46 Obituary Notices of Fellows deceased. 



ROBERT WILHELM BUNSEN. 1811-1899. 



ROBERT WILHELM BUNSEN was born on March 31, 1811, at Gott- 

 ingen, where his father was chief librarian to the University, and Pro- 

 fessor of Classical Philology ; he died at his residence in Heidelberg, on 

 August 16th, 1899. From his earliest years up to the last, Bunsen 

 breathed the free atmosphere of German University life, and through- 

 out upheld the simple dignity and the entire devotion to science which 

 are the distinctive marks of the highest ranks of the German Pro- 

 fessoriate. 



Not merely as an investigator of power and insight, but also as a 

 teacher and master, the name of Bunsen will go down to posterity as 

 that of one of the truly great men of the century. 



The incidents of Bunsen's life are soon told. From the year 

 1833 onwards, when at the age of 22 he became Privat-Docent 

 in the University of his birth-place, until the year 1889, when he 

 retired from the Professorship of Chemistry, at Heidelberg, his 

 energies, impaired by no great sorrow and by no serious drawback, 

 were solely devoted to the service of science. For upwards of half a 

 century he laboured continuously as an investigator and as a teacher, 

 and in his declining years he 'might well look back with a satisfaction 

 of which few can boast, on the work which he had accomplished. 



To him came in due course honours of all kinds ; from monarchs 

 and governments, and from scientific academies, all the world over. 

 A far greater satisfaction than the receipt of all these was however his, 

 in the warm affection and respectful regard felt for him by all those 

 who were fortunate enough to come under his influence. All knew at 

 once that he was a man to be trusted and honoured, whilst the sim- 

 plicity of his character, his true modesty, and his unaffected kindness 

 of heart were patent even to a casual visitor. Only, however, to the 

 few who were admitted to his more intimate friendship were the depths 

 of his character revealed ; and for these it may be enough to say that 

 he was the " chevalier sans peur et sans reproche, " and that the recol- 

 lections of his companionship, both scientific and social, will remain as 

 some of the pleasantest and most fruitful of their lives. 



The investigations of the great Heidelberg chemist opened out new 

 branches of science in many directions; some of these were epoch 

 making, whilst the application of others to the needs and the welfare 

 of the human race has done much for the benefit and comfort of 

 mankind. It was characteristic of the man that in this latter direction 



