Dec. 4, 1879] 



NATURE 



113 





attended with many difficulties. He wished amongst 

 other things to have observations at different heights, 

 and the great difficulties which the carrying out of 

 this plan required have been more or less recorded 

 in his various reports. We say more or less, for it 

 may be questioned whether his reports, so admirable 

 in every other respect, do full justice to himself and to 

 those difficulties which he successfully overcame. Mr. 

 Broun, we believe, advanced on his own responsibility 

 the funds necessary for this experiment, but he was after- 

 wards reimbursed. A deafness which never left him 

 began in one of his excursions on the hills with these 

 objects in view. He had been observing all day in the 

 hot sun — in the evening he took a bath and got a chill 

 from the hill breeze after it. He came back to Europe in 

 1866 in the hope that medical treatment might remove 

 his deafness, returning to India for three years more. 



After having finally left India he resided first in Lausanne 

 in Switzerland, and then in Stuttgart in Germany, where 

 his whole time was devoted to the preparation of the first 

 volume of the results of the Trevandrum observations. 

 This cost him an immense amount of labour without rest 

 or recreation of any kind, except perhaps an hour or two 

 devoted in the evening to music with his family. He 

 was a skilled violinist, and was particularly fond of 

 Beethoven's music. In London, where he resided for 

 the last six years of his life, he gave his whole time and 

 energy to the prosecution of the work he had in hand, so 

 much so that even in taking a walk the subject would 

 always be present to his thoughts. Two years ago his 

 health began to give way, and he left London for the New- 

 Forest, a change which seemed for a time to be of service 

 to his health. But again, after another year, he found that 

 continued work was affecting his brain, and during a stay 

 at Lynton (Devonshire) he had in 1878 a kind of nervous 

 attack, which was the beginning of his last illness. He 

 never altogether rallied after this attack, and was much 

 distressed last winter at being obliged to cease from all 

 work, but he bore this trial with much meekness and 

 gentleness of manner to all around him. 



Being rather worse in the spring, he made up his mind 

 to go to Switzerland in search of strength, and after a few 

 weeks of much weakness spent at Bex, he began to rally 

 and to enjoy the walks in that beautiful neighbourhood. 

 From there he went to Finhaut, Chamouny, and Tete 

 Noire, and greatly enjoyed his daily excursions in the 

 mountain paths and over the hills ; indeed he used to say 

 that they made him feel quite young again. At first after 

 his return to London he complained of his head, but he 

 seemed stronger again just before his death, and worked a 

 few hours daily. He had begun an article for NATURE, 

 and assured his family that he did not overfatigue himself. 

 On the 22nd of last month he died suddenly. He took up 

 the newspaper in the morning to glance at it near the 

 fire, lie had not done so for five minutes when he said, 

 " I think I am going to faint." Medical aid was at once 

 procured, but he had a kind of suffocation for two or 

 three minutes, and all was over. 



In reviewing the life and labours of John Allan Hroun 

 it is impossible to fence off that portion of his character 

 which relates to science, and discuss it without reference 

 to the other parts of his nature. To do so would be to 

 throw away the key of the very chamber which we wish 

 to enter. 



He was a man of the most scrupulous integrity, of the 

 most sensitive conscience. But this extreme scrupulosity 

 did not prevent him from appearing in the most amiable 

 character to his fellow men ; for he was at the same 

 time a man of the most delicate social instin ts, and emi- 

 nently qualified to shine in society ; a very warm friend 

 and a very good companion. If any one suffered from 

 his scrupulous nature it was himself, or, to speak more 

 properly, it was that portion of his surroundings which 

 goes by the name of " material interests." It is of course 



a mistake to suppose that the highest interests of any 

 man can ever suffer from his being honest. 



He was a devoted adherent to the Free Church of 

 Scotland, and at a time when subscription to certain 

 formula; was insisted on from the professors at the Scot- 

 tish Universities, his conscientious scruples stood in the 

 way of his obtaining any appointment of this nature. 

 Had it not been for these he might, no doubt, have had 

 the chair of Practical Astronomy at Edinburgh, or that 

 of Natural Philosophy at St. Andrews. 



And here we may be permitted to quote a few sentences 

 from a letter written by Prof. Forbes to Sir James Grabam 

 (then Home Secretary) urging the claims of Mr. Broun to 

 the former of these posts. After describing the scientific 

 qualifications requisite for an astronomer, he goes on to 

 say : — " But beyond all these may be reckoned a con- 

 scientious zeal in the discharge of a duty, often irksome, 

 generally solitary, without which the observatory estab- 

 lishment is not only useless but injurious. In these 

 respects I can cordially recommend Mr. Broun to the 

 favourable notice of Government from more than six 

 years' intimate acquaintance with him. . . . He was sub- 

 sequently selected by Sir Thomas Brisbane to direct the 

 noble magnetical and astronomical observatory, erected 

 and maintained by bis liberality at his seat near Kelso. 

 . . . You are aware how much labour and ingenuity have 

 been expended in devising magnetic instruments and 

 experiments. You must be aware of the skdl and patience 

 required to conduct such experiments, of a kind almost 

 new, and with instruments whose actions and errors are 

 almost untried. Now from frequent examination of Mr. 

 Broun's methods, I think I am justified in saying that not 

 one of the magnetical observatories under the direction of 

 Her Majesty's Government has been more vigorously 

 managed than that of Sir T. Brisbane, conducted by Mr. 

 Broun, and probably none with more intelligence and 

 ingenuity." 



We cannot help feeling that during the latter years of 

 his life, while he resided in London, Mr. Broun might 

 have received a somewhat larger measure than was 

 accorded him of generous and sympathetic treatment 

 from those specially interested in the progress of observa- 

 tional inquiry. Possessed of no considerable amount of 

 private means, he was living upon a small pension which 

 he had from the Rajah of Travancore, and which has 

 now expired with him. He had been led to believe that 

 one of his labours after leaving India would be to super- 

 intend the reduction of his observations. But the publi- 

 cation of these reductions was discontinued after the first 

 volume of results appeared, and, in consequence, a latge 

 mass of valuable observations made at considerable cost 

 is now lying absolutely useless. 



Surely the course of action which will establish and 

 maintain an observatory, and then decline to make public 

 the records is only comparable in folly with that of a man 

 who begins to build a house which he is not able to 

 finish. 



It was a source of great sorrow to Mr. Broun that he 

 was thus prevented from completing what he might justly 

 consider to be the work of his life, and he then en- 

 deavoured to procure some employment by which, while 

 advancing his favourite science, he might likewise add to 

 his somewhat slender resources. About that time the 

 meteorological office of this country was in process of 

 reconstruction and he had thoughts of offering his services 

 as one of the meteorological council. It was clear how- 

 ever that his deafness would be considered by those in 

 power as a fatal disqualification for such an appointment, 

 and in consequence he did not press his claims. It 

 certainlv seems a great pity that a national institution of 

 this nature so liberally endowed by government should 

 have allowed a man like John Allan Broun to die in their 

 midst without attempting to avail themselves in some 

 becoming and honourable manner of those large stores of 



