1922] IN MEMOEIAM. 71 



well-beloved mother. To the husband it was an irreparable 

 bereavement. 



Adolphus Collenette was born on July 20th, 1841, the 

 eldest son of Benjamin Collenette, M.D., and Martha du 

 JKrocq. He was educated at Elizabeth College, which he 

 left in 1857. His bent in early life seems to* have been to 

 follow his father's profession of doctor, for after leaving 

 school he studied medicine privately for a time, but indif- 

 ferent health compelled him to give this up and he adopted 

 the profession and business of a chemist; he alsoi opened 

 and supervised a factory in the Rue des Freres for the 

 manufacture of sterilized mineral waters which soon deve- 

 loped into- , an important business of its own. 



The chemical establishment and laboratory was situated 

 in the Commercial Arcade where also was exhibited, until 

 removed to a window at the Guille-Alles Library at the New 

 Year, 1903, the daily information about local weather for 

 which, he became so famous. The morning sheet with its 

 forecast of the day's probable weather became quite an 

 institution — something to be read and digested as regularly 

 as the daily news paper. 



In 1902 Mr. Collenette retired from business as a chemist 

 but retained for years the mineral waters manufactory. His 

 was a nature that loathed inactivity — activity was as vital 

 to him as the breath of life. With his greater leisure he was 

 now able to give more time to- the investigation of the cli- 

 mate of Guernsey as revealed in the long series of observa- 

 tions in his possession, including statistics relating to the 

 distribution of rainfall over the island. In this latter study 

 he was ably assisted by a number of voluntary observers 

 whom his enthusiasm for the work had induced to offer their 

 services in the measurement of rainfall indifferent districts. 

 Some interesting and important facts were brought to light 

 by this co-operation which led to the publication in the 

 Society's. Transactions for 191 7 of a map of the local dis- 

 tribution of rainfall. 



Elected a Fellow of the Chemical Society in 1883, Adol- 

 phus Collenette was " a recognized local authority on cul- 

 tural chemistry in its relation to hot-house culture, and 

 the author of Tomato Disease in Guernsey, a paper 

 of original reasearch which led directly to the full 

 elucidation of the life history of the tomato fungus, known 

 as the ' sleeping disease.' " As chef-de-famille of the 

 parish of St. Peter-Port, he was elected a Douzenier of 

 Canton No. 4 in 1898, and served on the States Committees 

 for Sanitation, the Intermediate Teacher s' Provident Fund, 

 the Lukis Museum, and the Advertising Committee. In 1905 

 he was appointed States Inspector of Explosives, and in 

 19 1 4 Inspector of Mineral Oils. 



