SMITH, SYDNEY, an English clergy man; born in Woodford, Essex, England, 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.