OBITUARY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1619, 10 December 1912, Page 5

OBITUARY.

——$ SIR GEORGE DARWIN. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright London, December 8. The death is announced of Sir George Howard DaTwin, second son of Charles Darwin, the famous naturalist. The late Sir George Darwin was born in 1845, and has been Plumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy at Cambridge since 1883. Ha had a distinguished university career, and was Senior Wrangler and Smith's Prizeman at Cambridge in 18G8, in which year lie was elected a Fellow of Trinity College, In 1905 he was elected president of tho British Association, having previously been president of tho Royal Astronomical Socioiy. Sir George also contributed extensively to the scientific reviews on mathematical subjects. Of tho family-of two daughters and five sons left by Charta Darwin, four of the sons have become prominent in the scientific world—Sir George; Francis (born 1818), the distinguished botanist; Leonard (born 1850), a major in the Royal Engineers, and afterwards well known as an economist; and Horace (born 1851), civil engineer. Two,of the sons, Sir George and Major Leonard, have been president of the British Association in different years. ' . • The Darwin family furnish exceptionally interesting material for a study in. heredity. Erasmus DaTwin (1731-1802), great-grandfather of Sir George, was a well-known English man of science and poet. Robert Waring Darwin (176G-1819), his third son by his first marriage, a doctor at Shrewsbury, was the father of the famous Charles Darwin; and Violetta, his eldest daughter by his second marriage, was the mother of the late Sir Franois Galton, the founder of the present ougenio movement, and a leading authority on heredity. REV. J. GARDNER. Sydney, December 9. The Rev. John Gardner, Methodist minister, is dead.