OBITUARY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LVII, Issue 6510, 7 January 1882, Page 5

OBITUARY.

The following notices of the distinguished men whose deaths are announced in our telegrams are from " Men of the Time ": — Osboinb, Ralph Bkbhal, son of the late Balph Bernal, Esq., many years member for Rochester, and the owner of the celebrated collection of articles of vertu, which was disposed of by auction after his death, ocrm in 1814, was educated at the Charter-house School, and assumed the name of Osborne by Boyal license in 1844, through his marriage with the only child and heir of Sir Thomas Osborne, Bart. He was in the army, was secretary to the Admiralty from Dec, 1552, till March, 1858, and is a magistrate snd deputy-lieutenant for county Waterford. He was elected one of the members in the advanced Liberal interest for Wycombe in July, 1841, for Middlesex in Aug., 1547, for Dover in March, 1857 ; was defeated at Dover at the general election in April, 1859 j was returned for Liskeard in Aug., 1859, resigned his seat in June, 1865, sat as one of the members for Nottingham from May, 1866 to 1868, and was returned for lie Borough of Waterford in 1870, but he was at the bottom of the poll at the general election of Feb., 1874. Mr Bernal Osborne was well known in Parliament by his frequent criticisms on public men and measures, characterised as muoh by lively sallies of wit as by a keen spirit of sarcasm. Dbapeb, Johk William, M.D., LL.D., chemist and physiologist, born at St Helens, near Liverpool, May 5, 1811. He received his early education at a Weeleyan school, and was afterwards placed under private instructors, giving special attention to chemistry, natural philosophy, and the higher mathematics. He subsequently prosecuted his chemioal studies at the University of London. Many of his family had long before emigrated to America, whither he also went in 1833. He continued his chemical and medical studies at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1536, with the tare distinction that his thesis was selected for publication. Boon after, he was appointed Professor of Chemistry, Natural Philosophy, and Physiology in HampdenSidney College, in Virginia. In 1839 he v&s called to the chair of Chemistry and Natural History in the academic department of the University of the City of New York. In iB4l he was appointed Professor of Chemistry in the University Medical College, and in ISSO the chair of Physiology was added to that of Chemistry. Dr Draper is now President of the Scientific and Medical departments of the University. Besides numerous contributions to European and American scientific journals, he has published several purely scientific works of great value. Among these are : " Treatise on the Forces which produce the Organization of Plants," 1844; " Test Book on Chemistry," 1846; "Human Physiology," 1856, several times re-published; and •' Experimental Examinations of the distribution of heat and of chemical for,-e in the spectrum." To him is due the discovery of many fundamental facts of the spectrum analysis. Perhaps of more importance limn his purely scientific works, are those which pertain to the departments of philosophr and history. His " History of tbe Intellectual Development of Europe," 1862, has been translated into French, German, Itauan, Polish, and Bussian. Fonr lectures given by him before the Kew York Historical Society, were in 1865 issued in a volnree enht.ed "Thoughts on the future Civil Policy of America." His great work in the depart. ment of history is " The History o* «>* American Civil War," 3 vols, 1867-70, whioh has been justly desoribed as a '• philosophical history," as distinguished from a mere narrative of events. His latest publication is a "History of the Conflict between Eeligioa and Soience," London 1874. Two sons of Dr Draper have attained distinc'iob.