Excerpt from Memoir of William Allen, F. R. S Few men have deserved to have their character and efforts more widely diffused than William Allen. He was a man greatly beloved by a large circle of scientific, benevolent, and religious persons, who, during the period in which he lived, took the lead in endeavoring to emancipate the human mind from the shackles of ignorance and bigotry. His time and heart were devoted, for a long series of years, to obtain freedom for the slave, education for the chil dren of the poor, relief for consciences oppressed by ecclesiastical rule, and discipline calculated to reform as well as punish the guilty. His chemical experi ments and philosophical lectures contributed greatly to banish erroneous notions, and to enlarge the circle of sound knowledge, among professional and studious persons while his industry, self-denial, and piety, shed a lustre on his character, furnish an example to all, and show how much may be accomplished for the good of others by one ardent, intelligent mind! About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.