BERTHON, EDWARD LYON (1813-1899), English in ventor, was born in London, on Feb. 20, 1813, the son of an army contractor. He first studied medicine, then travelled abroad for some years, and in 1841 entered Magdalene college, Cambridge. He took orders in 1845, and held livings at Fareham and then at Romsey. Always interested in engineering, he made a model of a steamboat with a two-bladed propeller some years before he went to Cambridge, but the Admiralty at that time ridiculed the idea, which was fully worked out by Francis Smith in 1838. At Cambridge he produced what is usually known as "Berthon's log," in which the suction produced by the water streaming past the end of a pipe projected below a ship is registered on a mer cury column above. At Fareham he was able to carry on experi ments with his log, which was tested on the Southampton to Jersey steamboats; but the British Admiralty gave him no encour agement, and it remained uncompleted. He next designed some instruments to indicate the trim and rolling of boats at sea ; but the idea for which he is chiefly remembered was that of the "Ber thon Folding Boat" in 1849. This invention was again adversely reported on by the Admiralty. In 1873, encouraged by Samuel Plimsoll, he again applied himself to perfecting his collapsible boat, eventually accepted by the Admiralty. Some of these boats were taken by Sir George Nares to the Arctic, others were sent to General Gordon at Khartum, and others again were taken to the Zambezi by F. C. Selous. Berthon died on Oct. 27, 1899.