theological circles. Although he may be regarded as holding out too many different lights at the same time, few will be disposed to dispute his rank as an illuminator of the public mind, and as such to be classed with the men who have made their mark upon the world from Birmingham as their standpoint. This was Joseph Priestley, who was born near Leeds in 1733, and who worked his way up through various occupations and professions to great eminence in several departments of science, philosophy, and literature. In America his name is principally, or popularly, associated with Unitarianism, as its practical founder in England. His writings or his reputation as an advocate and expounder of that system of religious faith have created this impression, while what he was else is not so well known to the reading public. But in the midst of his theological controversies, he pursued his philosophical investigations with great depth of research; and the theories he developed, even if erroneous or incapable of being worked to practical and utilitarian results, were useful to those more successful in applying science to the every-day necessities and purposes of common life. His works in this department were varied and valuable, and entitled and admitted him to the front rank of the savans of the day. They were especially esteemed in France, and they brought him into
