542 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. IV., No. 



neers, and was given charge of Turin district 

 and the regency of that of Coni. 



In 1859 he was made a member of the coun- 

 cil of public instruction, and in 1860 of the 

 council of mining engineers. Since 1856 he 

 had had the care of the mineralogical cabinet 

 of the technical institute, which later became 

 the school of appli- 

 cation, and where 

 in 1860 he was ap- 

 pointed professor of 

 mineralog}'. Here 

 his active scientific 

 work ended. S el- 

 la's political career 

 began in the fol- 

 lowing year, when 

 he was elected rep- 

 resentative of Cos- 

 sato (Biellese), in 

 which capacity he 

 was serving at the 

 time of his death. 

 In the same } T ear 

 also he was gener- 

 al secretary of the 

 minister of public 

 instruction, and 

 held the office for 

 some time gratui- 

 tously. Three 

 times he was the 

 minister of finance, 

 the first time in 

 the Rattazzi cabi- 

 net, when he had had no experience m politics, 

 and as the successor of Cavour. Then began 

 that gigantic but successful struggle with the 

 enormous debt of the Italian treasuiy which 

 saved the national honor and fortune. To him 

 also was largely due the construction of the 

 Palazza dei finanze. 



In 1873 he withdrew for an indefinite time 

 from politics, and accepted the presiclenc}" of 

 the Accademia scientifica dei lincei, and ob- 

 tained its removal to the Corsini palace. 



His mineralogical and geological publications 

 were numerous. One of the most important 



of the former was his account of the minera- 

 logical industry of Sardinia, in which he gave 

 the general statistics and description of the 

 mines and smelting-works of the island, with 

 their technical and economical condition, and 

 proposed a plan for their improvement, and in 

 which he touched upon the important question 



of the ownership 

 of mines. In 1881 

 he was made hon- 

 orary president of 

 the international 

 geological con- 

 gress ; and at that 

 time, in conjuno 

 tion with Professor 

 Capellini, he found- 

 ed the Italian geo- 

 logical society. 

 His principal geo- 

 logical work was 

 his map of the 

 Biellese district ; 

 and he was intend- 

 ing to make a de- 

 tailed, study of the 

 Biellese Alps in the 

 interests of geolo- 

 gy. He was the 

 founder and presi- 

 dent of the Italian 

 alpine club, and of 

 his work in this 

 branch much might 

 be said. 

 So passed away, in his fifty -'seventh year, a 

 man the useful period of whose life, coinciding 

 with that of the re-organization of Italy, con- 

 tributed much to its formation. Italy was not 

 unmindful of his services. Public funeral hon- 

 ors were granted him, parliament decreed a 

 national monument at Rome, and various tes- 

 timonials were offered by different cities and 

 organizations, among which may be mentioned 

 the medallion presented by the royal corps of 

 mining engineers. 



Our portrait represents him at the age of 

 thirty-six. 



