Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-02-24
DEATH OF PROF. RACHE.

From the Washington Republican.
We regret to learn Of the demise in New
! port, K. l., of Alexander Dallas Bache,
Ii. d., great grandson Of Dr. Benjamin
| Franklin, the renowned philosopher, states
man and revolutionary patriot. His grand
| father, Richard Bache, born in England,
emigrated TO the United States and married
| the daughter of DIR. Franklin. He sue
ceeded the Doctor as Postmaster General
| of the United States in l776, and died in
| 1911, aged IS. His son, BENJAMIN Frank
lin Bache, was the editor of the celebrated
aurora, an opposition paper, during the
administrations Of Washington and Ad-
ans. Alexander Dallas Bache, and his
brother Franklin Bache, hardly less emf
nent as a man of science, have in a striking
manner illustrated the fame Of this remark
able family.
The subject Of the present memoir was
born in Philadelphia, July 10, 1906, and
was therefore not quite 60 years of age at
the time of his last illness Educated at
the United States military academy at West
Point, he graduated with the highest hon
ors, and became Lieutenant of engineers OF
fertilization in 1925, in which capacity he
served two years, resigning his commission
Professor of Mathematics IN the University
of Pennsylvania. Here he remained until
l84l, when he was chosen by the Philadel-
phia Board of Controllers of the Public
Schools Principal of the Central High
School.
After a service Of not quite two years he
resigned his post and returned to the more
congenial professorship of natural philoso-
ply and chemistry in the University, in
1872 and remained there about year,
resigning in the year 1843 70 fill the post
Of President of Girard College, in which
capacity he had previously visited Europe
10 examine the systems of instruction there,
the results of which have been published
in large volume In 1888 he edited an
edition Of Brewster's Optics with notes. !
In l847 he published in three volumes, |
Syo. Observations at the Magnetic and |
Meteorological Observatory of Girard Col |
lege from 1910 to l845, with one volume |
of plates. In 1853 he was appointed Su- !
perintendent Of the United States Coast |
Survey, which post he held until his death |
Professor Bache was a member of the |
principal scientific societies of the world, !
and received the medal of the British |
Royal Geographical Society in 1853 He |
was one of the founders and most Jealous |
members of the American Association for |
the Advancement of Science; also one of |
the scientific faculty of the Smithsonian In
sttution at Washington, and of the Scien
titic Board under whose auspices the famous
Dudley Astronomical Observatory at Al
bany, New York was built and fitted up.
Aside from the works above mentioned, his
papers will be found scattered through the
Journal of the Franklin Institute, Pro.
ceeding7 of the American Association for
the Advancement of Science, Journal of
the American Philosophical Society, Amer
lean journal of Science, and proceedings
of the British Association for the Advance
ment of Science. He also wrote the annual
report to the United States Treasury De-
partment on weights and measures from
1874 to 1856 inclusive
Those in this city who were associated
with him in scientific pursuits or in the
circle of friendly acquaintance, will deeply
mourn his death while in the zenith of his
scientific career