June 20, 1878] 



NATURE 



197 



So firmly did he stand on the ancient ways that he has 

 been often heard to say — and he may have even expressed 

 the sentiment in as many words in some of his writings — 

 that he could not look into one of his insect-drawers without 

 disgust did he not believe in the direct and independent 

 creation of each individual species. At any rate he never 

 lost an opportunity of avowing his hatred of Darwinism, 

 though his opposition to it made no difference in his 

 feelings towards those of his friends who were Dar- 

 winians. 



It is understood that before his death he had ar- 

 ranged for the ultimate transfer of his magnificent col- 

 lection of Butterflies to the British Museum, where, 

 according to the terms of the compact, its present condi- 

 tion is to remain undisturbed for twenty years. Mr. 

 Hewitson, who was buried at Walton-on-Thames, had 

 been a widower for many years and left no children. A 

 portion of his very considerable fortune he is said to have 

 devoted to charitable purposes, but a large portion of the 

 remainder to his old and tried friend, Mr. John Hancock, 

 while his copyrights go to his publisher, Mr. Van Voorst. 

 It is believed also that Mr. Kirby is to make a catalogue 

 of the collection of Lepidopte7-a before it is removed to 

 the British Museum. A. N. 



ANDREAS VON ETTINGSHAUSEN 



\ XT'E regret to record the death in Vienna, on May 25, 

 ' ' of Baron von Ettingshausen, one of the oldest of 

 European physicists. He was born in Heidelberg, 

 November 25, 1796. After the completion of his acade- 

 mic studies, he entered the philosophical faculty of the 

 Vienna University as privat-docent for physics and 

 mathematics in 1817. Two years later he accepted the 

 professorship of physics in Innsbruck, but was called 

 back in 1821 to Vienna, to the chair of mathematics, 

 which position he exchanged in 1834 for the professor- 

 ship of physics. In 1852 he accepted the direction of 

 the newly-grounded Physical Institute, completed its 

 organisation, and raised it to its prominent position as a 

 centre of physical investigation. Some years since he 

 was compelled by increasing age to retire from the duties 

 of his professorship, after a half-century of unwearied 

 activity. 



As an investigator Ettingshausen was first known by 

 his mathematical contributions. In 1834 he was one of 

 the first to apply Faraday's discovery of electric induc- 

 tion ; and the magneto-electric machine devised by him 

 at this time, and bearing his name, marks an important 

 step in the progress of this branch of physics. Of his 

 later researches we would mention those on the move- 

 ments in homogeneous systems of molecules, on the 

 parallelogram of forces, on the law of isochronism in the 

 vibrations of the pendulum, and on the formulae for the 

 intensities of reflected and refracted light, in all of which 

 the mathematical element Avas predominant. 



Ettingshausen' s literary work was confined chiefly to 

 his "Vorlesungen iiber hohere Mathematik," which ap- 

 peared in 1827; his " Lehrbuch der Physik," published 

 in 1844, and to the editorship of the "Zeitschrift fiir 

 Physick und Mathematik," from 1826-1832. 



As a lecturer Ettingshausen was one of the leading 

 celebrities of the Austrian capital. His auditorium was 

 thronged not only by the students but by the educated 

 classes of Vienna, who were attracted by his rare com- 

 bination of oratorical power and experimental elegance. 



In the Physical Institute he rendered services of the 

 greatest value. For a number of years Vienna was un- 

 excelled in the opportunities it offered to young physicists, 

 and the present activity in physical research existing 

 throughout the Austrian universities is undoubtedly due in 

 a great measure to the healthful impulse given by 

 Ettingshausen a score of years since. It is probably to 

 the same source that we can trace the marked mathe- 



matical character of the modern school of Austrian 

 physicists, nearly all of whom have been trained under 

 his eye. 



Ettingshausen' s varied services made him the recipient 

 of numerous decorations, and some years since he was 

 raised by the Emperor into the nobility. He was a 

 leading member of the Vienna Academy of Sciences, 

 which he assisted to found, and for a long series of years 

 its general secretary. His researches appeared chiefly 

 in its Sitzungsberichte. He leaves behind him a son, 

 Baron Constantine v. Ettingshausen, the well-known 

 authority on palaeontology. 



A NEW CRATER ON THE LUNAR SURFACE 



"VITHEN examining the surface of the moon on May 27, 

 * * 1877, Dr. Hermann J. Klein, of Koln, observed, 

 with his 5^-inch dialyte by Plossl, a great black crater on 

 the Mare Vaporum, and a little to the north-west of the 

 well-known crater Hyginus. He describes the crater as 

 being nearly as large as Hyginus, or about three miles in 

 diameter, and, being deep and full of shadow, and as form- 

 ing a conspicuous object on the dark grey Mare Vaporum. 

 Having frequently observed this region during the last 

 twelve years, Dr. Klein felt certain that no such crater 

 existed in thisregion at the time of his previous observations. 

 Dr. Klein communicated his observations to Dr. Schmidt, 

 of Athens, the veteran selenographer, who assured him 

 that this crater was absent from all his numerous drawings 

 of this part of the lunar surface ; neither is it shown by 

 Schroter, Lohrmann, nor Madler, who carefully drew this 

 region with the fine refractor at Dorpat. On one or two 

 subsequent occasions Dr. Klein obtained further observa- 

 tions of this new crater. He found it to be either without 

 a wall or with a very low one, but to be a deep conical 

 depression in the surface. Shortly after sunrise the crater 

 takes the appearance of a dark grey spot, with an ill- 

 defined edge. 



In April, 1878, Dr. Klein communicated his observa- 

 tions to the editor of the Selenographical Journal, who at 

 once took the proper steps to have this object observed 

 by the members of the Selenographical Society. The 

 day for observing this region was unfortunately cloudy, 

 and no observations could be made in England, but Mr. 

 J. Ward, of Belfast, caught a glimpse of the moon 

 through a temporary break in the clouds. He at once 

 saw the crater in the position assigned to it by Dr. Klein, 

 and described it as being a black crater with a soft edge. 

 The next opportunity for observing this crater was May 9, 

 but the occasion was not favourable, the sun being then 

 high above the horizon of this part of the moon. The 

 day turned out cloudy. Messrs. Backhouse and Neison 

 observed through thin clouds, and saw in the position of 

 the new crater a dark elliptical spot. On May 11 Messrs. 

 Knott, Neison, and Sadler observed in this place a dark 

 ovoid mark or shading. So far, then, the English obser- 

 vations have been perfectly in accord with those of Dr. 

 Klein, although bad weather has rendered it impossible to 

 see the new crater as a crater. 



Mr. Neison repeatedly examined and drew this portion 

 of tlie lunar surface during the years 1 871- 1875, ^.nd dis- 

 covered a number of minute details in the region where 

 Dr. Klein has seen the new crater. Quite close to this 

 object are a number of much smaller craters, several 

 under a mile in diameter. Several of these are shown by 

 Schroter, Lohrmann, Madler, and Schmidt. It may be 

 regarded, therefore, as absolutely certain, that previous to 

 1876 there did not exist on this portion of the lunar sur- 

 face a deep black crater of three miles in diameter, and 

 it is thus Dr. Klein describes the new object seen by him. 

 Mr. Neison has expressed the opinion that it is most im- 

 probable that he could have missed seeing so conspicuous 

 an object as the present dark marking which it is certain 

 exists now in this region. If, therefore, the existence of 



