November 7, 1901] 



NATURE 



illustrated description and on the existing foundations 

 and floors of the crypts, and no doubt this would be 

 quite possible. But we confess we should prefer to see 

 a large shed erected over the few stones that are left so 

 that these venerable ruins could remain undisturbed. 

 Most people would prefer looking at the ruins of Kenil- 

 worth Castle to walking through a sham castle erected 

 on them and absorbing them. J. L. E. Drever. 



Celebr.\t[On at Prague. 



Representatives of Bohemian science have recently 

 shown that they delight to remember that Tycho Brahe, 

 the great pioneer of modern observational astronomy, 

 spent the last two years of his scientific activity in the 

 capital of the Bohemian kingdom at a time when, as a 

 seat of the Imperial Court of Rudolph 11., the city was 

 one of the most prominent centres of western European 

 culture. It was at Prague that Tycho (Danish, Tyge) 

 Brahe died on October 24, 1601. 



The municipal council of Prague took part in the recent 

 celebration, which excited much interest and received a 

 large share of attention in the daily Press. 



We cannot give here a detailed account of the scientific 

 career of the great astronomer, but an outline will be of 

 interest. Frederic 11. of .Denmark gave Tycho means 

 for building the splendid observatory of Uraniburg, 

 but after the death of his royal supporter Tycho was 

 obliged to leave Denmark and his observatory, together 

 with its valuable astronomical instruments. 



Tycho went to his friend Count Rantzau at Wands- 

 beck in 1597 and two years later to the Court of the 

 Emperor Rudolph II. at Prague. But the life at this 

 Court was much too distracting for a scientific worker 

 like Tycho, so he removed to the Imperial castle of New 

 Benatky, where he founded an astronomical observatory. 

 The brass-wire line on the floor, representing the 

 meridian, still exists and is shown as a relic of the obser- 

 vatory. There was also a chemical laboratory, in which 

 Tycho worked. 



In the year 1600 Tycho Brahe, at the request of the 

 Emperor, again returned to Prague, where, near the 

 Royal Castle on the ground belonging to Curtius, 

 arrangements were made for building an observatory 

 surpassing even that of I'raniburg in character. 



Meanwhile a house, " .-Vt the Golden GrifiSn," was pro- 

 vided for him and his family; and his library, together 

 with his twenty-eight astronomical instruments, was re- 

 moved to the summer castle of Belvedere, which is named 

 after Tycho even now. Some time afterwards his obser- 

 vatory was removed to the ground of Curtius, where 



■ the Czernin barracks are now standing. Here he was 

 assisted in his work by the young mathematician Kepler, 

 who was called by the Emperor to the capital of Bohemia 



■ "quoad calculum." 



While Tycho was in the midst of his scientific activity 

 he was seized by a sudden illness and after eleven days 

 he died. He was buried in the Teyn Church, and at 

 his grave the learned Bohemian Dr. lesenius delivered 

 an impressive Latin oration in which he described Tycho's 

 scientific merits and noble character. 



The celebration of the 300th anniversary of Tycho's 

 death began at Prague on October 18, where, at a special 

 meeting of the Bohemian .Academy of Science, Art and 

 Literature, Prof. Gruss read an address on Tycho's life and 

 ■scientific influence. 



The Royal Bohemian Society of -Science celebrated 

 ■the tercentenary on October 24. .In one of the ancient 

 .meeting-rooms of the Prague Town Hall an exhibition 

 was held of several Tychonian relics. TJbere was Tycho's 

 • magnificent album which was presented by him to 

 his son and is a treasure of antique book-binding ; the 

 .manuscript, "Triangulorum Planorum et Sphivricoium 

 iPraxis Mathematica," ; a manuscript, "Tychonis Brahe 



NO. 167 1, -VOL. 65] 



Ottonidis (his father's name) Tabute Sinuum, 1682 " ; 

 the memorandum book of Siebold Plan, with an in- 

 scription : " Plures sapiunt palato quam cerebro, Tycho 

 Brahe scripsit Uraniburgi, .-Anno 1591." From Tycho's 

 printed works were exhibited, a copy of Ptolemy's 

 "Almagest," with Tycho's handwriting of 1560; a copy 

 of Copernicus's " De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium 

 Libri VI.," with Tycho's margin notes ; a copy of 

 "Tychonis Brahe Astronomi;e Instaurat;c Mecanica, 

 Wandesbergi, .Anno MDIIC," which contains Tycho's 

 signature and a dedication to his friend Baron ab 

 Hasenburg, a book containing inter alia extremely in- 

 teresting coloured pictures of the Uraniburg and of a 

 series of Tycho's astronomical instruments. Several 

 other books from Tycho's library bearing dedications 

 to him were also exhibited. All these objects are 

 described in Prof Studnicka's work, " Prager Tycho- 

 niana," of which a notice has appeared in N.\ture 

 (vol. Ixiii. p. 206). There was also exhibited Tycho's 

 Latin poem on the title-leaf of the book, " Prutienica? 

 Tabula; Ccelestium .Motuum Autore Erasmo Reinholdo" ; 

 and a celestial globe made by Tycho's pupil, Willem 

 lansoon Blaev, in 1603, and containing the positions 

 of fundamental stars as determined by Tycho. Many 

 photographs of Tychoniana were exhibited ; some of 

 them, showing the present state of Uraniburg after 

 recent excavations, were contributed by Prof. Thiele. 

 The books and the globe lent for exhibition were from 

 the monastery of Strahov, the Royal Bohemian Museum, 

 and the Imperial Library of the University. 



Among those who attended the celebration were Dr. 

 Thiele, professor of astronomy in the University of 

 Copenhagen and rector of the latter, as a representative 

 of the University and of the Danish .Academy of Sciences, 

 with his son and assistant, Holger Thiele ; Mr. Harald 

 Mortensen, of Copenhagen ; and a great number of re- 

 presentatives of Bohemian science. After visiting the 

 exhibition, the representatives went to the Town Hall, 

 where they were received and greeted by the Mayor of 

 Prague. Prof .Studnicka then gave an address of 

 the life and work of Tycho Brahe. The meeting was 

 brought to a close by a few historical remarks by Prof. 

 Tomek, the distinguished historian of the city of Prague 

 and president of the Royal Society of Bohemia. 



After this a visit was made to- Tycho's tomb and monu- 

 ment in the Teyn Church, opposite the Town Hall. It 

 must be remarked here that this church was partly 

 destroyed by fire in 1675, and that its pavement was 

 restored in 1721. It was therefore doubtful whether 

 Tycho's remains would be found there, especially as, 

 after the battle on the White Berg in 1620, the Teyn 

 Church became a Catholic one and the bodies of persons 

 who had held other beliefs were removed. The munici- 

 pality of Prague, in view of the anniversary, had this 

 question fully investigated by Profs. Schrutz and 

 Matiegka, and it was found that the brick vault of the 

 tomb had been broken during the catastrophes of the 

 seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and that some 

 earth had fallen in. Two bodies were, however, brought 

 out with the greatest care, and it (was recognised by 

 many signs, such as the form of the moustache and 

 the fact that a part of the nose had been cut off and 

 replaced by one of metal (chiefly copper), that the skull 

 undoubtedly belonged to Tycho, whose nose was cut off 

 in a duel in 1566,, so that he afterwards wore an artificial 

 nose of metal. 



The tomb was put in good order and the remains of 

 Tycho and his wife were placed in a metal coffin and 

 again buried. The grave is covered by a large marble 

 plate bearing the inscription, " Tycho Bralie." The tomb 

 and epitaph are represented in the accompanying repro- 

 duction of a photograph. As it appears that one of the 

 authors of the inscription on the epitaph, wa>s Kepler, we 

 give it here in its full length : — 



