British Association ; whilst at the time of his death he was Chairman 

 of the Council of the Society of Arts. He was made a D.C.L. of 

 Oxford honoris causa in 1870, an LL.D. of Glasgow in 1880, of Dublin 

 in 1882, in which year the University of Wiirzburg also bestowed on 

 him its honorary Ph.D. He was a corresponding or ordinary member 

 of several learned societies in Europe and in America. 



In private life Sir William Siemens, with his lively, bright intelli- 

 gence always present, and eager to give pleasure and benefit to those 

 around him, was a most lovable man, singularly unselfish and full of 

 kind thought and care for others. 



We shall conclude by quoting the closing lines of an article which 

 appeared in the "Times" of November 21, 183, " On the Life and 

 Work of Sir William Siemens." They are words with which all who 

 knew him or came in contact with him can folly sympathise, and 

 they will, besides, serve to indicate the estimation in which he was 

 held by the people of his adopted country : "Those who knew him 

 may mourn the kindly heart, the generous noble nature, so tolerant 

 of imperfect knowledge, so impatient only at charlatanism and dis- 

 honesty ; the nation at large has lost a faithful servant, chief among 

 those who live only to better the life of their fellow-men by subduing 

 the forces of nature to their use. Looking back along the line of 

 England's scientific worthies, there are few who have served the 

 neople better than this her adopted son few, if any, whose life's 

 record will show so long a list of useful labours." 



JEAN BAPTISTE ANDES' DUMAS was born at Alais, in the Department 

 of the Gard, July 14, 1800. 



The little town of Alais was almost unknown at the beginning of 

 this century, being inhabited by only a few thousand souls. Never- 

 theless, young Dumas found there everything conducive to the 

 expansion of a youthful intellect and to the development of a well- 

 built frame. 



A college which had then no lack of pupils fulfilled the requirements 

 of the boy's early education, initiating him more especially in the 

 study of Latin, so congenial to the classical traditions of the neigh- 

 bonrhood. 



These associations could not but have had a tendency to direct the 

 mind of young Dumas to the study of the past ; but there were other 

 influences, not less potent, continually calling him back to the present. 

 Indeed, the town of Alais, by its unique situation, afforded oppor- 

 tunities of observing nature and the processes of adapting her products 

 to the use of man, which proved not less attractive to the future 

 Academician. Both in his speeches and writings he frequently refers 

 with gratitude to these varied impressions of his early youth at 

 Alais. 



