526 Obituary — Alphonse Francois Renard. 



Eifel largely influenced the direction of his youthful studies. As au 

 original observer he was first known by his work among the 

 plutonic rocks of the Ardennes, to the investigation of which he 

 applied with much success the modern methods of petrographical 

 research. With the co-operation of C. de la Vallee-Poussin, of the 

 University of Louvain, he wrote in 1876 an important monograph 

 on these rocks, which was published as a " Memoire Couronne " by 

 the Belgian Academy, and which at once established his reputation 

 as an accomplished petrographer. Subsequent papers by him 

 dealt with other aspects of Belgian geology, particularly with the 

 whetstones, phthanites, and dolomites. Prominent among these 

 contributions was his masterly discussion of the metamorphism 

 of that region, wherein, while confirming the general accuracy 

 of the earlier observations of Dumont, he dwelt especially upon the 

 regional character of the alteration, which he regarded as connected 

 with the intense mechanical movements to which the rocks of the 

 whole region had been subjected. It is true that in more recent 

 years he was disposed to question the validity of this conclusion, 

 at least with reference to some part of the metamorphism, which he 

 was led to think might rather be due to the protrusion of igneous 

 rocks still concealed beneath the present surface of the ground. 

 In this change of opinion, however, he was strongly opposed by 

 Professor Gosselet. 



Eenard's petrographical researches among the rocks of bis native 

 country united in an eminent degree the work of the mineralogist, 

 the chemist, and the microscopist. They were marked by a fulness 

 and accuracy of detail, and at the same time by a breadth of 

 treatment, which showed that he studied the problems of rock- 

 history in the field, as well as in the laboratory. Accordingly, 

 when the materials brought home by the "Challenger" expedition, 

 came to be distributed among capable experts, it was decided that 

 those which required petrographical qualifications could not be 

 placed in better hands than those of Eenard. During a succession 

 of years, in association with Sir John Murray, he published a series 

 of interesting and important papers on the deposits of the ocean-floor. 

 Ultimately these observations were extended and combined in the 

 great monograph on " Deep-sea Deposits," published in 1891 as one 

 of the massive quarto volumes of the "Challenger" Eeports. This 

 work will always be looked upon as a classic treatise in 

 Oceanography, and as practically the starting-point of all subsequent 

 research on the subject. Of special interest to geologists were the 

 detection and description of cosmic dust, in metallic grains and 

 bronzite chondres, the recognition that minute crystals of a zeolite 

 are formed on the sea-bottom at a temperature of 32°, and the 

 copious discussion of the origin and distribution of phosphatic and 

 glauconitic deposits on the present bed of the ocean. 



Educated for the priesthood, Eenard took holy orders and 

 intended to enter the Society of the Jesuits. Until only a few 

 years ago he wore the clerical dress, officiated in the offices of the 

 Church, and was known everywhere as an Abbe. But he paused 



