302 Obituary Notices of Fellows deceased. 



MAJOR-GENERAL C. J. B. EIDDELL, R.A. 18171903. 



Charles James Buchanan Riddell was born at Riddell, Roxburgh- 

 shire, on November 19, 1817, being the third son of Sir John 

 Buchanan Riddell, Bart., of Riddell, and of Hepple, Northumberland, 

 and of Lady Frances, eldest daughter of Charles, first Earl of Romney. 

 Except for one year at Eton, he was educated at private schools 

 conducted by a clergyman of the name of Heawood. 



Early in 1832 he entered the Royal Military Academy at 

 Woolwich, and in the following year gained a prize for mathematics. 

 From the Academy he joined the Royal Artillery as 2nd-Lieutenant on 

 December 19, 1834, thus commencing his military career at the age of 

 seventeen, and it was meet that he should join a scientific corps, for 

 throughout his life his mind was tuned to a strong love of inquiry into 

 the secrets of nature. 



In 1835 Riddell was appointed to his first station abroad at 

 Quebec, occupying his time when on leave in visiting the United 

 States and making many friends amongst scientific men at Baltimore, 

 West Point, and elsewhere. Whilst at Washington he was presented 

 to General Jackson, the retiring President of the United States, 

 and also to his successor, President Van Buren. Promoted to 

 Ist-Lieutenant in January, 1837, he returned to England and thence 

 proceeded to Jamaica to join his company in a sailing vessel of 

 200 tons which took four months to reach her destination. His health 

 breaking down he was invalided to England at the end of 1838. 



It was, however, in 1839, when at the instance of the Royal Society 

 and the British Association the first great British attack upon the 

 mysteries of terrestrial magnetism was begun, that Riddell entered 

 upon his public scientific labours. Besides the great Antarctic 

 Expedition under Captain Ross, there were established the four 

 colonial Magnetical and Meteorological Observatories at St. Helena, 

 Cape Town, Hobarton and Toronto. 



It was for the post of Superintendent of the observatory at the 

 latter place that as a young lieutenant he was selected by Sir A. 

 Dickson, D.A.G., of the Royal Artillery. To prepare for his work in 

 Canada he was sent to Dublin and there placed under Dr. Lloyd for 

 instruction in the manipulation of the magnetic instruments then in 

 use, as they were of similar kind to those prepared for the colonial 

 observatories. 



