| Citation | A devoted, hard-working and persevering amateur of science, to which he has rendered many services. In 1874 he went to Thebes for the purpose of observing the Transit of Venus bringing with him a small transit instrument, a 6-inch telescope and a 12-inch telescope; he used the 12-inch and Lady Blythswood the 6-inch. He made observations of first contact, black drop, &c, which the records show to be very good. He observed a white halo, proving an atmosphere round Venus. He saw that beside a spot Venus was black while the spot seemed brown, which was an interesting proof that the spot emitted light. He made with the help of Hilger an 18-inch reflector, and subsequently a 13-inch reflector; but finding that river fogs and the increasing smoke of factories, made it impossible for him to get good results with these instruments at Blythswood, reluctantly left astronomy, and began work in other directions. About 1877 he began to make his dividing engine for cutting diffraction gratings, and after three years' work succeeded in producing a screw which a careful application of Michelson's test by interference proved to be practically perfect. Since that time he has made several gratings, two of which he gave to Sir Norman Lockyer and Dr J T Bottomley. About twelve years ago he designed and constructed in his private workshop at Blythswood, two very large electric influence machines which he presented to the Physical Laboratory of the University of Glasgow and to the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Since that time he has made another of great size and power for use in his own laboratory. He has been most useful to other workers in allowing them to use all the resources of his laboratory and workshop. Some of the results are published in the following papers: - 'Reflection of Rontgen light from polished Speculum Metal' (Proc Roy Soc, vol lix); 'Absorption of Rontgen Rays by Aqueous Solutions' (ibid, June, 1899 with E W Marchant). 'Echelon Spectroscopy with application to Mercury lines in Magnetic Field' (Phil Mag, April, 1900, with E W Marchant); 'Radium Radiation and Contact Electricity' (Phil Mag, Dec, 1903, with H S Allen); 'Effects of Errors in Ruling on the Appearence of a Diffraction Grating' (Phil Mag, Jan, 1902 and Nov, 1903 with H S Allen, founded on observations in Blythswood laboratory). Agold medal was awarded to Lord Blythswood for a speed indicator exhibited in the Inventions Exhibition. Discovered the rotting effect of radium on clothes of linen, cotton and silk (Phil Mag, Feb, 1904, p 233). Is at present engaged in the investigation of the character of this action. |