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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LIII. No. 1373 



tage in accuracy that sucli relative positions, 

 obtaiaed with a telescope of long focus, had 

 over absolute measurements with the meridian 

 circle. His extensive observations in this 

 direction appeared in 1913, in Publication 

 No. 168 of the Carnegie Institution of Wash- 

 ington under the title: "Measures of Proper 

 Motion Stars Made with the Forty-Inch 

 Eefractor of the Terkes Observatory in the 

 Tears 190Y to 1912." This is a quarto volume 

 of iv -1-311 pages and includes a total of 

 about 9,500 measures. 



The great General Catalogue contaiued Mr. 

 Burnham's otherwise Tinpublished work at 

 Yerkes from 1899 to 1906. Between 1907 and 

 1911 six extensive papers of his observations 

 appeared in Astronomische Nachrichten, and 

 a final collection of measures in the Astro- 

 nomical Journal in 1918. 



It will be inferred that Mr. Burnham was 

 a very systematic as well as industrious ob- 

 server. The writer recalls his answer, to the 

 usual inquiry of what kind of a night he had 

 had, that he had measured 100 pairs besides 

 setting on a number of other stars which were 

 too close to be separated under the particular 

 conditions of " seeing." It should be remem- 

 bered that these observations were made with 

 a refractor having a focal length of 63.5 feet, 

 and the accomplishment of so much with so 

 large an instrument implies every economy 

 of time in passing from one object to another. 

 His program was very carefully drawn up 

 and no time was wasted in reversing the tele- 

 scope, which was always pointed toward the 

 east of the meridian so as to "keep ahead of 

 the game." 



Mr. Burnham's experience in the courts 

 gave him a critical view of scientific evidence 

 which is not enjoyed by all scientists. His 

 attitude toward new discoveries, except by 

 men in whom he had confidence, was one of 

 some reserve. It was hard for him to believe 

 that there could exist stars of such short 

 jjeriods as the many found among the spectro- 

 scopic binaries; but he ultimately came to 

 believe the results from his confidence in the 

 men who obtained them. In a discussion, his 

 premises were often broad, but his logical 



processes were usually very accurate, so that 

 the conclusions were sound unless he was too 

 tolerant with his premises. 



Although an expert in amateur photog- 

 raphy, and fully appreciative of the remark- 

 able pioneer work of his colleague Barnard 

 in various astronomical applications of pho- 

 togi-aphy, still Mr. Burnham seemed to have 

 a lingering doubt as to the superiority of 

 modern astrometrical procedure on the dry 

 plate, with the use of rectangular coordinates, 

 as compared with the visual use of the 

 micrometer for position angle and distance. 



Of a genial nature. Professor Burnham had 

 many friends, and was devoted to them; his 

 regard for some of the federal judges with 

 whom he had been associated was little short 

 of veneration. He always expected that any 

 astronomer passing through Chicago would 

 call upon him; and at least enjoy his hos- 

 pitality at luncheon. 



The duties of his regular life did not make 

 it possible for him to attend many of the 

 meetings of the so-called learned societies. 

 We do not find a record of his having at- 

 tended a meeting of the Eoyal Astronomical 

 Society, of which he was a loyal member from 

 1874 and of which he was elected an assso- 

 ciate in 1898. In 1894 he received the Gold 

 Medal of the Society for his researches and 

 the annual address was by the then president. 

 Sir William Abney, who has lately died at an 

 advanced age. The honorary degree of A.M. 

 was bestowed upon Mr. Burnham by Yale 

 University in 1878; the honorary degree of 

 Sc.D. in 1915, by Northwestern University. 

 The Lalande Prize of the French Academy of 

 Sciences was awarded to him in 1904. 



The impress left upon his branch of astron- 

 omy by Mr. Burnham has been equalled only 

 by his great predecessors, the Struves, Wil- 

 helm and Otto ; the Herschels, William and 

 John; and Baron Dembowski — for all of 

 whom he had the greatest admiration, and to 

 the last of whom his " General Catalogue " 

 was dedicated. 



Mr. Burnham married in 1868 Mary Cle- 

 land, who survives him, with their three sons 



