The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-10-20
LIE Yerrier. the Astronomer.

URBAN JEAN JOSEPH LIE VERRIER
whose death was recently reported by
cable, was born at St. Lo, in the
Department of La Manche, France,
March II, 1911, and at an early age
showed a strong inclination for math-
9matics. lie was admitted to the
Polytechnic in 1881, and graduated
with high honors in two years, In order
to remain at Paris and avail himself of
its facilities for study, he took place
in connection with the bureau charged
with the control of the tobacco monopoly.
His labors having much to do with chem
istTy he devoted himself for some years
to laboratory researches, and published
in 1887 a paper on new combination of
oxygen and phosphorus. But his old
love for mathematics could not be over
come, and it was not long before he
became a lecturer at the Polytechnic
School.
The study of celestial mechanics now
became his specially, and in 1889 he
proved in couple of papers presented
to the Academy of Sciences that if the
values then given to the dimensions of
the earth and the six principal planets
were adopted, the condition of stability
assumed by La Grange would be satisfied.
These memoirs and others which fol-
lowed them attracted the attention of
astronomers to the young mathematician,
and at the suggestion of Arago he calcu-
lated with more closeness than ever be-
fore the orbit of Mercury and its pertur-
batiOns. His researches regarding the
comets of 1910 and 1843 won him seat
in the Academy of Sciences, of which he
was elected member January 10, 1S43,
as the successor of Count Cassini. Soon
after this came his great discovery
While attempting 10 calculate the per-
turbations produced in the movements of
Uranus by Saturn and Jupiter he be-
came convinced that the attraction
eXerted by the known celestial bodies
could not satisfy the problem, and he
was therefore led to seek a new element
of perturbation in some unknown body.
Rejecting the hypothesis of large satel-
lite or an undiscovered comet, he plainly
detected the slow, continuous, persistent
action of a planet. Working out his
problem backward, he determined the
dimensions, orbit and position of the
stranger, June 1, 1916, and announced
publicly to the academy its place in the
heavens within ten degrees-on the list
of the following January. Adams, the
English astronomer, had arrived at about
the same result little previous, but the
first announcement was made by the
Frenchman. The new planet, to which
the name Neptune was given, was seen
by German astronomer Sept. %. AS a
result of this discovery, LIE Verrier was
overwhelmed with honors. The Cross
of the Legion of Honor was given him by
Louis Philippe and a professorship of
astronomy was created for him, as well
as a position in the Bureau of AS
tronomy.
At the time of the disturbances of 1949
LIE Verrier vainly tried for political
honors, but in 1S49 he was elected a
Deputy from La Manche to the Legisla-
tive Assembly, where he gave special at
tention to educational and scientific sub
jects. He sided with Louis Napoleon,
and after the coup d'etGt was appointed
Senator and Inspector. General of
Higher Instruction. In the latter of
these positions he did much to simplify
scientific studies and give them a more
practical character.
At the death of Arago, in 1858, he was
appointed Director of the Observatory,
and soon began the publication of its
valuable annals" Unhappily quarrels
broke out between him and his asso-
ciates, in which newspapers took part,
and in 1870 he was relieved from his po-
sitien, since which time he led retired
life. In addition to the positions above
mentioned, he was made Grand Officer
of The Legion of Honor in 1868, and was
also member and President of the Gen
eral Council of the Department of the
Meurthe.