Of German background, he was born in London on 16 March 1835, the younger son, in the family of two sons and one daughter, of Hilary John Bauerman by his wife Anna Hudina Rosetta, daughter of Dr. Wychers, who had migrated from Emden in August 1829.
In 1853 he went to the Bergakademie Freiberg to complete his studies, and on his return to England in 1855 he was appointed an assistant geologist to the Geological Survey of the United Kingdom.
After the completion of its work in 1863 he spent time over many years in searching for mineral deposits and surveying mining properties in various parts of the world, chiefly by private persons or by companies, but also by the Indian and Egyptian governments (1867–9).
By his will, money was left to the encouragement of mineralogical science in connection with the Royal School of Mines.
In 1887 he collaborated with John Arthur Phillips in revising and enlarging the latter's Elements of Metallurgy, which was originally published in 1874 (3rd edition 1891).