560 Scientific Intelligence. 



the size of this volume are hardly in accordance, but there is 

 much to interest the general reader and he may well be prompted 

 to extend his studies further. In the first eight chapters, in the 

 words of the author, " a continuous process of evolution has been 

 traced from the electron to the atom, from the atom to the mole- 

 cule, from the molecule to the colloid and so on to the confines 

 of the organic world." The concluding chapters discuss "the 

 living organism at work" and "the cyclic activities of life." 



Obituary. 



Oscar Dasta Allen", Professor of Analytical Chemistry and 

 Metallurgy in the Sheffield Scientific School from 1871 to"l887, 

 died at his home in Ashford, Washington, February 19th, 1913, 

 at the age of 77 years. He was born at Hebron, Maine, was 

 graduated from the Sheffield Scientific School in 1861, and 

 received the degree of Ph.D. from Yale in 1871. When obliged 

 to retire from his professional work on account of ill health, he 

 took up his residence near the foot of Mt. Ranier. His wife and 

 three sons survive him. 



Professor Allen was distinguished for his profound and wide 

 learning, as a chemist, a mineralogist, a botanist, and a linguist. 

 Early in his scientific career he extracted a large quantity of 

 caesium from the lepidolite of his native region, and in collabora- 

 tion with the late Professor Samuel W. Johnson, he greatly 

 advanced the knowledge of this recently discovered element, and 

 made the first accurate determination of its atomic weight. He 

 edited an American edition of Fresenius's Quantitative Analysis, 

 and modernized its nomenclature. 



In mineralogy he took much interest ; he made a notable min- 

 eral collection, and investigated the composition of a number of 

 minerals, being particularly interested in those of rare or complex 

 character. 



He was an admirable teacher, arousing much enthusiasm in his 

 students, and thus was instrumental in the development of a 

 number of prominent chemists and metallurgists. He was also 

 an enthusiastic botanist, and carried his studies in this line to 

 some of the lower orders of plants. After his retirement he was 

 fortunate in being able to carry on important botanical work in a 

 new region. Further, he took great interest in languages, and 

 was accustomed to make the acquaintance of foreigners in order 

 to get instruction in their tongues, some of which were obscure ; 

 in German he gained much proficiency during a period of study 

 at the Bergakademie in Freiberg. His memory of words was 

 remarkable, and he was fond of tracing their roots through vari- 

 ous languages. 



Professor Allen was much admired by his many friends for 

 his genial and kindly personal traits. He was inclined to be 

 retiring and unconventional. He once said that he liked the 

 motto " Esse quam videri" and it seems that he lived according 

 to that idea. ,h. l. wells. 



