THE EYES BUSY ON THINGS ABOUT US.
[1.] “Turner,” Joseph Mallord William. (1775-1851.) An English painter. His greatest fame was acquired through Ruskin, who in “Modern Painters” gives a full account of his works. As an artist he is distinguished by the strong lights and high colors of his landscapes.
[2.] “Ruskin.” In addition to what was said of him in the Notes in The Chautauquan for April, the following is given: His books upon art are the most eloquent and original ever written. His “Modern Painters” was revolutionary in its spirit, and roused the hostility of conservative art lovers. Its design was to prove the superiority of modern landscape painters, and particularly Turner, over the old artists. Its high merits gave it a fixed place in literature.
[3.] For Galileo, Humboldt and Hugh Miller, see former Notes in the present volume of The Chautauquan. “Newton,” Sir Isaac. (1642-1727.) An English philosopher. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and in 1669 accepted the mathematical professorship in that institution. While there he made his three great discoveries, of fluxions, the nature of light and colors, and the laws of gravitation. He was the author of many works, chief among which is the “Principia,” containing his theory of the universe, which brought him fame and riches. His generosity was remarkable; he frequently entertained in a royal manner his many friends, and his kindness and courtesy toward foreigners was very marked.
“Agassiz,” Louis. (1807-1873.) One of the most eminent naturalists of the century. He was born in Switzerland, and educated in the universities of Zurich, Heidelberg and Munich. He made great researches in the field of science in different lands, and published extensively on subjects of natural history. From 1846 his biography belongs to the scientific history of the United States. For some years he was professor in the scientific school founded at Cambridge by Mr. Abbot Lawrence. For two years he held the professorship of comparative anatomy in the medical college of Charleston, S. C., and in 1868 was appointed professor in Cornell University, in Ithaca, N. Y. His eminence as a scientific man was early recognized in Europe. He was made a member of the Academy of Science in Paris, and of the Royal Society of London.
[4.] “Vergers,” verˈjers. 1. An attendant upon a dignitary. 2. A beadle in a cathedral church; a pew opener or an attendant.
[5.] “Cathedral at Pisa.” One of the most remarkable structures in the world. It was commenced in 1068 and finished in 1118. It is built of white marble, and its noble dome is supported by seventy-four pillars. It contains some celebrated works of art, and these, together with its variegated marbles and stained windows, add much to its attractiveness.
[6.] “Count Maurice of Nassau.” (1567-1625.) The second son of William of Orange. He was in his seventeenth year at the time of his father’s assassination, and was soon after proclaimed governor by the states of Holland and Zealand. His talents, as a general, in the troublous times that followed, surpassed all expectations.
[7.] “Sir Samuel Browne.” (1776-1852.) An English engineer who brought into use both chain cables and iron suspension bridges.
[8.] “James Watt.” (1736-1819.) A Scottish inventor. He began life as a mathematical instrument maker. In this capacity he was employed in the university of Glasgow from 1757 to 1763. He devoted his evenings to the study of modern languages and music. In 1758 he began his experiments with steam as a propelling power, which led to the invention of the steam engine. Among his other inventions are a micrometer, a copying machine, and a machine for making drawings in perspective. For some years he devoted himself to land surveying and superintending the works on canals, to the improvement of harbors and the building of bridges. He possessed an extraordinary memory, and a more than superficial acquaintance with many sciences and arts.
[9.] “Sir Isambert Bru-nelˈ.” (1769-1849.) The well known executor of the Thames tunnel. He was a Frenchman, and was intended for the church, but manifested so strong a liking for the physical sciences, and so great a genius for mathematics, that he was allowed to follow his natural bent and adopt the profession of a civil engineer. During the French Revolution he emigrated to the United States, where he engaged in many great works. After a stay of some years he went to England and there invented a number of useful machines, and was steadily employed upon important architectural and engineering works. His greatest achievement was the construction of the tunnel under the Thames River, which after many difficulties and disasters was completed in 1843, eighteen years after it was commenced. He was a member of the Royal Society, and also of the French Academy.
[10.] “Cuvier,” kūˈvyā. George Leopold Christian Frederic Dagobert, Baron. (1769-1832.) An eminent French naturalist. Such was his talent and such the perseverance with which he followed up his examination and inquiries, that he was soon looked upon as one of the best zoölogists in Europe. His fame reached the ears of Napoleon, and he bestowed upon him the most important offices in the department of public instruction. France is indebted to him for the finest osteological collection in the world; and the world is indebted to him for the great addition he has made to the science of zoölogy.
[11.] “Buffon,” George Louis Leclerc. (1707-1788.) A French naturalist. He studied law, but never practiced it, being strongly inclined to scientific and mathematical studies. Euclid was his constant pocket companion. After having traveled extensively, he settled down in France and devoted himself to study and to his literary works. His fame rests upon his “Natural History,” in thirty-six volumes, which has been translated into almost every European language. It is a wonderful work in the extent of its information and its eloquence, though it is often inaccurate, and is full of wild theories.
[12.] “Cuttle-fish.” A molluscous shell-fish. The shell is internal, and is of a friable, calcareous substance, much used for making pounce, tooth powder, and for polishing purposes. The fishes are provided with eight arms and two long tentacles, all of which are ranged round the head and provided with suckers, which take such fast hold of objects that the limbs will sometimes tear away before they will let go. The animal is provided with an ink bag as a means of defense; when attacked it instantly darkens the water with this black fluid, and so conceals itself, and often makes its escape. They have very large eyes, which are designed for use in the night, as the animal seems to shun the light of day. It is not easily caught, and is one of the pests of Scottish fishermen, as it frequently devours the fish which have been caught in their nets.
[13.] “Cromˈar-ty Firth.” A landlocked inlet of the North Sea, on the northeast coast of Scotland. It is a fine harbor, eighteen miles long, running southwest, and from three to five miles broad. The largest fleet could be safely sheltered within it.
[14.] “Amˈmon-ites.” A genus of fossil shells, somewhat like the Nautilus. They are found in all fossiliferous rocks from the transition strata to the chalk. They vary in size from those that are exceedingly small to those three and four feet in diameter. Some of them resemble in form the coil of a ram’s horn, and others a snake coiled up. For a long time they were taken by the common people to be petrified snakes. They are so abundant in Burgundy that in some places the roads are paved with them.