Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 1).djvu/79

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
ALLEN
ALLIN
57

the Maine conference seminary, and was graduated at Bowdoin college in 1833. From 1833 to 1836 he taught Latin and Greek in Cazenovia, N. Y. seminary, and in 1836 he became principal of the high school at Augusta, Me. The same year he was elected professor of natural philosophy and chemistry in Dickinson college, Carlisle, Pa., where in 1846 lie assumed the duties of the professorship of philosophy and English literature, and in 1847-'48 was acting president. He was appointed president of Girard college in 1850, which place he held until 1863 and again from 1867 until his death. During 1865-66 he was president of Pennsylvania agricultural college. In 1872 he was chosen president of the American Bible society. He contributed largely to periodical literatui-e, and published several valuable reports on education.


ALLEN, William Howard, naval officer, b. in Hudson, N. Y., 8 July, 1790 ; killed in action 9 Nov., 1822. He entered the navy as midshipman 1 Jan., 1808, and was promoted lieutenant 24 July, 1813. He was 2d lieutenant of the "Argus," and commanded in the fight with the "Pelican" off the coast of England after Captain Allen and the first officer were disabled. He was killed in attempting to board piratical vessels with boats near Matanzas, in the island of Cuba. His friend Halleck made his early death the subject of a tender and touching poem.


ALLEN, Zachariah, inventor, b. in Providence, R. I., 15 Sept.. 1795; d. 17 March, 1882. He was descended from one of the early settlers of Providence and was son and lieu- of a wealthy merchant. He was graduated at Brown in 1815, was admitted to the bar in 1817, and in 1822 engaged in manufacturing. He did much as a capitalist to promote the industries of Rhode Island, and was the inventor of the automatic cut-off valve for the steam-engine, extension rollers, an improved fire-engine, and a hot-air furnace. He also devised a storage reservoir for water-power, and first suggested the system of mutual insurance adopted by New England mill-owners. He was for many years president of the Rhode Island Historical Society. He published, on returning from Europe in 1825, the "Practical Tourist," a treatise on "Practical Mechanics." speculative works on physical science entitled "Philosophy of the Mechanics of Nature" (1851), and "Solar Light and Heat" (1879), and articles on the history of Rhode Island. See "Memorial" of Mr. Allen by Amos Perry (1883).


ALLENDE, Ignacio (al-yen'-de), Mexican patriot, b. 20 Jan., 1779; shot at Chihuahua, 1 Aug., 1811. He was a captain in the Spanish army, but joined the rebellion of Hidalgo in 1810, and rendered efficient services by reason of his military knowledge and his influence over the natives, with whose aid he transported heavy artillery across the mountains. When Hidalgo lost the battle with the Spanish troops, Allende conducted the retreat, but was betrayed into the hands of the Spaniards near Saltillo and executed. In 1824 his remains were buried in the vault reserved for the viceroys and presidents in the cathedral of Mexico.


ALLERTON, Isaac, pilgrim, b. about 1583: d. in New Haven in 1659. He went from England to Leyden in 1608, and came to America in 1620 in the first voyage of the "Mayflower." He was a wealthy and enterprising member of the colony, and took a leading part in its affairs. He treated with Massasoit, and made several trips to England as the agent of the colony to purchase the rights of the adventurers, to secure patents for lands, and to bring over the rest of the congregation at Leyden. In 1631 he had a dispute with the colony and was dismissed from its service. He then took up his residence at Marblehead, and established trading-stations on Kennebec river, at Penobscot, and other places. Two coasting vessels owned by him were wrecked, and two of his trading-houses were destroyed by the French and Indians. In 1635 he was warned by the Plymouth authorities to depart from Marblehead. He was a burgher of New Amsterdam, and was chosen a member of the council in 1643, but resided, after he left Marblehead, at New Haven. His daughter Mary, who died in 1699, was the last survivor of the "Mayflower" company.


ALLIBONE, Samuel Austin, author, b. in Philadelphia, Pa., 17 April, 1816; d. in Lucerne, Switzerland, 2 Sept., 1889. He gained a high reputation in early life for his familiar knowledge of English and American literature. He applied his learning to the preparation of a great work entitled “A Critical Dictionary of English Literature and British and American Authors,” the first volume of which appeared in 1854, and the second and third in 1871. This laborious compilation, exhibiting careful exactness and critical judgment, contains notices of 46,499 authors, with 40 classified indexes of subjects. Before the appearance of this “Dictionary of Authors,” Dr. Allibone had published “A Review by a Layman of a Work entitled 'New Themes for the Protestant Clergy'” (Philadelphia, 1852), and “'New Themes' Condemned” (1853). In 1868 he published “An Alphabetical Index to the New Testament,” and in 1871 the “Union Bible Companion,” the first part of which work was published separately under the title of “The Divine Origin of the Holy Scriptures.” In 1873 appeared his “Poetical Quotations, from Chaucer to Tennyson,” with copious indexes, containing 13,600 passages taken from 550 authors, classified under 435 subjects. This was followed by “Prose Quotations, from Socrates to Macaulay,” with indexes to the 8,810 quotations, containing the names of 544 authors and 571 subjects (1876). In 1880 he published “Great Authors of All Ages; being Selections from the Prose Works of Eminent Writers from the time of Pericles to the Present Day,” with indexes. He published also “Explanatory Questions on the Gospels and the Acts” (1869), and was the author of numerous religious tracts and articles in periodicals. The indexes to Edward Everett's “Orations and Speeches” (1850-'59), and Washington Irving's “Life and Letters” (1861-'64), were from his hand. He was book editor and corresponding secretary of the American Sunday-school union from 1867 till 1873, and from 1877 till 1879, when he became librarian of the Lenox library, resigning in 1888.


ALLIN, John, clergyman, b. in England in 1596; d. in Dedham, Mass., 36 Aug., 1671. He was a Puritan scholar, who emigrated from England in 1637 and became the first minister of Dedham. He published a "Defence of the Nine