sumed charge of the department of astronomy, and was made director of the observatory. In 1879 he was called to the chair of astronomy and the directorship of Washburn observatory in the University of Wisconsin. He discovered a comet on 29 April, 1856, while he was still an undergraduate, and on 20 Oct., 1857, he discovered independently an asteroid that had been found a few days previously. In 1858 he devoted his attention to Donati's comet, and his computation of its orbit is accepted as authoritative. His first independent planetary discovery was on 14 Sept., 1863, of the asteroid Eurynome, and on 9 Jan., 1864, the comet known as 1,863, vi., which had previously been noted, was found by him. He discovered on 7 Oct., 1865, the asteroid that has since been named Io, and on 24 Aug., 1867, he discovered Minerva, and on 6 Sept., 1867, Aurora. During 1868 he added six minor planets to the solar system. He was a member of the government expedition to observe the solar eclipse at Mount Pleasant, Iowa, in 1869, and was sent on a similar mission in 1870 to Carlentini, Sicily. In 1874 he was appointed to the charge of the American party that observed the transit of Venus from Peking, China. On this expedition he made his eighteenth planetary discovery, to which he gave the name Juewa. Prof. Watson was one of the judges of award at the World's fair in Philadelphia in 1876, and wrote a "Report on Horological Instruments." In 1878 he had charge of the government expedition to Wyoming to observe the total solar eclipse, and on that occasion he paid special attention to the existence of an intra-Mercurial planet as well as that of an extra-Neptunian one, in both of which he believed. On 29 July, 1878, he determined the exact locality of what he believed to be "Vulcan," and he further satisfied himself of the existence of a second intra-Mercurial planet. Subsequent to his removal to Madison he devoted his energies to remodelling the observatory structure, and introducing original features of his own devising. For many years he was actuary of the Michigan mutual life insurance company, and by commercial enterprises he acquired a moderate fortune, of which he bequeathed $16,000 to the National academy of sciences, the income of which is used partly as a research fund and partly for the Watson medal. The total number of asteroids that he discovered was twenty-three, and in 1870 he received the Lalande gold medal from the French academy of sciences for the discovery of six asteroids in one year. In 1875 the khedive of Egypt made him knight commander of the Imperial order of the Medjidieh. The degree of Ph. D. was conferred on him by the University of Leipsic in 1870, and that of LL. D. by Columbia in 1877. In 1867 he was elected to the National academy of sciences. His contributions to astronomical journals were frequent, besides which he published a "Popular Treatise on Comets " (Philadelphia, 1860); "Theoretical Astronomy" (1868); and "Tables for Calculation of Simple and Compound Interest and Discount" (Ann Arbor, 1879).
WATSON, James Madison, author, b. in Onondaga county, N. Y., 8 Feb., 1827. He was educated in the public schools, studied law, and was admitted to the bar of Syracuse, N. Y., in 1853. He then connected himself with the publishing-house of A. S. Barnes and Co., New York city, and, aided by Richard G. Parker, prepared a series of "National Readers and Spellers (New York, 1853-'5). For the subsequent twelve years he devoted himself to teaching in New York and adjacent states. He settled in Elizabeth, N. J., in 1871, became president of the city board of education, was president of the New Jersey sanitary association in 1871 and 1882, and of the Temperance reform and order club. He has given much time and study to temperance and sanitary reforms, and to physical training. He has published "Hand- Book of Gymnastics and Calisthenics" (New York, 1864); "Manual of Calisthenics" (1864); a series of "Independent Readers" (1868-'71); and one of "Independent Spellers" (1871-8).
WATSON, James Muir, naval officer, b. in Virginia, 15 July. 1808; d. in Vallejo, Cal., 17 April, 1873. He entered the navy as a midshipman, 1 Feb., 1823, and became a lieutenant, 30 Dec, 1831. On 14 March, 1847, he took command of the store-ship "Erie," in which he served during the Mexican war. On 11 Nov., 1847, under direction of Com. Shubrick, he commanded the naval force of 600 men in the boats of the "Independence." "Congress," "Cyane," and "Erie," with which he captured the city of Mazatlan without resistance from the Mexicans, who retreated to the interior. He returned from this cruise in command of the "Erie," 24 June, 1848, was placed on the reserved list, 13 Sept., 1855, and was unemployed, waiting orders, the rest of his life, except in 1863-'6, when he served as light-house inspector. He was commissioned a commander on the reserved list, 1 Feb., 1861, retired 21 Dec, 1861, and was promoted to commodore on the retired list, 16 July, 1862. He resided in California after he was put on the reserved list until his death.
WATSON, James V., author, b. in London, England, in 1814; d. in Chicago, Ill., 17 Oct., 1856. He came to this country at the age of six years, and in 1832 entered the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal church, afterward receiving the degree of D. D. He was editor of the "Michigan Christian Advocate" and of the "Northwestern Christian Advocate" in Chicago in 1852-'6, and was the author of "Helps to the Promotion of Revivals" (New York, 1856) and "Tales and Takings, Sketches and Incidents from the Itinerant and Editorial Budget of the Rev. J. V. Watson" (1857).
WATSON, John, physician, b. in Londonderry, Ireland, 16 April, 1807; d. in New York city, 3 June, 1863. He came to this country with his parents in 1810, settled in New York city in 1818, was graduated at the New York college of physicians and surgeons in 1832, and was on the surgical staff of the New York hospital in 1832-3. In 1833-'5 he was physician of the New York dispensary, and from 1839 till 1862 he was an attending surgeon of the New York hospital, where he introduced many reforms and improvements. In connection with Dr. Henry D. Bulkley, he established an infirmary for cutaneous diseases, which was organized soon afterward as the Broome street school of medicine, where Dr. Watson held the chair of surgical pathology. He was instrumental in organizing the New York medical and surgical society, the American medical association, and the New York academy of medicine, of which latter institution he was president in 1859-'60. With Dr. John A. Swett he established the "New York Medical and Surgical Journal." Dr. Watson was the author of numerous reports, essays, and reviews in professional journals, and published a "Lecture on Practical Education in Medicine and on the Course of Instruction at the New York Hospital" (New York, 1846); "Thermal Ventilation and other Sanitary Improvements applicable to Public Buildings and recently adopted at the New York Hospital" (1851); "The Medical Profession in Ancient Times" (1856); "The Parish
