142 Obituary — J. A. Phillips. 



and Wales. Althongli Mr. Caleb Evans only attained the age of 55 

 years, he has left behind him a very excellent record of geological 

 work achieved by a private individual in the leisure hours of a busy life. 



JOHN ARTHUR PHILLIPS, f.r.s., v.p.g.s., f.c.s., m.i.c.e., etc. 



Born November, 1822 ; Died 5 January, 1887. 



The new year has deprived us not only of an excellent chemist, 

 mineralogist, and geologist, but of a dear and valued friend. Born 

 at Polgooth, near St. Austell, where several of his family had been 

 connected with that important tin-mine, young Phillips inherited 

 a love of mining and metallurgy which he retained unabated to the 

 end of his useful and valuable life. His school-days were passed 

 at St. Austell, but he does not appear to have developed a love for 

 science until near his 20th year, when the subject of electro- 

 metallurgy attracted John Arthur Phillips' attention, and he ex- 

 hibited some specimens of electro-deposited copper on lace, for which 

 he received the first prize from the Eoyal Cornwall Polytechnic 

 Society in 1842 at Falmouth. 



This led to a series of investigations into the formation of mineral 

 lodes. But the want of more accurate scientific training led him to 

 Paris in 1844, where he entered as a student at the Ecole des Mines. 

 Here he passed through the regular course of study, and showed such 

 proficiency that he obtained the appointment of engineer to one of 

 the large French Collieries, which he held for some years. On his 

 return to England, he was engaged by Sir Henry de la Beche and 

 Dr. Lyon Playfair to carry out experiments at Putney for the 

 Admiralty, on the various qualities of coal suited for the steamships 

 of the Eoyal Navy. Lead-smelting and desilvering works next 

 occupied his attention. Thence he went to California on an inspection 

 of the gold-producing regions, and to report upon the machinery and 

 methods in use in separating the precious metal at gold-mines and 

 works. On his return to England, he lectured before the Society of 

 Arts, on May 14th, 1862, on " Gold-Mining," giving the result of 

 his own experience and observations in America. Mr. Phillips pub- 

 lished his " Manual of Metallurgy " in 1852, a second edition in 

 1854, and a third in 1858. At the time of his death he was engaged 

 upon a fourth edition assisted by Mr. Bauerman, which we under- 

 stand will be almost immediately published. Mi'. Phillips was also 

 the author of a work on " The Mining and Metallurgy of Gold and 

 Silver," which appeared in 1867. In 1884 he published his 

 " Treatise on Ore-deposits," giving all the varied natural phenomena 

 connected with the occurrence of metalliferous deposits. 



For the last sixteen years Mr. Phillips has mainly directed his 

 attention to the study of petrography, and his paper in the Quarterly 

 Journal of the Geological Society, " On Concretionary Patches and 

 Fragments of Eocks found in Granite," and others of a kindred 

 nature, are of the greatest value to petrologists. 



His communications were not however confined to the Geological 



