Oct 3, 1878] 



NATURE 



589 



heavens in the neighbourhood of its projected track with 

 considerable optical power may be necessary, and it will 

 be particularly a case where the Astronomer- Royal's 

 principle of mounting involved in his "orbit-sweeper" 

 might be brought into useful requisition. 



Encke's Comet. — Mr. John Tebbutt, of Windsor, 

 New South Wales, announces his re-observation of the 

 comet of Encke, in the evening twilight on August 3, 

 with the aid of the late Dr. von Asten's ephemeris, w^hich 

 had reached him on July 22. On August 5 it was pretty 

 bright in a 4|^-inch refractor, notwithstanding the moon- 

 light, and Mr. Tebbutt hoped to secure a good series of 

 positions. This comet has not passed unobserved at any 

 appearance since its periodicity was discovered by Encke 

 nearly sixty years ago. 



Brorsen's Comet. — Prof. Schulze, of Dobeln, has 

 published an ephemeris of Brorsen's comet of short 

 period for the reappearance in 1879, founded upon a new 

 discussion of the observations at the last two returns, and 

 the application of the perturbations of Venus, the Earth, 

 Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The comet will arrive at 

 perihelion on March 30, and at its least distance from 

 the earth on May 9, about which time its north declina- 

 tion will exceed 65^, so that it will be very favourably 

 situated for observation in these latitudes. Prof. Schulze 

 thinks the comet may be detected at the southern obser- 

 vations before the end of February. 



New Minor Planets. — Two new minor planets have 

 been added to the list : the first detected by Prof. Peters, 

 at Clinton, U.S., on September 18, the second by Prof. 

 Watson, at Ann Arbor, on September 22 — thus raising 

 the number of known members of the group to 190. 



AUGUSTUS HEINRICH PETERMANN 



WE regret to record the sudden death, at Gotha, 

 on September 26, of Dr. Augustus H. Petermann, 

 one of the first cartographers of the present day. He 

 was born at Bleicherode, in the neighbourhood of 

 Nordhausen, Prussia, April 18, 1822. Although des- 

 tined by his parents for the church, a pronounced taste 

 for geographical study led to his entrance, at the age of 

 seventeen, into the Geographische Kunstschule, founded 

 shortly before at Potsdam, by Berghaus. Here, under 

 the guidance of this famous geographer, he made rapid 

 progress, and soon attracted the attention of leading 

 savants. Among others Humboldt became interested in 

 him, and entrusted him, when but nineteen years of age, 

 with the preparation of the map accompanying his well- 

 known work on Central Asia. Four years later, in 1845, 

 he went to Edinburgh, in order to assist in the preparation 

 of the English edition of the great Physical Atlas of 

 Berghaus, issued by Johnston. Accompanying Peter- 

 mann to Edinburgh was Henry Lange (now Dr. Lange, 

 of the Berlin Statistical Bureau). These two, along with 

 the late Keith Johnston, made an interesting tour through 

 the Scottish Highlands, one result of which was a sketch or 

 diagram of the Grampian range by Petermann, which he 

 afterwards, we believe, published in London. In 1 847 he 

 settled in London, and was promptly elected into the Royal 

 Geographical Society. His seven years' residence in 

 London ^1847-54) was one of continuous activity. Aside 

 from the numerous maps which he executed, he contributed 

 regularly to the Athenaum a resu7n& of the progress of 

 geographical discovery, and issued, in union with Thomas 

 Milner, an "Atlas of Physical Geography," and a 

 fine folio atlas to illustrate Barth and Oberweg's travels 

 in Africa. Two other maps which Petermann brought 

 out during his stay in London still maintain their place 

 on Stanford's list — a hydrographical and a population 

 map of the British Islands. It was the publication of 

 these maps, we believe, which enabled hini to obtain 

 the favourable notice of Baron Bunsen, who mate- 



rially assisted Petermann in his progress. His con- 

 nection with English publishers has always been 

 close, and the last edition of the " Encyclopsedia Brit- 

 tanica" contains a number of admirable geographical 

 articles from his pen. In 1855 he returned to his native land 

 to take the management of Justus Perthes' Geographical 

 Institute in Gotha, where an unlimited field was offered 

 to his restless activity. In the same year he commenced 

 the publication of the Mitihetlungen, the successor of 

 the GeograpJiisches Jalirbuch, started by Berghaus. 

 Under his careful editorship this periodical has become 

 almost indispensable to those desiring to keep an cotiraiit 

 Avith the progress of geographical discovery. No small 

 portion of its rich and varied contents, as well as of its 

 finely-executed maps, were due directly to Petermann. 

 As cartographer Petermann was unwearied, and a con- 

 stant succession of admirable maps have been executed 

 by him during the past twenty-five years. Among these 

 we might mention especially a great part of the mag- 

 nificent collection forming Stieler's "Grosser Atlas," 

 completed two years since ; the map of the United States 

 (1875), regarded by the government officials of that 

 country as the most perfect extant ; the maps accom- 

 panying the African travels of Barth and Rohlf s ; and 

 the lately-issued charts of the Arctic regions and the 

 Turkish empire. 



It is, however, chiefly by his criticism, bis advice, and 

 his enthusiastic, unwearied support of all attempts at 

 geographical discovery, that Dr. Petermann has ren- 

 dered his greatest services. Standing practically at the 

 head of European geographers, the depositary of all that 

 was being attempted or had been executed, esteemed and 

 regarded by the authorities of the leading nations, he 

 has enabled, by his personal efforts and wide-spread in- 

 fluence, many of our prominent explorers to find the 

 necessary sinews of war, and successfully realise their 

 plans of travel. Two great departments of geographical 

 exploration have specially possessed his sympathies. 

 The first was that of Arctic exploration, and dates from 

 the interest excited during his residence in England, by 

 the expeditions sent forth in search of Franklin. It was 

 almost entirely due to his exertions that the GerrAan 

 government equipped the successive expeditions of 

 Werner (1865), Koldewey (1868), and Koldewey and 

 Hegemann (1869), all of which aimed at the exploration of 

 the east coast of Greenland — Petermann's favourite route 

 for approaching the Pole. His advice was likewise of 

 material assistance in the preparations for the late Aus- 

 trian, English, Dutch, and Swedish expeditions, and few 

 voyages to the icy regions have been undertaken of late 

 years without consultation with Petermann on the general 

 plan. 



A still deeper interest was shown by him in the matter 

 of African travel. The important expedition of Barth, 

 Overweg, and Vogel, in 1849, was instituted by the 

 Prussian Government, chiefly on the recommendations of 

 Bunsen and Petermann. Heuglin's and Mimzinger's 

 expedition in 1861 was also due entirely to his instigation. 

 Rohlfs' journey in Morocco, as well as Mauch's expedi- 

 tion in South Africa, would have been impossible without 

 his assistance, and his name is closely associated with the 

 important expeditions of Schweinfurth and Nachtigal. 



The numerous contributions of Petermann to geogra- 

 phical literature are contained in the Mittheihmgen, with 

 the exception of those published in EngUsh. Of late 

 years he has occupied the chair of geography at the 

 Gotha Polytechnic. 



As we have said, the Geographische Mittheilungen ias 

 become indispensable to all who wish to keep pace with 

 the progress of geography ; and from its pages a fair 

 idea may be obtained of the all-comprehensiveness of 

 that department of knowledge. We are glad to learn, 

 from a circular signed by Dr. Behm, the efficient colleague 

 of Petermann, that this facile princeps of geographical 



