Studies of astronomy at Heidelberg, Berlin (under Encke) and Vienna; work at the observatories in Vienna and Paris; nomination to the direction of the cantonal observatory at Neuchâtel destined to facilitate the production of high precision clockworks; from 1859 onward director of the observatory at Neuchâtel; 1866 chair of astronomy and geophysics at the Academy of Neuchâtel; 1862 participation in the foundation of the Commission géodésique suisse of which he was also secretary; 1866 together with C. Bruhns secretary of the Sitzung der "Internationalen Erdmessung" (formerly "Mitteleuropäische Gradmessung") in Neuchâtel, 1886-1900 its permanent secretary; 1875 Convention internationale de mètre in Paris where he was nominated permanent secretary of the international committee.
