The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-11-26
oBrrUA4X.

his residence In New Haven on ThursdA morn
ing, at the adi'auced age Of eighty four ysar,
Professor Sil''mau w6s BON in North str.
ford, Connecticut, IN the Sch cf August, l77g.
His father, General Cold Selleck Sfllimau. was A
lsWy cr Of distinction, and rendered important scr
vice as brigadicr general in tit War Of the Reyo.
luton. Mr.. Siliim an was g-adnatCd at Yale Col
lege in l79e, and in 1899 was appointed tutor lie
studied law, and was admiite to the bar Of New
! Haven in 1872.
Chemistry, as a science, was then almost nm
known In America, being taught, even in its rudj-
mtnts, only at Philadelphia and Cambridge; but
the brilliant discoveries Of IayOsicr, Sir Hum
phrey Dayy and o hers haj attracted muc ba.tsu-
ton. Or. Dwight, hen President OF Yale College
became interested iu it introduction into the col
lcse course as % regular department Of iustruc-
tion, and with that view offered TO Mr.. Slllman
in 1902 the new chair of chemistry. lie consented
to abandon bis profession and accept It,, ii hc
could he allowed time and opportunity for pre-
paration for its duties. lie accordingly passed
lart Of the next two years In Philadelphia, as a
student with DR.. Woodhousc and on his return
to New Haven, in 1904. delivered a partial course
Of lcgturCs on chemistry 70 the students of the
College.
In the winter of 1905 he gave his first fun course
OF lectures, aud in the spring sailed tor Eurooc 10
prosecute still further his studies i'm pby5ic5I
science, nnd TO procure books and apparatus for
the college for the Illustration of chemistry. and
physics. lie visited the mining districts of Eng-
land, attended The lectures OF eminent professors
luIundOn and Edinburgh, and attem1ted 10 yisIt
france, but was stopped no Antwerp under the
iase charge OF being an English spv. He returned
after an absence oif0urteen months, and resumed
thc duties OF his prUiossorShip. His narrative OF
hlS tour was published In 1910, under the
tue OF " Journal OF Travels in England, Holland,
ana scotland in 1906" q vols. Syu.; ENLARGED
edition, 3 vols. l2mO lS2Ol and being one of
the earliest accounts of Great Britain by an cdu
cattu American attracted much attention on both
sides OF the Atlantic. Not long after his return
he MADE a geological survey OF a part of Conuec.
ilcut, which Is believed 10 have been the first of
these explorations made in the United States
In December, 1907, metoOrite Of great size aud
splcndor passed over New England, and threw
of large fragments, with loud explosions, in the
Town Of Western, Connecticut. Professors sill
man ana kingsley visited the town as soon a.
possible after hearing of the occurrence, and sue
cccted in procuring some fragments and in aScer-
tanning the facts relative 10 their fall. Professor
Siliman then made chemical ANALYSIS of the
mCteorle, and published the earliest authenticated
account of the fall of mctpOrite in America
He afterwards assisted DR.. Robert Hare i'm his
experiments with the oNy-hydrOgen bloypipc 10
which he gave the name ny which il is now gene.
rally known of the compound blowppc." with
this instrument he first effected the fusion of several
bodies which he'd previously been REGARDED as
intusiblc, particularly lime magneSia and some
Of the other Carths with metallic bases In
1873 be published in the memoirs of
the Connecticut Academy Of Arts and Sciences"
an account Of his experiments, by which he
bad greatly extended the list Of bodies known TO
be tusible. In 1872, by his personal influence
with the late Colonel George Gibbs, he secured to
Yale College the then unrlvaed mncraIogicll
and geological collection made by that gentleman
in Europe, and he eXGrtGd himself with great
success 70 give full effect to the sciences of niue
ra!OPy and geology. Immediately on the recent
OF the account OF Sir Humphrey Dlvy's discovery
of the melallic bases Of the nlkalies, Professor
Silliman repeated his experiments and obtained
probably for the first time ia the United states
the metals potassium and sodium, bv the
furnace process Of Gay y-Lussac. In 1922, while
engsg gcd in Il series of observations on the
action Of a powerful vOltlic denagrator on the
model of DR.. Hare, he first established the
fact OF the transfer Of particles of carbon
from the positive % the negative elCCtrodc of the
yolaic apparatus, with the corresponding growth
of the negative cleCtrOde and the retransfcr when
the charcoal points are shifted. This fact, with
the fusion of the carbon in the votaic arch, was
one long disputed in Europe, but is now gene
rally recognized In 1878 Professor Silliman
founded the dmericoH Journal of Science and
1Tts, better known both in EurOpe and America
as SiAlnaR's Journal, with which his name is still
connected, and Of which for twenty years he was
sole, and for eight years more senior editor This
journal, at iirsta quarterly, but now bi-monthly
periodical, has for tOrtysiN years been recognized
at home and abroad as the chief repository of
American physical science. In 1898 his son, BENZ.
Silliman, Jr., became associated with him IN the
editorsbip Of the work, and in lSiS IL was trans
TERED by the senior editor to Professors j. ID.
Dana and y. Silliman, Jr. Professor Silliman
was one of the earliest American lecturers on
scientific subjects to large miscellaneous
audiences. He had for many years given public
lectures in New Haven, on chemistry, geology,
and lied topics, TO audiences of citizens and with
excellent effect in promoting taste for science
and desire for It's advancement. In May, 1884,
Ia gHFaG fFf 4 10 s1,1F.
course on scientific subjects and in September
following to Lowell. In 1850 and 1886 he gave
more extended courses in Boston and New York.
In 1889 he opened the Lowell Institute of Boston
by course on geology, and in the three sue
ceedng years followed with courses on cx-
peTimCntal and theoretical chemistry in tho same
institution. He has also delivered repeated courses
OF popular lectures in Boston, Lowell, Salem
New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Buffalo, ST.
Louis, Mobile, and New Orleans. many of them
illustrated by brilliant and interesting expert
menls. In 1880 Professor Silliman published
textbook on "Chemistry" in two volumes for
the use OF his students and in the previous year
lie had published an edition of BBkewells
Geology" with notes and appendices which in
the course OF ten wears passed through three edi-
tons An account OF a journey between Hart
ford and Quebec, made before the modern cOnye-
nicnces OF travel were introduced, a so appeared
from hi, pen in 1890.
In 1881 he again visited Europe after an in
tcIyai OF forty live years, and spent six months
there. The narrative Of this journey, reJlcte
with scientific observations, was published in
1853 under the title OF "A Visit 20 Europe in
lsjl," T. vols. l2mo., New York;, and has passed
through six editions In 1853 he resigned his
pIoie' sorship and was made professor emeritus,
ru' az the request or his colleagues he continued
% lecture on geology till June, 1860, when he
gave his Going uca emic cOuge. The simplicity
and moderation ot Professor SillmaU's physical
habits and his constant activity, have contributed
10 awe him n trm and vigorous old age, free from
me- tHl or bodily lnuTmty; nnd though tlS62) in
his eiGhty-iih yeBT he sJil took q "relr interest
in the progress OF science humanity, and freedom
a. EOmc and abroad, he was q member OF nu-
mcrous American and Eurpe.n scientific So
Cief.c-.
Ehe ea-5erpeHt