Dec. 3, 1885J 



NATURE 



105 



honour to his memory by the unveiling of a memorial 

 window, which has been contributed by members 

 of the five engineering Societies with which Sir W. 

 Siemens was associated in the Abbey. The day was 

 chosen as being the second anniversary of the funeral 

 service which was held in the Abbey previously to the 

 interment of the great satnint at Kensal Green Cemetery. 



Among those present were Mr. Arnold Siemens, Miss 

 Gordon, Dr. Werner Siemens, and Mr. Alexander Siemens. 

 Of the Civil Engineers Sir Frederick J. Bramwell, F.R.S.. 

 President, Sir Charles H. Gregory, K.C.M.G., Mr. Bate- 

 man, F.R.S., Mr. Barlow, F.R.S., Sir J. W. Bazalgette, 

 C.B., Mr. Preece, F.R.S., Sir R. Rawlinson, C.B., and 

 others, besides representatives of other Societies, among 

 them -Admiral Sir R. Spencer Robinson, K.C.B., Dr. 

 Percy, F.R.S., Sir Bernhard Samuelson, Sir Henry 

 Bessemer, F.R.S., Prof W. G. Adams, Sir F. A. Abel. 

 C.B., Prof. D. E. Hughes, F.R.S., Prof. Ayrton, F.R.S.; 

 and Dr. Hopkinson, F.R.S. 



The Dean opened the proceedings by a brief address. 

 " It is not for me," he said, " to dwell for a moment on 

 the signal services to the cause, not only of science, but 

 still more the application of science to thewell-beingof man- 

 kind, that will be always associated with the name of Sir 

 W. Siemens. But I may add my own personal testimony 

 to the impression which the character of your friend and 

 leader, for such in a wide range of subjects I may surely 

 call him, made on all who came into contact with him. 

 He was, as you know, and as I know, not only admired 

 and honoured, he was beloved and deplored. May the 

 window which we shall now uncover do its proper work. 

 . . . And may it remind us and far-off generations of the 

 achievements and character of him whose memory will 

 henceforth be here linked with that of his illustrious 

 brethren, whose names the floor on which we shall soon 

 stand, and the walls beneath which we shall pass, pro- 

 claim and preserve — the Newton, the Herschel, and the 

 Darwin, the Stephenson, the Locke, and the Brunei, the 

 Barry, to which add the Gilbert Scott, and Street — who 

 sleep, or are honoured hard by." 



Sir F. Bramwell, who spoke as the President of the 

 Civil Engineers, the senior of the Societies represented, 

 then made some remarks on Sir W. Siemens's contribu- 

 tions to applied and pure science. 



The window, which has been designed and executed by 

 Messrs. Clayton and Bell under the direction of Mr. J. L. 

 Pearson, is intended to illustrate the maxim " Laborare 

 est orare." It consists of two lights with a sixfoil in its 

 traceried head. Each of these lights is composed of three 

 panels in vertical order. In the left-hand light appear 

 ironsmiths, chemists, and agriculturists ; in the other 

 groups in corresponding positions show astronomers, 

 artists, and the professor with his scholars. Between 

 these groups are in all cases angels bearing labels in- 

 scribed with the words giving the key-note of the con- 

 ception — namely, " Laborare est orare." In the si.xfoil at 

 the head of the window is a representation of the sun as 

 the source of light, surrounded by the words, " Dixit autem 

 Deus fiant luminaria in firmamento coeli," and by the 

 various heavenly bodies from which light emanates or is 

 reflected. At the base is the following inscription : — " In 

 memory of Charles William Siemens, Knt., D.C.L., LL.D., 

 F.R.S. , Civil Engineer. Born 4 April, 1823 ; died 19 

 November, 1883. Erected as a tribute of respect by his 

 brother Engineers." 



NOTES 

 It is gratifying to be able to announce that a pension of 300/. 

 a year has been conferred upon Prof. Huxley from the Civil List 

 Fund. We are also much pleased to notice the admirable 

 articles in the Times and other papers on the retirement of .Sir 

 Joseph Hooker and Prof. Huxley, indicating, as they certainly 

 do, the general growth of scientific interest. 



We regret to learn of the death, in his 72nd year, of Prof. 

 Thomas Andrews, F.R.S., the eminent chemist. We hope to 

 be able to refer to his work in detail in our next number. 



Botanists all the world over, we are sure, will he glad to 

 learn that Mr. W. T. Thiselton Dyer, C.M.G., F.R.S., has 

 beeu nominated to succeed Sir Joseph Hooker in the Director- 

 ship of Kew Gardens. 



Our Paris Correspondent informs us of the death of M. Bouley, 

 President of the Paris Academy of Sciences, who was to have held 

 o.ffice until the first meeting of 1886. M. Bouley, who was 

 born in Paris in 1814, died of heart disease, under which he had 

 been labouring for many years. He was, during many years, 

 Director of the Veterinary School of Alfort. He has published 

 a large number of memoirs on physiological researches, and was 

 a popular writer and an eloquent debater. 



The reports of observations of the total eclipse of the sun of 

 August 7, 1869, made by parties under the direction of Prof. 

 Cofftn, Superintendent of the Amerkan Nautical Almanac, 

 have recently been published by the authority of the Secretary 

 of the Navy. All lovers of astronomy will regret to know 

 that this late publication in full of observations made sixteen 

 years ago is due to the failing health and sickness of Prof. 

 Coffin. This is, however, the less to be regretted since pretty 

 full reports were made by the individual observers at the time 

 .and the important observations secured have in this way found 

 their place among the records of eclipse phenomena. The 

 illustrations which accompany the volume are very beautiful. 



We have received No. 15 of the professional papers of 

 the Signal Service of the United States Army, containing a full 

 account of Prof. Langley's researches on solar heat and its ab- 

 sorption by the earth's atmosphere, undertaken during, and in 

 connection with, the Mount Whitney Expedition. Prof Langley 

 has already himself given an account in Nature of the im- 

 portant results he thus obtained. A perusal of the volume, 

 however, shows that all who are interested in this subject will 

 do well to refer to the present volume and the more detailed 

 accounts they will find there touching the various parts of the 

 research. It is a monument of industry and skill and undaunted 

 perseverance of which Prof. Langley may well be proud. 



The Christmas Lectures at the Royal Institution will be given 

 by Prof. Dewar, on "The Story of a Meteorite " (with experi- 

 mental illustrations), commencing on December 29. Courses of 

 lectures will probably be given before Easter by Prof R. S. 

 Ball, Mr. R. S. Poole, Mr. C. T. Newton, Dr. A. Gamgee, 

 Mr. W. C. Roberts-Austin, Prof. Boyd Dawkins, Prof 

 Tyndall, Mr. A. Geikie, Rev. C. Taylor, Mr. E. B. Poulton, 

 and Mr. H. Grubb. The Friday Evening Meetings will begin 

 on January 22, when a discourse will be given by Prof. Tyndall. 

 Succeeding discourses will probably be given by Sir William 

 Thomson," Mr. T. P. Teale, Prof O. Reynolds, Mr. W. K. 

 Parker, Mr. A. A. Common, Prof A. Macalister, Mr. R. S. 

 Poole, Mr. W. II. M. Christie, Mr. W. Anderson, Sir Henry 

 Roscoe, and others. 



The curriculum of the Paris School of Ethnology (founded by 

 M. Eroca in 1S76) for the current session embraces courses of 

 lectures on zoological, general, and prehistoric anthropology, 

 ethnology, medical geography, and the history of civilisation. 

 The course on linguistic anthropology does not commence until 

 the spring. On zoological anthropology Dr. Duval will lecture 

 on anthropogeny and comparative embryology : the blastoderm 

 and the first phases of development. In general anthropology, 

 Dr. Topinard will take type and race : the first part analytical — 

 the races of Europe from prehistoric times down to our own 



