72 THE NAUTILUS. 
OBITUARY—B. SCHMACKER.! 
A letter just received from Shanghai, China, announces the death 
of B. Scumacker, Esq, of that city, in Yokohama. 
Mr. Schmacker was a most enthusiastic conchologist. It was his 
aim and purpose to close up all his business affairs next winter and 
devote the balance of his life to his shells. During his long resi- 
dence in the far East he had collected extensively in China, Japan, 
and the islands of the coast, and had, at the time of his death, prob- 
ably the finest private collection of oriental land and fresh-water 
shells in the world. 
From time to time, as his business engagements permitted, he 
published papers upon various conchological topics. I can now 
only recall certain pamphlets upon Formosa shells, Chinese Clau- 
siliae, Chinese Helices, and, I believe, a paper upon the Molluscan 
fauna of the island Hainan. 
Much of his literary work was done in connection with Boettger 
and von Mollendorff. He told me a year ago that it was his purpose 
to write a comprehensive work upon Chinese land and fresh-water 
shells, and that it was to that end that he had made such extensive 
collections in China and the neighboring islands. I doubt if any- 
one could have been better qualified for this undertaking. 
Personally, Mr. Schmacker was a most charming man. He was 
kindness itself, and his greatest happiness seemed to be to give others 
pleasure. He had a keen sense of humor, and was a most agreeable 
conversationalist. Unfortunately, he was somewhat deaf; but I be- 
lieve it was only the disagreeable things he could not hear. 
He was manager of the great German trading firm of Carlowitz 
& Co., of Shanghai, and was a man of some wealth. 
His death will be mourned by a host of friends in Asia and Eu- 
rope, and his loss will be felt by the brotherhood of conchologists 
all over the world. 
JoHN B. HENDERSON, JR. 
Bar Harbor, Me., Sept. 17, 1896. 
1 We take the liberty of publishing the above letter from Mr. John B. Hen- 
derson, Jr., bringing us the sad news of the death of one of the most capable 
of Oriental conchologists. During a short visit to Philadelphia some years 
ago, Mr. Schmacker became known to us; but it is not alone as an excellent 
conchologist, but as a man of rare and attractive personal qualities that we 
have valued his friendship and regret his untimely death. 
