PRESCOTT-PREVENTION OF CRUELTY. 



247 



the army at Cambridge. On June 1 6 he was ordered 

 to throw up defences on Bunker's Hill, and, though the 

 work was done on Breed's Hill, the battle that ensued 

 is known by the former name. (See BUNKER'S HILL.) 

 Col. Prescott had the command throughout and was 

 one of the last to leave the intrcnchuicnts. He resigned 

 in 1777, but afterwards joined Gen. Gates' s army as a 

 volunteer and was present at Burgoyne's surrender. 

 He was for many years a member of the Massachusetts 

 Legislature. He died Oct. 13, 1795. 



His brother, OLIVER PREsrorr (1731-1804), gradu- 

 ated at Harvard College in 1750 and became a physi- 

 cian. In 1776 he was made brigadier-general of militia 

 and in 1777 he was elected to the supreme executive 

 council of the State. From 1779 till his death he was 

 a judge of probate for Middlesex county. He was 

 active in suppressing Shays's Rebellion. 



PRESCOTT, WILLIAM (1702-1844), the son of Col. 

 William Prescott, was a noted lawyer, served in the 

 chusetts Legislature and in the governor's coun- 

 cil, and was a delegate to the Hartford Convention of 

 1814. Though twice offered a seat on the bench of 

 the State Supreme Court he declined, but he served as 

 judge of common pleas for Suffolk county. He was 

 the father of the historian WILLIAM HICKUNO PRES- 

 COTT (1796-1859), for whom see the ENCYCLOPAEDIA 

 BRITANNICA. , 



PRESSMNSK, EPMON-D DEIIOCT.T DK a French 

 theologian and senator, was born at Paris, Jan. 7, 1824. 

 He studied theology at Lausanne under Vinet, and 

 also at Halle and JJeriin. In 1X47 he was ordained 

 pastor of the Evangelical Free Church in the Taitbont 

 Chapel at Paris and soon after was made professor in 

 the Free School of Theological Science. He gained 

 high reputation as a pulpit orator and soon devoted 

 hiniselfenergetically to the advocacy of the entire sepa- 

 ration of church and state. In 1 863 the University of 

 Breslau conferred on him the degree of D. D. In 1871 

 he was fleeted to the Chamber of Deputies, and 

 during his five years' service voted constantly with the 

 Republican party. In 1883 he was made a life-senator. 

 He is a chevalier of the Legion of Honor. Of lii.s 

 numerous works may be noted Chrixtiani'sme ilang 

 xnn application any qiiexticm* sociales (1849); Ijf Re- 

 drmjilcur (1854) ; Jjtx trofx premier* xieclex tit I' Eglise 

 chretirnne (4 vnls., 1S58-7") ; /,' Eglae et la Revolution 

 franrnix (!>''. t) : Jt'mx-1 ' hrist, xnn tempi, xa vie, ton 

 mvv (1866); Lr. Coiirile >/n Vatican (1872); La 

 Liliertt rrlif/irtixe en Europe (1874) ; Ehulfx contem- 

 porainex (1N80) ; Let Orifftiu* (1882) ; Varietex moralit 

 et politiquex (1885). He founded the Revue ckretienne\ 

 in 1854 and the Bulletin tfi>'iifn,/i(/ur. Several of his 

 works have been translated into English by Annie 

 llarwood. 



His wife, ELISE F. L. T>f. PRESSENSE, born in Switzer- 

 land in Irt'Jfi, has published several religious stories, 

 including lloxa ( ],s:,s) ; Le Journal de Tterbse (1854) ; 



PRESTON, 'WILLIAM CAMPBELL (1794-1860), 

 statesman, was born at Philadelphia, Dec. 27. 1794. 

 His father, Francis Preston (1706-1835), was then a 

 member of Congress from Virginia. The son studied 

 law with William Wirt at Richmond, and travelled in 

 Europe from 1816 to 1819. He was admitted to the 

 bar at Richmond, but removed to Columbia, S. C., in 

 1S22, and two years later was elected to Congress. 

 He was a leading advocate of free trade and nullifica- 

 tion. In the U. S. Senate from 1834 to 1842 he was 

 one of the noted orators. His style was ornate and 

 ciition graceful. In 1845 he was made president 

 of South Carolina College, and after filling this position 

 with honor for six years he retired on account of ill 

 health. He died at Columbia. May 22, I860. 



His brother, JOHN SMITH PRESTON (1809-1881), was 

 educated at Elampden-Sidneyl lullegeand atthe Univer- 

 sity of Virginia and studied in the Law School of 

 Harvard College. Ho married a daughter of Cen. 

 Wade Hampton, of South Carolina, in I*3U and took 



part in the nullification movement. He was a member 

 of the South Carolina Legislature from 1848 to 1856, 

 and became noted as a speaker. In February, 1861, 

 he went as a commissioner to Virginia to urge imme- 

 diate secession. His speech before the Virginia Legis- 

 lature at that time was his most noted and brilliant 

 effort. During the civil war he served first on the 

 staff of Gen. Beauregard, taking part in the battle of 

 Bull Run, and afterwards was brigadier-general with 

 charge of the conscript department. After the war he 

 went to Europe, where lie remained several years. 

 After his return in some notable occasions he delivered 

 addresses in which he maintained with vigor and elo- 

 quence the right of secession. He died at Columbia, 

 b. C., May 1, 1881. He wasa highly cultivated gentle- 

 man and a liberal patron of art. 



JAMES PATTON PRESTON (1774-1843), uncle of the 

 preceding, was a colonel in the U. S. army and waa 

 wounded in Canada during the war of 1812. He was 

 afterwards governor of Virginia, 1816-19, and State 

 senator. His son, WILLIAM BALLARD PRESTON (1 805- 

 ]sr>2). was a lawyer and served in Congress as a Whig. 

 He was secretary of the navy under Pres. Taylor and in 

 1858 went to France to promote the establishment of 

 a French line of steamers to Norfolk. He took part 

 in the Virginia convention in 1861, at first strongly 

 opposing secession, but finally acquiescing. He was 

 afterwards a member of the Confederate Senate till 

 his death. 



PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS. " The 

 American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to 

 Animals," of the State of New York, the first insti- 

 tution of its kind ever organized in America, was in- 

 corporated by an act of the Legislature of the State 

 of New York, passed April 10, 1866. Its founder 

 was Henry Bergh, whose career has been sketched in 

 Vol. I. of this work. 



While engaged in his duties as Secretary of tha 

 American Legation to Russia, 1802-64, he was much 

 lained at witnessing the brutality of the drivers of the 

 Russian conveyances to their animals, and in several 

 instances interfered in their behalf. Passing through 

 England, on his return homeward, he examined the 

 methods of the Royal S. P. C. A. in London and de- 

 termined to found a similar institution in New York. 

 Soon after his return home he entered with zeal upon 

 his humane work. He at first solicited the support of 

 prominent citizens and called a meeting, at which 

 officers of the society were elected. Then he applied 

 to the State Legislature for the enactment of laws for 

 the protection of animals, and also for the grant of a 

 charter tor the institution. Having secured these, he 

 attacked the problem of obtaining for dumb creatures 

 a proper degree of consideration for their comfort. At 

 first his efforts met with much opposition from the 

 cruel and ridicule from the thoughtless. Neverthe- 

 less, he persevered, and by continued efforts, in which 

 at times he personally arrested offenders, he suc- 

 ceeded in winning public commendation for the cause 

 to which he had devoted his services. 



In 1871 Louis Bonard, a man of humane and gener- 

 ous nature, died, bequeathing his entire fortune to the 

 society, which placed it on sound basis financially. 

 Since that period numerous other contributions have 

 been received by it, and its power for good largely aug- 

 mented. The building at the S. E. corner of Fourth 

 avenue and Twenty-second street, in the city of New 

 York, was purchased and altered to adapt it to the 

 purposes of the institution, and the work of reform 

 was proceeded with on a larger scale. 



Kvery form of unnecessary pain inflicted upon ani- 

 mals comes under its supervision. Dog-fighting, cock- 

 fighting, the use of lame, sore, weak, or disabled ani- 

 mals, violent beating, or needless abuse of these crea- 

 tures, are a few of many kinds of cruelty suppressed 

 bv it. It has a regularly uniformed force of officers in 

 New York city and Brooklyn, branch agencies in many 

 counties, and agents in nearly every county in the State 



