534 



S1T.AK S1T.NVIT, 



Dr. Channing preaching on the occasion. An ear- 

 nest defender of Uuitariauism, lie engaged in ani- 

 mated controversies with Dr. Wyatt of theEp 



li ami Dr. Samuel Miller of the Presbyterian 

 !i. In 1821 lie was chosen chaplain of Con- 

 gress, but two Tears latui- ill-health compelled him 

 to abandon preaching. After travelling through the 

 Western States he settled in Boston, and there be- 

 came editor and proprietor of the \nrlh American 

 J\erieir. While in Baltimore he had been indus- 

 trioas iii writing, editing, and compiling, but rather 

 on Trillions topics. He now turned to American 

 biography and history, his fust publication being a 

 ''Mm Ledyard (183&), though he had already 

 working on his edition of the Writ, 

 \\'>ixliiinit:in. This work, a-s tinally published in 12 

 voluiu- ; "). contiiitied both official and pri- 



vate papers, with notes, illustrations, and biography. 

 Its v.iluo was attested both by elaborate reviews and 

 by its lopublication in abridge. 1 form in England, 

 Franco, and Germany. Its accuracy has been as- 

 sailed, but on insulliciont grounds. It must be un- 

 derstood, however, that Sparks did in some instances 

 modify not only the spelling but the language of the 

 original further than would now be thought i 

 Before this work had appeared, Congress hud au- 

 thorized Sparks to edit the Diplomatic Uomtpoadanct 

 r>f thu Ainnri'-nn Hernliitivn, which appeared in IS'J'.i- 

 'M in 12 volumes. Another valuable work was his 

 Life of Goiirernfi'r .!/ //.- (I! vols., ls.'?2). Afler 

 this, railing to his aid a number of literary 

 eiates, he projected his J.ihnny of American Jii- 

 tv/niplu/. The first series of 10 volumes ap; 

 between Is u and 1838; the second, of 15, between 

 }^H and l^is. Of the sixty lives here presented 

 Sparks wrote eight : Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold, 

 Father Manpiette, He la S.ille, Count Pulaski, John 

 liibault, and (len. Charles Lee. Meantime his edi- 

 tion of Tlte Works (if H<nijaii>i Franklin. (10 vols, 

 1840) had taken its place by the side of his W'ritini/x 

 ii f \\~iiahiinjtiin. Over2">l Metiers eoiitiiined in it WflFe 

 printed for the first time. Another companion woik 

 was Tii" ' f tin' .!'/"</' li'-nilutiiHi 



i !-."' I), which eon tains the letters add reused to Wash- 

 ington by nearly two hundred of his eminent contem- 

 poraries. Dr. Sparks had been in is:!'. I made McLean 

 professor of history in Harvard College, and in ISl'.i 

 was made president of that institution. In 1- 

 was compelled to resign on account of ill-health. He 

 continued to reside at Cambridge and was engaged 

 on a Histnni f lit nliilimi until his 



death, Marcli 14, ISilii. Rev. George E. Ellis, D.I)., 

 ]iiiblished his Mniii'tir in 1869. His library and 

 manuscripts are in possession of Harvard University. 

 SI'F.AK. Son KL THAYF.K, Presbyterian editor and 

 author, was boni at Ballston Spa, N. Y., March 4, 

 1812. He studied both medicine and theology, and 

 was ordained in 1N3."> pastor of a Presbyterian church 

 at Lansingburg, N. Y. In 1H43 he reuio\ 

 Brooklyn, where lie li.-l.l a pastorate until 1870. In 

 1887, on account of infirmities of age, he retired from 

 the Brooklyn Presbytery. He was for many years 

 one of the editors of the Independent, and he also con- 

 tributed to various reviews. Among his works are 

 Church and Stale; The Bible //<< iv. 

 srr.Ni'K, HENRY I)OSAU> MACBICK, English cler- 

 gyman, was born in Pall Mall, London, in 1836. He 

 was educated at Westminster School and at Corpus 

 Christi College, Cambridge, graduating in 18(U. II- 

 wan made professor of modern literature in St. 

 David's College, I^ampeter, in 1865, and rector of St. 

 Mary de Crypt, (iloiicester, in 1870. He also be- 

 came principal of the Theological School of Glouces- 

 ter and canon of tho cathedral in 1*7.~>. He was 

 made rural dean of St. Pancras in 1877. He has 

 been noted for his exegetical labors. With Dean 

 Howaou he prepared a Commentary on the .!/.-, <f th>: 



Apostle*. He assisted in Bishop Ellicott's Commen- 

 taries, and was editor of the I'uljitl c,.,ninr>it<iry on 

 the Old and New Testament*. He has also prepared 

 some treatises on the Talmud. 



Sl'KXCER, AMBBOS ~18), jurist, was born 



at Salisbury, Conn., Dec-, lit, ITii.'i. Ib- giaduateil 

 from Harvard University in 17s:t, studied law, and 

 began practice at Hudson, N. Y., where he v> 

 jxrinted city clerk in 1786. In 1793 he i. 

 Columbia County in the State assembly, and from 

 IT'.ii'i to 1802 he was a State senator. In' IT'.u; he was 

 i appointed assist ant ationiey-geneial of Columbia and 

 Itensselaer counties, and in 1802 was mode attoniey- 

 geucrul of the State. In 1804 ho was raised to the 

 bench of the supreme court, and from 1819 till 1823 

 was chief justice, being also meantime a member of 

 tin- Slate constitutional convention of 1821. On H - 

 suming the practice of law, in Albany, he held va- 

 rious local offices, including that of mayor of thn 

 city from 1824 to 1826. Elected to Congr. 

 he used his efforts to arrest the injustice of the gov- 

 ernment toward the Cherokees. In 1839 ho retired 

 to Lyons, N. Y., where he occupied himself mainly 

 with agricultural pursuits. In 1844 he was presi- 

 dent of tho Whig national convention at Baltimore. 

 He was author of a measure for abolishing capital 

 punishment in nil cases except treason and murder, 

 and of another authorizing the erection of a State 

 prison near New York City. He died at Lyons, 

 March 13, 1K48. Tho degree of LL. D. had 'been 

 erred on him both by the University of Pennsyl- 

 vania and by Harvard College. 



His son, Jons CANFIEI.D SIT.NVKU ( i 

 jurist, was born in Hudson, N. Y"., Jan. 8, 1788. Ho 

 graduated at Union College in 1806, and in 1807 

 nne private secretary of Gov. Tompkins. In 

 1809 ho was admitted to the bar at Canandaigna, and 

 in 1811 became master in chancery. He was ap- 

 1 in 1S13 judge-advocate-genernl in the army 

 on tho northern frontier, and in 181") assistant at- 

 ral for Western Now York. From 1817 

 to 18191ie represented his district in Congress; in 

 IH-JII 21 ho was a member of the State assembly, in 

 the former year serving as speaker. From 1824 to 

 Is'js he was a State senator, serving in 1827 as a 

 member of a board for thn revision of the statutes if 

 New York. He was appointed special attorney- 

 general to prosecute the murdereis of William Mor- 

 gan (see ANTI-MASONKY), but resigned in May, 1830. 

 n 1S;!9 to 1841 he was secretary of stale and 



superintendent of common schools. In October, 

 isil, ho was appointed secretary of war under 1'n s. 

 Tyler, and in March, 1843, was transferred to the 

 ury department. Ho resigned ollice in May, 

 Isll, owing to his opposition to the anncNation of 

 Texas. Ib- then returned to the practice of his pro- 

 fession. He served on many State commissions. 

 New Yoik was largely indebted to him for the or- 

 ganization of its asylum for idiots and the improve- 

 ment of its common school system. From his alma 

 mnti-r. Union College, of which he was made a regent 

 in IMd, he received, in 1849, the degree of LL. D. 

 In 1838, he edited, wiih a preface and notes, Do 

 ville's Democracy in America. He died in 

 Albany, May 18, 1855. A painful and deplorable 

 event in his family cannot be omitted. While he 

 eretary of war his son was a midshipman on 

 .-.:il school-ship Souiers, commanded by Capt. 

 A. S. Mackenzie. While off the coast of Africa tho 

 midshipman headed a mutiny, but the mutineers 

 ' were overpowered and brought to trial before a 

 council of officers. In accordance with thei 



Spencer and two others were hanged at the 

 yard-ami, Dec. 1, 1842. Capt. Mackenzie's conduct 

 was subsequently approved by a board of inquiry. 



SPENCER, HERBERT, an eminent English philos- 

 opher, whose system, based on the facts and theoret- 



