December 9, 1920] 



NATURE 



47 7 



William Abney's personality was brought out 

 during his annual summer visits to his beloved 

 mountains. There, among the monarch peaks, 

 glaciers, and snowfields of the Swiss, French, and 

 Italian Alps, he was at his best, a most delightful 

 companion, from whom one learnt something of 

 value almost every moment, and by association 

 with whom one learnt to appreciate the beauty and 

 the "call" of that magnificent world, high up 

 above the vain ambitions and struggles of the 

 world below, in a manner which became one of 

 the highest experiences of one's life. For Sir 

 William was not merely a man of science ; he was 

 also both a philosopher and an artist. 



He saw and realised the beauty of the natural 

 world as few perceive it, and he had quite a gift 

 of expressing it in water-colours, yet was never 

 ^ati.sfied, because he alone understood in so unique 

 a manner how utterly inadequately the pure colours 

 of sky and sea, landscape, and the eternal snows 

 of the Alps can ever be imitated in pigments. 

 And the luncheons on the ice, high up above the 

 Alpine valleys, or the after-dinner talks when the 

 ■Apeditions were over, with the congenial com- 

 pany of distinguished climbers, such as his old 

 friends, Mr. Horace Walker and his sister. Miss 

 l.ucy Walker, Mr. Matthews, Mrs. Jackson, Mr. 

 ixcles. Miss Venablcs, and M l.oppe — these are all 

 memories of .Sir William in his happiest moments, 

 when, with Lady .\bney and Miss Janet .\bncy, 

 ;ind often other members of his family, the most 

 delightful anecdotes and stories from his immense 

 repertoire used to delight all within earshot. 



Sir William was the eldest .son of Canon Abney, 

 of Measham Hall, Leicestershire, and was born on 

 July 24, 1843. He was educated at Rossall, and 

 became Lieut. R.E. in 1861, and Capt. in 1873. 

 lie was president of the Royal -Astronomical 

 SiK'iety frorp 1893 to 1895, and of the Physical 

 Society from 1895 to 1897. He was also chair- 

 man of the Royal Society of Arts in 1904. He 

 was created K.C.B. in igoo, and was Hon. O.Sc. 

 and D.C.L. of several universities. He was Prin- 

 ripal .\ssistant Secretary, Hoard of Education, 

 Irom 1899 to 1903. Besides his very numerous 

 scientific memoirs to the Royal Society and other 

 learned so<'ieties, he is perhaps best known for his 

 published books, the chief of which are : " Instruc- 

 tion in Photography" (1870), "Treatise on Photo- 



graphy" (1875), "Colour \"ision," "Colour 

 Measurement and Mixture" (1893), "Thebes and 

 its F'ive Great Temples" (1876), "The Pioneers 

 of the Alps " (with C. D. Cunningham, 1888), 

 and "Trichromatic Theory of Colour" (1914). 



The moment, however, is not one for the ap- 

 praisement of so full a life of scientific work, for 

 the loss of his many-sided delightful personality 

 is too fresh upon us. It is rather of the kindly, 

 genial, and altogether lovable man himself that 

 we think, and deplore the fact that nevermore 

 shall we see his burly form and jovial face, and 

 hear his cheery words, ever full of inspiration to 

 all that was highest and best. 



A. E. H. TiTTON. 



Mr. W'ilson Hart.nell, who died on 

 November 10 in his eighty-second year, was well 

 known in connection with his work on steam- 

 engine governors. He was elected a member of 

 the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1872, 

 and his paper on automatic expansion gears, read 

 in 1882, has been a mine from which hosts of 

 engineers interested in governors have extracted 

 theorems and data of great practical value. 



SiK Frederick Taylor, Bt., who died on 

 Thursday, December 2, was born in 1847, ^"'' 

 received his medical training at Guy's Hospital. 

 He proceeded to the degree of M.D. at London 

 University in 1870, and was university .scholar in 

 obstetric and forensic medicine ; later he repre- 

 sented the university on the General Medical 

 Council. Sir Frederick was appointed consulting 

 physician to Guy's Hospital, and remained in close 

 touch with that institution throughout his life ; he 

 was also physician to the Seamen's Hospital, 

 Greenwich. In 1907 he delivered the Harveian 

 Oration. His career reached its culminating 

 point when he was elected president of the Royal 

 College of Physicians, and had illness not inter- 

 vened he would probably have been re-elected for a 

 second term of oflice. Sir Frederick was the 

 author of numerous contributions to medical 

 societies and journals, although he is probably 

 best known for his "Practice of Medicine," a 

 standard work which has reached its eleventh 

 edition. 



Notes. 



It has been gcner.illy understood that the Water 



I'liwcr Resources Committee of the Board of Trade 



li.is for some time been considering the possibility of 



lidal-power development, with special reference to the 



-^•■vcrn estuary. In view of this it would be of interest 



■ know to what extent the scheme formulated by 



!■• Ministry of Transport has been influenced by the 



iiclusions of that Committee. As outlined and 



illustrated in the Times of Novcmb<T 26, the scheme 



would :ipp<'ar to be open to certain weighty objei ti.ms, 



and, in view of the large nunilnT of technical problems, 



;ilil<i' in mechanical, electrical, .i"'! lo.lriMli. .'ngincer- 



.VO. 2667, VOL. io6j 



ing, which i..^i..i< .1. 1« i..-..i Jinated and solviil !« lure 

 any such scheme can be embarked upon with any 

 certainty of ultimate success, there would not .ip|)ear 

 to be any likelihixxl of its materialising immediately. 

 .'\t the same time the pros|x>cls of the scheme, should 

 it prove commercially and mechanically feasil)le, are 

 so great that every endeavour should b«' ni.ide 

 to have the matter invesligatt-d in the fullest detail 

 by a strong technical and scientific Commission. .\s 

 pointed out in NATt.'KK of June 3 Inst, much stilf 

 requires to be known on such questions as those 

 rcfjiirding the ef*.. • "f the projxv*"! !•■'■■■<■•,■ ,>n the 



