January 22, 1903] 



NA TURE 



2/5 



discs, did much to elucidate the error in the investigation 

 :n question, and to establish the result that if the dis- 

 tribution of coordinates and momenta, which Gibbs now 

 calls " canonical," exists at any instant, it will exist at all 

 future instants. He also gave considerable attention to 

 Boltzmann's minimum theorem, putting the proof into an 

 elegant form. 



The theory of errors was a favourite study of Dr. 

 Watson's, and in February, 1891, he read an address 

 before the Birmingham Philosophical Society on the 

 subject. About the year 1S94.be was appointed examiner 

 in mathematics in the University of London, but before 

 his term of office had expired, he was compelled to resign 

 owing to a slight paralytic stroke. Recently, owing to 

 ill health, he gave up the rectory of Berkeswell, and 

 migrated to Brighton not long before his death. 



Dr. Watson was a representative of the old school of 

 physicists who relied on mathematical reasoning alone, 

 an extreme which would at the present day be as far on 

 one side of the happy mean as the modern experi- 

 mentalist who builds up mere tables of numerical results 

 is on the other. But his chief work was done at a time 

 when "natural philosophy" meant applied mathematics 

 and not experimental electricity. He was a valued friend 

 to whom the present writer has on more than one occa- 

 sion been deeply indebted for help and assistance in 

 difficulties. G. H. Bryan 



DR. H. E. SCHUNC , F.R.S. 



BY the death of Dr. Edi d Schunck, the world 

 has suffered the losr ,.f one of that small band 

 of men of fortune who h_/e devoted themselves to the 

 study of science for if wn sake. Edward Schunck was 

 born in Manchestei on August 16, 1820, to which town 

 his father, Martin Schunck, had a short time previously 

 removed from Malta to found the business of Schunck, 

 Mylius and Co. This, which was one of the first firms 

 of export merchants started in Lancashire, afterwards 

 became Schunck, Souchay and Co., and as business 

 increased they acquired a dye works in Rochdale. As 

 Martin Schunck was anxious that his son should 

 eventually undertake the management of this works, he 

 sent him to study chemistry under Liebig at Giessen, 

 and at Berlin under Rose and Magnus, but eventually, 

 after some years' trial, the son found that he did not care 

 for the business, and decided to devote himself entirely 

 to research work. 



Schunck must, without doubt, be considered the most 

 celebrated worker upon the natural colouring matters, 

 for among these substances there is hardly one to which 

 he has not contributed some fact of considerable 

 importance. His elaborate investigation of madder, 

 commenced in the 'forties and continued to 1S94, 

 constitutes an excellent example of the energy and 

 patience which characterised him throughout the whole 

 of his career. With our opportunities of to-day, it is not 

 easy to appreciate fully the labour entailed by his early 

 work in this direction, and though he was most anxious 

 for some younger man to complete his investigation of 

 the yellow substances contained in this plant, no one has 

 yet attempted to face the difficulties of this subject. 



It is not possible in this short notice to attempt an 

 account of the numerous researches of his long and 

 active career ; on the subject of madder, alizarine and 

 various anthraquinone derivatives,he published more than 

 thirty papers, and his contributions to the chemistry of 

 the lichens, indigo, cochineal and chlorophyll have been 

 of the highest importance. His early predilection for 

 the study of natural products remained with him to the 

 last, and until quite recently he was engaged upon the 

 investigation of the colouring matter which is presentjn 

 the common blackberry. The difficulty of the many 



NO. 1734, VOL. 67] 



subjects which he undertook and the elaborate care 

 which he bestowed upon even the smallest operation 

 account for the fact that he was less prolific than many 

 of his contemporaries, but this, on the other hand, has 

 added to the more permanent value of his researches. 

 His dislike for slovenly or untidy work was characteristic 

 of the man, and he frequently stated his inability to 

 work in comfort should more than four glass vessels be 

 upon the bench before him. Shortly after his father's 

 death, which occurred in 1S72, he erected his private 

 laboratory at Kersal ; this, which is probably the finest 

 in the kingdom, he bequeathed to the Owens College, 

 Manchester. 



He was a Fellow of the Royal Society, for some years 

 president of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical 

 Society, a vice-president of the Chemical Society, and, 

 from 1896-7, president of the Society of Chemical In- 

 dustry, and in 1887, at the Manchester meeting, was 

 president of the Chemical Section of the British Associ- 

 ation. In 1S9S, he received the Dalton medal of the 

 Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society ; in 1899, 

 the Davy medal of the Royal Society, and in 1900, the 

 gold medal of the Society of Chemical Industry. He 

 married, in 185 1, Judith, the daughter of John Brooke, of 

 Stockport, who survives him, and of his eight children 

 four are now living. A. G. P. 



NOTES. 



All who are interested in scientific progress will welcome 

 the suggestion that the time has now fully arrived for obtaining 

 a public portrait of Lord Rayleigh, whose work and influence 

 have contributed greatly to the advancement of natural know- 

 ledge. The eminence of Lord Rayleigh as a scientific discoverer 

 renders such a form of commemoration most desirable, and his 

 public services in many capacities, including that of chairman 

 of the board of the National Physical Laboratory, supply 

 additional reasuns. The proposition that steps should betaken 

 to give effect to this project has already received the assent of 

 a number of leaders in the scientific world, and Sir Andrew 

 Noble, Sir Oliver Lodge and Prof. Arthur Schuster have con- 

 sented to act as joint treasurers for this purpose. It is intended 

 to circulate a first formal list of subscribers after the end of 

 January. It is therefore desired that those who wish to par- 

 ticipate will signify their intention to one of the treasurers, by 

 name, at the address of the Royal Society. A meeting of sub- 

 scribers will be called hereafter to decide upon the next steps 

 to be taken. 



The successful inauguration of wireless telegraphic com- 

 munication between the United States and England was 

 accomplished by Mr. Marconi at the beginning of this week, 

 which is less than a month after the first message was sent from 

 Cape Ereton, Canada, to this country. The distance from the 

 United States station at Cape Cod to Cornwall is about 3000 

 miles, and is, therefore, greater than that from Cape Breton. 

 The first message was sent from President Roosevelt to the King, 

 and was dispatched by Mr. Marconi himself. The message 

 read as follows: — "His Majesty King Edward VII., London. 

 In taking advantage of the wonderful triumph of scientific re- 

 search and ingenuity which has been achieved in perfecting the 

 system of wireless telegraphy, I extend on behalf of the 

 American people the most cordial greetings and good wishes to 

 you and all the people of the British Empire. (Signed) 

 Theodore Roosevelt." Later in the day, His Majesty re- 

 plied in the following terms:— ''To the President, White 

 House, Washington. I thank you most sincerely for the kind 

 message which I have just received from you through Signor 



