62 Annals of the Philosophical Club 



He was successful in business, took a leading position in county 

 affairs and in scientific societies, was a collector of and authority 

 on coins, especially Roman gold and British, tracing the development 

 of the latter from the stater of Philip, joined Prestwich in investigat- 

 ing the palaeolithic implements of the Somme valley, and formed 

 collections on which were founded first his classic work, Ancient 

 Stone Implements, and then that on Ancient Bronze Implements ; 

 in fact he was a most expert and judicious collector, not only in the 

 above-named lines. As a geologist he did some valuable work 

 on water-supply. Elected F.R.S. in 1864, he was Treasurer from 

 1878 to 1889, was President of the British Association in 1897, was 

 a D.C.L. of Oxford, LL.D. of Dublin and Toronto, and Sc.D. of 

 Cambridge. In 1892 he was created K.C.B., and continued vigorous 

 in mind till his death at Britwell, where he had built a house, on 

 May 3ist, 1908, regretted as a man quite exceptional for his kindly 

 spirit, ready wit, and extensive knowledge. 



At the meetings in 1868 and the Anniversary one in the 

 following year, there were no vacancies, but at the last 

 Dr. P. L. Sclater succeeded Dr. T. Thomson as Treasurer. 



1869. On Nov. 25th, Professor Odling was elected to fill 

 the vacancy made by the death of Mr. Graham. 



PROFESSOR WILLIAM ODLING, Waynflete Professor of Chemistry 

 in the University of Oxford from 1872 to 1912, was born in London 

 in 1829, and now rests from his hard labours on behalf of science 

 at his home in that city, where he is a Fellow of Worcester College. 



1870. The vacancy caused by the resignation of Professor 

 J. C. Adams could not be filled at the anniversary on April 

 25th for want of a quorum, but on May 26th Mr. Huggins 

 was elected. 



SIR W. HUGGINS, son of a London silk-mercer, was born at Stoke 

 Newington on Feb. 7th, 1824, and, after a few years in business, 

 built an observatory at Tulse Hill, studying at first more especially 

 the belts of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn. In 1 862 he was attracted 

 to spectrum analysis, at which he worked with Dr. W. A. Miller, 1 

 and discovered that some nebulae, at any rate, were luminous gas. 

 Elected F.R.S. in 1865, he was awarded next year a Royal Medal, 

 afterwards receiving the Rumford and the Copley Medals. Continu- 

 ing his work on nebulae, he showed his earlier inference to be justified, 

 and extended his investigations to comets. He also aided in making 

 it possible to study the prominences of the solar photosphere under 

 ordinary circumstances, and applied photography to recording 



1 See page 16. 



