The Indianapolis journal., 1889-06-29
OBITUARY.
Miss Maria Mitchell, the Foremost Woman
Astronomer of the Age.
LYNN. Mass, June 2S.-Maria Mitchell,

Miss Maria Mitchell, the Foremost Woman
Astronomer of the Age.
LYNN. Mass, June 2s..,Maria Mitchell,
the noted astronomer, died at $50 this
morning.
Maria Mitchell, daughter of William
Mitchell astronomer, was born in Nan
tucket. Mass, Aug. l, 1918, and early
made such progress in mathematical and
astronomical studies as to be able to assist
her father in his investigations. meanwhile
acquiring her education under his tuition.
Later she studied under Charles Peirce,
becoming his assistant in the school at Nam
tucket. She was appointed librarian of
the Nantucket Atheneunl. an office which
she held for many years. and after she was
seventeen years old regularly earned a
salary. Her interest In astronomy was not
relaxed. and she made many careful obser-
vations by herself, and devoted consider
able time to the examination of nebul@
and the search for comets. Her efforts
proved successful, and besides finding
small nebula, on Oct. /, 1s47. she discovered
a comet, for which che received a gold
a copper medal struck by the Republic of
San Marino. Italy. When the publication
of the American Nautical Almanac was
begun she was employed on that
work, which she continued until
She went to Europe in 1855 and visited the
principal observatories of Great Britain
and the continent. being the guest of Sir
John Herschel and Sir George b. Airy
during her stay IN England, and visiting
lie Verrier in Paris and Humboldt in Ber-
lin. After her return from Europe she was
presented with d telescope much larger than
any owned by her father, by the women of
America. through the exertions of Miss
Elizabeth Peabody, of Boston. In 1865 she
was called to the prOfessorship of astron-
omy at fassar College, which, with the post
of director of the observatory, she retained
until January, 1855, when she offered her
resignation, but the trustees refused to
take any definite action, granting her. how
ever. a leave of absence. In addition to her
teaching, she has, in recent years, specially
studied the sun spots and the satellites of
Jupiter and Saturn. The degree of LID.
was conferred upon her by Hanover. Ind,
in 1852, and by Columbia. n. Y, in 1887. She
was also chosen member of various scien-
tific societies, having been elected MEM
Der of the American Association for the Ad-
vancement of Science IN 1850, and O fellow
of that organization in 1874.
Miss Mitchell was the first woman to be
elected to the American Academy of Arts
and Sciences, and she has been prominent
in the movement tending to elevate WON.
NJ
the American Association for the Advance
ment of Women at the Syracuse meeting in
1873, and at the Philadelphia meeting in
1876 Her published writings have been
admirers, speaking of her lately. said: Time
has touched her face with many softening
lines. The features are still irregular and
unclassic, but pure life, high thoughts
and noble purposes have written in elo-
quent language the evidence of great
l., Carlotta Patti.
PARIS, June 2S.-Carlotta Patti. the WELL
known singer, and sister of Adelina Patti,
died in this cityto-day.
Carlotta Patti was born in Florence,
/ Italy. in 1s40 the daughter of Salvatore
Patti. Sicilian, and tenor singer ON the
operatic stage, who made his first appear
ance in this country Oct. 4, 1s4S, and died
In Paris, Aug 30. 1859. Her mother. whose
stage name, Signora Baville, was that of
her first husband. was a native OF Rome
and singer of some repute. Carlotta was
educated as pianist under Henri Herr,
but soon gave up the piano in order to cul-
tivate her voice. She made her first APP
pearance in New York city In 1861, at con-
I cert, and the following year sang in opera.
! A slight lameness interfering with her sue
cess On the lyric stage, ana the civil war
disarranging her plans she went abroad
and first sang in England April 16, 1868.
After giving more than fifty concerts in
London, she was invited to appear before
the Queen. Never In my ife," said the
latter, after hearing her. has any singer so
charmed and pleased me-" Her voice was
Que of the highest sopranos known, stretch
ing from & below the clef to g sharp, in
alt, considerable over two octaves. She re-
turned to New York in 1869. and has since
appeared frequently on both sides of the
Atlantic. Although confining herself al
occasionally appeared in opera singing,
among other roles, that of Queen of Night
in Mozart's Magic Flute" the music of
which is the despair of ordinary singers.
Sept. 3, 1879, she married Ernst de Munck.
of Weimar.