J. LAWRENCE SMITH. 537 



charging the duties of his chair, he, in connection with his assistant, 

 George J. Brush, performed the vahuihle and much needed work of 

 revising the Chemistry of American JNIinerals. Having married a 

 daughter of Hon. James Guthrie, of Louisville, Kentucky, Professor 

 Smith resigned his chair in the University of Virginia, and adopted 

 Louisville as his home. In 1854 he was elected to the chair of 

 Chemistry in the Medical Department of the University of Louisville, 

 made vacant by the resignation of Prof. B. Silliman. He filled this 

 chair with signal success for several years, finally resigning it, and 

 devoting his time to scientific research. For a number of years he was 

 President of the Louisville Gas Works, and had the scientific charge 

 of them. 



Professor Smith had a private laboratory, which was one of the 

 most complete and best equipped laboratories in this comitry. In 1855 

 he published a valuable JMemoir on Meteorites. Since that time he 

 has given special attention to these bodies. His private collection of 

 meteorites was one of the largest in the world, and he was regarded 

 as one of the highest authorities on this subject. Professor Smith was 

 one of the commissioners of the United States to the Paris Exposi- 

 tion of 1867, and to the Vienna Exposition in 1873. His report on 

 " The Progress and Condition of Several Departments of Industrial 

 Chemistry " was wellnigh exhaustive. 



In 1873 he issued an interesting work containing the more impor- 

 tant of his scientific researches. Since this volume was published he 

 has contributed a large number of valuable papers to various scientific 

 journals. Professor Smith was very ingenious in devising new appa- 

 ratus and methods of analysis. "While much of his work was of a 

 practical kind, he yet preferred original research in the less cultivated 

 field. Of late years he was especially interested in the rare elements, 

 and while studying Samarskite he discovered what he thought to be a 

 new element, which he named Mosandrum. In 1878 he published an 

 account of his researches on this subject, which attracted much atten- 

 tion among scientists. 



In 1879 Professor Smith was elected Corresponding Member of the 

 Academy of Sciences of the Institute of France, to succeed Sir Charles 

 Lyell. He also received honors from the principal scientific bodies of 

 the world. He was a member of the American National Academy 

 of Sciences ; the Chemical Society of Berlin ; the Chemical Society 

 of Paris ; the Chemical Society of London ; the Societe d'Encourage- 

 ment pour I'lndustrie Nationale ; the Imperial Mineralogical Society 

 of St. Petersburg ; the American Association for the Advancement 



