Page:Canadian Alpine Journal I, 2.djvu/201

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Colonel A. Laussedat
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the application of perspective to surveying, his perspectives being drawn by means of a camera lucida of his own invention. After the discovery of Photography, the method developed into photographic surveying, or, as it is now called, Photogrammetry.

"From 1856 to 1870 he was Professor of Astronomy and Geodesy at the Ecole Polytechnique; Commissioner for the Franco-German boundary in 1871-73; Director of Studies at the Ecole Polytechnique in 1879-81, and from 1881 to 1900 Director of the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers, the French counterpart of the South Kensington Museum. He was Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, Colonel of Engineers and a member of the Academy of Sciences. The list of scientific societies, French and Foreign, who considered it an honor to enroll him as a member and were proud to have him as president or vice-president, is too long to be reproduced here.

"He was best known as the father of Photogrammetry. He was first to lay out the principles of the art and to indicate its applications. His papers, published in 1854, 1859 and 1864, contain a full treatment of the subject and little has been added to his methods since their publication. It was in Canada that Photogrammetry received its first practical and extensive application. Laussedat lived long enough to see it adopted in many countries, but Canada had always a warm place in his heart. The trees and plants of the Canadian Rockies, which he owed to a delicate attention of our President, were shown with pride to every visitor to his park, and were the object of special care.

"He was a most distinguished scientist and an indefatigable worker. He has contributed innumerable articles to scientific papers and periodicals. He was a favorite lecturer and the author of a large number of books. One of his last works, "Researches on Topographic Instruments, Methods and Drawing," a masterly