486 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [July, 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF ROBERT HENRY LAMBORN. 

 BY CARRIE B. AARON. 



At Horublue Hill, Chester county, Pa., not far from the his- 

 toric Kennett, whose beauties have been the theme of Bayard 

 Taylor's pen, Robert Henry Lamborn was born, October 29, 1835. 



His boyhood was spent in the home of his fathers, and he was 

 thus surrounded by the advantages of inhei'ited prosperity. His 

 father was a member of the Society of Friends, and was an intel- 

 ligent man of refined tastes, a close observer, a bright conversa- 

 tionalist and a wide reader. The son inherited his prepossessing 

 appearance, courteous manner, dignified bearing and agreeable 

 disposition. 



Young Lamborn's education was given a scientific turn by the 

 influence and patronage of his uncle, Jacob Pierce, who served as 

 Librarian of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia from 

 December, 1817, to December, 1826, and who, in the early days 

 of the institution, had, at one time, all its collections stored in 

 one of his spare back rooms. No doubt the youth received his 

 first inspiration for " collecting " while in such environment. 



After receiving a common-school education and a special train- 

 ing at the Polytechnic College in Philadelphia, he determined to 

 continue his studies in civil engineering abroad. He secured means 

 to do so by the publication of original essays on the metallurgy of 

 copper, silver and lead,^ works which, although long superseded, 

 were considered ably written and used as lext-books both here and 

 abroad. He became a student of the Royal Saxon Mining Acad- 

 emy of Freiberg, and the School of Mines in Paris, graduating 

 from the University of Giessen, from which he later received the 

 degree of Doctor of Philosophy. 



Soon after the outbreak of the Civil War, Dr. Lamborn returned 

 from Europe and joined the army, serving with the Anderson 



^ A Treatise on the Metallurgy of Copper, J. Weale, London, 1860, and 

 A Treatise on the Metallurgy of Silver and Lead, J. Weale, London, 1361 . 



