SMITH 465 SMITH June 3, 1771. Educated at Winchester School, Sydney, in 1789, entered New College, Oxford, where he took his degree of M.A. in 1796, becoming fellow a few years afterward. In 1797 he obtained the curacy of Netheravon, a village on Salis- bury Plain, where he passed a secluded life for about two years. He then went to Edinburgh as tutor to a young gentle- man, continued there for five years, and was one of the founders in 1802 of the "Edinburgh Review," being also one of its most influential contributors. In 1804 he removed to London, about the same time married, and became renowned as one of the wittiest and most genial of men. In 1806 he was presented to the living of Foston-le-Clay, in Yorkshire. In 1807 appeared anonymously his cele- brated "Letters of Peter Plymley," in- tended to further the cause of Catholic emancipation. His liberal views on poli- tics excluded him for a long time from church preferment; but in 1828 he was presented to the rectory of Combe Florey, in Somersetshire, and in 1831, during the ministry of Earl Grey, he became one of the canons of St. Paul's, London, where he henceforth resided. A few years be- fore his death a collected edition of his writings was published under his own supervision, including papers contrib- uted to the "Edinburgh Review," "Sketch- es of Moral Philosophy," etc. He wrote a "Life of Dalton," and "History of the Atomic Theory up to his Time" ; "Air and Rain: the Beginnings of a Chemical Cli- matology"; "Loch Etive, and the Sons of Uisnach"; "Science in Early Manches- ter"; etc. He died in London, Feb. 22, 1845. SMITH, WILLIAM, the "father of English geology"; born in Churchill, Ox- fordshire, England, March 23, 1769. Act- ing successively as land surveyor, mining surveyor, and canal engineer, he was led to indulge in many speculations of a gee* logical nature. He became convinced that each stratum contained its own peculiar fossils, and might be discriminated by them, and in 1815 he was able to submit a complete colored map of the strata of England and Wales to the Society of Arts, and received the premium of $250 which had for several years been offered for such a map. His fame as an original discoverer was now secure; but becoming involved in pecuniary difficulties he was obliged to part with his geological coU lection to government for $3,500. Subse- quently a pension was granted to him by government. He died in Northampton, England, Aug. 28, 1839. SMITH, WILLIAM ALDEN, Ameri- can Senator; born at Dowagiac, Mich., May 12, 1859. In 1879 he was appointed page in the Michigan House of Represen- tatives, studied law, was admitted to the bar, and began practising in Grand Rap- ids in 1883. He was a member of the Republican State Committee in 1888. In 1895 he was elected to Congress, where he served for twelve years, and in 1907 to the Senate on the death of Russell A. Alger. He was reelected for the term 1913-1919, but declined a renomination in 1918. SMITH, WILLIAM AUSTIN, an American clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal Church. He was educated at Harvard University and at Seabury Di- vinity School. He was made deacon in 1898 and priest in 1899. After serving as curate and rector of churches in Provi- dence, R. I. ; Milwaukee, Wis., and Spring- field, Mass., he became editor of the "Churchman" in 1916. SMITH, WINCHELL, an American playwright, born at Hartford, Conn., in 1871. He was educated in the public schools of Hartford, and from 1892 to WINCHELL SMITH 1904 was on the stage. Together with Arnold Daly he produced a number of plays by George Bernard Shaw. He be- gan the writing of plays in 1906. Among his best known plays were a dramatiza-
