AYRTON, WILLIAM EDWARD English physicist, was born in London on Sept. 14 1847. He was educated at University College, London, and in /868 went out to Bengal in the service of the Indian Government telegraph department. He taught physics at Tokyo and in London and in 1884 became pro fessor of electrical engineering at South Kensington. He pub lished, both alone and jointly with others, a large number of papers on physical, and in particular electrical, subjects, and his name was especially associated, together with that of Professor John Perry, with the invention of a long series of electrical measur ing instruments. He died in London on Nov. 8 19o8. AYSCOUGH, SAMUEL English librarian and index-maker, was born at Nottingham. In 1782 Ayscough published a two-volume catalogue of the then undescribed manu scripts in the British Museum. About 1785 he was appointed assistant librarian at the museum, and soon afterwards took holy orders.
His first official work was a third share in the British Museum catalogue of 1787, and he subsequently catalogued the ancient rolls and charters, 16,000 in all. In 1789 he produced the first two volumes of the index to the Gentleman's Magazine, and in 1790 the first index-concordance to Shakespeare. He died at the British Museum on Oct. 3o 1804.
A Y S C U E (erroneously ASKEW or AvscouGH), SIR GEORGE (d. 1671), British admiral, came of an old Lincoln shire family. He took part in the first Dutch War. The inde cisive battle off Plymouth (Aug. 16 165 2) cost him his command, though an annuity was assigned him. The later years of the Commonwealth he spent in Sweden, Cromwell having despatched him thither as naval adviser. At the Restoration he became one of the commissioners of the navy, but on the outbreak of the second Dutch War in 1664 he once more hoisted his flag as rear admiral of the Blue and took part in the battle of Lowestoft (June 3 1665). In the great Four Days' Battle (June II-14 1666) he served with Monk as admiral of the White. His flag ship, the "Prince Royal," was taken on the third day, and he him self remained a prisoner in Holland till the peace. Lely's por trait of Sir George Ayscue is in the Painted Hall at Greenwich.