490 



NATURE 



{ApriU, 1877 



ALEXANDER BRAUN 



WE regret to announce the death of the well-known 

 German botanist, Prof. Alexander Braun, which 

 took place at Berlin, on March 29. He was born in 

 Ratisbon, May 10, 1805, and after the completion of his 

 university studies entered upon the duties of Professor of 

 Botany in the University of Freiburg, in Baden. Here 

 he published his first important book, " Vergleichende 

 Untersuchung iiber die Ordnung der Schuppen an den 

 Tannenzapfen," in which he formulated the theory with 

 regard to the position of the leaves on plants now essen- 

 tially recognised by botanists. In 1850 he accepted a 

 call to the University of Giessen, and issued shortly after 

 his most notable work, " Betrachtungen iiber die Erschein- 

 ung der Verjiingung in der Natur, insbesondere in der 

 Lebens- und Bildungsgeschichte der Pflanze." The exten- 

 sive series of observations, and the numerous valuable 

 theoretical deductions recorded in this suggestive work, 

 formed one of the most noteworthy contributions to vege- 

 table morphology, and placed the author at once among 

 the leading botanists of the day. In 1852 he removed to 

 Berlin, where he had been appointed Professor of Botany 

 and Director of the Botanical Gardens, positions which 

 he occupied up to the time of his death. The unwearied 

 activity of Braun during this period is evidenced by the 

 large number and variety of the contributions made by 

 him to botanical literature. Of these his investigations 

 on cryptogamia assume the foremost rank, embracing 

 papers on the families Marsilia, Pilnlaria, and Sclagi- 

 nella, African varieties of Chara, Movements of the Juices 

 in the Cells of Chara, Vegetable Individuals in their rela- 

 tions to Species, Some New Diseases of Plants caused 

 by Fungi, New Varieties of Single-celled Algas, &c. 



Among his more prominent publications on phanero- 

 gamia should be mentioned the papers on partheno- 

 genesis, polyembryony, and budding of ccelebogyne, and 

 the oblique direction of woody fibre in its relations to 

 twisted tree stems. His efforts in all investigations were 

 chiefly directed to perfecting our knowledge of vegetable 

 morphology, and by comparative studies in this region, 

 to the establishment of well-defined laws with regard to 

 the growth of plants, and the relationship between dif- 

 ferent varieties. Braun's theories on the latter subject 

 led to the formation of a system, which, although not 

 accepted in all points, is yet regarded by many botanists 

 as the most perfect approach to a natural classification of 

 plants which we at present possess. A contemporary 

 botanist describes the leading feature of his character as 

 consisting in an " earnest striving to bring all the widely 

 diverse families of the vegetable kingdom, fossil as well 

 as existing, within his grasp, and by means of thorough, 

 comparative study to advance toward the true natural 

 classification." 



The merits ^ of Prof. Braun were recognised by the 

 bestowal of numerous German orders, and from the King 

 of Prussia he received the title of " Geh.-Regierungs-Rath." 

 He was a prominent member of the Berlin Academy of 

 Sciences and the Botanical Society, occupying the presi- 

 dency of the latter for a number of years. His papers 

 appeared chiefly in the Transactions of these two socie- 

 ties ; the classification of plants being given, however, 

 in Ascherson's " Flora of the Province of Brandenburg," 

 in 1864. 



THE LOAN COLLECTION OF SCIEhTIFIC 

 APPARATUS 



'T*HE last of the "present series" of free lectures in 

 ■^ connection with the Loan Collection of Scientific 

 Apparatus was given on Saturday, in the lecture theatre 

 of the South Kensington Museum. Major Festing, R.E., 

 took the chair, and the theatre was, as usual, crowded. 



The lecture was given by Mr. W. Stephen Mitchell, 

 M.A., on "The Challenger Soundings and the Lost 

 Island of Atlantis." An abstract of this will shortly 

 appear. At the end of the lecture Mr. Mitchell said he 

 thought that as this was the last — at any rate of this 

 series — it would be in accordance with the wish of the 

 audience that a few words should be said by way of 

 resume, to mark the occasion. He regretted that his 

 place was not occupied by some one eminent in science. 

 When the Loan Collection of Scientific Apparatus was 

 opened there were planned in connection with it con- 

 ferences, demonstrations, lectures to science teachers, and 

 the free evening lectures. The conferences lasted as 

 planned during May and June, the lectures to science 

 teachers were carried out as proposed, and the demon- 

 strations were given till December 31. At that date, 

 in consequence of packing the cases for returning 

 the collections lent from abroad, which were lent for 

 a definite period only, it was necessary to close the 

 galleries to the public. The free lectures, however, 

 had been continued, and the apparatus from the gal- 

 leries had been brought into that theatre, as it 

 had been found necessary, to illustrate the lectures. 

 The lectures had thus kept up the continuity of the col- 

 lection. He believed he was right in saying that from 

 the outset the promoters of the Loan Collection had 

 looked forward to the establishment of a permanent 

 physical science museum somewhat in imitation of the 

 Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers of Paris. Such a 

 museum was recommended by the Royal Commission on 

 Scientific Education, under the presidency of the Duke 

 of Devonshire, and composed of some of the most dis- 

 tinguished men of science in this country. For a building 

 to contain such a museum the commissioners of the Ex- 

 hibition of 1 85 1, under the presidency of the Pnnce of 

 Wales, have voted 100,000/., and offered it to the Govern- 

 ment. A petition in favour of the establishment of such 

 a museum had, since the opening of the collection, been 

 signed by officers and fellows of learned societies, and 

 presented to the Duke of Richmond and Gordon. At 

 this last lecture of the series they would naturally ask 

 what was likely to be done for the future. As he was in 

 no v/ay officially connected with the museum he was not 

 in a position to give any certain information ; but this 

 much he could tell them, a number of instruments that 

 would otherwise have been returned had been acquired 

 by purchase, a number had been presented, a number were 

 left on loan for an indefinite period, and many v/ere left 

 under certain conditions. The galleries at the present 

 time contained a collection of fair size to commence a 

 permanent collection. Here, as in considering the lost 

 island of Atlantis, they must be careful to discriminate 

 between facts and inferences to be drawn from facts. No 

 announcement had been made by the Government as to 

 its intentions. The present condition of the Collection, 

 as he had stated it, was a fact, and they would draw for 

 themselves inferences as to what this might mean. He 

 had seen a statement that the permanent museum might 

 be open in May, but he could not say how far this repre- 

 sented official intentions. The crowded audiences at 

 the lectures in that theatre was, he said, a proof that they 

 wished the Collection and the lectures in connection with 

 it to continue. 



Mr. F. S. Mosely moved, and Mr. J. Heywood, F.R.S., 

 seconded the following resolution : — " We who form the 

 audience at this, the last of the present series of lectures 

 in connection with the Loan Collection of Scientific 

 Apparatus, desire to thank the Board of the Science and 

 Art Department for having arranged this series of lectures. 

 We would wish to take this opportunity to express the 

 hope that the Loan Collection of Scientific Apparatus^ 

 may lead to a permanent collection of a similar nature. 

 We beg the chairman to convey the terms of this resolu-j 

 tion to the head of the department." 



