as it Was and as it Is” (1871), and he contributed to the papers of the State historical society “The Journal of Charles Carroll during his Mission to Canada” (1844), and “Tah-gah-jute, or Logan and Captain Michael Cresap” (1851; Albany, 1867). — His nephew, Frank Blackwell, artist, b. in Baltimore, Md., 27 Dec., 1827. He studied under Gleyre and Brion at Paris, and his studio is now (1888) at Annapolis, Md. He exhibited at the Paris salon, and was given a medal at Philadelphia in 1876 for his “Continentals” and “Attic Philosopher.” Mr. Mayer has made a special study of Indian types and character in the west. Among his works are “The Feast of Mondawmin” (1857); “Doing and Dreaming” (1858); “The Nineteenth Century” (1869).: “Annapolis in 1750” (1876); “Talking Business, 1750” (1879); “Crowning a Troubadour” (1885); and “Treaty of Traverse des Sioux, Minnesota” (1886). He has also produced portraits in crayon and oil, including a crayon head of Chief-Justice Taney, and has contributed articles, with illustrations, to “Harper's” and the “Century” magazines. —
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Frank Blackwell's brother, Alfred Marshall, b. in Baltimore, Md., 13 Nov., 1836; d. in Maplewood, N. J., 13 July, 1897. He attended St. Mary's college, but left for the workshop and draughting-room of a mechanical engineer, where he remained two years, acquiring a knowledge of the use of tools, mechanical drawing, and methods of constructing machines. He then spent two years in obtaining a thorough knowledge of analytical chemistry by laboratory practice. In 1856 he was called to the chair of physics and chemistry in the University of Maryland, and in 1859-'61 he held a similar post in Westminster college, Mo. In 1863-'4 he studied physics, mathematics, and physiology in the University of Paris, and on his return he filled successively chairs in Pennsylvania college, Gettysburg, and Lehigh university, Bethlehem, during 1865-'70. At the latter institution he had charge of the department of astronomy, and superintended the erection of an observatory. He had charge of the expedition that was sent to Burlington, Iowa, under the auspices of the U. S. nautical almanac office to photograph the solar eclipse of 7 Aug., 1869, and made forty-one perfect photographs. In 1871 he accepted the professorship of physics in Stevens institute of technology, Hoboken, N. J., which he continued to hold. His scientific researches since that time have been principally published in the “American Journal of Science” under the title of “Researches in Acoustics” (1871-'5). These include experiments showing that the translation of a vibrating body causes it to emit waves differing in length from those produced by the same vibrating body when stationary; a method of detecting the phases of vibration in the air surrounding a sounding body, leading to his invention of the topophone; mode of measuring the wave-lengths and velocities of sound in gases, resulting in the invention of an acoustic pyrometer; the deter- mination of relative intensities of sound; five new methods of sonorous analysis for the decomposition of a compound sound into its elementary tones; the discovery that the fibrils of the antennæ of the male mosquito vibrate sympathetically to notes which have the range of pitch of the sounds given out by the female mosquito; and the determination of the laws of vibration of tuning-forks, especially in the direction of the bearing of these laws on the action of the chronoscopes that are used in determining the velocities of projectiles. He contributed to the “Scientific American Supplement” during 1876-'8 an extensive series of papers “On the Minute Measurements of Modern Science.” His other memoirs include “On the Effects of Magnetization” in changing the dimensions of iron and steel bars (1873); “Method of Investigating the Composite Nature of the Electric Discharge” (1874); “Experiments with Floating Magnets” (1878); “Acoustic Repulsions” (1878); “A New Spherometer” (1886); “On the Coefficient of Expansion and Diathermancy of Ebonite” (1886); and “On Measures of Absolute Radiation” (1886). Prof. Mayer received the degree of Ph. D. from Pennsylvania college in 1866. He is a member of scientific societies, and in 1872 was elected to the National academy of sciences. In 1873 he was one of the associate editors of the “American Journal of Science,” but after a year's service withdrew on account of failing eyesight. Besides numerous articles in his special branches of inquiry contributed to cyclopædias and journals, he has published “Lecture Notes on Physics” (Philadelphia, 1868); “The Earth a Great Magnet” (New Haven, 1872); “Light” (New York, 1877); “Sound” (1878); and “Sport with Gun and Rod in American Woods and Waters” (1883).
MAYER, Constant, artist, b. in Besançon,
France, 4 Oct., 1832. He studied in Paris in the
Ecole des beaux-arts and under Léon Cogniet, and
followed his profession in that city till 1857, when
he removed to New York. Mr. Mayer is best
known by his life-sized genre pictures, many of
which have been photographed or engraved. He
has contributed frequently to the Paris salon since
1865, and in 1869 was made a chevalier of the
Legion of honor. He was elected an associate of
the National academy in 1866, and he is also a
member of the American art union. Mr. Mayer's
works include portraits of Gen. Grant and Gen.
Sherman; “Beggar-Girl” (1863); “Consolation”
(1864); “Recognition” (1865); “Good Words”
(1866); “Riches and Poverty”; “Maud Muller”;
“Street Melodies” (1867); “Early Grief” (1869);
“Oracle of the Field”; “Song of the Shirt”
(1875); “Song of the Twilight” (1879); “In the
Woods” (1880); “The Vagabonds” (1881); “Lord's
Day” and “Lawn Tennis” (1883); “Mandolin
Player” (1884); “First Grief” (1885); and “The
First Communion” (1886), which has been etched
by Thomas Hovenden.
MAYER, Philip Frederick, clergyman, b. in New York city, 1 April, 1781; d. in Philadelphia, Pa., 16 April, 1858. He was graduated at Columbia in 1799, studied theology in New York, was licensed to preach, 1 Sept., 1802, and ordained to the Lutheran ministry in the following year. In 1803 he became pastor at Athens, N. Y. In 1806 he accepted the pastorate of St. John's English Lutheran church in Philadelphia, Pa., the first exclusively English Lutheran congregation in this country, where he remained until his death. He received the degree of D. D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1823 and from Columbia in 1837. In 1804 he had refused to accept the same
