb, 

 and the Abbe binocular eye-piece, are 

 notable improvements in the binoc- 

 ular. Improvements in objectives 

 have been very great, and we cannot 

 enter upon a notice of this part of 

 the subject. We must not fail, how- 

 ever, to give the ideal series of ob- 

 jectives recommended by the author, 

 which is as follows : — 



From this it will be seen that Dr. 

 Ward favors moderation in regard to 

 angular aperture. 



Without extending this notice to 

 undue length, we can only say that 

 the author has covered the field well, 

 and has given a very instructive as 

 well as interesting account of im- 



provement in microscopical appli- 

 ances and methods. The result 

 seems highly creditable to Ameri- 

 can ingenuity and skill. It shows 

 that there is a constant demand for 

 microscopes of the most perfect 

 form, which has been an induce- 

 ment to our makers to improve 

 them until the American model has 

 become the best. 



o 



James C. Lathrop. — Mr. James 

 C. Lathrop, of Bridgeport, Conn., 

 died on the thirty-first day of May, at 

 the age of 33 years. Mr. Lathrop 

 was well known to scientific men in 

 the East, and was one of the most ac- 

 tive members of the Bridgeport Scien- 

 tific Society. As a mineralogist he 

 was particularly well-informed ; his 

 collection of minerals is said to be the 

 most complete in the State, all his 

 specimens have been carefully selected , 

 and many of them are among the 

 finest of their kind. In other branches 

 of science he was an enthusiastic stu- 

 dent and teacher, whose influence was 

 felt in the community. He was a good 

 observer with the microscope, of 

 which he made much use. For nearly 

 twelve years he has been an account- 

 ant and cashier for the Housatonic 

 Railroad Company. 



It is seldom that a man in active 

 business acquires such accurate and 

 extended knowledge in science as 

 Mr. Lathrop possessed. Naturally 

 active and quick in thought and ap- 

 prehension, by close application dur- 

 ing the houi-s that could be spared 

 from business and home duties he 

 became a leader among his associates, 

 and an example worthy of imitation. 

 The few hours it was once our good 

 fortune to spend at his home gave us 

 an insight into his character and at- 

 tainments, and we can best express 

 our recognition of his worth by say- 

 ing that the world can ill afford to 

 lose the influence and example of such 

 a man. 



He has left a wife and four bright 

 children, who, with many friends, 

 will deeply feel their loss. 



