Febbuaby 16, 1883.] 



SCIENCE. 



33 



elaborate, investigation of the snbject in 

 1878-79. 



In tlie summer of 1878 Dr. Draper organ- 

 ized a part_y for the observation of the solar 

 eclipse of Jnlj' 29. His station was at Eaw- 

 lins, Wj'oming Territorj' ; and he succeeded, 

 as did many others, in getting a fine photo- 

 graph of the corona : he also succeeded, as 

 no one else did, in getting a photograph of its 

 sp>ectrum, which, however, at that time was 

 almost simply continuous. 



Smithsonian institution, is a work of great 

 importance. In the different scientific journals 

 of England and the United States, he has from 

 time to time published numerous papers giving 

 account of his different researches. Our space 

 forbids a catalogue, but they are mostly enu- 

 merated in the obituary notice published in the 

 January number of the Poi:)ular science monthly. 

 Considerable unpublished work remains be- 

 hind. Among other things should specially 

 be noted the ingenious contrivance by which 



DR. draper's observatory AT HASTINGS-ON-THE-HUDSON. 



In 1881 he obtained photographs of the 

 ■spectrum of the great comet of that j'ear, and 

 also of the nebula of Orion and its siDectrum. 

 These pictures of the nebula are among the 

 most remarkable and interesting specimens of 

 ■celestial photogTaphy in existence. 



Dr. Draper was not a prolific writer ; but 

 every thing he wrote was valuable, — clear, 

 logical, and effective. Eai-ty in his career 

 he published an excellent text-book of chem- 

 istry ; and his paper upon the construction of 

 silvered-glass telescopes, published bj- the 



he succeeded in compelling a prism of bi- 

 sulphide of carbon to perform satisfactorily in 

 spite of changing temperature ; and the equally 

 interesting invention for working the Edison 

 incandescent lamp by means of a gas-engine, 

 without the disagreeable fluctuation of light 

 which usually accompanies the use of such an 

 engine. 



Dr. Draper was a member of the Century 

 and Union league clubs, and occupied a high 

 social position. With politics he did not 

 meddle to any extent, though he was always 



