William Bnell Sprague, an American clergyman, born in Andover, Conn., Oct. 16, 1795. He graduated at Yale college in 1815, studied in the theological seminary at Princeton, and in August, 1819, was ordained pastor of the first Congregational church at West Springfield, Mass., as a colleague of the Rev. Joseph Lathrop, whom he succeeded as pastor in 1820. In 1829 he was installed pastor of the second Presbyterian church at Albany, N. Y. He resigned this charge in 1809, and removed to Flushing, N. Y., where he still resides (1870). He has made large collections of pamphlets and autographs, the former of which he presented in 1875 to the state library at Albany. He has published "Letters to a Daughter" (1822), republished under the title "The Daughter's Own Book;" "Letters from Europe" (1828); "Lectures to Young People" (1830); "Lectures on Revivals of Religion" (1832); "Hints on Christian Intercourse" (1834); "Lectures illustrating the Contrast between true Christianity and various other Systems" (1837); "Life of E. D. Griffin" (1838); "Life of Timothy Dwight, D. D., President of Yale College," in Sparks's "American Biography" (1845); "Letters to Young Men, founded on the History of Joseph" (2d ed., 1845); "Aids to Early Religion " (1847); " Words to a Young Man's Conscience" (1848); "Women of the Bible" (1850); " Visits to European Celebrities " (1855); " Annals of the American Pulpit," a collection of biographies of leading clergymen of all the denominations (9 vols. 8vo, New York, 1856-69); and " Memoirs of Rev. John and W. A. M'Dowell, D. D." (1864).