Robert Steele

“ STEPHENS, FREDERIC GEORGE (1828–1907) , art critic, born on 10 Oct. 1828, was the son of Septimus Stephens and his wife, who were for a time during Frederic's youth master and mistress of the Strand Union Workhouse in Cleveland Street. He was lamed for life through an accident at the age of nine. He entered as a student in the Royal Academy on 13 Jan. 1844, on the nomination of Sir William Ross [q. v.] , who lived in Fitzroy Square hard by. Here he made the acquaintance of Holman Hunt, of Millais, and subsequently of Rossetti and of Madox Brown. ”

“ Allman was elected professor of mathematics in Queen's College, Galway, in 1853, and remained in this post till he retired in 1893, having reached the age-limit fixed by civil service regulations. He was elected a member of the senate of Queen's University in 1877, and in 1880, when the Royal University of Ireland was founded, he was nominated by the Crown as a life senator. ”

“ He was educated successively at a private school at Reading, at University College School, London, at the Normal College, Swansea, at University College, London, and finally at Balliol College, Oxford (1876-81) . He had a distinguished university career. At London he was first in honours at matriculation, graduated B.Sc. with honours, and became university scholar in geology, being elected fellow of University College. ”

“ He subsequently studied at Edinburgh University and at Guy's Hospital, and spent some time in the medical schools of Paris and Vienna. From 1858 to 1866 he held the appointment of lecturer on botany to the Royal Infirmary Medical School at Liverpool. Elected F.L.S. in 1853, he served on the council in 1868. He also lectured on biology at the Liverpool School of Science. ”

“ At Plymouth in 1877 he presided over the chemistry section of the British Association, and as president of the Association at Leeds in 1890 he gave an address on recent practical applications of science. ”

“ Returning to Liverpool he became senior physician of the Northern Hospital and took a leading part in the intellectual life of the city. In 1876-7 he travelled in Palestine and Egypt. Collingwood was through life a prominent member of the New Church (Swedenborgian) . ”

“ He also carried out many researches into the composition of alloyed metals with reference to their physical properties. His last piece of work, carried out in conjunction with Prof, (afterwards Sir) James Dewar, was the invention of cordite in 1889. The use of high explosives abroad forced the English government to seek for a better material than guncotton, and a committee was appointed in 1888, under Abel's presidency, to examine all the modern high explosives. ”

“ His researches were mainly directed towards the precise determination of electrical and physical standards, and to the construction of measuring instruments which should satisfy the utmost demands of engineering theory. ”

“ His series of articles on 'The Private Collections of England,' correcting and supplementing van Waagen, were invaluable at the time, and are even now often the sole sources of the information they supply. ”

“ Allman died of pneumonia on 9 May 1904 at Farnham House, Finglass, Dublin.
He married in 1853 Louisa (d. 1864) , daughter of John Smith Taylor of Dublin and Corballis, co. Meath. A son and two daughters survived him. ”

“ Bell was also consulting chemist to the Indian government 1869–94. His researches into the grape and malt ferments were published in the 'Excise Officers' Manual' (1865) and in the 'Journal of the Chemical Society' in 1870. Many of his general results were embodied in his work on 'The Analysis and Adulteration of Foods' (3 pts. 1881-3; German transl., Berlin, 1882-5) . His 'Chemistry of Tobacco' (1887) is another valuable scientific study. Bell's work was recognised in 1884 by his election as F.R.S., and he obtained the degree of Ph.D. from Erlangen in 1882 and received the hon. ”

“ He continued to publish the results of his researches in the 'Philosophical Transactions' till near his death. He was awarded in 1902 a civil list pension of l00l. a year. He died at Glasgow on 18 Aug. ”