192 Obituary — Mr. James Parsous. 



JAMES PARSONS, B.Sc, F.G-S. 

 Born June 24, 187fi. Lost in Ceylon Decembek 29, 1908. 



Mr. Parsons, lately Principal Mineral Surveyor of Ceylon, has 

 apparently lost his life under very unusual and sad circumstances. 

 He had gone up from Colombo to Muwara Eliya for the Christmas 

 holidays, and on December 29 went out walking in the morning, 

 saying that he would be back for lunch. He did not return, and in 

 spite of prolonged and careful search has not been found. It is now 

 practically certain that he must be dead, and it appears likely that the 

 mystery of his disappearance will never be solved. 



Mr. Parsons was born June 24, 1876, was the son of James St. John 

 Gage Parsons, P.E-.C.S., of Bristol, and was educated at University 

 College, Bristol, and afterwards at University College, London, where 

 he attended Professor Bonney's classes. Appointed in 1903 as 

 Assistant Director of the Mineralogical Survey, temporarily established 

 by the Ceylon Government, he did excellent work in investigating the 

 mineral resources of Ceylon, his results being incorporated in the 

 Annual Eeports of the Survey. When in 1908 the Survey was 

 continued for a further three years, Mr. Parsons was appointed 

 Principal Mineral Surveyor in succession to the Director, who retired. 

 In 1907-8 he acted in this capacity, his reports being published 

 annually. 



Mr. Parsons was the author of a paper on " Development of Brown 

 Mica from Augite ", published in these pages in 1900, and of a paper 

 on "Quartz in Ceykn", published in Spolia Zeylanica for 1908. 

 His "Administration Report" for 1907 has just been issued. He 

 had other work in preparation. He was a close personal friend of the 

 writer. His loss will be keenly felt, for in addition to his geological 

 work he was greatly interested in Oriental philosophy and in Sinhalese 

 folklore. He was fairly proficient in Sinhalese, and was on the best of 

 terms with his staff. He was at one time Secretary of the Bristol 

 Branch of the Theosophical Society, and had made some study of 

 Sanskrit. He was a man who cannot be easily replaced. 



Great sympathy will be felt for his wife, who was with him in 

 Muwara Eliya at the time of his disappearance, and for his family 

 in Bristol. It is a consolation to reflect that he now, perhaps, knows 

 something more of that psychology and philosophy which formed 

 his deepest interest. 



A. K. COOMARASWAMY. 



:]VniSCE 3LiL.A.lSrEi OTJS. 



Mineralogy in Oxford. — The vacancy in the Waynflete professor- 

 ship of Mineralogy at Oxford, caused by the appointment of Professor 

 H. A. Miers as Principal of the University of London, has been filled 

 by the promotion of Mr. H. L. Bowman, M.A., P.G.S., who has acted 

 for some years as demonstrator in mineralogy under Professor Miers. 



