Obituary — Sartorius von Waltershausen. 
141 
size. One stream, after leaping in a cascade from a hollow in a hill- 
side, has cleared out a channel of from eight to ten feet deep, and in 
some parts fifteen to eigiiteen broad. The loose gravelly sides of 
such channels soon fall in, and beyond a modification of the contour 
of the slope, all trace of the denuding agent is lost. 
James Durham. 
P.S. — I heartily concur in Mr. Mackintosh’s estimate of Mr. H. 
B. Woodward’s admirable Geology of England and Wales, but Mr. 
Woodward says little about * Kames ’ which would not be explained 
as readily by the Denudation theory as by any other. — J.D. 
THE TROPICAL FORESTS OF HAMPSHIRE. 
Sir, — Please correct the following erratnm in the last Number of 
the Geol. Mag. in my letter, line 3, from top of page 96 ; for “ 200 
feet ” read “ 2000 feet.” That is the thickness of the Eocene beds 
in section in Hampshire, according to the Geological Survey 
Memoir by Messrs. Forbes and Bristow. It was written very 
plainly in figures in the MS. of my letter. 
Martlesham, near 'Woodbridge, Searles V. Wood, JUN. 
February 21 st, 1877. 
OBITTTAEY. 
SARTORIUS VON WALTERSHAUSEN. 
Born 17 Dec., 1809. Died 16 Oct., 1876. 
The death is announced of Professor Sartorius von Waltershausen, 
of Göttingen, on the 16th of last October, after a long and painful 
illness. The loss of a man who has done so much to advance the 
Science of Petrology will be generally feit and deeply regretted. 
The obituary notice which has appeared in the Jahrbuch für Miner- 
alogie is so singularly meagre that we propose to review in somewhat 
fuller detail his history and scientific labours. 
Wolfgang Sartorius von Waltershausen was bom on the 17th De- 
cember, 1809. He was an illustrious son of an illustrious father, 
Georg Sartorius von Waltershausen, who was Professor of Philosophv 
in the University of Göttingen. The father was a great friend of 
Goethe, and was more especially known as the author of the 
“ Geschichte des Hanseatischen Bundes.” The son, after having 
taught for a time in some of the German schools of learning, and 
having published some memoirs on terrestrial magnetism, devoted 
several years to travel. From 1834 to 1846 he visited various 
districts, wliere the phenomena of volcanic activity could be studied 
with advantage, and the observations made in the field formed the 
material for more important memoirs issued in later years. He 
was for a considerable period in Sicily, returning in 1843, and his 
“Atlas” of researches on the rocks of Etna appeared three years later. 
In 1845 he visited Ireland and Scotland, and in 1846 we find him in 
Norway and Iceland. In the journey to the Danish Island he was 
accompanied by his friend Bunsen, and the results of the investiga- 
