xxiv Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



called " sulphur-balls" or " nigger-heads," which had probably 

 been raked out from the grate-bars of the adjoining factory 

 and passed off on its discoverer as a meteorite. 



Messrs. Tarleton H. Bean, Jos. A. Holmes, Geo. Kichter, 

 and Edward Allen Wilson of St. Louis, were elected to active 

 membership. 



The following biographical sketch of the late Dr. A. 

 Litton, one of the first members of the Academy, by Dr. G. 

 C. Broadhead, was presented by Dr. Hambach : — 



ABRAM LITTON, M. D. 



Dr. Abram Litton, the son of Joseph and Kate Warren Litton, was born 

 in Dublin, Ireland, May 20, 1814, being next to the youngest of nine chil- 

 dren. 



He died in St. Louis on September 22, 1901, at 2:45 P. M. aged 87 years, 

 4 months and 2 days, and in the house he had built 53 years before and in 

 which he had lived ever since. His health had been very feeble for two 

 years. 



The father and mother of Abram Litton came to America about 1817- 

 The family resided for awhile at Pittsburg, then came to Nashville, Tenn., 

 where the older Litton and his wife resided during the remainder of their 

 lives. Abram was educated in a private school in Nashville and for part of 

 the time attended a school kept by a Mrs. Sterns. He then lived with his 

 older sister, Mrs. Margaret Bostick at Franklin, Tenn., where he attended 

 a school taught by Bishop Otey. In 1829 he entered the Junior Class of the 

 University of Nashville, graduating in 1831, at the age of 17. He then 

 studied another year with Dr. Lindsay. He then went to Paris, Tenn., and 

 taught school. Then he taught two years at Jackson, Tenn. 



In 1836, four years after graduation, he was offered the professorship of 

 Mathematics and Natural Philosophy in Nashville University. This he ac- 

 cepted, remaining there three years. He then resigned his position in 

 order to go to Europe and perfect himself in chemistry. He stayed a few 

 weeks in London, then went to Paris, in July, 1840, and attended chemical 

 lectures for about a year, but the laboratory not suiting, he decided to go 

 to Germany. 



He walked through Switzerland to Heidelberg but stayed there only a 

 short time. He then went down the Rhine to Bonn, and six months after 

 leaving Paris he settled down at Giessen, to work with Liebig, with whom 

 he stayed six months. From Giessen he went to Berlin to work with Rosa 

 in his Laboratory, Liebig having given him letters of recommendation. 

 After six months he took a vacation in Switzerland. He then studied about 

 a year with Wohler in GiJttingen. 



He returned to America and married Julia Alice Manning in Nashville. 

 He soon after came to St. Louis and in 1842 took the position as Professor 

 of Chemistry in St, Louis Medical College. Here he procured his honorary 

 degree of M. D. The first year he taught In the school with no salary, the 



