MacTutor
SAMUEL ARTHUR SAUNDER was born in London on 1852 May 18, the son of William Deacle Saunder, dental surgeon, and Sarah Patience, eldest daughter of Thomas Nokes, Esq., of Stifford Clays, Essex. His father was the son of Samuel Saunder, surgeon, of Charlbury, Oxon., and was twice married. Of the first marriage there was one son of the second two daughters, one of whom died in infancy, and one other son in addition to the subject of this notice. The various members of the family all showed a moderate interest in science, but perhaps a stronger preference for the arts. Samuel Saunder was educated like a true Londoner at St. Paul's School (which has the distinction of claiming Halley), and showed such exceptional ability as to proceed to Trinity College, Cambridge, with an adequate scholarship. He graduated as fourteenth wrangler in 1875, but the place does not represent his merits, since he was attacked by illness during the examination and had to leave one paper untouched. (The place forecast for him was among the first three, who were Lord, Burnside, and Chrystal.) In 1876 he became an assistant master at Wellington College, and so remained until a few months before his death, when he had been senior mathematical master for thirty years. He married in 1888 August 16, Alice, third (and eldest living) daughter of the Rev. William Duthoit, D.C.L., of Crowthorne, Berks. The eldest of three children, a girl, died in infancy; and the mother died eight days after the birth of the second son, on 1893 August 21. The two sons are now at Cambridge.
Saunder was a man of many interests and a hard worker at them all. To his regular school duties he added the care of the Scientific Society, which included the arrangement of lectures, many of which he gave himself, and the working of the lantern. He also started the school "tuck-shop," and managed it with great business ability so as to subsidise other school enterprises. He had been a successful oarsman at Cambridge, winning the Colquhoun sculls in 1875; and in after years he did much canoeing on the canals of England. He was also a keen and expert fisherman. But all other interests gradually became subordinated (when they did not entirely disappear) to his love of astronomy in all its aspects. He purchased a fine 7-inch refractor by Troughton & Simms and set it up near his house in a shed with sliding roof which he designed himself, and which has since many times served as a pattern of a modest but thoroughly useful telescope house. He put the telescope to a variety of uses. He had a spectroscope for it, and a first-rate micrometer: he showed how he could use it as a transit instrument for getting time (B.A.A. Journal, vol. v. p. 461): and once he found a comet, only to meet with the mortification of finding that it had been previously discovered. But he gradually settled down to observation of the Moon, and became desirous of improving the accuracy of our selenographical knowledge. His first paper to our Society, of which he was elected a Fellow in November 1894, was on "The Determination of Selenographic Positions and the Measurement of Lunar Photographs" (Mon. Not., 1x. 174). It called attention to the uncertainty of the known positions, often over 5", and to the probable cause in the use of the limb as an origin of reference. He proposed to abolish the limb for this purpose and use the crater Mösting A as origin and he has successfully proved his point by attaining an accuracy of 0''.1, some fifty times better than that in existence before he began work, for over 3000 positions of objects on the Moon's surface.
This result was naturally not achieved without much work and many disappointments. The method first tried, which involved using existing knowledge as a basis, broke down altogether. The places were too rough to give even a start. Then he devised a very ingenious method of measuring two plates with different librations, using the stereoscopic displacement as a base but the base was not long enough, and this method would not do. It was apparently necessary to measure at the telescope the distances of several fundamental points from Mösting A, and this work Saunder undertook himself, though he was much helped by Professor Barnard's measures of two points. It is pleasant to remember that this timely help was the outcome of one of our Society's meetings: Professor Barnard happened to be present when Mr. Saunder was explaining his difficulties, and next day volunteered the help needed (Mon. Not., 1x. p. 540). This third attempt, starting from measures at the telescope as a basis, was completely successful, and led to the Catalogue of over 3000 selenographical positions in Mem. R.A.S., vol. lvii. From comparisons of different plates a number of heights of lunar mountains was also obtained; but this work was little more than commenced when death cut it short.
Saunder had gradually become an authority on the Moon, and had learnt all that was to be known from former observations. His attention was incidentally attracted to the unsatisfactory state of lunar nomenclature, many cases occurring where the same object had different names, or different objects the same name. An authoritative standard nomenclature must clearly be international in character, and he appealed, through first our own Society, and then the Royal Society, to the International Association of Academies, at its Vienna meeting in 1907. A committee was at once appointed to deal with the matter, and Saunder and Franz, who had both done so much for the accurate measurement of the Moon, were naturally nominated as members. After some discussion of preliminaries, these two gentlemen were asked by the chairman (M. Loewy) to undertake the formation of an accurate map of the Moon as a vehicle for the standard names. We have to deplore the loss of both these eminent workers within a few weeks of one another. Saunder had, however, completed his own work on the map: he had laid down for Mr. Wesley the standard points on all four of the portions of the map which fell to his share and three of these have been completely drawn by Mr. Wesley, and reproduced, the drawing of the fourth being also commenced.
To this work on lunar nomenclature, and to the heights of lunar mountains, Saunder was hoping to devote himself in the immediate future. Some years ago the advent of a new head-master to Wellington College brought also the unwelcome surprise of compulsory retirement, without pension, at sixty. For this unkind stroke of fate Saunder found some compensation in the fact that he would be able to work with more leisure at the Moon.
He reached the retiring age during the past year, and his teaching duties came to an end with July 1912. After some consideration he arranged to settle at Oxford, finding a house with a garden suitable for his telescope and not too far from the University Observatory. But after the lease had been signed, and while he was planning the building for his telescope, he became ill, and it soon became clear that the trouble was possibly serious, though exact diagnosis was difficult. Later the gravest of the alternatives declared itself. On November 29 he learnt something of the possibilities, and his first thought was to ask the present writer whether he could spare a few hours to discuss plans for carrying on the lunar nomenclature work. The following day was spent in this discussion, so long as his strength permitted, and was the last on which he was capable of the mental strain. He died peacefully on December 8, a few days before the meeting at which it had been hoped to nominate him President of the Society.
Saunder was devoted to work of all kinds. He was an original member of the British Astronomical Association; was a constant attendant at its meetings, in spite of the troublesome journeys that were involved; and was President 1902-1904. His two Presidential Addresses, devoted to the history and present state of selenography, condense a vast amount of research into a few very readable pages. He had rare skill as an expositor, and when elected Gresham Professor of Astronomy in 1909, delivered courses of admirable lectures which must have cost long hours of his scanty leisure. The last series of four was given under conditions such as few lecturers have ever faced illness came suddenly upon him in a way which made it a severe pain to speak at all loudly: but he heroically declined all offers of help except that which a masseur could give him immediately before each lecture, and it is probable that the audiences never suspected what torture their lecturer was undergoing. He went straight from the last lecture to the bed from which he was never destined to rise.
Saunder was Secretary of our Society from 1906 to 1912, and it may safely be said that no Secretary ever worked more devotedly for the Society during his term of office.
He was elected a Fellow of the Society 1894 November 9.
H. F. T.
Saunder was a man of many interests and a hard worker at them all. To his regular school duties he added the care of the Scientific Society, which included the arrangement of lectures, many of which he gave himself, and the working of the lantern. He also started the school "tuck-shop," and managed it with great business ability so as to subsidise other school enterprises. He had been a successful oarsman at Cambridge, winning the Colquhoun sculls in 1875; and in after years he did much canoeing on the canals of England. He was also a keen and expert fisherman. But all other interests gradually became subordinated (when they did not entirely disappear) to his love of astronomy in all its aspects. He purchased a fine 7-inch refractor by Troughton & Simms and set it up near his house in a shed with sliding roof which he designed himself, and which has since many times served as a pattern of a modest but thoroughly useful telescope house. He put the telescope to a variety of uses. He had a spectroscope for it, and a first-rate micrometer: he showed how he could use it as a transit instrument for getting time (B.A.A. Journal, vol. v. p. 461): and once he found a comet, only to meet with the mortification of finding that it had been previously discovered. But he gradually settled down to observation of the Moon, and became desirous of improving the accuracy of our selenographical knowledge. His first paper to our Society, of which he was elected a Fellow in November 1894, was on "The Determination of Selenographic Positions and the Measurement of Lunar Photographs" (Mon. Not., 1x. 174). It called attention to the uncertainty of the known positions, often over 5", and to the probable cause in the use of the limb as an origin of reference. He proposed to abolish the limb for this purpose and use the crater Mösting A as origin and he has successfully proved his point by attaining an accuracy of 0''.1, some fifty times better than that in existence before he began work, for over 3000 positions of objects on the Moon's surface.
This result was naturally not achieved without much work and many disappointments. The method first tried, which involved using existing knowledge as a basis, broke down altogether. The places were too rough to give even a start. Then he devised a very ingenious method of measuring two plates with different librations, using the stereoscopic displacement as a base but the base was not long enough, and this method would not do. It was apparently necessary to measure at the telescope the distances of several fundamental points from Mösting A, and this work Saunder undertook himself, though he was much helped by Professor Barnard's measures of two points. It is pleasant to remember that this timely help was the outcome of one of our Society's meetings: Professor Barnard happened to be present when Mr. Saunder was explaining his difficulties, and next day volunteered the help needed (Mon. Not., 1x. p. 540). This third attempt, starting from measures at the telescope as a basis, was completely successful, and led to the Catalogue of over 3000 selenographical positions in Mem. R.A.S., vol. lvii. From comparisons of different plates a number of heights of lunar mountains was also obtained; but this work was little more than commenced when death cut it short.
Saunder had gradually become an authority on the Moon, and had learnt all that was to be known from former observations. His attention was incidentally attracted to the unsatisfactory state of lunar nomenclature, many cases occurring where the same object had different names, or different objects the same name. An authoritative standard nomenclature must clearly be international in character, and he appealed, through first our own Society, and then the Royal Society, to the International Association of Academies, at its Vienna meeting in 1907. A committee was at once appointed to deal with the matter, and Saunder and Franz, who had both done so much for the accurate measurement of the Moon, were naturally nominated as members. After some discussion of preliminaries, these two gentlemen were asked by the chairman (M. Loewy) to undertake the formation of an accurate map of the Moon as a vehicle for the standard names. We have to deplore the loss of both these eminent workers within a few weeks of one another. Saunder had, however, completed his own work on the map: he had laid down for Mr. Wesley the standard points on all four of the portions of the map which fell to his share and three of these have been completely drawn by Mr. Wesley, and reproduced, the drawing of the fourth being also commenced.
To this work on lunar nomenclature, and to the heights of lunar mountains, Saunder was hoping to devote himself in the immediate future. Some years ago the advent of a new head-master to Wellington College brought also the unwelcome surprise of compulsory retirement, without pension, at sixty. For this unkind stroke of fate Saunder found some compensation in the fact that he would be able to work with more leisure at the Moon.
He reached the retiring age during the past year, and his teaching duties came to an end with July 1912. After some consideration he arranged to settle at Oxford, finding a house with a garden suitable for his telescope and not too far from the University Observatory. But after the lease had been signed, and while he was planning the building for his telescope, he became ill, and it soon became clear that the trouble was possibly serious, though exact diagnosis was difficult. Later the gravest of the alternatives declared itself. On November 29 he learnt something of the possibilities, and his first thought was to ask the present writer whether he could spare a few hours to discuss plans for carrying on the lunar nomenclature work. The following day was spent in this discussion, so long as his strength permitted, and was the last on which he was capable of the mental strain. He died peacefully on December 8, a few days before the meeting at which it had been hoped to nominate him President of the Society.
Saunder was devoted to work of all kinds. He was an original member of the British Astronomical Association; was a constant attendant at its meetings, in spite of the troublesome journeys that were involved; and was President 1902-1904. His two Presidential Addresses, devoted to the history and present state of selenography, condense a vast amount of research into a few very readable pages. He had rare skill as an expositor, and when elected Gresham Professor of Astronomy in 1909, delivered courses of admirable lectures which must have cost long hours of his scanty leisure. The last series of four was given under conditions such as few lecturers have ever faced illness came suddenly upon him in a way which made it a severe pain to speak at all loudly: but he heroically declined all offers of help except that which a masseur could give him immediately before each lecture, and it is probable that the audiences never suspected what torture their lecturer was undergoing. He went straight from the last lecture to the bed from which he was never destined to rise.
Saunder was Secretary of our Society from 1906 to 1912, and it may safely be said that no Secretary ever worked more devotedly for the Society during his term of office.
He was elected a Fellow of the Society 1894 November 9.
H. F. T.
Samuel Arthur Saunder's obituary appeared in Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society 73:4 (1913), 214-217.