340 Eminent Living Geologists — Professor John Milne. 



ocean. The origin of the large earthquakes for many years past, felt 

 along the eastern coast of Japan, has been traced to a point perhaps 

 a hundred miles out to sea, and such a line lies on the synclinal 

 folding which forms the sub-Pacific trough of the northern island. It 

 is quite probable that this 'folding' is still in progress, and from 

 time to time the crumpling crust reaches the limits of elasticity 

 and suddenly breaks. This is probably the reason for 95 per cent 

 of these disturbances. For the remainder volcanic explosions may 

 account. And when it is considered that there are about a hundred 

 volcanoes in Japan that have been active during the historic period, 

 that is not a large proportion of terrestrial disturbances to lay to 

 their charge. 



In addition to the accumulated scientific knowledge which has 

 resulted from these researches, the Government of Japan has derived 

 no small economic advantage from Professor Milne's careful studies in 

 seismology. The method of building bridges and houses has been 

 entirely revolutionized. Por example, the piers of bridges are now 

 made thicker at their bases and taper upwards, instead of being built 

 with straight sides as in Europe, and brick factory-chimneys have 

 been replaced by structures of slieet-iron. A severe earthquake now 

 would not cause one-fourth of the damage which would have been 

 inevitable a few years ago. 



Holidays that came at long intervals in Professor Milne's strenuous 

 w6rk at Tokyo were spent in the exploration of earthquake areas on 

 the Pacific seaboard, from the Kuriles and Corea to Manila, Borneo, 

 the Australian Colonies, and many volcanic islands. He also visited 

 the United States. Professor Milne spent two decades in Japan, and 

 on returning to England in 1895 he left behind him a well-trained 

 staff in the Department of Seismology, and many well-equipped and 

 actively-working observation-stations throughout the country. 



His attachment to Japan was sealed by his marriage to Miss Tone 

 Noritsune, and before he left for home the Mikado conferred upon 

 him the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun and a pension as a token 

 of His Majesty's appreciation of the value of Professor Milne's 

 services in the cause of science during his long residence in Japan. 



He soon settled at Shide, near Newport, not far from the centre of 

 the Isle of Wight. Here he has been indefatigable ; experimenting, 

 comparing, writing. Most of the writing, like that done during his 

 years in Japan, has gone into the transactions and reports of learned 

 societies. Eartliq^uahes (1883) and Seismology (1898) are his only 

 works in book-form, although he has also published a Mifier's 

 Hmidhook and a book on Crystallography. This year he published 

 a Catalogue of Destructive Earthquakes, a.d. 7 to a.d. 1899, contributed 

 to the British Association Portsmouth Meeting, 1911 (issued as 

 an octavo pamphlet, pp. 92) ; a most arduous and valuable piece ot 

 bibliographical research in Seismology. 



" It would be extremely interesting to see all Milne's contributions 

 brought together and methodically arranged. Only then could we 

 fully grasp how great is the debt of the world to him. 



"Early in his researches Professor Milne conceived the idea of his 

 first seismograph for measuring the amplitude and period of earth 



