Franz Karl Achard, a Prussian natural philosopher and chemist, born in Berlin, April 28, 1753, died April 20, 1821. He devoted himself to the development of the beet sugar manufacture, repeating and improving upon the experiments of Marggraf. The results of his investigations were published in 1799 and 1800, but found neither encouragement nor imitation, upon which account the king of Prussia presented him with a farm in Silesia where he could continue his studies. In connection with Neubeek, he spent six years of laborious endeavor before he discovered the true method of making the sugar.