MR PROCTOR, THE ASTRONOMER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3906, 23 October 1880, Page 3

MR PROCTOR, THE ASTRONOMER.

Of the eminent man who will shortly be in our midst, a few particulars will probably be of interest by way of preface to his own appearance on the scene : —

Mr Biehard Asthony Proctor, who for the last 16 years has been known as a writer on scientific subjects in Kurope and America, and* who enjoys tho highest reputation as a lecturer on astronomy in Great Britain and (lie United Slates, has announced that ho will close his lecturing career with the series which he is now giving in New Zealand. The illustrious astronomer, whoso books and essays have been extensively read in the Colonies, is one of those men of science who have felt it their duty to communicate their researches to a wider public than their predecessors used to address. Not only tho observations and calculations, but the grandest of the speculations of the elder Her?chel were embodied in tho Transactions of tho Royal Society. So fur as the general public wore concerned, his researches might have been as uninteresting as the routine work of public ob-orvatories. The work even of the younger Ilera )hel was commenced and carried on for many years on the old lines. In his great work, "The Outlines of Astronomy," Sir John Horsfhel unbent a little ; but in his singlo volumo of popular essays he adopted tho lighter tone in which Tyndall, Huxley, and Proctor have in many such essays addressed (ho general public in more recent times. Adopting this f imiliav style, Huxley, in Now York, expounded the theory of evolution, illustrating it by the geological history of tho horse ; Tynwall dealt witli the phenomena of light j while Proctor, there and in tho Colonies, lint* done valuable service in expounding tho theories and facts of astronomj, and not only providing t lie public with much agreeallo entertainment, but teaching them that the science with which lie is specially concerned is extrnnely useful for the practical everyday purposes of life. The following particulars regarding Mr Proctor's career are condensed i'rom " Men of Iho Time" — "Kichurd Anthony Proctor, U.A., was born at Chelsea or. March 2\, 1837, and in buhood was educated chirlly tit home, having hud bud health for several year*. Subsequently lie pursued his studies at KingV College, London, and St John's College, Cambridge, lie graduated as 23rd Wrangler in LSfiO. lie waa appointed an Honorary l'VUow of King's Collogp, London, in I^7^, and Follow oi the Kouil Astronomical Society in ISfifi. lie wn3 appointed lion yecrelnry vi that Society :i?:<l e.iitoroftho Proceedings iti Feb., 1572, 1 v! reigned thc^c oflices in November, 1573

He has at no time been a candidate for any appointment or salaried oflice of uny kind, and he has not proceeded to his M.A. degree for the reason that it is not, like the B.A. degree (at least at Cambridge), a tide representing work done, but money paid. Having analysed results collected by the Herschols, Struve, and others, and carried out a series of otiginal researches, including th 0 construction of a chart of 324,000 shirs, Mr Proctor was led to a new theory of tho Btructure of the stellar universe ; investigated the conditions of the transits of Venus in 1874 and 1882, and published many illustrative chnrts. Be maintained, on' fheoretical grounds, in 1869, the aim c established theory of the solar corono, and also that cf the inner complex Eolar atmosphere, afterwards discovered by Young, of America. Mr Proctor lectured on astronomy in America in 1873-74; again in 1875, during which latter visit he delivered 142 hot tires in tbo course of seven, months. He •as published about 30 books amongst the !>■ st, known of which nre ' Saturn and its Systen ,' 1865 j 'Handbook of Stars,' 'Constellation Seasons, Sun Yiesvs of the Earth,' 1867= 'Half-hours with the Telescope,' 1866 ; ' Half-hours with Stnre,' 1869 ; ' Other Worlds than Ours ; the Plurality of Worlds studied under the light of recent Scientific Researches,' with large stsr atlas. 1870 ; « The Sun,' ' Light Science for Leisure Hours,' 1871 ; ' Orbs around us, 1 1872 ; « The Moon,' ' Borderland of Science,' ' Expanse of Heaven,' 1873 ; 'Universe and Coming Transits.' and ' Transits of Venus,' 1874." During the laßttfew years Mr Proctor has published several other works, amongst which, may be mentioned " Pleasant Ways in Science," " Flowers of the Sky," and " Rough Ways made Smooth," the last proof-Bheetß of which were corrected by the author between Liverpool and Queenßtown, on his way to New York last October. Another work, I called " The Poetry of Astronomy," has recently been announced aa nearly ready. Among Mr Proctor'B most important contributions to science of lata years, however, we must not omit. • o notice that he lias written for various ci - -j cloprcdias. Ho vas (elected to succeed Fo; iies, Playfair, J. Hersehel, and others in writing the section on astronomy for the " Em -vcloprejia Britannica" (latest edition), the best possible proof of Lib position as an astronomer in Great Britain. In America, again, he was selected by the editor of the American Cyclojxrdia (-Ap'pleton'a) to write and revise the articles on astronomy. Mr Proctor's views as a teacher of science would not be rightly understood if it were supposed that he regards science as the only worthy object of a man's attention. He considors that the delight afforded to the reasoning mind by scientific etudy is one among many answers which might be given to the somewhat petulant question of recent limes, "la life worth living?" But he is assuredly not one of those who would ask men to diminish the value of life by devoting it solely or chiefly to scientific research. Mr Proctor himself is vory far from doing this. Ho enjoys life in fill its varied phases. He is fond of athletic pursuits— rowing, fencing, cricket, atd the rest. He is not averse to a goi-d game of %vhist, and though he doeß not call himself a < : ess player, we may infer from his BUCcesß at. i ho Melbourne Chess Club that he plays a stiv> g game. When he first went there last Mar, he played five games, three with Mr Ellis, and two with Mr Goldsmith. Of theso five gumes the astronomer won four losing one (the first played) to Mr Ellis. Mr Goldsmith is one of the strongest players of Victoria. The laßt number but one of the Australasian reports a very brilliant game in which Mr Goldsmith, who took no part in the recent chess tourney in Melbourne, defeated Mr Esling, who won the firet prize. W e note that Mr Esling i a to play a match with Mr Wiskor, who ranked bb one of the strongest players in England. It would Beem, therefore, that Mr Proctor must bo a chess player of tho first force.

Of Mr Proctor's lecturing career in the Colonies, it is no exaggeration to say that so far it has been brilliantly successful ; and the news of tho reception accorded to the antipories to one of tho greatest savans of the age, will do as much to raise them in the estimation of thinking men at Home as the admirable play of the Australian Cricketers causeß the Colonies to be talked about throughout the United Kingdom. In Melbourne tho Athenteum Hull proved all too B mall, co that on his return he took the Town Hall, which in its turn was not found large onough. In Adelaide he emptied the theatres, His Excellency Sir William Jervois and family (tho Governor himself being a scientific man) attending every lecture. In Sydney, whero ho lectured for 12 consecutive nights, no money was taken at tho doors, the famous Sunday lecture apparently having only been announced for the convenience oi" tho people who could not obtain admission on week days. When that lecture was actually given (the performances of tho popular London Comedy Company having been suspended for the purpose), the Theatre Royal for two evenings was thronged with tho intellect, beauty, and fashion of Sydney ; and, coming nearer home, even in the little Colony of Tasmania the House of Assembly rose early afc two sittings in order that they might hear a man who had boen aptly do/ioribod as " a lay pvoachor of a very noblo order, who knows the secrets of tho boundless uaiverso as few men have ever known them, and whose talents for revealing ( hem to oth< r men's minds is unrivalled." Iv Australia tho clergy of all denomination .= , from tho Bishops of Melbourne downv.iirds, recommended their congregations to (j, > and hear tho eminent lecturer. iheotherColoiiicshavingdonesomuchjitißnot surprising to find that in Dunedin people gave an enthusiastic reception to tho eminent scientist, who, according to the . Westminster Review,^ " best conforms to Matthew Arnold's conception of a man of culture, in that he trieß to make knowledge a source of happiness aud brightness to all." In order that all might have an opportunity of hearing him discourse on the wonders of the heavenß, several tinnuul roligious and social gatherings, and some private parties wore postponed; and when Mr Proctor gave his first lecture, the Garrison Hall was filled with not only 2000 poople, but an audience thoroughly representative of the culture and intelligence of the city. At lub subsequent lectures that was no falling off in the attendance ; and according to the tolegratn which appeared in yosterdny's issue, more than 2600 people wore present at his final lecture. Thus, as a local statistician has remarked, in the course of half nn hour as many people pay to hoar Prootor in Dunedin, with its 50,000 inhabitants, as between 10 and 6 pay to see the International Exhibition in Melbourne with its 280,000 inhabitants ; for according to tho Argus the average number cf paying visitors to tho Mclbourno Exhibition is something between two and three thousand. Mr Proctor's Now Zealand tour, bo prosperously begun, is not likely to receivo any check in Ohristchurch ; for during yesterdii)' a largo numbor of tickets wore sold for the short courso of lectures which he is to giro in tho Oddfellows' Hall next week.

From Chrietchurch Mr Proctor will proceed northwards, embarking at Auckland for San Francisco, on hie way to lingland, where (according to tho English newspapers) ho ia to bring out a new ningazino called " Knowledge," to be published eimultnneoußly in London and New York.