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Title: Documentary history of Hamilton College
Names: Seymour, Horatio, 1810-1886, , ,
Publisher: Hamilton College (Clinton, N.Y.)
Place Published: Clinton ( N.Y.)
Date: 1922
Type: Books
Pages: 303 image files
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J , . . . 4‘ A am. ,;,,,,;.;..W/»é««»/17%’ “‘”“’ o . a-4/- A‘ ./—7LM7;f,b“/»,,,wM.6»m,/91%;’/4' . //gr M u_o_/3/{j5«Q{ 4ws¢,ué%7ci .:..5-.avfbo-m/J ¢:E; u’ v r _ ,_7;f/Mir;/, M...»4Z:W.7//:,;/«¢,.7z;ﬂQ ,L, /,g“;,_§,-g W5.) 47 ?‘3?—’i->*“*:’_°"’.2z: k/,%—;M “;¢a“://0.2;, - ,___, - ‘Je‘\ 4/7@A"/4 J"éJaLM“l/5 --cmvaﬁu fa 75*"/f9”//”’“”Z‘79"¢‘%‘7 "W 7”“ “““7/ . “Z” ‘Z . zm‘/W‘*"§‘ J». /2221?" c>4—a7%¢ M 71: I ' ' %'4%"“?"‘” - ‘ ‘J37 ¢% ﬁw ’ .rZ4;2..+~ A , w‘~,.m.»~/‘»='ﬂ""“%""’”""7~* TWO PAGES "FROM. THE JOURNAL OF SAMUEL KIRKLAND, I792~~1793. DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF HAMILTON COLLEGE CLINTON, NEW YORK PUBLISHED BY THE COLLEGE I922 PRINTING AND BINDING BY J. B. LYON COMPANY ALBANY, N. v. 92365 CONTENTS PAGE The Centenary of Hamilton College, by Elihu Root. . . . . I Documents illustrating the History of the College . . . . . . . 2 3 Address at the Dedication of the Kirkland Monument, by Horatio Seymour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 Address at the Unveiling of the Statue of Alexander Hamilton, by Elihu Root . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 275 FACSIMILES ..____j.._..... The Interest of V\7ashington and Hamilton in the Acad- emy. From the Journal of Samuel Kirkland, 1792-- »I793 . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Frontispiece Title Page of The Laws of Hamilton College, I8I3, the first Publication of the College. ., . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S135 Plan of the Campus in 1850-1853, from a Sketch by ‘Oren Root . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 254 Plan of the Campus in 1868, from a Sketch by Oren Root . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 254 [iii] PREFACE --—-j-- The present volume brings together .all the available primary records relating to Samuel Kirkland’s Plan of Education and the history of Hamilton Oneida Academy, the laws of New York and the proceedings of the Regents of the University of the State of New York so far as they relate to the Academy and the College, and selections from the proceedings of the Trustees and other papers of signiﬁcance that illustrate the history of the College down to the semi—centennial in 1862. The documents are copied from the originals in the College Library except as otherwise indicated. Those relating to the Plan of Education and the history of the Academy are for the most part selected from the Kirkland manuscripts deposited in the College Library by the courtesy of Thornton Kirkland Lothrop, Esq., of Boston, Mass. The extracts from the pro- ceedings of the Regents are printed from a transcript kindly furnished by the Secretary of the Board. The editors express their thanks to Mr. Nathaniel L. Good- rich, the Librarian of Dartmouth College, and to the authori- ties of the New York State Library and of the Massachusetts Historical Society for their help in obtaining copies of import- ant papers; to Senator Elihu Root for his counsel in the selec- tion of papers to be included; and to Dr. Alexander Coburn Soper and the friends of the College associated with him for‘ assistance which made possible the publication of the book. JOSEPH D. TBBOTSON S. N. D. NORTH Clinton, May 29, 1922. [V] THE CENTENARY OF HAMILTON COLLEGE ELIHU ROOT THE CENTENARY OF HAMILTON COLLEGE HISTORICAL ADDRESS BY ELIHU ROOT, JUNE I7, 1912 .Modern research in the ﬁeld of evolution tends to increase greatly the apparent importance of inherited as distinguished from acquired characteristics, in the determination of indi- vidual qualities. It appears that from generation to genera- tion the transmission of microscopic determinants ﬁxes, in accordance with established laws already partly discerned, many of the most important characteristics which go to make up the individual. A close analogy may be found in the spiritual succession by which the original qualities and stand- ards of an old institution are transmitted through a long and continually changing series of individual members who differ widely from each other, but who, coming ﬁnd, and going leave, the institution always essentially the same. Great endow- ments, stately buildings, public favor and prosperity, cannot produce or take the place of that indeﬁnable and mysterious quality which has been transmitted from a remote past, which has persisted through many changing years and many pass- ing lives, and which gives to the institution a personality of its own, a continuance of the life breathed into it at the moment of its birth. Each new human element that enters into the work of such an institution comes under the domina- tion not of this man or that, but of the potent spirit which gave life to the institution and moulds its traditions, its habits of thought and feeling and action, its purposes and its aspirations. The true history of such an institution must be the story of the outward working of this informing spirit, and it is only in the origin that we can ﬁnd understanding of all that follows. The granting of the college charter to Hamilton College one hundred years ago was but an incident in the development of an institution already established. The application for the [3] 4 HAMILTON COLLEGE [1912 charter is described in the Journal of the Regents of the Uni- versity of the State of New York, at its meeting of Febru- ary 17, 1812, as——- A petition from the Trustees of Hamilton Oneida Academy praying that the said Academy may be invested with collegiate powers and privileges. The minutes of the meeting of the regents on March 10, 1812, contained this entry: The committee to whom was referred the application for a college in Oneida County and that Hamilton Oneida Academy be erected into a college, report that, in their opinion, the prayer of the applicants ought to be granted. T The charter, which was reported by Chief Justice Kent at the meeting of the regents on March 22, I812, begins with the recital: WHEREAS, The Trustees of Hamilton Oneida Academy, in conjunction with many of the citizens of the Western district of this State, have by their petition made known to us that they, the said applicants, were minded to found a college by engrafting the same on the said Academy at or near the site of said Academy in the town of Paris, in the County of Oneida, and have signiﬁed to us that the name thereof shall be Hamilton College. For the origin of our college we must goiback to the begin- ning of the academy which was thus “ invested with collegiate powers and privileges,” which was “ erected into a college,” upon which a college was “ engrafted.” The beginning_ of the academy appears in the Journal of the Regents of the University of the State for January 29, 1793. There were present: “ His Excellency, the Chancellor of the University (George Clinton) ; the Vice-Chancellor (John Rodgers) ; Pierre Van Cortland, Esq., Lieutenant-Governor of this State; Lewis Morris, Benjamin Moore, Philip Schuyler, Gulian Ver Planck, Mathew Clarkson ” —— great names in the history of the state. The minute reads: The respective applications of Samuel Kirkland and seven other persons praying that Alexander Hamilton and ﬁfteen other persons for that pur- 1912] CENTENARY ADDRESS 5 pose nominated may ‘be incorporated by the name and style of “The Trustees of Hamilton Oneida Academy” at Whites Town, in the County of Herkimer; and of Joseph Yates and twenty-three other persons pray- ing that Abram Yates, Junior, and twenty-three other persons nominated in the said application may be incorporated by the style of “ The Trustees of the Academy of the Town of Schenectady," in the County of Albany, subject nevertheless to be changed into the name of the most liberal benefactor; were severally read and committed to the Vice-Chancellor General Clarkson and Mr. Ver Planck. The committee named reported favorably at the same meeting, whereupon the minute proceeds: The Board resolved itself into a committee of the whole to take the above report into consideration, and after some time spent thereon the Chancellor reassumed the chair, and General Schuyler, from the said committee, reported that they had agreed to the report of the sub-committee. Whereupon, Resolved, That the Board agree to the said report. Ordered, That the Secretary prepare instruments in the usual form for incorporating the-said Alexander Hamilton and the said ﬁfteen other persons for that purpose named, and the said Abram Yates and the said twenty-three other persons named i.n the said application, and that the Chancellor aﬂix the seal of the University to the said instruments. ‘ The “Academy of the Town of Schenectady ” subsequently became Union College. Thus Union and Hamilton were created at the same instant by the same sovereign ‘act. The Hamilton Oneida application upon which this action was taken was dated November I2, 1792. The charter bears the signature of George Clinton as Chancellor. It was one of the early acts of the regents of the University of the State of New York, an institution then recently organized under the statute of £784, revised and ?perfected in 1787 upon the report of a committee drafted by Alexander Hamilton. The ﬁrst Board of Trustees appointed by the charter consisted of: Alexander Hamilton, John Lansing, Egbert Benson, Dan Bradley, Eli Bristol, Erastus Clark, James Dean, Moses Foot, Thomas R. Gold, Sewal Hopkins, Michael Myers, Jonas Platt, Jedediah Sanger, John Sergeant, Timothy Tuttle, and Samuel Wells. For the true origin of the institution we must go still farther back to the school of Eleazar W heelock at Lebanon, 6 HAMILTON COLLEGE [1912 Connecticut, where came in I 761: as a student, at the age of nineteen, Samuel Kirkland, son of the Reverend Daniel Kirk- land, of Norwich, Connecticut. The school was established primarily for the education of Indians, and out of it a few years later in I 769 grew Dartmouth College. Here the boy became imbued with the spirit and began to acquire the learn- ing, necessary eéto qualify him for; his extraordinary career of usefulness and power as a missionary to the Iroquois. After a century and a half of ﬁghting Indians with all the hatred and revenge which follow ﬁre and the sword, outrages and reprisals, the British colonies had become established and strong in their capacity for defense. The long struggle againstiFrance and her Indian allies for the control of the continent had drawn to a close with the victories of Wolfe at Quebec and Amherst at ‘Montreal, and a new light seemed to break upon the consciences of the good people of Great Britain and her colonies. The churches that listened every Sunday to the teachings of the Apostles awoke to a sense of concern for the souls of the simple savages whose lands they were taking away and whose habits contact with the new civil- ization was corrupting. Something of the same missionary spirit arose in Protestant Britain and New England that in the Roman Catholic church had inspired the devotion and sacrifice of the Jesuit missionaries to the Indians of the N orth- west, and had raisedthe names of La Caron and Bréboeuf and Marquette above the obscuring mists of doctrinal dissen- sion, above all distinctions of sect and creed, as illustrious and revered examples of Christian service. William Legge, second Earl of Dartmouth, became trustee of a fund col- lected in England for the support of the school for Indians at Lebanon. The Scotch Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge turned their attention and their money towards the cultivation of the newly—discovered ﬁeld, sent out mis- sionaries and established other schools for the spread of the 1912] CENTENARY ADDRESS 7 gospel. The character and spirit of the Lebanon school are exhibited in the Memorial sent by Mr. Wheelock to Sir VVil- liam Johnson, superintendent of Indian Affairs. in North America, and other commissioners assembled at Fort Stan- wix for a conference with the Indians, in October, 1768. The Memorial says: The Memorial of Eleazar Wheelock of Lebanon in the Colony of Con- necticut, Founder and Director of the Indian Charity School in said Colony, humbly showeth: “That said school was founded with a single view to promote the knowledge of the only true God, and our common salvation especially among the savages of this land; thereby to deliver them from their present miseries, make them good members of society, loyal subjects to our rightful Sovereign, and especially cordial subjects to the King of Zion. And the plan has since been well approved, and the school generously endowed by the liberalities of his present Majesty King George the Third, and by many N oblemen and Gentlemen in Europe, as well as by many charitably disposed people in America———and much labor and cost have been already expended to ﬁt and qualify a numberboth English and Indians for Mis- sionaries and School Masters among their several tribes who are now or will soon be ready to enter upon their respective services, if suitable doors should be opened for their improvement therein. Som.e attempts have also been already made among the Oneidas, and not without some encouraging prospect that their lives and manners may be soon formed to rules of decency, civility and religion.” Into this work the young Kirkland entered with unsurpassed energy and enthusiasm. The ﬁrst reference to him which I ﬁnd is in a letter from Sir William Johnson to Mr. Wheelock, dated November I7, 1761, in which the writer says: ‘ Kirkland’s intention of learning ye Mohawk language I much approve of as after acquiring it he could, when qualiﬁed, be of vast service to them as a clergyman, which they much want and are very desirous of having. In the autumn of 1762 Kirkland entered the sophomore class of Princeton, where he received his degree in cou1;se at the Commencement of 1765. So eager, however, was he to enter upon his ‘adventurous work that he did not remain for the college commencement, but before the close of the year he withdrew and engaged in an expedition to the country of s HAMILTON COLLEGE [1912 the Senecas. €Mr. Wheelock said of this expedition, in a letter to the Countess of Huntingdon, on May 16, 1765: A young English gentleman, Samuel Kirkland, I sent last fall to winter with the numerous and savage tribe of the Senecas in order to learn their language and ﬁt him for a mission among them; where no missionary has hitherto dared to venture. This bold adventure of his, which, considered in all the” circumstances of it, is the most extraordinary of the kind I have ever known, has been attended with abundant evidence of a divine blessing. On April 29, 1765, Mr. Wheelock sent through Sir William Johnson an address to the sachems and chiefs of the Iroquois tribes, in which he said: I thank you for the kindness which some of you have shown to my dear Mr. Kirkland, whom I sent into your country last fall. His heart is bent to do good to the Indians. He denies himself all the pleasure and honors which he might have here among his friends, only to do you good. I hope you will continue your kindness to him, and «treat him as my child. I hope God will make him an instrument of great good to the Indians. “ This gentleman,” say McClure and Parish, speaking of Kirkland, in their memoirs of Wheelock, was, in various respects, peculiarly qualified for the arduous task. He possessed uncommon constitutional strength and vivacity, a mind fearless in danger, a great fund of benevolence, and a heart devoted to the cause of the Redeemer, and zealous for the conversion of the heathen. He traveled among those barbarians unattended, boldly persevered in the good work, and endured trials and encountered dangers which would have appalled a common mind with terror and dismay. Althtough famine spread its horrors around him, and his life was often in danger from some who watched an opportunity to kill him, yet he continued with them more than eighteen months, taught them from the word of life, and acquired a compe- tent knowledge of their language. In May, I766, Mr. Kirkland returned from the country of the Senecas and was ordained at Lebanon, and in July he returned to the country of the Iroquois under a commission from the Society in Scotland. The commission ran in these words: Be it known to all people by these presents, that the Board of Corre- spondents, in the Colony of Connecticut, New England, appointed and commissioned by the Honorable Society in Scotland for Propagating 1912] CENTENARY ADDRESS 9 Christian Knowledge. . . . Do authorize, ordain, and appoint the Reverend Samuel Kirkland a missionary among the heathen and ignorant people in North America . . . and we do invest the said Reverend Samuel Kirkland with all the powers, immunities, and privileges belonging to a missionary, employed and commissioned by the Corresponding Commissioners of the Honorable Society in Scotland for propagating Christian knowledge; and as the said Reverend Samuel Kirkland goes forth under the protection of their royal charter, it is desired and expected none will presume to molest or disquiet him in the prosecution of his office, but afford him all needful encouragement and assistance therein. Signed and sealed by order and in the name of the Board. of Corre- spondents, at Lebanon, the nineteenth day of June, A. D. 1766. ELEAZAR WHEELOCK, Secretary. At this time he took up his residence in the more central position of the Oneidas, where he was to pass his life and do his work for more than forty years. Abundant evidence has been preserved of the noble and unselﬁsh spirit in which he worked, of his tireless energy, the fortitude with which he endured hardship and suffering, the courage which no pov- erty or discouragement could daunt, the swift sympathy through which he found his way to the affections of his untutored people, and the commanding inﬂuence over them which he acquired. In 1769 a clergyman in Scotland sent him thirty pounds through a New York correspondent, say- ing that he had “ from good authority a most savory account of the uncommon labor of love and hardships in his Master’s service of the Indian Missionary, Mr. Samuel Kirkland; ” and Kirkland said in his acknowledgment of this: This will be not only the first thirty pounds, but the first thirty shillings, I ever had, that I might in any sense call my own, except a few dollars given me last spring by the liberality of some friends in Boston, to procure books. I have never had any salary since I embarked in this arduous b-ut glorious cause, nor ever asked for one. I have the testimony of my con— science, with four years’ experience (notwithstanding the reproach and censure I am obliged to receive from the men of the world), that I was not induced to enter this design of Christianizing the heathen from pecuniary motives or worldly views. Dr‘. Wheelock has supplied me from time to time, as Providence handed in to him. /* 10 HAMILTON COLLEGE [1912 And at about the same time the Board in Scotland resolved: The Board, having taken into consideration the eminent services and painful labors of the Reverend Mr. Samuel Kirkland, one of the mission- aries employed by Dr. Wheelock among the Indians, and the difficulties he has undergone in the prosecution of that employment, are of opinion that the sum of oneihundred pounds sterling be allowed him, to provide himself with necessaries, before he engages in further services. It is probable that during all this period Kirkland had in mind as a useful agency for civilizing the Indians the estab- lishment of a school, not only because of the impression derived from the Lebanon School and from Mr. Wheelock’s example, but from the fact that during their intimate acquaint- ance Mr. \7Vheelock himself had entertained the idea of remov- ing his own school to the country of the Iroquois. A letter is preserved from Wheelock to General Amherst, written April 2, I 763, in which he proposes that a grant of land be made —— on the V\/est side of Susquehanna River or in some other place more convenient, in the heart of the Indian country, in favor of this school . and that the school be an Academy for all parts of useful learning; part of it to be a college for the education of missionaries, interpreters, school masters, etc., and part of it a school to teach reading, writing, etc. Indeed it appears that the establishment of Dartmouth Col- lege on the Mohawk instead of at Hanover was at one time in contemplation, for at the Indian Congress at Fort Stanwix, in October, 1768, the Reverend Jacob Johnson, one of the missionaries to the Indians, came in behalf of Dr. Wheelock to ask the favor of Sir William Johnson and his associates for a proposal to the Indians, which ran in this Way: Know Ye That Whereas The Reverend Dr. Eleazar Wheelo-ck of Lebanon in the Colony of Connecticut in New England, Minister of Jesus Christ is about to set up a college for Great School for the beneﬁt of the Indians which generous and good design is favored by your Royal Father the King of Great Britain The Earl of Dartmouth together with many wise as well as great and good men, and a place is now searching out whereon to set up said College and many great offers made in lands and monies wherewith to endow said College in several of the neighboring English Governments but no place resolved upon as yet to set up said College. ' 1912] CENTENARY ADDRESS 11 These are therefore to ask of you Fathers and Brethren if it be your minds and what you would choose to appropriate and devote a certain tract of your land or country for this great and good purpose on or near the Mohawk River or wherever you in your wisdom may think most convenient of such extent and worth as may be sufﬁcient with what monies and other benefactions and charities may be given to endow said College that it may be of a most public and extensive use and beneﬁt to the several nations of Indians. The outbreak of the Revolution carried Kirkland’s activi- ties into a wider ﬁeld, introduced a new element into his life, and gave broader scope to his vision, for his knowledge of the Indians and his inﬂuence over them enabled him to render most signal service in preventing Indian hostilities, and espe- cially in maintaining the friendly attitude of the Oneidas towards the colonists so that the united action of the League of the Iroquois in the British interest was impossible. He was as patriotic as he was pious. He served his country as zealously and effectively as he had served his religion. He became the agent of the colonies among the Indians of all the Six Nations, and for years journeyed up and down through the country attending their councils and pleading the colonial cause. He was chaplain to the garrison at Fort Schuyler under a commission from the Continental Congress. He was brigade chaplain of General Sullivan in the campaign of 1779. He became a trusted adviser of the government regarding Indian affairs. He was thrown into intimate relations of friendship and conﬁdence with Washington and Hamilton and Schuyler and Pickering and Knox. After the defeat of St. Clair, when the Iroquois were in danger of making com- mon cause with the western Indians in a bloody war against the new government of the United States, it was Kirkland who, with inﬁnite pains and difﬁculty, induced a great party of the chiefs and sachems of the Six Nations to go with him to the seat of government at Philadelphia, where a good under- standing was reached and their part in the war prevented. In the meantime he had returned to his missionary duties amongthe Oneidas and had prepared and sent to Timothy 12 HAMILTON COLLEGE [1912 C‘ Pickering and to the Board of Commissioners in Boston, a plan of education for the Indians, particularly of the Five Nations.” This plan contemplated, in addition to smaller schools, the establishment of an academy in the vicinity of Oneida at which English youth were to be admitted, and a certain number of Indian youth, selected from the different nations of the confederacy, and to be ‘ instructed in the principles of human nature, in the history of civil society, so as to be able to discern the difference between a state of nature and a state of civilization, and know what it is that makes one nation differ from another in wealth, power, and happiness, and in the principles of natural religion, the moral precepts, and the more plain and express doctrines of Christianity. Timothy Pickering was one of the little group of men whom Washington trusted most. He was then Postmaster- General, was soon to become Secretary of War, and after- wards Secretary of State; and he played a great part in the Federal administrations which, under Washington and John Adams, set in motion the machinery of the new government under the Constitution. A long document from him con- taining comments upon Kirkland’s plan of education, approv- ing its general principles, suggesting alterations and improve- ments, gives evidence of the interest he felt in the subject. In 1792 Kirkland Went about the execution of that portion of the plan of education which related to the establishment of an academy. He visited New York, conferred with the governor of the state and the regents, and he visited Phila- delphia, where he conferred with Washington, Pickering, and Hamilton. Washington, it is said, expressed a warm interest in the institution, and Hamilton consented to become one of the trustees and to afford all the aid in his power. President Fisher, in his semi—centennial address ﬁfty years ago, states the fact that from Hamilton Mr. Kirkland obtained the gift of a lot of land,‘which realized what in those times was a handsome sum. When the charter had been granted Kirk- land proceeded to donate a site to the new institution on the 1912] CENTENARY ADDRESS 13 hillside overlooking the valleys of the Oriskany and the Mohawk—a part of the tract which four years before had been conveyed to him by the conjoint action of the Indians and the state in recognition of his services to both. The terms of the conveyance indicate a liberal spirit and an appre- ciation of the polite side of life which it is pleasant to ﬁnd surviving after so long experience amid barbarism and hard- ship. He was founding an institution in a wilderness, sur- rounded by savages. The nearest approach to civilization was to be found in the rude life of the frontiersmen. Yet he speci- ﬁed in his gift of land that a part was to be used for an orna- mental garden. The preamble of the deed has often been quoted, but cannot be quoted too often. It says: A serious consideration of the importance of education and an early improvement and cultivation of the human mind, together with the situ- ation of the frontier settlement of this part of the state, though extensive and ﬂourishing, yet destitute of any well regulated seminary of learning, has induced and determined me to contribute of the ability wherewith my Heavenly Benefactor hath blessed me, towards laying the foundation and support of a school or academy in the town of Whitestown, and county of Herkimer, contiguous to the Oneida nation of Indians, for the mutual benefit of the young and ﬂourishing settlements in said county, and the various tribes of confederate Indians; earnestly wishing the institution may grow and flourish, that the advantages of it may be extensive and lasting, and that, under the smiles of the God of wisdom and goodness, it may prove an eminent means of diffusing useful knowledge, enlarging the bounds of human happiness, aiding the reign of virtue, and the kingdom of the blessed Redeemer. To this foundation were added contributions made front their slender means by many of the inhabitants of the infant settlements of central New York. In the following year, 1794, the academy building was erected and soon after teach- ing was commenced. The corner stone of the building was laid with great ceremony by the Baron Frederick William von Steuben, Washington’s inspector-general, the drill master of the Revolution, the old staff officer of Frederick the Great, whose military experience and loyal constancy through the privations of Valley Forge turned the undisciplined colonial levies into an army capable of Monmouth and Yorktown. 14 HAMILTON COLLEGE [1912 Among the forests that were familiar with the silent passage of the savage Indian, along the slopes that looked down upon the bloody battleﬁeld ofiOriskany, the wareworn soldier was accompanied to this place where we now stand by a gay and joyous cavalcade in which were two of the daughters of Mr. Kirkland and their escorts, and in which the Clinton Light Horse, Captain George W. Kirkland commanding, was the guard of honor. Cheerful hope and strong faith and lofty purpose accompanied, with propitious omens, the ﬁrst physical step in the undertaking we now celebrate and promote, after the lapse of a hundred and eighteen years. c It is plain that the long and strenuous labors of Kirkland in the revolutionary struggle, his companionship with the great men who were freeing and founding the nation, his agency in establishing and maintaining due political relations between the still powerful Indian tribes and the new United States, had changed and developed the view of the young missionary and brought a new element into the scope of his purpose. He was no longer content to convert pagan savages into Christian savages, but was bent upon establishing an agency of civilization which should do its share towards solving the race question of his time and make peace through knowledge and understanding. To the savage prejudice and error and racial hatred against which he and his great com- panions and leaders had been struggling, he wouldoppose, in the words of the plan of education, “instruction in the principles of human nature, in the history of civil society, so as to be able to discern the difference between a state of nature and a state of civilization, and know what it is that makes one nation differ from another in wealth, power, and happiness.” He would inculcate not the doctrinal theology A (C of any school or creed, but principles of natural religion, the moral precepts, and the more plain and express doctrines of Christianity.” It was this public service of statesmanship which brought to his project the approval of Washington and the cooperation of Hamilton and Pickering and Steuben. 1912] CENTENARY ADDRESS 15 So there entered into the birth of the new institution both the spirit of religion in its broadest sense and the spirit of patriotism in its highest development. It was to promote Christian civilization and to promote instructed and‘ wise citizenship. It was not merely that boys might learn grammar and algebra to help them to get on in life, but that among all the crude and unorganized elements of that transition period should arise an inﬂuence powerful to expand men’s minds and form men’s characters for a nobler country and a better world. The spirit of the new institution was born of struggle and arduous labor and sacriﬁce, and noble scorn of ease and luxury, and little care for wealth and display, and thirst for knowledge, and loyalty to truth, and love for man, and faith in God. V\/hen we now, in our generation, do our share towards carrying on the college we are executing the lofty purposes of great and noble men, long since passed away, and entering into a companionship with them. The life of the institution has been a lifeof struggle, happy, perhaps, for the preservation of its virtues. It was several years before the funds sufﬁced to ﬁnish the interior of the building of which Steuben laid the corner stone; but before the close of the eighteenth century it had become a flourishing institution. It was visited by President Timothy Dwight in his “ Journey to Whitestown ” in I799. He says of it: ,This Seminary is already of considerable importance; and contains ﬁfty— two students, of both sexes, under the care of two instructors. The scheme of education, professedly pursued in it, includes the English, Latin, and Greek languages, and most of the liberal arts and sciences. An Academic building is erected for it, eighty~eight feet long, and forty-six feet wide, of three stories, on a noble, healthy eminence, commanding a rich and extensive prospect. It is, however, but partially ﬁnished. In his account of this same journey President Dwight describes Utica as “ a pretty village containing ﬁfty houses,” and he says, “in 1794 there were but two, and in 1795 but 39 six. It was Dr. Dwight’s intention to extend his journey 16 HAMILTON COLLEGE [1912 to the western parts of the state, and he proceeded as far as a point which he describes as “ Laird’s, at the entrance of the Oneida woods.” This is the hamlet on the present state highway about two miles and a half north of the college. There he became daunted by the reported difﬁculties of penetrating the wilderness any farther and turned back. It seems rather a pity that the old academy building which was built in the wilderness ‘with so much pains should not have been preserved for its associations, but it was torn down in 1830, although the house built by Mr. Kirkland at the foot of the hill for his home, in 1795, and long known as the Harding house, still remains. In those early days there was but little money in the neighborhood and the academy had but a small part of that. The report to the regents for the year I804 states the property of the academy to have been: Academy lot and house . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. $3,500 Other real estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 900 Personal estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 240 Library and apparatus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 462 Annual Income From the funds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 48 From tuition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 494 Teachers’ salaries per annum [there were two of them] 604 Average price of board per annum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 65 Price of tuition per annum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. I2 And upon this basis sixty-four students were being instructed in ——-— 4 Reading and Writing. English Grammar, Cyphering, etc. Mathematics, Bookkeeping, etc. Dead Languages. Logic, Rhetoric, Composition, etc. Moral Philosophy, etc. The French Language, and Natural Philosophy. When we consider those days of poverty we should remem- ber that the men who contributed the funds and the labor, 1912] CENTENARY ADDRESS 17 who cut and squared the timbers and split the shingles and raised the frame for the new academy, were themselves liv- ing in log houses and destitute of what would now be regarded as almost the necessities of life; that the money which paid the sixty-ﬁve dollars per annum for board and the twelve dollars per annum for tuition was hardly earned on partly cleared farms and was saved by self-denial and sacriﬁce. Life was hard and stern. For a long time after the college charter the students arose in the morning at half past ﬁve o’clock, summer and winter, attended prayers in the chapel at six, and recitations until seven, by the light of tallow candles. They attended church and chapel and recitation in rooms without ﬁres, and even the president sometimes preached in overcoat and mittens. Great progress was made from this point to the opulence which justiﬁed and secured the_college charter of 1812. In 1814, the regents of the University reported, of the three colleges which then existed in the state: From Columbia, Union, and Hamilton Colleges, special representations of their respective conditions have been made to the Legislature, by which the degree of increasing prosperity in each will be seen, and how far the very great beneﬁts they are calculated to afford to the community, recom- mend them to the unremitted support of Government. And thereupon the legislature of the state enacted a law which affords an interesting illustration of the changing standards of public sentiment and public policy. It was Chapter 120 of the Laws of 1814, entitled “An act institut- ing a Lottery for the promotion of Literature and for other purposes,” passed April I 3, I814. The act recites: Whereas well regulated seminaries of learning are of immense impor- tance to every country, and tend especially; by the diffusion of science and the promotion of morals, to defend and perpetuate the liberties of a free state; Therefore, Be it enacted by the people of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, That there shall be raised by lottery, in successive classes, a sum equal in amount to the several appropriations made by this act, together with the simple interest accruing thereon, till the same shall be raised and paid by the managers appointed to superintend the same. 2 l8 HAMILTON COLLEGE [1912 The act then proceeds to make appropriations of one hun- dred and seventy thousand dollars out of the avails of the lottery to Union College, forty thousand dollars to Hamilton College, to grant the land known as the Botanic Garden in New York to Columbia College, and to authorize the pay- ment of four thousand dollars to discharge the debt of the Asbury African church in the city of New York. In the original edition of the Session laws there is a note under this statute which says: No bill before the Legislature excited greater interest and attention than this act. Much credit is due to the unwearied exertions of the able and eloquent president of Union College, in procuring its passage. And there is an appendix to the volume by which it appears that the state, under an act of June 19, 1812, had already given to Hamilton College the sum of ﬁfty thousand dollars, and that the trustees of the late Hamilton Oneida Academy and other individuals had subscribed ﬁfty thousand dollars for the beneﬁt of the college. The prosperity of the institution continued until in 1823 a boyish prank in which a cannon was exploded in Old South College led to a controversy that left the college almost with- out students; and for several years it seemed on the verge of extinction. It soon recovered, but before the recovery was complete an active dispute arose upon a proposition to remove the institution to Utica, and the defeat of that proposal led to the resignation of President Sereno Dwight. ‘Ne should be grateful that the proposal was defeated, for it would hardly have been the same institution if it had been moved, and now, with the railroad and the trolley line and the macadam roads and the automobile, the college is practically a Utica institution. It is nearer to Utica now than New Hartford or Whitesboro was then. The great citizens whose memory Utica cherishes as a part of her civic traditions deemed it a part of their duty as citizens to maintain and promote the interests of the institution which was exercising so beneﬁcent 1912] CENTENARY ADDRESS 19 an inﬂuence throughout the region of which Utica is the center. The first president of the Board of Trustees of the college for many years was General oseph Kirkland, mayor of Utica. My own memory recalls, with a distinctness peculiar to the vivid impressions of early youth, the appear- ance of Horatio Seymour and Joshua Spencer and Hiram Denio and Edmund A. Wetmore and Erastus Clark and S. Newton Dexter and William J. Bacon and Thomas W. Seward and Publius V. Rogers as they appeared upon the commencement stage or attended meetings of the trustees. They deemed this to be their college————the college of their home, and injurious distance did not stop the way of their devotion to her interests- That noble and beautiful city is nobler and more beautiful because step by step with the mate- rial growth of its entire life have gone the inﬂuences of the institution, educating the sons and mingling with the social life of the city. There are worthy successors now to Kirkland and Seymour and Spencer and Denio, and, since the city and the college are drawn closeratoigether in ease of access, they should draw together in sympathy and mutual beneﬁt. Since the settlement of that vital controversy the college has proceeded with little adventure upon its simple and pro- gressive course. It has gradually enlarged its Faculty and its facilities for instruction; it has made its standards higher and its work more thorough; and it has kept pace with the requirements of the time, in the comfort and convenience and beauty of the many commodious and stately buildings, which, especially under the force and enthusiasm of President Stryker, have succeeded the rude old wooden academy on the edge of the Oneida woods. It is an interesting fact that although the Corporation of Harvard College had for many years contributed to the support of Kirkland’s mission, and his son, John Thornton‘ Kirkland, had become president of Harvard, and although Dartmouth and Hamilton were so closely associated in their source and origin, and although Kirkland was a graduate of Z0 , HAMILTON COLLEGE [1912 Princeton, nevertheless the force of the old Connecticut associations was so strong that for more than seventy years every principal and teacher in the academy and every presi- dent of the college, with one exception, was a‘ graduate of Yale. The one exception was Dr. Penney, who held the ofﬁce of president for a very brief time, from I835 to 1839. The last of the series of Yale graduates was the eloquent Samuel Ware Fisher, who retired from the ofﬁce in 1866. After him came that scholarly and delightful gentleman, Samuel Gilman Brown, a graduate of Dartmouth; after him, a graduate of Amherst, the gentle and pious Henry Darling. Then we came to our own in the selection of Melancthon Woolsey Stryker, of the Class of 1872. He needs no monu- ment yet, but, when he does, circumspice. No mortal now can inspire me with half the reverence and admiration that I felt for the teachers of Hamilton ﬁfty years ago. There are no better men than they. There never can be. But I am bound to say that Hamilton is a better college than it was then. Her work is better done and her students are better educated. It is not my purpose in this paper to recount the details of the college life and growth or to enu- merate and estimate the men who have been a part of that life. For the men of the ﬁrst half-century that %ervice was well done by the historical discourse of ﬁfty years ago, and for them all the same thing is done under the admirable prac- tice by which each year there is read an annalist letter from the class ﬁfty years out, a practice which has endured for half a century and ought never to be abandoned. I wish, however, to say something about the college that can be illustrated by reference to a group of teachers, who were here ﬁfty years ago-——my own father, Oren Root, and his son, Oren Root, who, in succession, ﬁlled the chair of mathematics in the college for ﬁfty-eight years; Edward North, professor of Greek for forty—eight years; Charles Avery, for twenty-ﬁve years professor of chemistry; Chris- tian Henry Frederick Peters, the astronomer for thirty—two 1912] , CENTENARY ADDRESS, 21 years in the Litchﬁeld Observatory; and Anson Judd Upson, for twenty-one years professor of rhetoric. Their students doubtless soon forgot the most of what they learned from book and lecture; but their students never could escape the deep and lasting impressions upon their characters, their tastes, and their intellectual methods. These professors were poor as the world goes, but they had a wealth that money cannot create. They loved their subjects and were happy in their work. They rejoiced in the exercise of their powers. They were content with simple pleasures. They ﬁlled the atmosphere about them with an enthusiasm for learning and literature. They sought for truth as one who strives in a game. They never talked or thought about money or invest- ments or proﬁts. They took little heed of all those things for which men are striving and wearing out their lives in the market places of a materialistic civilization. For a boy to live with such men, to be close to them during four of the most impressionable years of youth, to observe and become accustomed to their simple and sincere lives, with~ out money, made happy by the pleasures of the intellect and taste, to get their standards and become impressed by their estimates of the values of life, and to learn enough out of books in the meantime to understand it all —- that is an educa- tion beyond price. And this is the true history of Hamilton. Before the com- ing of the group that _I have named, their predecessors running back to the wilderness days did the same. Their successors are now doing the same. It is something that the great uni- versity cannot do. VVithall that the great university gains, it continually loses something with its growth, and this is what it loses———-the personal touch and the development of character. It is something that only the small college can do, and only the small college with the right spirit. Hamilton does it because the spirit of the founding in the wilderness persists. She has held to the old faith. She has never sought to be a vocational institution. She does not teach men to be 22 HAMILTON COLLEGE [1912 lawyers or doctors or clergymen or bankers or farmers. She is an educational institution. She seeks to develop, to train, to form, to educate, youths to be men competent to ﬁt them- selves for any vocation. She has been kept true by her tradi- tions, by the train of simple farmer boys who have come plodding over the hills to her examinations, by the great pro- portion of her students who come not because they are sent or because it is the correct thing to do, but because they are eager to make their way in the world. The college has grown, the buildings are more numerous and expensive, the physical appliances are more adequate, the endowment is more ample. The pathetic little schedule of property of a century ago has long since passed the million mark. But all these things are of minor importance, for what would it profit the college to gain them and lose its own soul? The richest possessions of the institution are the multitude of lives, past and present, that would never have been educated if the college had not been here; the intelligences that would not have been enlarged by learning and literature; the spirits that would not have been quickened but for her; the unrecorded inﬂuences for the betterment of a thousand communities to which her graduates have gone; the part she has played in the develop- ment of our country along lines of Christian civilization. The great thing to be said, as we review the century, is that the college always has been, in its essential character, the same institution which drew its life, in the wilderness, from the struggles and sacriﬁces of Kirkland——- always inspired by the same spirit, faithful to the same cause, and working out the same beneﬁcent purpose. T DOCUMENTS ILLUSTRATING THE HISTORY OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 1766-1862 KIRKLAND’s APPOINTMENT AS MISSIONARY To THE INDIANS A Be it known to all People by these PRESENTS, that the Board of Correspondents, in the Colony of Connecticut, New Eng- land, appointed and commissioned by the Honourable SOCIETY in Scotland for propagating Christian Knowledge (by their .. Commission given under the common Seal of the aforesaid Society, Signed by James Smoller Prases of the Committee of Directors, and Alexander Stevenson Clerk of the Society, at Edinburgh the 13th of March A. D. 1764: which Society was legally incorporated by Royal Charter, in the Eighth Year of Queen Anne A. D. I7o9: and afterwards enlarged and ex- tended to the Colonies and Plantations in America, Anno quarto Georgii Primi.) Do authorize, ordain, and appoint the Reverend Samuel Kirtland a Missionary among the Heathen and ignorant People in North America and direct him, as he hath Ability and opportunity, to instruct, teach, and preach the Gospel, to the Indian Tribes and others, as he shall ﬁnd Occasion, where- ever the Providence of God shall call him, and we do invest the said Revd Samuell Kirtland, with all the Powers, Immuni- ties and Privileges belonging to a Missionary, imployed and commissioned by the Corresponding Commissioners of the Honourable Society in Scotland for propagating Christian Knowledge, and as the said Revd Samuel Kirtland goes forth under the Protection of their Royal Charter, it is desired and expected none will presume to molest or disquiet him in the Prosecution of his Ofﬁce, but afford him all needful Encourage- ment and Assistance therein. Signed, Sealed by Order, and in the Name of the Board of Correspondents, at Lebanon, ye I9 Day of June, A. D. 1766. ELEAZER WHEELOCK, Secretary. [251 26 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1789 FRoM SAMUEL KIRKLAND’s JOURNAL, JAN. 14, 1789 The Honbl Board has been made acquainted by my Journal, transmitted to them in the month of August last, of several applications made to me by the Chiefs on Buffaloe Creek and Genesee———both Senekas and Onondagos, also some Oneidas —— to make provision for the education of some of their youth. They have accordingly desired me to take the care of several of their promising youth, and adopt them into my family, that they shall henceforward be considered (in the Indian stile) as the minister’s sons. And upon my accepting the charge or trust, the Parents respectively in a formal manner enjoined upon them to follow my advice and attend to my instruction. Some of these adopted sons have been my companions the summer and autumn past, in travelling several hundred miles through their country. These they would wish to be taught the English language——to read and write the same. The other kind of schooling they would have to be in their own language and in their respective villages. The education of the first class they wish to be such as shall ﬁt them for politicians and schoolmasters, to introduce the manners and customs of the white people among them, which the famous Captain Brant has effected in a very con- siderable degree among the Mohawks. I have not yet given any encouragement of having a school set up in the Senekas Country the present year, as the expense would be too great, till provision can be furnished at a less distance than Mohawk River. The vicinity of Oneida is the best place that I know of for the instruction of those who are designed for an English education. A settlement of white people has been making there for two years past, and will soon furnish provision at a moderate price. They are also a sober, religious, and indus- trious people. Particular attention should be paid to the character of the persons who might be employed in the Indian Country, either 1791] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 27 as missionaries or school masters. They ought to be of good moral character, of generous principles, lovers of universal peace, free from party spirit and bigotry, not contracted but catholic in their sentiments. ,They must treat all Indians in- discriminately with kindness. A PLAN OF EDUCATION FOR THE INDIANS, PARTICULARLY or \ THE FIVE NATIONS First. Let a school be erected in the vicinity of Oneida, contiguous to some English settlement. Secondly. Let there be admitted into this school two Indian lads of the most promising parts, best habits, and principal families from the Seneka Nation, one of the same description from the Onondaga, Cayoga, and Tuscarora; and two from the Oneida Nation. Thirdly. Let them be instructed pretty much in the follow- ing method: first, in reading and writing the English and Indian languages, and in the rudiments of Arithmetic; After having acquired a sufficient knowledge of these, they may be instructed into the principles of human nature, and the history of civil society, so far as is necessary to give them a knowledge of the means which conduce to the wealth, power, and happi- ness of Nations, such as laws, government, agriculture, indus- try, etc.——— that they may be able clearly to discern the differ- ence between a state of nature and a state of crvilitzation, and may know what it is that makes one nation differ from another. Lastly, let them be taught the principles of natural and the doctrines of revealed religion. Moral precepts and the more plain and express doctrines of Christianity should be con- stantly inculcated, as the minds of the youth are able to re- ceive them. Fourthly, besides the above number, it is proposed, in order that the school may become more immediately useful, to select two young men from among the Oneidas, and two from each Village in their neighbourhood, who have already acquired 28 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1791 considerable knowledge of the English language and manners, and place them in the school for six or eight months only, which will so complete them in reading and writing, as to enable them to keep common schools in their respective villages, which schools should be supported by the Indians themselves. To facilitate the acquisition of the English lan- guage by the Indians, it will be necessary to admit into the school a number of English youth, who shall bear the charges of their own education. Fifthly. Those who are members of the school may acquire some knowledge of husbandry by being employed for a cer- tain portion of time in the cultivation of a small tract of land, near the school, to be appropriated for that purpose; but for the more general and speedy introduction of agriculture among the Indians it will be necessary that each village have a good farmer residing in it for a term of time; the expense of which may be defrayed by the Indians after the first year. Sixthly. When the practice of husbandry shall have obtained considerably among them, let a work—house be estab- lished in one of their principal villages, in which the females, after having before learned reading and writing, may be taught spinning and weaving, together with domestic economy. The expense of this may likewise be defrayed by the Indians aftertthe first or second year. I The reason why it is necessary to have the school contiguous to the English on the one part is that the Indians cannot learn the language and manners of the English, but by hearing their language spoken and observing their manners. This has been sufficiently proved by experience. After much pains, there are only four scholars out of thirty in the school among the Oneidas, who have acquired any considerable degree of knowl- edge in the English language, and this they could not have obtained had not their instructor been well acquainted with both languages, for it scarce need be remarked that they have neither grammar nor dictionary to assist them, as we have to assist us in acquiring the knowledge of a language we do 1791] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 29 not hear spoken. The chief reason why it is necessary to have the school contiguous to the Indians, on the other part, is, that as the habits of savage life are at a very great remove from those of a civilized, to oblige the Indian youth suddenly to break off all the former and adopt the latter, will unavoid- ably tend to depress their spirits, and either sink them into a torpid indifference, or beget in them an utter dislike to the improvements and manners of a civilized life. Some of the more intelligent Indians have observed the same thing to me in conversation, which I have had with them upon the subject; that some of their manners must, for a time, be indulged and even cherished, and be very gradually superseded by those of the white people, if we would bring them into our path (as they express it) and make them see as we white people see. By the school being near the Indians, the parents and friends of the youth would have opportunity to visit them frequently, or at stated times have the gratiﬁcation of seeing their improve’- ments, and would encourage them by their applause. More- over, the Senekas, Onondagoes, and Cayogas will not readily consent to have their children, at least of principal families, go farther from their country than the vicinity of Oneida. The utility of teaching them to read and write their own language is very obvious. From their strong attachment to their mother tongue, and the difﬁculty with which they learn ours, neither the present not the next generation will obtain much knowledge of the English language. There are now more than sixty Oneidas who can write and read in their own language with considerable ease and propriety. There are two of the Oneidas, either of whom would answer to teach the Indian language in the school. The little success, which has followed all past attempts to civilize the Indians, may seem to discourage any future efforts for that purpose. To me, however, it appears that the failure of those attempts is to be ascribed to causes, some of which do not exist, and others may be prevented from operating. The whole face of things throughout the territory of the Six 30 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1791 Nations is of late years greatly changed. Formerly the Indians in general, from a strong attachment to their ancient usages and customs, held in great contempt the manners and arts of an improved state of society; now, many hold them in high esteem, and express a strong desire to have them intro- duced. Formerly they could subsist by hunting and ﬁshing; now it is certain, and many of them believe and say it, that their very existence as a people will in a short time depend upon their having recourse to agriculture. So sensible are the dis- cerning among them of the change in their circumstances, that they are excedingly alarmed at their present situation, and apparent destiny, and are convinced that a different course of life from that of their forefathers must be adopted, or their extinction as a nation will be inevitable. The deep rooted prejudices against white people, which formerly possessed the minds of the Indians, are now in a good degree removed. Those Indian youth who have been introduced to schools, were put there too late, and taken away too soon. In the choice of them, little or no regard was paid to genius, dis- position, or habits. This has been remarked by the Indians themselves. Most of those who received this partial English education, were obliged, for the sake of subsistence, to resume the savage mode of life afterwards; Capt. Joseph Brant excepted. Considering these circumstances, and some others that might be mentioned, I believe it may be concluded that a fair trial has never yet been made for the civilization and improvement of the Indians, and that there is still encouragement still to pursue the object as yet attainable. I For I cannot yet admit the idea, which some have advanced, that there is a repugnancy in the very frame and constitution of their minds to intellec- tual improvements and the arts of civilized life. After more than twenty years’ observation, I am not able to discover any other repugnancy in the Indian mind to civilization, than what 1791] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 31 arises from the mere force of an Indian or pagan education. That they want capacity cannot be urged, for they discover in many things great ingenuity and address; and some marks of original genius are found among them. That they have such a viciousness and depravity of disposition as forbids their civilization, is not true; for their ideas of right and wrong in many cases, if known, would do them honor. What I have seen among them, instead of weakening, conﬁrms to me the opinion of most philosophers, that the difference between one nation and another is not so much owing to nature as to education. I think we have every reason to believe that the present inhabitants of the United States owe all their superiority over the native savages of the wilderness in point of dignity to the cultivation of their minds in morals and in the civil and polite arts. I cannot but believe that this plan, or some one similar to it, may with the aid and countenance of Government be executed. That it will be productive of happy consequences, in a civil, moral, and political view, will not be doubted. In the view of the humane and benevolent mind, it will unquestionably be considered as a most desirable object; and an act of justice due to that much injured and neglected part of our species, who are equally capable with us, by nature, of social enjoy- ments and the more noble improvements of the mind. It may be one way in which the United States are to express their gratitude to Heaven for raising them to such wealth and eminence, and putting them into quiet possession of so extensive a part of the territory, once claimed and occupied by the Aborigines of America. We may be conﬁdent that every attempt to diffuse human happiness will meet the approbation of Him, who made of one blood all nations to dwell upon the face of the earth. Saml Kirkland. Oneida, Octor- 4th 1791. 32 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1791 SAMUEL KIRKLAND TO HENRY KNOX Secretary of War in the Administration of George Washington. Philadelphia 6th Decemﬁ 1791. Sir, Agreeably to your request I have the honor to present you with a statement of the expences requisite to give efﬁcacy to the Plan I have drafted and presented to you for introducing Civilization among the ﬁve Nations of Indians. For some reasons the statement I have made extends no farther than the Oneida Nation and its vicinity, together with the Onondagoes, who reside in their ancient settlement, called Onondago, and at the distance of 18 miles only, from the westernmost Village of the Oneidas. Let it be observed that the Oneidas, with their Allies viz. Tnscaroras and Stockbridge Indians, are settled in ﬁve small Villages, and all within what is called the Oneida Reservation; viz. Old Oneida, Tuscarora, (alias Kanadesco) Kanonwalo— hale, Skawasleagl/L, and Kanaghsolage. The two last is at present fewer in number than the former. Kanonwalohale is their Capital, and most central. First. For erecting a convenient and decent Schoolhouse, either in Kanonwalohale, or its vicinity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 50 doll1”S. Two School Masters to be supported for the term of two years, by the General Government; The one to be placed at Tuscarora, the other to supply both Kanaghsolage and Onondago, to be allowed one hundred dollars each annually. . . . . 200 A third School-Master will be employed in the Principal School at Kanonwalohale or its vicinity, and most probably supported by the Society in Scotland for propagating Christian Knowledge. One carpenter and one blacksmith, both of which to be good farmers, and each to be sup- plied with a set of tools ——to be placed at IKM] OF HANHLTON COLLEGE Kanonwallonalle, and to work for the whole vicinity as occasion shall require —-— and each to be allowed 6o doll1‘S for the ﬁrst year-——eXclu- sive of their tools -——- and forty dolls each for the second year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. One or both of the above mentioned to have fannHes,if such can be found.vvho are sober, industrious, ingenius, and of strict integrity. One farmer, a single man, to be placed at Tuscarora; and one of the same description, or with a small family,,to reside at Onondago, and part of the time .at Kanaghsolage; each to be allowed 40 dollfs and for the first year only, as there is a sufﬁcient quantity of cleared land in each of these Villages to enable them soon to provide for themselves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Three yoke of working oxen; two for Kanon- wallohole and its vicinity ; and one for Onondaga and Kanoghsolage, at 50 doll1‘S each . . . . . . . .. Three draught chains at 2% dolls each; two log d0 at 4% dolls each . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Three plows, called by the farmers hog—{)lo'ws. This kind are found to'be preferable to any other for rough and rooty ground—-9 do1l1‘S each , (Dne ox and-—-22doHS;Ioo axeszu I doﬂg IOO hoeszn 36 doﬂr . . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . . . . . .. A Superintendent, whose duty shall be to in- spect the whole, visit each Village .and tribe at least once a month during the spring and sunnner seasons to encourage the indusuﬁous, and to take notice of their progress, and render a particular acct of their conduct and improve- rnent once or twdce in the course of a year to some person appointed for that purpose. The Superintendent may be allowed I60 or zoo dollfs per ann, according to “his ﬁdelity and attention to the real interest of the Indians. . . 3 o I O C o O A O t o o o c O C Q O O o C O 0 I J O O I I C I I I J 0 3 I20 80 I8 188% I60 doﬂ. 33 I 34- DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1791 Two or three hundred acres of land should be appropriated in each Village for the use and beneﬁt of their respective schools. The Master and Scholars, instead of the usual diver- sions of boys, should be ordered to exercise themselves one or two hours every day in improving and cultivating some part of their glebe. The farmer also to contribute something towards it that the proﬁts arising from this appropriated ground may in time support the School. No Trader must be allowed to bring spirituous liquors into any part of the Oneida Reservation or Onondago Village on any consideration. The success of this attempt, next to the aid and counte- nance of the general Government (in which the Indians have now an almost unbounded conﬁdence since the last treaty) will chiéﬂy depend on the character and ﬁdelity of the School masters and farmers who shall be employed, and the exclu- sion of intoxicating liquors from the Indian settlements. I am persuaded on the whole it will be most eligible that a Trader be admitted into one of their principal Villages, with dry goods, ammunition, etc. to prevent the Indians travelling abroad for those necessary articles, where they will be exposed to the intoxicating draught. The building of a w0rk—h0use for the education of the females may be a subject of future consideration. With sentiments of the highest respect and esteem, I have the honor to be, Sir, Your obedt and humbl Servt S. Kirkland. Honbl. Henry Knox, Secty. in the War Departt. P. S. In addition to the above, I would recommend the furnishing the Indians with three hawows and three grind- stones, which will be absolutely necessary. The reasons which invite to make the ﬁrst efforts for intro- ducing Civilization among the Oneida-s and their Allies, are 1791] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 35 principally these: Their having been friends to the United States in the late war, and suffered much in the common cause; they have already approximated considerably towards Civil- ization, which will greatly facilitate the attempt; lastly, the ideas and impressions which the Oneidas embibe of our national character will unavoidably have great inﬂuence with the western parts of the Confederacy and even extend to more remote Nations. N. B. It will be necessary that the farmers and School- masters should be permitted to hold the land they may respec- tively occupy, by way of lease, for the term of I 5 or 20 years, or during good behaviour. TIMOTHY PICKERING TO SAMUEL KIRKLAND. Timothy Pickering was Postmaster General and Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the Administration of George Washington. From the original, in the Library of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Philadelphia, Dec’r 4, 1791. Dear Sir: I have attentively examined your plan for instructing the Indians of the Five Nations in the arts of civil life. In its most striking features, it resembles the plan which last winter I submitted tothe consideration of the President of the United States. I am pleased to ﬁnd that the ideas entertained by me on the subject, after a single interview with the Indians, may be presumed to he just, from their correspondency with yours, which are the result of more than twenty years’ experience. My design was only to suggest a general idea; not to enter into any details. You have descended to particulars; on which, agreeably to your request, I will make such remarks as occur. I. For the reason you mention —— “ that the habits of a sav- age are at a very great remove from those of a civilized life ” — the ﬁrst essay for their instruction cannot be on a plan too simple. A school of plain learning and husbandry, should bound their ﬁrst attempts. By plain learning, I mean such as that which in New England is acquired by the sons of com- mon farmers. At present there are no other objects to which 36 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1791 other learning can be applied; its acquisition therefore will be useless. It will be worse than useless. For want of proper objects, it will produce that uneasinesswhich arises from the want of employment. And this will lead to drunkenness; and indolence and drunkenness are fruitful sources of vice. If, indeed, an aspiring genius appeared,——- though I would not obstruct, I should be at no pains to urge its pursuits. The same learning which would be proper for the farmer, would be suitable for the carpenterand blacksmith; and these two arts the Indians might be encouraged to learn, as well as the art of husbandry; because they are essentially necessary to each other. 2. The necessity of coercive laws and government will not be very apparent, until they acquire property, by cultivating the useful arts. Their ﬁrst legislators and judges can be no more than arbitrators, to whose decisions they may be per- suaded to submit their disputes. Abstract dissertations on laws and government would be little understood; because there are very few objects about which these could be exer- cised. At present the only material one would be to check private revenge. When, by practising the useful arts, they acquire property, laws will be necessary to secure its enjoy- ment. Laws, to be executed, must appear to be necessary. The difference between a state of nature and a state of civil- ization cannot ‘be shown them by abstract reasoning; it can hardly strike them at any time more forcibly than at present, by a particular comparison of their wants, with the plenty of all desirable things which they see in the hands of their white neighbours. It would then be natural to show them by what active means the difference arose. 3. Instruction in the principles of natural, and the doctrines of revealed religion, you place last in the order of education. And indeed I should be very late in an attempt to teach them the peculiar doctrines of revealed religion. First because they would ﬁnd it difﬁcult to comprehend them; and their concep- tions would be wild and extravagant. And secondly, because different teachers might place them in very different points 1791] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 37 of view; and such different views of the same thing (by all their teachers perhaps declared essential to salvation) would confound and discourage them; and probably make them sus- pect the whole to be an imposture. And this would bear unfavourably on all other points in which we wish to instruct them. But the principles of natural religion, and moral pre- cepts, being applicable to all people, at all times, it will be important to explain and inculcate. A short system on these ‘ subjects, drawn up in the most familiar stile and manner, would be a valuable acquisition. It would be alike valuable to the master and the scholar. 4. Your idea of placing the ﬁrst schoolvin the neighborhood of one of our settlements, to facilitate the learning of the lan- guage and manners of the English citizens of the United States, appears to be just. p 5. The provision for the instruction of Indian youth, to qualify them to be school masters among their brethren, is very desirable; but at the out—set, I consider the agricultural by far the most important part of their education. The prac- tical knowledge of husbandry should therefore be an indis- pensable qualiﬁcation for every schoolmaster whether white or brown; and daily, by direction and example, they should instruct the scholars in the practise of it. It will afford a healthful exercise to both master and scholars, and banish the greatest of evils —- idleness. 6. For the speedy and general instruction of the Indians in husbandry, you thinkit will be necessary to place in each vil- lage a good farmer. And you propose that when husbandry shall be considerably practised among them, a work—house should be established in one of their principal villages, in which the females, besides reading and writing, may be taught spin- ning and weaving. With the ﬁrst idea I perfectly concur; but the latter, for many reasons, I do not think eligible, if it were practicable. But so far as it regards spinning and weav- ing, and domestic economy, the provision is obvious. Choose an honest, sober, and discreet farmer, with a wife of the same 38 A DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1791 description, for each considerable village; and furnish them with cattle and instruments of husbandry, andspinning wheels, and the apparatus for weaving: Let the man teach the boys to cultivate the ground, manage the cattle, and perform every other labor of the husbandman, and the woman instruct the girls in spinning and Weaving, and every other branch of business incident to a country life. There are multitudes of farmers who are carpenters, and farmers’ wives who are weavers as Well as spinners. Such should be preferred. The compensation to the farmer and his wife will be easy: it should depend on their own diligence, and the pains they take to instruct the Indians. Let it consist of a certain proportion of the increase of the cattle, and of the produce of the land and the loom. This proportion will be greater or less accord- ing to circumstances. At ﬁrst it must be large; and as their improvements and manufactures extend, it may be reduced. The Indians, for their encouragement, Will share the residue. Tho’ Where the work is capable of a division, so that the labor of each can be ascertained; after deducting the farmer’s share, the remainder should exclusively belong to the Indian by whose “ industry it was produced. The land cultivated by the farmer would belong to the Indians, but to encourage him to pursue the object with spirit, his tenure in it might be ﬁxed to twenty years——-dependent on his good behaviour. When schools were established in the villages, they should be placed near these farms, which would at once furnish to the master and scholars employment and support. But to carry any plan of civilizing the Indians into effect, traders must not be licensed, they must be excluded; or if admitted, they must be carefully selected, and not suffered to keep a drop of any intoxicating liquor. Wishing success to some plan of civilizing the Indians, I am etc. T. P. Rev’d Mr. Kirkland. 1792] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 39 JOHN KEMP TO SAMUEL KIRKLAND. Edinburgh, 27th January 1792. Revd and dear Sir, The history of your labors and services during the course of your Mission continues to give the Society the same satisfaction, which they have formerly received from them. They observe, with much pleasure and approbation, your unwearied zeal and perseverance in the extension of the knowledge of the Gospel among the Indian tribes, and your humane and benevolent attention to the interests, both tem- poral and spiritual, of these remote and benighted people, and they trust you will long be enabled to continue your exertions in the arduous and important work. The residence of your family at Oneida, I hope, will tend tomake your situation more comfortable, by enabling you, in the midst of the wilder- ness, to enjoy the comforts of domestic society. . . . The Society are happy to ﬁnd that the important plan of attempting the Establishment of Schools in the Indian Coun- try is now to be carried into execution. They hope that Mr. Calkins will prove able and fruitful in the discharge of the trust, and they have the more conﬁdence of the utility of the measure from the school being situated in the vicinity of Oneida, where the Teacher may enjoy the beneﬁt of your advice and instruction. ‘ Your plan for the education of the Indian youth was read over and carefully considered by the Directors at their last meeting. Their sentiments on the subject I have communi- cated in a Letter to Mr. Thacher. In general they approve highly of the scope and strain of the proposed plan, but as they wished for cooperation from some American Societies for carrying it into execution, some additional information (which I have mentioned to Mr. Thacher) will be wanted, before they come to a ﬁnal Resolution on the subject. In the mean time the attempt now to be made in the neighborhood of Oneida may perhaps from experience furnish some farther suggestions, for assuring the wished for success. 40 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1792 I shall wait, with some impatience, for answers to the ques- tions I used the freedom to put to you, particularly in regard to the state of Moor’s Indian School. I wrote to you with unreserved conﬁdence and hope you will continue the same friendship and cordiality your last letters express. With the highest personal Esteem, and sincerest wishes for your welfare and happiness, I remain, Revd Dear Sir Your most faithful hble Sert Jo: Kemp. Mr. Kirkland; JOSEPH BRANT (THAYENDANEGEA) To SAMUEL KIRKLAND. Niagara 41711 Febry 1792. My dear Friend, Your long epistle of the 3d ult. I six days agone received. I am particularly happy to hear that you are settled to your satisfaction in the Oneida country, and that you mean still to persevere in good Works, the accomplishing which will require patience and perseverance, both of which I must say you are remarked for. Since your general Government has founded the establishment and are anxious of succeeding in civilization, I have no doubt of their success. It may at ﬁrst seem a difficult task, particularly so to those who may be set over us, unacquainted in any wise with our manners or cus- toms, but this is a circumstance easily surmounted, as there may always be found some well acquainted with us, with whom our Pastors might advise if themselves were uninformed. As the plan for this civilization has been drafted by you (so well acquainted with us) and approved of your Government as the Patron of this good work, the assistance that will be rendered will enable you to begin the undertaking in person, with your usual alacrity, spirit, and perseverance, there can be no doubt but that the end intended will be answered. The good effects that you mention that the Creeks and Cherokees begin to feel from the establishment will be an incentive to 1792] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 41 perform this great, this praiseworthy work, the accomplish- ing which must ever redound to the credit of the U. S., and mark the ﬁrst Promoter with the highest public applause: the secret pleasing satisfaction that the undertaker will be afforded, in reﬂecting on the good works in which he will be daily employed, must be such as none but those in a similar pursuit will be able to judge of. If doing good deeds will render a person fit for the kingdom of Heaven, accomplishing this Xian like desirable business of civilization must and will render his (or their) names famous to posterity. Should you be enabled to pursue your intentions, you shall ﬁnd every assistance that I can any ways afford, and shall ever be happy whenever opportunitys may serve, to join my poor endeavors with yours in forwarding what we both seemingly wish for. . . . With compliments to my friends, your friend and well- wisher, Jos. Brant. Revd Saml Kirkland. THoMAs CASETY TO SAMUEL KIRKLAND. Paris, 27 April 1792. Dear Sir: I doubt not you recolect a conversation that once pasd between you and me at the time Schonandeow’s Bridge was built concerning some land that lay near the place where said Bridge was erected. It was then our opinion that if said Land can be obtained by the consent of the Indians and the Legislature of the State of New York for the appropriation and support of an Academy to promote Literature, useful Science, and Religion among them (the true Source from which the happiness of the human race can only spring) that an undertaking so laudable in itself ought to be forwarded by every just effort. I am well convinced from the goodness that so much distinguishes your character you have not lost 42 x DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1792 sight of so desirable an object. From conversation I have had with my neighbors on the subject they appear all inter- ested in the business and say that they will exert every nerve, accompanyd with your well known perseverance and patience which have been exersizd by many years endurance for the beneﬁt of your fellow men to forward the somuch desired object, being well convincd, knowledge is the Fountain from which the Peace, Greatness and Happiness of Republican Gov- ernments ﬂow as that ignorance is favorable to monarchy, the source of indigence and slavery; putting entire conﬁdence in your ability and exertion knowing them to be equal to the task, I hope so principled an undertaking will have a favor- able end. VVith many Apologys for the imperfections of my Letter, I am with the greatest esteem and many well wishes for your happiness Your very obdnt Servt Thomas Casety- Revd Samuel Kirkland. E. VVIGGLESWO-RTH TO PETER THACHER. From the original in Dartmouth College Library Cambridge April 30, I792. Revd Sir, Upon a careful attention to your letter of the 27th I ﬁnd I cannot express my sentiments on MY Kirkland’s plan more fully than I did in a letter to Dr Erskine of last December. I have enclosed you an extract from it, which I wish you would be so kind as to communicate to the Commissioners, and to assure the gentlemen of the Board that I shall esteem myself happy in conferring with a committee of them at my house. The outlines of Mr. Kirkland’s plan I approve, but, at the same time, am of opinion that no expence ought to accrue to the Society in Scotland, or to that among ourselves, 1792] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 43 excepting for the support of an Instructor, and possibly a grant of a certain sum toward defraying the expence of erect- ing a school room. E. Wigglesworth. Rev. Dr Thacher. Secy etc. SAMUEL KIRKLAND TO PETER THACHER. Oneida June 6th 1792. Revd and dear Sir, I had the honor of addressing you from Stockbridge the 15th ultimo, in which I gaveyou a sketch of my long tour through the Seneka’s Country and journey to Philadelphia with a delegation from the ﬁve Nations to propose and adopt measures for introducing the arts of civilized life among them. I also informed you that Congress had granted 1500 dollars annually for the term of 21 years, for the express purpose of introducing civilization among the ﬁve Nations, in the following manner, viz. for the support of a blacksmith, car- penter, farmer, and a common school master in four estab- lishments, viz. one at Oneida, including the vicinity, and extending as far as Onondago; the second at Geneseo; the third at Buffaloe Creek; the fourth at the Allegheny; the two former only to be attempted the present year. The persons to be employed are to be of good moral character and exemp- lary—- particularly to be free from the vices of idleness, pro- phaneness and intemperance ———but where such will be found, with every other necessary qualiﬁcation, together with the small wages allowed, I know not. The disposition that now prevails among the Indians for the instruction of their children is remarkable, and not less so, the disposition that now seems to have roused up in many parts of the United States, to attend to the situation, cause and complaints of the poor Indians, which have been too long neglected. At the same time, it appears a strange thing to 44 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1792 them, if the Christian religion be so such vast importance, that so little has been said to them about it by the Americans, except a few good ministers who reside in Boston, and corre- spond with the good ministers over the great water ————as they say. The force of this objection, in the manner in which some of them will dress it up, has been difficult to remove. There are now two small villages, besides the Onondagoes, which wish for a school master, and in the» course of one or two years there will be probably the addition of two more, as all the Oneidas residing at the Genesee have determined to remove down to the vicinity of Oneida, the next fall or spring. Should I be able to prosecute my plan for erecting one prin- cipal school in the vicinity of Oneida, the whole might be soon supplied with school masters of their own respective tribes, to teach the rudiments of the English language and arithmetic, together with reading and writing in the Indian O language. The school here, under the care of Mr. Calkins, is in a very ﬂourishing ‘condition. By next winter will probably have betwixt 50 and 60 scholars, and will require the assistance of an usher, with a small salary. I expect two young boys from the Cayoga country, to be boarded at Oneida, or in my own family a part of the time. Mr. Calkins appears to be one of a thousand for the busi- ness, if he can be prevailed upon to prosecute it. Most of the Indians are exceedingly fond of him, and approve of his method of instruction, and even fully justify his rigid dis- cipline, which is very remarkable of Indians. The proﬁciency of one of his scholars in writing has astonished the Indians, and will scarcely gain the credit of the I-Ionbl Board (without well attested evidence) when they come to receive a specimen of it. With all the dispatch my health will allow I shall tran- scribe my journal, with an estimate of the expense of my plan of Indian education, and forward to the Honbl Board. I am 1792] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 45 obliged to attend‘ to the immediate concerns of the Indians, whether sick or well; there is no denial in the present state of things among them. % Your obed. hum. Servt and affectionate Broth? in the Gospel, S. Kirkland. Revd Mr Thacher, Secrty. SAMUEL KIRKLAND TO PETER THACHER. Near Oneida, June 30th 1792. Revd and I-Iond Sir, VV hen I had the honor of addressing you last, I expected by this time to have transcribed my journal, but the state of the Indians, with their various concerns, since my return from my western tour, have occupied too much of my time. We have had many councils upon their temporal and political as well as religious affairs, and part of the time I have not enjoyed good health. You desired of me an accurate map of the territory of the ﬁve Nations, or to informyou where one might be obtained. I referred you to Mr. Gorham for what is commonly called the Massachusetts preemption; the other I expected to procure of the Surveyor General of this State —- but could not see him on my way from Stockbridge to Oneida. . You wish for an estimate of the probable expences requisite to give efficacy to the plan of Indian Education I drew up last year, a copy of which I presented to the Board at my last meeting with them. The following estimate I beg leave to submit: " Towards erecting a suitable and convenient building for the proposed school . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 dollfs. The support of the six or eight Indian youths statedly as proposed in the plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 p. ann. N. B. Congress now give 300 dollrs pl‘ an- num only for the boarding of two Indian Lads 46 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1792 in the City of Philadelphia——viz. Corn Plant- er’s son and a nephew of McGillevery. ‘ As besides the above number there will be (particularly in the winter season) from twenty to thirty occasional scholars without any charge except their tuition, books and stationary.‘ g The support of an able instructor . . . . . . . . . . 2 50 p. ann. Books and stationary for the whole, including the common schools in their respective villages, at least for the ﬁrst three years . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 p. ann. The place for erecting the principal School, as most con- venient for attaining the ends proposed, and which has been pretty generally agreed upon, is about one mile north of the Indian village called Brothertown, on the Oriskene Creek, about one mile and a quarter east of the Oneida’s line of sepa- ration, and about one mile west of the Oriskene Creek, where there is a settlement of white people, many of whom, espe- cially those nearest the place proposed for the school, are respectable families, friends to industry, learning, and religion, and support a good moral character. It is proposed that a small piece of land, perhaps I5 or 20 acres, should be appro- priated to the sole use and beneﬁt of the school, and that the Master and Scholars, instead of the usual diversions of school boys, should exercise themselves one or two hours every week day in improving and cultivating this glebe, that the scholars may, if possible, early imbibe a habit of industry and love of agriculture, which ought to be considered as an essential part of their education. The proﬁts arising from the cultivation of this school ﬁeld or garden, which I should wish to have carried to a high degree of improvement, both in the orna- mental as well as the useful, I would have distributed in pre- miums to the most industrious scholars, or laid out in pur- chasing Books for the School. This will require such utensils as axes, spades, hoes, and shovels, and such implements of husbandry at the outset. The expence of these would not be great. 1792] or HAMILTON ‘COLLEGE 47 That part of the plan relating to the -introduction of hus- bandry in general and the mechanic arts among them, the Government of the United. States have undertaken to execute, an acct of which I have heretofore transmitted to you. No estimate therefore is here made respecting it. The building a work house for the education of the females must be deferred till agriculture has made fair progress among the Indians. For the English part of the School, there has been some property in uncultivated, tho’ valuable, lands contributed, which is to be committed to a body of Trustees with a charter of corporation from the State or Congress, and the proceeds of it, as soon as cultivated, to be applied to the support of the Instructor. Some money and materials have been already subscribed, which, with the sum mentioned in the estimate, I and what more may probably be obtained, will be sufficient for erecting the building, and support of the Indian youth proposed, in order to make one fair trial for the education of Indians. For the present year I shall only prepare accommodations for several of the Chiefs’ sons —— just to make a beginning -- and at the same time keep up the common school in their principal Village under Mr. Calkin. The Oneidas and Onondagoes, since their return from Philadelphia, have been so much engaged in their political concerns, particularly in preparing a delegation, with proper speeches, to go to the westward, with a view to bring about a general peace, they have not yet in full council formed their address to the Honbl Board upon this plan of Indian educa- tion. It is probable one of their young chiefs will accompany me down on a visit to the Board in September next, for a free conference upon the subject. I Good Peter, with four other Oneidas, set out the last week for Buffaloe Creek, where they expect to meet with a delega— tion from the seven tribes in Canada, also a delegation from some of the hostile tribes in the vicinity of the Miamee. 48 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1792 I inclose you a specimen of the improvement in the art of writing of several Indian Boys, under the instruction of your Schoolmaster, Mr. Calkin. The one named John appears to have a genius for the ﬁne Arts ———painting, musick, etc. Mr. Calkin’s task at present is very hard and laborious. He has now upwards of sixty scholars, and his accommoda- tions are very poor. He has ‘labored under every disadvantage, during my absence on my western tour,’ and supported him- self, altho’ a great oeconomist, at great expence. His salary of £20 for six months, will barely defray his expences of boarding, with the company he has been exposed to, exclusive of his journey and transportation of a little baggage for near 300 miles. I doubt not the Honbl Board will make him a proper extra allowance. Provisions are so scarce and bear so high a price at Oneida, that it is, all things considered, as dear boarding there as in the City of Boston, and cannot be much otherwise till such times as the Schoolmaster, Carpenter, etc., shall be in a position to raise their own Bread, or live solely on Indian fare. . Your obedt and very obliged humbl Servt S. Kirkland. Revd DI‘ Thacher Secretary to the Board of Commissrs REPORT OF A COMMITTEE APPOINTED BY THE BOARD OF COM- MISSIONERS FOR THE SOCIETY IN SCOTLAND To CONSIDER KIRKLAND’s PLAN OF EDUCATION. From the original in Dartmouth College Library The Committee appointed by the Board of Scotch Commis- sioners, at a meeting held June I 5, 1792, to take Mr. Kirk- l.ar1d’s Plan of an Indian School in the Oneida Country, into consideration, and to report their sentiments upon the subject, have attended the business, and take leave to report: 1792] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 49 That they have had a personal conference with Mr. Kirk- land; and having entered into a free conversation with him upon the subject, and received from him explanations of such parts as they wished, ﬁnd the plan, in their judgment, well calculated to promote the improvement of the Indian youth, and beg leave to propose: (I) That it be recommended to the Society in Scotland, to enable their Corresponding Board in Boston to draw for two hundred dollars towards erecting a building for a School, upon at Charter’s being obtained, agreeable to Mr. ’Kirk1and’s pro- posals, and an attested copy of it being transmitted to the Secretary of the Board; and also to enable them to draw for three hundred and twenty five dollars per annum, in semi- annual or quarterly payments, for the maintenance of an able Instructor, and for books and stationary for Indian youth; and also one hundred dollars annually, for seven years, for seven Indian youth, to be selected agreeably to the second article of Mr. Kirkland’s Plan. (2) That it be recommended to the Massachusetts Indian Society and to the Corporation of Harvard University to contribute one hundred dollars each, per annum, for seven years, for the same purpose. A (3) That an account of the state of the Indian youth in the school, and the expenditures of the money for their service, be annually transmitted to the three above—mentioned Boards. Joseph Willard per order. Decr 6, 1792 This Report is accepted. KIRKLAND’s PLAN FOR THE ACADEMY. A General Plan of Education for the Academy in Whites— town and vicinity of Oneida, with Rules and Laws for regula- ting the same, approved by a majority of the Trustees. A short reflection upon the grand design of the great Parent of the Universe in the creation of Mankind, and the improve- 4 50 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1792 ments of which the mind is capable both in knowledge and virtue; as well as upon the prevalence of ignorance and vice, disorder and wickedness, and upon the direct tendency and certain issue of such a course of things, must occasion in a thoughtful mind an anxious solicitude to ﬁnd the source of these evils, and their remedy; and a small acquaintance with young minds, how susceptible and tenacious they are of im- pressions, evidences, that youth is the important period, on the improvement or neglect of which depend the most im- portant consequences, both to individuals themselves, and the community at large. A serious consideration of the premises, the importance of education, an early improvement and cultivation of the human mind, together with the situation of the frontier settlements of this part of the state, tho’ extensive and ﬂourishing, destitute of any well—regulated seminary of learning, have determined us to contribute of the ability wherewith our Heavenly Bene- factor hath blessed us, towards laying the foundation of a Free School, or Academy, in the town of Whitestown and County of Herkimer, contiguous to the Oneida Nation of Indians, for the mutual beneﬁt of the young ﬂourishing settle- ments in said County and the various tribes of confederate Indians, agreeably to the respective plans proposed for said Seminary. 1. That a suitable building for the purpose be erected, west- wardly of Capt. Cassety’s mills, in Whitestown, near the line of property (so called)— not less than eighty rods nor more than one hundred ninety from said line. 2. That the Academy or ‘Seminary of Learning be incor- porated, and subject to the visitation of the Regents of the University of the State of New York-—-and that the Honble Alexander Hamilton Esquire Secretary of the Treasury of the U. S., the Honbl John Lansing Esquire, the Honbl Egbert Benson Esquire, the Revd Dan Bradly, Eli Bristoll, Erastus Clark, James Dean, Moses Foot, Jonas Platt, Jedidiah Sanger, Revd John Sergeant, Timothy Tuttle, and Sam1 Wells. be 1792] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE . 51 appointed the first Trustees of said Seminary, with power to increase the number of Trustees to the number of twenty—one, whenever a majority of the Persons above named, shall upon due notice think proper to elect suitable persons to compleat the said numberiof twenty—one Trustees, and they and their successors in office shall be known and distinguished by the Name or Stile of the Trustees of the Hamilton Oneida Academy. 3. The Master, or principal, for the time being shall ever be one of the Trustees. 4. The Trustees shall meet (so many of them as con- veniently can) on the fourth Tuesday in Febry next, and ever after, once in every year, on such day as they shall appoint; also upon emergences, when called thereto, as hereafter directed; and a ma j or part of the Trustees shall, when regularly convened, be a Quorum,‘ of which Quorum a major part shall have power to transact the business of their Trust, except in cases hereafter excepted. And their ﬁrst meeting shall be at the house of Sam1 Kirkland Missry —_.. (near the line of prop- erty so called.) At which meeting shall be chosen the officers of the Trust, and such other business transacted as the Trus- tees shall think proper. 5. There shall be chosen annually a President, Clerk, and Treasurer, as officers of the Trust, of their own number, who shall continue in their respective ofﬁces ’till their places are supplied by a new election; and upon the decease of either of them, another shall be chosen in his room at the next meeting. 6. The master or principal, shall not be chosen President, and no man shall sustain the ofﬁce of Clerk and Treasurer at the same time. 7. The President shall in all cases give his voice and vote in common with any other member, and whenever there shall be an equal division of the members on any question, it shall be determined, on that side, whereon the President shall have given his vote; and in his absence, at any meeting of the Trustees, another shall be appointed, who shall be invested with the same power during his absence. 52 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [17 92 He shall call special meetings upon application of any three of the Trustees; or upon the concurrence of any two of the Trustees in sentiment with him on the occasion of such meeting. And upon the decease of the President a special meeting may be called by any three of the Trustees. All notiﬁcations for special meetings shall express the busi- ness to be transacted, if convenient; and be given at least one month previous to such meeting, if not incompatible with the welfare of the Seminary; and when a special meeting shall be called for the appointment of an Instructor, or to transact other business of material consequence, information shall be given by leaving a written notiﬁcation at the house of each Trustee, or in such other way as that the President, or mem- bers notifying, shall have good reason to believe that each member has received the notice. 8. The Clerk or Secretary shall record all votes of the Trustees, inserting the names of those present at every meeting. He shall keep a fair record of every donation, inserting the name of such Benefactor; the purposes to which it is appro- priated, if expressed—whether for the support of the prin- cipal Instructor, or an assistant————the Academy at large-—— or for the education of Indian youth—and of all expendi— tures: and a true copy of the whole shall be taken and kept in the Seminary to be open for the perusal of all men. And if he shall be absent at any meeting of the Trustees, another Person shall be appointed to serve in his room, during such absence. The Treasurer shall, previous to his receiving the interest of the Seminary into his hands, give bond for the faithful discharge of his office in such sum as the Trustees shall direct, with sufﬁcient sureties, to the Trustees of the Seminary for the time being by name, the said bond to express the use both in the obligatory part and in the condition. He shall give duplicate Receipts for all monies received. 1792] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 53 countersigned by one of the Trustees, one to the Donor, the other to be lodged with such member as the Trustees shall from time to time direct: and the Trustees shall take such other measures as they shall deem requisite to make the Treas- urer accountable, and especially to secure the interest ofthe Seminary. ‘ The Trustees, shall let, or rent out the lands, already given (or that may hereafter be given) in such manner as they shall ﬁnd on the whole will best serve the interest of the Academy. Upon the Death, resignation, or removal of the Master, the Trustees shall appoint another in his stead. I 9. Whereas the success of the Institution much depend. under Providence on a discreet choice of the Principal Instruc- tor, and the human mind is liable to imperceptible bias; it is therefore required that when any candidate for election as Principal Instructor, is so near akin to any member of the Trust, as a Nephew, or Cousin, in determining that election, any member to whom the Candidate is thus related, shall not vote. A The Trustees are impowered to appoint such assistant, or assistants, in and for the service of the Academy, as they shall judge will best promote its usefulness, and may be duly encouraged. No Person may be chosen as a principal Instructor, unless a professor of the Christian religion, or of an unblemished moral character——of exemplary manners, of good natural abilities, of literary acquirements, of a good acquaintance with human nature, with a natural aptitude for instruction and government. ' L And in the appointment of any Instructor, regard shall be had to qualiﬁcations only, without preference of kindred or friend, place of Birth, education or residence. The Trustees shall make a Contract with each Master and Assistant before their entrance upon the office, as to salary, of which there shall be no alteration but in their favour, which the Trustees are empowered to make, as shall to them appear reasonable and the incomes of the Seminary will admit. 54 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY I [1792 It shall be their duty to enquire into the conduct of the Master and assistant, and if they, or either of them, be found justly chargeable with such misconduct, neglect of duty, or incapacity, as said Trustees shall judge renders them, or either of them, unﬁt to continue in office, they shall remove the Master, or any assistant so chargeable. The Trustees shall determine the qualiﬁcations requisite to entitle youth to an admission into this Academy. As the welfare of the Institution will be greatly promoted, by its members being conversant with persons of good character only, no Scholar may enjoy the priviledges of the Academy (except the Children of its Benefactors) who shall board in any family, which is not licensed by the Trustees. And in order to preserve the Institution from the baneful inﬂuence of the incorrigibly vicious, the Trustees shall deter- mine for what reasons a Scholar shall be expelled, and the manner in which the sentence shall be administered. Upon the death, resignation, or incapacity for the service, by reason of age or otherwise, of any of the Trustees, the remaining Trustees shall supply the vacancy by a new election. In settling the salary and perquisites of the Master, and in the consideration of every other question in which the Master is particularly interested, he shall not sit. So soon as the Funds will admit, at the annual meeting of the Trustees, there shall be a decent, not extravagant enter- tainment; and that two, and not more than six, Indian Chiefs of the five Nations, be invited to .attend the same, which will afford them an opportunity, of learning the state of the Academy, and seeing the improvements of the Indian youth. Oeconomy is ever to be viewed by Trustees and Instructors in their respective capacities as an object Worthy of their particular recommendation. The Master, when appointed, shall receive applications for the admission of Scholars, and determine agreeably to the rules respecting the same. He shall conform himself to the rules and regulations estab- lished by the Trustees, and have power from time to time to 1792] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 55 make such other consistent rules and orders as he shall ﬁnd necessary for the internal management and regulation of the Academy; which rules and orders shall be subject to the exam- ination, amendment or discontinuance of the Trustees at their discretion. It shall ever be considered as the ﬁrst and principal duty of the Master to regulate the tempers, to enlarge the minds, and form the morals of the youth committed to his care. The culture of the heart is to be considered as an important object in every branch and part of education; that the Seminary may prove an eminent mean, of diffusing useful knowledge, en— larging the bounds of human happiness, and aiding the reign of virtue and Kingdom of the blessed Redeemer, which are professed by the ultimate end of its institution. IO. The General Plan of Education for this Academy is as follows: There shall be taught the English, Latin, and Greek languages; But learning to speak, spell, read, and write the English language, with propriety, accuracy, and elegance, is to be considered an important object. . Natural History, Geography, Chronology, Music, Arith- metic, practical Geometry, Logic, moral and natural Phi- losophy, Metaphysics, the higher Matliematics, Laws and Government, the principles of Agriculture, commerce and manufactures, and those things that contribute to the wealth population and happiness of states and nations. The study of Government will lead to the knowledge of Republican Government in general. But the pupils should be led more particularly, to attend to the form, principles and supports of the Government of our own Country; they should be carefully taught where lie the dangers to which our national freedom and happiness is exposed, and what are the means of guarding against them. And as Agriculture is the source of subsistence and wealth to our Country, the friend of health, innocence, knowledge and liberty; this is to be strongly recommended and en— couraged by the Master. For which purpose a small piece of 56 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1792 land, not exceeding 10 or I2 acres, shall be appropriated to the sole use and beneﬁt of the Academy, and shall be laid out, near to or adjoining the same. It is the wish of the Founders and Benefactors, that the Master, or Assistant, with the Scholars, instead of the usual diversions of School Boys, should exercise themselves one or two hours every week—day in improving this glebe: that the Scholars, and more par- ticularly the Indian youth, may if possible cultivate a habit of industry and learn agriculture. And fully to answer the design, it should becarried to a high degree of improvement both in the ornamental as well as useful. I The cultivation of various kinds of plants, ﬂowers, and trees would answer the double purpose of affording amuse- ment, and assisting in the study of natural history. Let the proﬁts arising from the cultivation of this garden, be distributed by the Trustees, in whole or in part, as premiums to the most meritorious of the Students, or for the procuring a Library. V The Scholars shall be taught their duties as men, citizens, and Christians, and the greatest care taken that the knowledge and love of them be instilled into their minds as fast and as soon as they are capable of receiving it, that they may be led to see the beauty of virtue and its tendency to happiness, the deformity of vice and its tendency to misery. «As their minds grow ripe for it (more particularly the Indian youth) let the evidences, doctrines, precepts, and sanc- tions of Revelation and the gospel plan of salvation by a Redeemer’ be unfolded to them, together with their important and intimate relation to the Supreme Being be pointed out. I I. The election of all officers shall be by ballot only. [The remainder of this paragraph is torn out of the manuscript. It provided for the admission of Indian youth to the Academy.] In witness whereof the subscribers have hereunto set their hands and seals. Saml Kirkland. 1793] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 57 FROM KIRKLAND’s JOURNAL, 1792-1793. August 4. Saturday. . . . Through the whole week I have been incessantly thronged with Indians from various parts; some full of their wants and distresses ; some to confer with me upon the Plan of Indian Education————if it be like to succeed. II. Saturday. In the course of the week I had several conferences with some of the more intelligent Indians upon the subject of the School, or Plan of Indian Education which I had drawn up. They seemed to be very impatient to have it begun, that the experiment might be made. . . . December 10. Monday. . . . The Indian School, that has been so long proposed, agreeably to my Plan of Indian Education, has become an object of enquiry to many; and some grow uneasy, complain of delays, and blame me for not having set it up before now. I have concluded to take a journey, by leave of Providence, partly with a View to obtain some effectual relief for my eyes, and partly in behalf of the Indians and the proposed School, which will oblige me to go as far as New York, if not to Philadelphia. ]any 3, 1793. New York. Waited on several gentlemen of the Honbl Board of Regents of the University of this State, and conferred with them upon the subject of the School and plan of Indian education. They expressed, individually, the highest approbation of the p1an———~its general utility, and the methods proposed. The Governor, who is President of the Board (ex officio) appointed a meeting of the Regents, when the plan of the proposed Serninary should be laid before them for their consideration. Several of the members being at a distance, they could not be notiﬁed short of twelve or fourteen days. Presented several Indian petitions to particular mem- bers of the Legislature. . Conclude to take the stage to Philadelphia, in order to con- fer with the Honbl Mr Hamilton, Secretary of the United States, and others, upon the subject of the School. 58 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1793 8. Philadelphia. Waited on the President. He again ex- pressed his approbation of the proposed Seminary, as well as that part of the Plan which has been adopted, for introducing and promoting agriculture among the Indians. Mr Hamilton chearfully consents to be a Trustee of the said Seminary, and will afford it all the aid in his power; which was requested by Good Peter and several other Indian Chiefs when at Philadelphia the last spring. . . . 26. New York. Having obtained a meeting of the Honbl Board of Regents, presented them with the following Petition, and sundry other papers relative to the same. . The Regents of the University, after having read the Peti- tion, Plan of Indian Education, Rules for Regulating the Academy, etc., appointed a Committee to report upon them at their next meeting; but by reason of the indisposition of two of their number and the absence of a third, they could not make a quorum ¥——which detained me two weeks longer than I should have otherwise been. The Committee reported unanimously in favor of the Peti- tion, and expressed in terms of high approbation their opinion of the propriety and utility of the Institution. The Charter of Incorporation was accordingly granted under their hand and seal. May 20. Received an attested copy from the Clerk of the Board of Trustees of Hamilton Oneida Academy, to the Revd and Honbl Board of Correspondents in Boston etc., directed to D1‘ Thacher, Secry —— which I here insert. ORIGINAL SUBSCRIPTION FORM, HAMILTON ONEIDA ACADEMY. A Plan for establishing a School or Seminary of learning in the Town of Whitestown, and County of Herkimer, con- tiguous to the Oneida Nation of Indians, for the mutual beneﬁt of the young ﬂourishing settlements in this County and the various Tribes of Confederate Indians, proposed to the inhabi- tants of Whitestown and the County aforesaid. 1793] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 59 The importance of education and an early improvement and cultivation of the human mind is almost universally acknowl- edged. Experience teaches that nothing tends more to pro- mote the happiness of society, to give dignity and reputation to a commonwealth, and aid the reign of virtue, than well established Institutions for the education of youth in every a branch of useful literature. Philosophers generally allow that the difference between one Nation and another is not so much owing to the unequal distribution of Nature’s gifts, as to the nurturing hand of Education. It is Learning which hath made such astonishing distinctions among the different Nations of the earth. That people which hath lived under the warm and enlightening beams of Science has ever appeared like a superior order of beings, in com- parison with those who have dragged out their lives under the cold and dark shades of ignorance. The human mind is like some precious stone, whose inherent beauties and excellencies are not discoverable till it hath gone through the hand of the polisher. Perhaps no Country in the world is more indebted to the cause of Learning than the United States of America. Her present inhabitants owe all their superiority to the native savages of the wilderness, in point of dignity, to the cultiva- tion of their minds in morals and in the civil and polite arts. And more than this; to the well informed mind of her citizens does she owe her present important rank in the scale of Nations; and to this is she indebted for the establishment of a Constitution and Government which are an honour to human nature; and on this alone (under God) do the preservation of her future liberties, and all the invaluable rights of mana kind, essentially depend. Knowledge, next to Religion, is the brightest ornament of human nature. It strengthens, enlarges, and softens the human soul, and sets its dignity and beauty in the fairest light. Our natural powers are so many Talents, which in their own nature lay us under moral obligation to improve and cultivate them to the best advantage, agreeably to the doctrine of our divine 60 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1793 Teacher: “ Whoso hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundantly.” What more noble and engaging considerations can be urged to prove the propriety, absolute necessity, and good policy of making the cause of literature an object of attention; and what higher motives can be suggested to claim our earliest exertions to place on liberal and solid grounds the education of our youth in these infant, but growing and ﬂourishing, settlements on the frontiers of this State? Our great distance from any School or well regulated Seminary of learning clearly evinces the importance of having one established among ourselves; otherwise our youth must grow up ignorant of the arts and sciences, or their education be attended with very great expense. 7 We, the Subscribers, being duly sensible of the importance of the Object, and willing to discharge our duty which as Parents we owe to our respective families, or as good Citizens which is due from us to the Community of which we are a part, do fully agree that it demands our immediate and un- remitting attention. It is our desire that a decent and con- venient building may be erected in some part of this Town, so soon as may be, for the reception of a number of youth, and that an able and skillful Master be employed to superintend their education. And if our united efforts in our present infant state should prove inadequate to the attaining of the desired object, we hope the hand of Charity will lend her friendly aid to complete a design so truly laudable and of such public utility. And whereas the Revd Samuel Kirkland, Missionary, has for some time had it in contemplation to erect a School in the vicinity of Oneida and contiguous to an English settlement for the purpose of educating a number of Indian youth as well as extending the means of education to the adjacent frontier Towns; and whereas the said Kirkland has encouragement of obtaining a considerable fund for the use and beneﬁt of the proposed School or Academy; we the Subscribers etc., etc. August, 1790. 1793] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 61 ORIGINAL SUBSCRIPTION FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF HAMILTON ONEIDA ACADEMY, 1792-4793 From a copy in the handwriting of Samuel Kirkland, in the College Library Names of Subscribers Samuel Kirkland 3oo acres of land for the use and beneﬁt of the Academy to be John Sergeant Moses Foot James Dean Cash £ [ sh. Io o Jedh' Sanger Ioo acres of land 0 Sevvall Hopkins Timothy T uttle Dan. Bradley , Eli Bristoll , Ralph W. Kirkland Skene D. Sacket Seth Blair Deods" Clark Erastus Clark Jonas Platt ThoS' Casety Isaac Jones Elias Kane Henry Merril I-I OHOJCNIQKOHOH [Qt-I John Young oo OOOOOOOON IO 0 O o I5 days’ Work leased & the product applied towards the support of. an able Instructor. o o Iooo feet of timber, 5ooo feet of boards, & 20 days Work. o 2ooo feet of Hemlock boards IOO feet of 7 X 9 glass f 45th lot in the 20th Township in the A Unadilla purchase. 0 Ten Days Labour o 5oo feet of Clapboards, IOOO shingles, and Io days Work. 0 4oo feet of timber, 2o days Work 6 days Work 6 days Work 6 days Work IOOO feet of boards 0 3 days work OOOOOOOOOOO 62 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1793 ORIGINAL HAMILTON ONEIDA Names of Subscribers Jesse Munger Samuel Laird Elizur Moseley Lorin Webb Joshua Vaughan Ephrm' Blaokmer Joseph Blackmer Israel Green Joel Bristoll Ezra Hart Aaron Kenman Abner Ormsby Stephen Willard Brunson Foot Consider Law John Blunt Sol“ Thomson John Townsend Amos Parmely Nath1' Townsend Silas Phelps Moses Dewitt Thomas Hooker Noah Taylor Nath]' Grifﬁn Robert Djarke Eliakim Elmore Eben" Seely Samuel Wells Peleg Havens Thomas Hart SUBS CRIPTION FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ACADEMY, 1792-1793 —- Continued: sh. H +-+0-P-ox-I>O-I:-to»-41+: O OOOOO-#00000 tor-Iotoo I-I O <»HHHH.[>..[>0HC» O o ooooooooo.9~ 0000000000 00000 4 days Work rzooo feet of Clap-boards zooo feet of boards 6 days Work IOOO feet of boards 3 days Work 6 days Work 3oo feet of timber, 2o days Work 6 days Work 6 days Work IOOO Nails 2oo feet of timber, 2ooo nails, & 6 days Work IOOO feet of boards, 6 days Work 4 days Work. Iooo feet of Hemlock boards, 3 days. 6 days Work payable in blaoksmith’s Work payable in grain. 6£ payable in grain. payable in grain payable in grain 3 £ payable in grain 3 days labour 3, payable in grain. 1793] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 63 ORIGINAL SUBSCRIPTION FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF HAMILTON ONEIDA ACADEMY, I792-I793——Concluded: Names of Subscribers £ sh. d. Ira Foot 2 o o IOOO feet of boards & 20 days Work Joseph Boynton 0 IO 0 2 days in surveying land. Eben" Butler 2 o o 2oo feet timber, Ioo feet boards, 5oo feet clap- boards Timthy Pond, Jr. I o o Iooo feet of boards. Broome & Platt 3oo feet 7 x 9 glass. Stephen Barret I o o 40/ value in pine boards, ﬁrst rate. Seth Roberts 3 o o Amos Kellogg I o 0 Six Days of Work Oliver T uttle I o o Elias Dewey I o o & six days Work Aaron Kellogg I o 0 Thomas Whitcomb I o o & six days Work James Smith, Jun‘ I o o & six days Work ‘ Barnabas Pond one thousant ft. of J ‘ Boards. Elijah Blodget one m shingles. Henry Holly I o o & six days Work. Seely Finch I o o & six days Work. Josiah Bradner I o 0 Joseph Stanton 0 8 o & 3 days Work Pomroy Hull 0 8 o & three days Work Rufus Stanton 0 8 o & 3 days Work. Amos Blair 0 8 0 Oliver Phelps IO 0 0 Samuel T uttle Iooofeet of Clapboards, I to be delivered at the Mill. Peter Smith Io o o ThoS' R. Gold 5 o 0 I68 8 o 64 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1793 PETITION FOR A CHARTER FOR THE ACADEMY. To the Regents of the University of the State of New York. Whereas a Plan for establishing a school or Seminary of Learning in Whitestown, in the County of Herkimer, con- tiguous to the Oneida Nation of Indians, for the mutual Beneﬁt of the young and ﬂourishing settlements of Emigrants to said County and the various Tribes of Confederate Indians has been proposed by the Revd Samuel Kirkland and received the approbation and Patronage of many of the most respect- able Characters of the United States, and is also encouraged and patronized by the Society in Scotland for propagating Christian Knowledge; and whereas very considerable contribu- tions have already been made, and there are strong assurances of further very liberal donations towards the Funds of said Institution, provided a Charter of Incorporation can be obtained; and whereas the great distance from any we11-regu- lated Seminary of Learning clearly evinces the propriety and importance of having one established at the place above pro- posed, as the youth of that part of the Country must grow up in a state of gloomy ignorance, or their education must be attended with very great expense; we the Subscribers being so many of the Founders or Benefactors of the aforesaid Institution as have contributed more than one half in value of the real and personal property and estate collected and appropriated for the use and beneﬁt thereof, do hereby respect- fully pray that the said school or Seminary of Learning may be incorporated and be subject to the visitation of the Regents of the University of this State, and that the Honbl Alexander Hamilton, Esquire, Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, the Honbl Egbert Benson, Esquire, the Honbl John Lansing, Esquire, the Revd Dan Bradley, Eli Bristoll, Erastus Clark, James Dean, Moses Foot, Thomas R. Gold, Sewal Hopkins, Michael Myers, Jonas Platt, Jedidah Sanger, Revd John’ Sergeant, Timothy Tuttle, and Samuel Wells be ap- 1793] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 65 pointed the ﬁrst Trustees of the said Seminary, with power to increase the number of Trustees to twenty one, whenever a majority of the Persons above named shall upon due notice think proper to elect suitable Persons to compleat the said number of twenty one Trustees; and that they and their suc- cessors in office may be known and distinguished by the name or stile of the Trustees of Hamilton Oneida Academy. In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals the 12th day of November, I 792. Sam1 Kirkland Jonas Platt Eli Bristoll Erastus Clark Joel Bristoll Sewal Hopkins James Dean Michael Myers New York ss. Be it remembered that on this twenty sixth day of January in the year one thousand seven hundred and ninety three Before me James M. Hughes, Master in Chancery, Personally came Michael Myers Esquire and the Revd Samuel Kirkland two of the subscribers to the foregoing Petition who ‘ being duly sworn did depose and say that they together with the several other Petitioners whose names are also subscribed thereto have subscribed more than one half in value of the real and personal property and estate appropriated for the use and beneﬁt of the Seminary of Learning in the said Petition, mentioned. James M. Hughes. Michael Myers Saml Kirkland 5 66 g DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1793 SAMUEL KIRKLAND TO COL. WADSWORTH. New York Jan)’ 24th I 793. Sir, I have the honor to acquaint you, that after my arrival here I had a conference with several of the Regents of the Univer- sity of the State of New York upon the subject of the Oneida Academy. Your generous donation of the Encyclopaedia was received with the highest satisfaction. Tomorrow evening the Regents are have a meeting, when the petition for an incor- poration will be presented. I here met with Mr. Phelps, and took the liberty of reminding him of the generous donation which he had heretofore offered to make to said seminary. After reflecting upon the grant he had made of 8000 acres in Ontario County for the express purpose of establishing an Academy there, he thought that ten pounds would be sufficient for him. He accordingly signed his name for that sum. From that active public spirit and true magnanimity which have uniformly made so conspicuous a part of your character, the Trustees of the Academy may belassured of the continu- ance of your patronage to a design truly laudable and friendly to the cause of humanity. For the present, in their behalf please accept of my sincere thanks, and believe me, in great truth and sincerity with senti- ments of high esteem to be Your obedt humble Servt S. Kirkland. PROCEEDINGS or THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY 01? THE STATE OF NEW YORK. Meeting of January 29, I793. The respective applications of Samuel Kirkland and seven other persons praying that Alexander Hamilton and ﬁfteen others for that purpose nominated may be incorporated by the name and stile of “the Trustees of Hamilton Oneida 1793] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 67 Academy ” at Whites Town in the County of Herkermer; and of Joseph Yates and twenty three other persons praying that Abram Yates Junior and twenty three other persons nominated in the said application may be incorporated by the stile of “ The Trustees of the Academy of the Town of Schenectady ” in the County of Albany, Subject Nevertheless to be changed into the name of the most liberal benefactor; were severally read and Committed to the Vice Chancellor Genl. Clarkson and Mr Verplanck. The Vice Chancellor from the Committee to whom the above applications were referred reported that it appeared to the said Committee by due proof on oath that the subscribers to the said applications are contributors and benefactors for more than one half in value of the real and personal estate collected or appropriated for the use and beneﬁt of the said academies respectively and that the said Committee are of opinion that the said Academies should be severally incorporated the ﬁrst by the stile of “ The Trustees of Hamilton Oneida Academy ” and the latter by the stile of “ The Trustees of the Academy of the Town of Schenectady ”. The Board resolved itself into a Committee of the whole to take the above report into consideration and after some time spent thereon the Chancellor re—assumed the chair and Genl. Schuyler from the said Committee reported that they had agreed to the report of the Sub—Committee V\7hereupon Resolved that the Board agree to the said Report. Ordered that the Secretary prepare instruments in the usual form for incorporating the said Alexander Hamilton and the said ﬁfteen other persons for that purpose named and the said Abram Yates and the said twenty three other persons named in the said application, and that the Chancellor afﬁx the seal of the University to the said Instruments. 68 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1793 CHARTER OF HAMILTON ONEIDA ACADEMY January 31, 1793 THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY of the State of New York to all to whom these presents shall or may come GREET— I ING. Whereas Samuel Kirkland, Jonas Platt, Eli Bristoll, Erastus Clark, Joel Bristoll, Sewall Hopkins, James Dean and Michael Myers by an Instrument in writing under their hands and seals bearing date the twelfth day of November in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety two after stating among other things that they are founders and benefactors of a certain Academy in iWhitestown contiguous to the Oneida Nation of Indians in the County of Herkimer in the State aforesaid who have contributed more than one half in Value of the real and personal property and Estate col- lected or appropriated for the use and beneﬁt of the said Academy did make application to us the said Regents that the said Academy might. be incorporated and become subject to the visitation of us and our successors and that we would signify our approbation that Alexander Hamilton, John Lans- ing, Egbert Benson, Dan Bradley, Eli Bristoll, Erastus Clark, James Dean, Moses Foot, Thomas R. Gold, Sewal Hopkins, Michael Myers, Jonas Platt, Jedediah Sanger, John Sergeant, Timothy Tuttle and Samuel Wells, the TRUSTEES named in the said application and their successors might be a Body corpo- rate and politic by the name and Style of THE TRUSTEES OF HAMILTON ONEIDA ACADEMY in the Town and County afore- said N ow know ye that we the said Regents having enquired into the allegations contained in the Instrument in writing aforesaid and found the same to be true and conceiving the Said Academy calculated for the promotion of Literature Do ' by these presents pursuant to the Statute in such case made and provided signify our approbation on ‘the incorporation of _ the Said Alexander Hamilton, john Lansing, Egbert Benson, Dan Bradley, Eli Bristoll, Erastus Clark, James Dean, Moses Foot, Thomas R. Gold, Sewal Hopkins, Michael Myers, Jonas Platt, Jedediah Sanger, John Sergeant, Timothy Tuttle and Samuel Wells the Trustees of the said Academy so as afore- 1793] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 69 said named by the Founders thereof by the name of the TRUSTECES OF HAMILTON ONEIDA ACADEMY, being the name mentioned in and by the said request in writing. IN TESTI- MONY whereof we have caused our common Seal to be here- unto afﬁxed the thirty first day of January in the Seventeenth Year of American Independence. VVITNESS George Clinton Esquire Chancellor of the University. Geo. Clinton, Chancellor N. Lawrence, Secretary ADDRESS OF THE ONEIDA INDIANS to the Regents of the University of the State of New York. Oneida, April 27, I 793. Fathers and Brethren, Attend and open your ears to our words which we address to you. We have been informed by our Father Mr. Kirk- land and others that you have laid a permanent foundation for a great School for the education and instruction of youth near us; that you have placed it between us and our Brothers the White People to the eastward; and that you propose our children shall be beneﬁtted by it, as well as theirs. VVe thank you that you have thought of us on this occasion, and that you appear so willing to exert yourselves to expel the dark clouds of ignorance which have so long obscured the minds of the Indian Nations, and to introduce the light of knowledge among us. It is our hearts, not our tongues alone, which speak the language of gratitude and thankfulness to you for your benevolent attention. We are poor; our minds are involved in ignorance and darkness; it may be some time before we shall be able to emerge from this gloomy state. We there- fore beg your patience, that you will not be easily discouraged in your friendly exertions; but that you will make a full and fair experiment how far the ‘minds of Indians are capable of cultivation and improvement. Possibly you may have the satisfaction to ﬁnd, on trial, that the minds of Indians may 70 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1793 become as enlightened as the minds of the White People, and that all the difference between us and them consists only in the colour of the skin. Fathers and Brothers, this is all we have to say. John X Skanondo Wm X Kayendarongwan Lowdwick X Kaghsaweda Signed in the presence John X Tekanajasore of James Dean, ap— Paul X Otshetagon pointed by the Board Cornelius X Aghyongo of Trustees to inform Joseph X Kanaghsatirhon the Oneidas of the erec- Peter X Kanadarok tion of the Hamilton John X Shojijowane Oneida Academy Thomas X Aronhokta To the Honble Regents VV H1 X Shoratowane of the University Moses X Awethare State of New York. Mattunis X Asisat Wm X Shotegonwasere Jacob Reed, alias Atsiaktatige John X Jourdan FROM THE PROCEEDINGS 01? THE TRUSTEES, Hamilton Oneida Academy. At a meeting of the Board of Trustees of Hamilton Oneida Academy at the house of Seth Roberts in the Town of Paris on the twenty fourth day of April A. D. I 793 ——- Resolved That the sincere thanks of this Board be presented to the Revﬂd Samuel Kirkland for his benevolent exertions in found- ing Hamilton Oneida Academy, and his liberal donations towards the funds of that Institution; and in consideration of his liberality and benevolence the Clerk is directed to enter satisfaction on the minutes for the sum of ten pounds sub- scribed by Mr. Kirkland on the Subscription List for erecting said Academy; and that the Clerk present Mr. Kirkland with a copy of this Resolution. A true copy, Test: Erastus Clark, Clerk. 1793] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE ' 71 EXTRACTS FROM SAMUEL KIRKLAND’s JOURNAL. From The Missionary Magazine, Edinburgh, 1796, pages 253-259. October I I, 1793. Six Indians came with several chiefs, to confer upon the subject of the Academy. December 31. Last evening sat in council with a number, upon the subject of the Academy, and the children they were about to send. Some had murmured, and complained that it was not a free school. I endeavored to convince them of the propriety and necessity of selecting the speciﬁed number, agree- ably to the original plan for the ﬁrst trial, and that no per— sons were better able to do this, than Mr Dean, Mr Caulkings, and myself, to whom the Trustees had referred the selection; and that the Indians themselves had agreed to this, when the plan was proposed some years ago. I again informed them, that so soon as they could build near the Academy, and board their own children, they might send forty or fifty, or even one- hundred. But provision was made at present for boarding no more than six or eight; and a proportion of them must be of the Seneka and Cayugo nations. They in general seemed to be well satisﬁed, and concluded to set out this afternoon. January I, I 794. Last night came to my house several of the Oneida chiefs, viz. Skenandou, Capt. John, Laurense Aukeand’yakhon, Kaghhelayen, Atenis, one Tuscarora chief, with their sons, and accompanied by many others, with some women and children. The whole number consisted of nine- teen souls. Gave them an exhortation, and closed with sing- ing a psalm, and prayer. This evening addressed by the parents of the children who were to be admitted as members of the school, upon the plan of Indian education, which had been proposed to the Society in Scotland, their Board in Bos- ton, also to the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, with many other individuals, and received their approbation. After several short addresses, and replies made relative to the subject, Laurense Aukeand’yakhon requested leave to speak on the occasion, in his own behalf, more particularly as he 72 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1793 considered his situation to be singular. All were instantly attentive. He began as follows: “ Father, and brothers here present, hear me; open a candid ear. My principal business here was to introduce my son Isaac to this great school. Now, upon the introduction, and giving up of my son, it is proper you should know what my views are. Father, you know it is more than three years since the instruction of my son has been a subject of frequent con- versation between us. He is a lad we both love. But soon after you had digested the plan of Indian education, and it was agreed upon that my son should be one of the number, the unhappy division took place in our nation, betwixt the Sachems and the warriors. . “ Now, father, attend, and all here present. I said my busi- ness here was the introduction of my son. What are my views? What are my wishes with respect to my son? Do I wish him to become a great man of the world? No. There is not one such wish now existing in my heart, that I am con- scious of. The strongest wish of my heart, and the warmest affection of my soul, in regard to my son Isaac, is this, that he may attain the knowledge and love of God, that he may possess true goodness in his heart, that he may get into that path, which will certainly lead him to a happy life in the next world, even to live with the great and holy God, and Jesus Christ his Son, and all good people. This, father, is my wish concerning my son, tho’ expressed in few words. Should my son obtain this, I expect he will some day or other lift up his voice to my poor Nation. . The foregoing address was so lengthy, and delivered with so much pathos, and altogether unexpected, and from a per- son who had so long exempted himself from their public councils, that it silenced in a great measure all the other speakers, and seemed to absorb all their ideas. Captain John is a much more graceful and eloquent speaker than Auke— and’yakhon, but his modesty forbid him to enlarge upon the subject at this time. He only added that the education of 39 1793] or: HAMILTON COLLEGE 73 his son Moses, and two other of his sons, had long been deeply impressed upon his heart, from the knowledge he had acquired of a civilized people. He would therefore only add, that the sum of his wish, respecting his son, was to have him ﬁtted for usefulness, in every point of view; and to have him become a good man, in the full extent of the expression. . . . Thursday, January 2. I delivered the following address to the chiefs and warriors of the Oneidas and Tuscaroras present. “ My children, attend, both Sachems and warriors; open a candid ear. ‘ “ Various have been our mutual congratulations, upon the return of another new year. . . . I expressed last even- ing my great satisfaction with the address of my son Auke- and’yakhon. It has been like a cordial to me; and it seemed to diffuse joy through every one present. It is my prayer that God may graciously enlighten him, strengthen and con- ﬁrm him more and more, in the true religion, and make him a blessing to the Nation. May he live to see good come of his favourite son Isaac, who is now become a member of the school. '. . . I have also expressed my satisfaction with the address and sentiments of Captain John, Skenandou, Atenis, Lieutenant Cusock, and others. What more shall I say? You know my disposition, and every wish of my heart respecting your children. VVhat lies in my power, I shall do for them. I shall not fail to counsel, advise, reprove, and exhort them, as occasion offers, and their situation requires. “As we have enjoyed a free, unrestrained, and friendly intercourse, I would take this occasion to animadvert upon several oblique and ungenerous reflections, that were cast upon me by some individuals, while at the village. I don’t mean, my children, that it interrupt our present agreeable interview; nor do I wish you to make any formal reply, until I meet you in full council in your own town. Hear me, therefore, my children, with patience and candour. To you, indeed, I may open my mind with the utmost freedom. “ The establishment of this school in your vicinity, has been 74 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1793 an object of my constant attention since the projecting the plan; it being, in my opinion, the last expedient to be tried, and the last effort to be made, together with agriculture, and the gradual introduction of the civil arts, for your national happiness and prosperity. “ Some of you are well acquainted with the exertions I have made to effect it. Here let me enumerate several instances. In the first place, I have given to the school or Academy three hundred acres of land, never to be alienated, but remain the sole property of the Academy, and to be improved by the Trustees towards the support of an able and skilful instructor. This is one eighth part of all the landed property I possess. In addition to this, I have taken three long and expensive journies to bring about its establishment; one to Boston, when accompanied by Captain John, and two journies to New York and Philadelphia. These journies were performed at my own private expence, and without the least charge to you, or any other person. They cost me exclusive of the losses I unavoidably sustained by my absence from my family) upwards of 170 dollars; for which I never asked, nor do I ever expect, any recompence; unless I am rewarded by the promotion of your happiness, and seeing good come to your children. I also undertook the long and most fatiguing tour to the Senekas country, the winter before last, with a principal view to lay a foundation for your rising and future happiness. My sufferings in that journey were almost every- thing, short of death, which some of you can witness, till I arrived in Philadelphia. The Trustees have been collecting materials for a building, to accommodate the number of Indian youth proposed; and more if desired. This is a work of time. The small house the school now occupies was built by only two persons, besides myself, and for your present convenience. I am not one of the Trustees of the Academy. For various reasons, which I have heretofore mentioned to some of you, I refused to be one of their board. Nevertheless, I shall attend to its interest, 1793] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 75 and seek its prosperity, with as much engagedness as if I belonged to their board. VVhere, then, have I been negligent, as to my duty, in forwarding this school? Your ungenerous and ungrateful reflections are groundless, and only the fruit of a party-spirit, which even some of your chiefs have acknowledged. “I have received, in some instances, the same treatment, tho’ dressed in a different garb, from envious and unprincipled white people, who have suggested that I have acted from selﬁsh interested motives. Others, and some of the first characters in the state, bring a very different charge against me, rela- tive to this matter. They have checked me, and kindly reproved me, for giving so much as I have. They say that I have given more than I ought to have done, consistent to the duty I owe to my family; that justice has a prior claim to charity. This, my children, is my situation. Am I to be pitied, or blamed? After all, be assured, none of these things move me; nor will they divert me from the object upon which , I originally set out, and in the accomplishment of which I consider your national happiness to be involved. As to the purity of my motives, in regard to the school, I have long since referred that to my Maker, and merciful Redeemer; and there I endeavour to refer them every day. PETITION OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE ACADEMY To the Revd Doctor Thacher, Secretary to the Honbl and Revd Board of Commissioners for Propagating Christian Knowledge among the Indians. The Petition of the Subscribers, Trustees of Hamilton Oneida Academy, Respectfully represents That the diffusion of Christian knowledge among the natives of the Land, and the cultivation of the untutored savage mind, was an object early embraced by our benevolent Forefathers, and diligently pursued by their successors as opportunity pre— sented from the earliest periods to the present time. In fur- therance of the same beneﬁcent purpose an Academy hath been recently incorporated in the western part of this state, 76 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1793 agreeably to a plan proposed by the Revd Mr Kirkland, your worthy Missionary; embracing for its object, the education of a speciﬁed number of Indian youth from each of the ﬁve Confederate Nations, as well as those of the adjacent New England settlements. We have the pleasure to inform you, that the school is now opened in the vicinity of Oneida and contiguous to the English settlement of Whitestown; a number of Indian youth have been introduced in a formal but pleasing and grateful manner by their respective parents. Great care has been taken in selecting such Indian Lads as are of the most promising parts, best habits and principal families. This Institution it is conceived will be introductive of the most beneﬁcial effects, in meliorating the savage disposition and dispelling those prejudices which too naturally arise against the present occupants of an extensive luxuriant coun- try; which tradition informs the credulous Indian was given to his beloved forefathers by the beneﬁcent Creator of all things, and of which he is too prone to believe them to have been unjustly despoiled. To allay these prejudices and counteract the unceasing’ prac- tices of a formidable nation occupying our western frontier throughout the Indian Department is an object highly inter- esting to every well wisher to this Country. The period presaged by the Honbl Board (whom we now address) in a former representation on the present subject to the Legislature of Massachusetts has now arrived, in which a League of the numerous tribes of savages in the West is attempted to be formed by a dangerous enemy, to be improved as an engine against the United States. Under these circumstances, in addition to the encourage- ments given us from the report of your Committee in Sep- tember I792, the subscribers have thought proper to address themselves to the Honbl Board; disclosing the many difﬁculties and embarrassments of the above object in this infant coun- 1793] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 77 try; earnestly recommending the above benevolent Institution to their patronage; praying that out of the Funds under their direction they will be pleased to appropriate for the Education of Indian Youth such sum annually as to them shall seem meet and proper; a just and accurate account of the disposal of the same, or any similar benefaction, shall be rendered to the Board of Commissioners by our President or Clerk whenever required. The Honbl and Revd Board, in thus concurring in the prose- cution of the above laudable design, will as your Petitioners conceive carry into execution the object of our ancestors in their charitable association for the beneﬁt of the natives of the country, advance the political interests of the U. S., at the present critical period in the Indian Department; open a wide and permanent door for the more extensive diffusion of the precepts of our most holy religion, and in so doing‘, mitigate the inevitable calamities of human life and better the condi- tion of man. For many interesting particulars respecting the present dis- position of the Indians, we beg leave to refer the Honbl Board to the Revd Mr Kirkland, whom we expect to be the bearer of this. The Communications of the Honbl Board you will please to direct to the Revd Dan Bradley, (Whitestown, Herki— mer County, State of New York) President of the Trustees of Hamilton Oneida Academy. Erastus Clark James Dean Jonas Platt T. R. Gold Moses Foot Sewal I-Iopkins Timothy Tuttle Herkimer County State of N. York jany 2d 1794 78 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1794 JOHN SERGEANT TO PETER THACHER. New Stockbridge, Jany I0, 1794. Revd Sir: I lately saw the Revd Mr Kirkland who informed me that he was about soon to set out for Boston. He presented me a petition to the Society from the Trustees of Hamilton Acad- emy, myself being one, desired me to sign it. But as-I dif- fered from the worthy Gentleman in sentiment in some respects with regard to the education of Indian youth at this Acad- emy, I could not sign the petition, at least without a better and more full understanding the whole plan of proceeding respect- ing the whole business. Mr. Kirkland then wished me to state my objections in writing. I agreed to write and give my opinion respecting the education of Indian youth, and the methods which I think most likely to give the savages a favor- able idea of the blessings of a civilized life. Will therefore now observe that it has been found by experience to give Indians more learning than they can obtain from common schools has been almost entirely lost. Many of those who have had much laid out upon them in English schools, acad- emies, etc., when returning to their respective tribes have been more savage than any of their nation. I have therefore been of opinion that the best method to teach Indian youth would be to send religious young men into their towns and set up schools; that these Masters, by supporting a good govern- ment, frequent lectures upon morality, and setting a good example himself before both children and their parents, would have the most likely tendency to give them a favorable idea of religion and virtue. An Indian assistant who understood the English language might be of particular service. But all this will not bring them to the practice’ of industry and the arts of a civilized life. I would therefore propose to encourage the Indians in raising ﬂax and wool, which may be done by premiums. I would then set up spinning schools for their females, by which they would soon realize the beneﬁt of their 1794] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 79 labour. All the tribes of the Six Nations could easily be per- suaded to believe in the necessity of turning their attention to some other way of getting their living than by hunting, because their game will soon be extinct. It has been lamented that all the means that have hitherto been tried, have not proved successful to bring the Indian tribes off from a savage to a civilized life. But I would observe that this method never has been adopted. Now as to the Academy that is so happily established in the neighborhood, I cannot think that it will ever be of much advantage towards civilizing the tribes of the Six Nations. But as a seat of learning for English youth I sincerely wish it might have the patronage of every well—wisher to learning and useful knowledge, and I think it may be of particular advan- tege to these young and ﬂourishing settlements. But so far as it is connected with the education of Indians, I have thought that one or two of the most promising youth out of the dif- ferent villages of the Onondagos, Cayogas, Senecas, and Tus- caroras, where they have no established schools, might be taught here to read, write, and understand the English lan- guage, to ﬁt them for schoolmasters, interpreters, or assistants to English schoolmasters. I would further propose that all the moneys given by benevolent people for the promotion of learning and civilization among the natives in this part of the country should be kept in a fund by itself, and laid out by the Trustees in schooling, boarding, and when found necessary in clothing those Indian youth to ﬁt them for the above men- tioned purpose, but after this object is answered then the monies to be improved in some way to civilize them in their villages. It is easy to. calculate that the expense of ﬁve or six youth at the Academy would support a Master in an Indian town, which would be of vastly more advantage towards the promotion of useful knowledge among the Indians than the education of ﬁve youth at the Academy. There is one thing further I would observe in the petition to the Society. It is proposed to send for a number of youths from the Senecas 8O DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1794 with a political view. It will no doubt be an object in the present situation of affairs to cultivate the friendship of the Six Nations, the Senecas in particular; but the most likely way to effect this, and who ought to be at the expense of it, I leave to better judges. Where there are established schools in Indian towns, I would not take any children, at least until they have obtained all the knowledge they can get in said schools. And if there appears a likely genius, who bids fair for more extensive usefulness to his tribe in teaching a school etc., let him be supported at the Academy to ﬁt him for the above—mentioned purpose. ' I have now given my opinion on the subject of the best methods to promote the arts and sciences of a civilized life among the natives of this country, and feel happy in this, that the measures adopted by Government for the civilization of the Six Nations exactly agree-with my idea of the subject. You will please to communicate this to the Revd and Honbl Society. I remain,Revd Sir, your most obliged humble Servant John Sergeant. Revd Doctf Thacher. [Endorsed] A Copy of a Letter sent to Doctl‘ Thacher, to be communicated to the Trustees of Hamilton Oneida Academy. EBENEZER CAUL-KINS TO PETER THACHER. Paris 15th January 1794. Rev. Sir. I have written you twice since I was at Boston; the last time I wrote I sent you my Journal, drew a Bill for £30 Ster- ling, and informed you that it was not possible for me to teach the school at Oneida through the Winter, and that I should therefore devote the time to study and making prepa- rations to resume teaching the school in the spring. I left Oneida the 9th of December last, and the Trustees of Hamil- 1794] 01? HAMILTON COLLEGE 81 ton Oneida Academy applying to me to teach their school through the present Winter, I engaged to teach twenty-ﬁve white children for a small sum on condition that they should allow me to take into the school as many Indian Children, on account of the Society, as should be convenient. The Trus- tees are to board six or eight on their own account, I have agreed to board my interpreter and give him something more on my account, until I hear from the Board; some other Indian boys I expect will attend so as to make up forty in the whole. It is proposed to provide a house for an Indian family and let them board a number on account of the Indians. The Indian boys now in the school learn very fast; and I hope to send you a specimen of their improvement next Spring which will do honor to them and the Institution which supports them. I’ desire that you would write me by Mr. Kirkland and let me know how you approve of my proceedings, and what further encouragement you have obtained for me from the Society, and you will oblige, Revd. Sir, Your devoted humbl Servt Ebenezer Caulkins. Rev. Peter Thacher, D.D. ]oHN KEMP TO SAMUEL KIRKLAND. Revd dear Sir Your letter of the 15th February I 793 came to my hands only upon the 6th of November last. I sincerely regret the cause of your long silence, and sympathize with you under the painful feelings, which the inﬂammation in your Eye must have occasioned. But still, tho’ disabled from this cause from writing with your own hand, it excited surprize that you did not employ one of your sons or some other person, as your amanuensis, both to transcribe your Journal and also to corre- spond with us. The long delay of your answer to my inquiries respecting Moor’s Indian School was matter of sincere regret to the 6 82 ‘DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1794 Society; and now that an answer has come, I am sorry to say that it is far less full and explicit, than my Letter of which I had preserved a copy demanded. It is very possible that motives of delicacy and prudence may have restrained your pen, in your Letter upon that subject; and it is also possible that the further information which you promised with your journals which are wanting, may be on their way to me. Meantime situated as We are with respect to the fund col- lected for Moor’s Indian School, We have been laid under the necessity to apply to our Board at Boston for such authentic and judicial Information upon the subject of my quaeries to you, as may warrand our future procedent, vizt either to pay the money to that Institution if its original purposes are still promoted, (which however from all the information ‘W e have received both from you and others, VV e have no reason to believe is the case,) or to devote it to some other institu- tion which has the same general object in view. ‘We ﬁnd our- selves without the aid of this fund unable to carry on the Plan of Indian Education which you suggested however much it meets with our approbation, or to give to Mr. Calkin that encouragement, which has been represented to us as due to his talents and zeal. Indeed ‘We are still left very much in doubt whether any efforts however ably or zealously conducted will have effect in any considerable degree to change the char- acter of the Indian Tribes, with respect either to Religion or Civilization. Some melancholy representations have been given to us lately, with respect to those Indians for whom most labour and expence have been bestowed, even those among whom Mr. Sergeant and you have long laboured, which seem to be but too well authenticated; and which have greatly damped our hopes of future success. Meantime we wish to have from you a fair representation of the number of souls in general among whom you/labour, of the progress of Civiliza- tion and the Gospel among them, of the number whom you can consider as instructed in the principles of the Gospel, and of those who seem to be influenced by serious impressions of its power. l794] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 83 VVe wish to know whether any considerable number of your people have deserted their old habits of roving and idleness; and of intemperance, when the means of indulging it occurs; and whether they have addicted themselves to the arts of industry, so as to procure a decent livelihood for themselves and families. We also beg to know whether the change that takes place from the rude and savage state to the arts of civili- zation and industry has not an unhappy effect on the health of the Indians, and whether it is true, as has been strongly asserted to us, that they decline so fast in number, that there is reason to apprehend a speedy extinction of the race. VVe are very well pleased to receive both from your Brother Mr. Sergeant and you, an account of your ministerial labours, and specimens of the manner in which you conduct them. But we wish you both to direct your attention to those great and leading points which may serve to give us just ideas of the general effects. g I I sincerely hope and pray that the state of your health may permit you to give an answer as speedily as possible to this Communication; and that neither I nor the Board of‘Directors’ may again have reason to regret so long a silence. ‘Nith my best wishes for your comfort, and the success of your labours’ in the service of our common Lord, I remain, Revd dear Sir, Your affectionate Brother and humble Servant, Jo: Kemp. Edin. 5th Feby. I794. Revd MI‘ Kirkland. P. S. Notwithstanding the date of the within Letter no opportunity occurred of sending it until now that I am informed of a Vessel ready to sail from Leith when the wind shall permit. As yet we have received no further Communications from you. I. K. . J 84 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1794 PROCEEDINGS AT THE LAYING OF THE CORNER STONE OF HAMILTON ONEIDA ACADEMY. From the Utica Patriot and Patrol, July, I794 A Paris, July 1st, 1794. This day at eleven o’clOck A. M., the ﬁrst corner stone of “ Hamilton Oneida Academy ” was laid by the honorable the Baron de Steuben, in presence of the Reverend Samuel Kirk- land, the Hon. Stephen Van Rensselaer, Col. North, Maj. Williamson, Shanondo, the ﬁrst chief of the Oneida nation, a number of the trustees of said academy, and a numerous body of spectators. Shanondo appeared much delighted and affected. The ceremony was preceded by a prayer well adapted to the occasion, by Mr. Kirkland, after which the Baron made the following ADDRESS “ To the Trustees of the Institution, Friends and Fellow Citizens: The Object for which we are now assembled is the erection of an academy for the propagation of useful knowl- edge. In this enlightened age it will be deemed unnecessary to explain to you how closely institutions of this kind are connected with the true felicity of a nation. The necessaries of life, its superfluities, riches, and even liberty itself, become so many curses, if the enjoyment of them is not limited by wisdom — wisdom, which leads us in the paths of virtue, and directs our actions not only to the promotion of our own happiness, but to the welfare of all mankind. For the acquire- ment of this wisdom are seminaries of learning instituted. And here, my fellow citizens, let us stop for a moment, and viewing our situation, feel with honest pride the happiness which we in preference to other nations enjoy. Among the ancients, or among the moderns, where shall we look for a comparison? It was not till after ages of barbarism had passed that Athens, or Rome, the mistress of the world, erected a temple to Minerva or Apollo. Where among the modern nations of Europe shall we ﬁnd an example of a wilderness 1794] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 85 in the short space of a few years converted to a garden, and the ﬁrst exertion of its inhabitants directed to the extension of knowledge and the happiness of their fellow men? Scarcely has the plow traced the ﬁrst furrow for necessary subsistence ———scarcely has the ﬁrst tree fallen by the stroke of the ax, when a portion of this subsistence, when this very tree, is set apart to erect a temple dedicated to the best interests of the rising generation, to the happiness of thousands yet unborn. Yes, my friends, the people who dread famine less than igno- rance, who respect the laws, and whose time is employed in beneﬁting their country, by adding to its resources, must be happy and respected. Amongst the ﬁrst laws of the State of - New York was that for appointing a Board of Regents for the University, under whose direction schools and seminaries of learning were erected, and liberal provision has been made for carrying the object of their appointment into effect. “ For erecting the building which is to be placed on this spot, you, gentlemen, and other worthy members of the community, by a free and liberal subscription provided funds. It remained to the Regents to incorporate, and to give you such pecuniary assistance as was in their power, and to me the honorable ofﬁce is committed of laying the corner stone of this building, a task I shall perform with a sincere wish that you may con- template this ediﬁce, not only as a means of public felicity, but as a temple in which your virtuous and patriotic action may be preserved to future ages. “ By your charter this ediﬁce is called The Hamilton Oneida Academy. It bears the name of a patriot on whose merit and virtues an orator would ﬁnd an ample ﬁeld for the exertion of all his powers; for me to attempt to draw his character would be too bold. To an Appelles it belongs to draw the‘ picture of an Alexander, and we must leave to the Demosthenes and Ciceros, the future offspring of_ this institution, to pro- nounce its eulogium.” The Baron as one of the Regents of the University, and a guardian of the literature of the State, presented the ‘charter 86 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1794 to the Trustees, remarking to them that by its acceptance they became pledged that the institution should not languish for want of their greatest exertion. The Trustees in a short reply expressed their cordial thanks to the Baron for his particular attention to this infant Semi- nary, their full conﬁdence in his assurances of his future friend- ship, their resolution to exert their utmost abilities to promote the interest of the institution, and their ardent wishes that their mutual endeavors might be extensively useful to the new settlements and the cause of literature in general. To which the Baron with a heart too full for utterance answered: “ Gentlemen: I shall always remember that I have laid the corner stone of this Academy——it will ever be dear to me.” LOAN FOR THE ACADEMY. V\/hereas it has become necessary in consequence of the expences incurred in erecting Hamilton Oneida Academy to make a loan of four hundred dollars to defray the present expences, and whereas the trustees of said academy have appointed Jedediah Sanger and Erastus Clark Esquires a Com- mittee to effect said loan. Now therefore to enable the said Committee to procure said sum of money, I do hereby engage and promise to become responsible for and secure the payment of the said sum of money or any part thereof, to such person as shall be disposed to loan the same ——-as witness my hand and seal this I 5th day of August 1794. Sam1 Kirkland(Seal) Paris August 15th 1794 In presence of Solomon Kellogg Eli Bristoll , The note given for the money mentioned in this Instrument signed by Jedediah Sanger and Erastus Clark as a Committee for the Trustees of Hamilton Oneida Academy I engage to deliver to Joseph Kirkland July 13, I797. Ai Breese. 1794] I OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 87 EBENEZER CAULKINS TO PETER THACHER. From the original in Dartmouth College Library Paris Clinton Society 4th June I 794. Rev. Sir. I A I am very glad to hear that the Board approved of my conduct in leaving Oneida and taking charge of this Academy school last winter, although I could not see that they could ﬁnd cause to censure my conduct. After I received your letter I engaged to tarry here till November if the Board should not determine otherwise. The school met with an unfortunate interruption about two months ago by the school house’s being burned, in which I lost many valuable books and writings, besides many of the books and other things which were sent from the Commissioners at Boston to the Indian School, which I had locked up in my desk in the school- house. But the house was rebuilt and the school in it again in a little more than three weeks after it was burnt. There were but four Indian boys at the school last Winter, and but one of them has attended since the house was burned, for they went home and have not yet returned. The one who now attends is about eight years old; a bright little lad who improves very well. The others were older and made good improvement while they stayed. I went to Oneida and spent a few days there after the schoolhouse was burned, saw my former school together, heard them read, and examined their improvement under Reed’s instruction, who has taught them a little this Spring, which has prevented the children from losing ground in their read- ing, writing, etc. but not in their morals or behaviour, for he has neither religion nor morals, and good breeding he knows more of than he is inclined to practice; however, if he would do as well as he might, or as well as he used to do for a day or two at a time in my school when I was obliged to leave it with him, he would do very well and teach a good school. 88 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1794 I ﬁnd that the Indians are many of them very sorry that I left them and wish to have me return, but they say that they fear I never will. I have indeed a feeling for them and would willingly return to keep school among them again if my situa- tion could be rendered more comfortable than it was before; and I think it might be in one respect it no more, for I have accomplished my wishes in getting the infamous Schuyler removed, or very near accomplished them; he is now under warning by authority from government, and must go off within a month, or be gotten off otherwise. I went to see the parents of the boys who were out here to School last winter, and the parents of several other boys whom we mean to have out here to the School as soon as we can get them here; they expressed a willingness, and some of them a desire, to have their children come to the School, and said that they would bring them out within a short time; but , they have not come yet, and I fear that they will not unless something more be done about it. I think the Commissioners will not be satisﬁed to have me continue here unless they are here; and I tell the Trustees of the Academy that they must take some measures to get them here immediately, or I shall return to Oneida and school them there; for there are six or seven of those little lads whom we have selected for this School who are very promising little fellows of more than ordinary parts, and I am so fond of instructing them that I do not like to be without them. The white children also like to have them here, and are very fond of their improving with them. I have about twenty-ﬁve or six white children in my School. This is the number to which the School is restricted on account of taking in the Indian youth and giving them a good chance of improvement. I am, Rev. Sir, with great esteem, Your obedient humble servant Ebenezer Caulkins Rev. Peter Thacher, DD. 1795] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 89 STEPHEN WEST TO PETER THACHER. Stockbridge, 28th Jan)’ 1795. Revd Sir, Mr. Kirkland has acquainted me very particularly with the nature and object of the literary institution on the borders of Oneida. What beneﬁt may ﬁnally accrue from it to the Indians, it is impossible for us to foresee. For my own part, I have but little hope of any very great good to that poor people, from all the exertions which are made to promote the knowledge of divine truth amongst them. There cannot, how- ever, be a just reason for relaxing our endeavours, in a case of such unspeakable importance as that of christianizing the Indians. It belongs to us to use all the means which may be in our power. The event must be left with God. That Hamilton Academy may be of great advantage to the new settlements in that part of the country, cannot be doubted. We may hope, also, that it may prove useful in promoting knowledge and civilization among the Indians. In these views, as far as it may be consistent with the duties of your Board, I hope it may be patronized by the gentlemen who compose it. You will, Sir, excuse my freedom in writing you on this subject, And believe me to be, with Respect and Esteem, Your Obedient Servt and Brother, I Stephen VVest Revd. Dr. Thacher SAMUEL KIRKLAND TO STEPHEN VAN RENSSELAER. Albany 24th Febry. I79 5. Sir, Permit me to observe to you, that the difficulties, attending the collection of subscriptions already made to the Hamilton Oneida Academy, and procuring others till the next season, induced the Trustees of said Seminary to apply to you for a 90 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1795 small loan, which you was pleased to grant, Coll Sanger and myself becoming joint security for same. In order to com- plete their Building, the Trustees have since proposed to me, to convey the donation I have made to them, with a mort- gage, giving them the Equity of Redemption, that I might thereby be able to procure them a thousand or ﬁfteen hundred dollars. Could you, *Sir, conveniently loan them, or me on their behalf, the sum of ten or twelve hundred dollars for the term of one year, I will mortgage to you three hundred acres of land, including the Academy plat or lot of ground on which the Academy is erected. The Building has already cost them upwards of two thousand dollars. The land only, would be valued at sixteen or eighteen hundred dollars. Pity the Institution should be retarded for want of some friend to give it a lift at the present juncture; as few, if any are established upon more liberal and humane principles, and better situated to be a mean of diffusing useful knowledge, and enlarging the bounds of human happiness, and aiding the reign of virtue. I I wish to hear from you upon the subject by the ﬁrst conveyance. VVith sentiments of high respect and esteem, I am, ST. Your obedt huml Servt Saml Kirkland Stephen Van Rensselaer, Esqf. DEED or SAMUEL KIRKLAND TO THE TRUSTEES or HAMILTON ONEIDA ACADEMY. From the records in the office of the County Clerk of Oneida County; Deeds, Book II, page 304. Among the Kirkland Papers in the College Library is the rough draft of a deed, undated, but earlier than I794, conveying to the Trustees of the Academy the ﬁrst and fourth of the ﬁve tracts described in the recorded deed. In the draft, there are many interlineations, and several verbal differ- ences from the text here printed, particularly in the introductory portion. The Trustees mortgaged tracts three and four to Erastus Clark, Jonas Platt, and Thomas R. Gold, August I 5, 1795, for seven hundred dollars. A serious consideration of the Importance of Education and an early cultivation of the mind, with the situation of the 1795] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 91 western frontier settlements of the State of New York, exten— sive and ﬂourishing, yet destitute of any well regulated serni- ~ nary of learning, have induced me to contribute a portion of that Property wherewith my Heavenly Benefactor hath blessed me toward laying the foundation of and supporting Hamilton Oneida Academy, in the Town of Paris, in the County of Herkimer, and contiguous to the Oneida Nation of Indians, for the mutual Beneﬁt of the young ﬂourishing settlements in said County and the various tribes of Confederate Indians, earnestly wishing the Institution may grow and ﬂourish, that the advantages of it may be permanent and extensive, and I that under the smiles of the God of VVisdom it may prove an eminent mean of diffusing useful knowledge, enlargeing the bounds of human happiness, and aiding the reign of virtue and the Kingdom of the Blessed Redeemer. Know all men by these Presents, that I, Samuel Kirkland, of the County of Herkimer, Missionary to the Five Nations of the Indians, for the causes already mentioned and the purposes and uses hereafter expressed, have given, granted, aliened, and con- veyed, and by these Presents do give, grant, alien, and convey unto the Trustees of Hamilton Oneida Academy, to wit: the Honbl Alexander Hamilton, late Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, Dan Bradley, Eli Bristoll, Erastus Clark, James Dean, Moses Foot, Thomas R. Gold, Sewal Hopkins, Michael Myers, Jonas Platt, Jedediah Sanger, John Sergeant, Timothy Tuttle, Samuel Wells, Asahel S. Norton, and Joel Bradley, and to their successors in said ofﬂce forever, All the right, title, and interest I have in and to certain tracts, pieces, or parcels of land lying west of the Line of Property (50 called) in said Town of Paris, and hereafter mentioned and described, viz: One certain tract lying near said Line of Property, beginning at a stake ninety-seven rods west of said Line on the north side of the road leading to Stockbridge; thence running westerly forty—six rods; thence at right angles north ten degrees east forty—three rods; thence at right angles 92 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1795 east ten degrees south forty-six rods; thence forty-three rods to the place of beginning, containing twelve acres and ﬁfty- eight rods; this is designed for the ground plot of the Academy and its various and other necessary buildings, viz: a house for the Preceptor’s accommodation, an Inn, kitchen and flower gardens, and Common.* No part of the above described land is to be alienated, but ever remain the property of the Academy. Also another small tract of land lying westerly of the above described land and adjoining the same so as to extend said Academy plot twenty-four rods further westward, containing six acres and twenty—two rods suitable for meadows and till- age; which is to be for the use of the Preceptor. Also one other tract of land beginning at the place where the south line of George W. Kirkland’s land crosses the main road leading from the Academy plot to Brothertown and about the distance of forty rods from the Academy plot; thence running along said south line three quarters of a mile; thence at right angles southwardly ﬁfty rods; thence eastwardly at right angles until a line at right angles with the course of the road shall intersect the place of beginning; thence to the place of beginning; con— taining seventy-six acres and thirty rods, the western ﬁfty acres of which tract is forever to be reserved for a wood lot for the use of the Academy. Also another certain tract or lot of land lying in the southwest part of my Patent, beginning at the southwest corner thereof, at a beech stake marked three sides with a blaze and three notches under, and on the east side with seventeen hundred eighty-nine, and a large beech tree standing south thirty-ﬁve one—half degrees east eight links, marked on the north side seventeen hundred eighty-nine; thence running north on the line of the Oneida Reservation * The rough draft of the deed inserts the following: “ I49 feet and V.» to be appropriated as part of the road or highway on the south side of said plot; then in the center from north to south 99 feet for the purpose of a public road. 132 feet at the south end of the western division of the plot to be appropriated for the purpose of an Inn, but ever to remain the property of the Academy, and to be rented by the Trustees for the beneﬁt of the Academy.” 1795] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 93 one hundred and twenty—seven rods; thence at right angles due east half a mile; thence south at right angles seventy- three rods to my south line; thence along said line to the place of beginning; containing one hundred acres. Also one other lot of land lying on my west line bounded north on a lot of land sold by me to Andrew Warner and others; south on land sold to Jonathan Boynton; east on the road leading to Brother- town; west on the line of the Oneida Reservation; containing one hundred and twenty-ﬁve acres. To Have and to Hold the above granted pieces of land to them and to their suc- cessors in said ofﬁce of Trustees of Hamilton Oneida Academy for ever, to the uses hereafter mentioned, to wit: the above described premises hereby granted and conveyed, excepting the Academy plot and the land to be reserved for a wood lot, shall be leased out or improved on such terms and in such way as said Trustees shall judge will be most beneﬁcial, and the whole of the rents, proﬁts, issues and proceeds shall be forever laid out and expended and appropriated toward the support of the Principal Instructor of the Academy. The whole of said severalpparcels of land above granted and conveyed to be forever unalienable excepting by lease as above said and except- ing as is hereafter excepted. And I do hereby authorize and empower the Trustees of said Academy and their successors in said ofﬁce once to mortgage said several tracts of land exclusive and independent of any restrictions to the contrary above mentioned, or to mortgage any one or more of said tracts at one time, and any one or more of the other of said tracts at another time, so that the whole may become mort- gaged to any person or persons or body corporate as security for such sums of money as they or their successors may bor- row to pay off the present debts of said Trustees as such, and to complete the Academy which is now unﬁnished. And I do hereby covenant for myself, my heirs, executors and adminis- trators, with said Trustees and their successors and with such person or persons or such body corporate to whom said lands shall be mortgaged in pursuance of the power above given, 94 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1796 and with their heirs, that at the ensealing of these presents I am well seized of said several tracts of land hereby granted in my own right in fee simple and without incumbrance, and that myself and heirs will forever warrant the same to them respectively. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the eighth day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety—ﬁve. Saml Kirkland(L. S.) In Presence of George VV. Kirkland. Ebenezer Caulking. Herkimer County, ss :— Be it Remembered, that on the ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety—ﬁve, personally appeared before me Hugh W'hite, Esquire, one of the judges of the Court of Common Pleas for the County aforesaid, George W. Kirkland, one of the subscribing wit- nesses to the within deed, and being duly sworn on the Holy Evangelists maketh oath and saith that he saw the within named Samuel Kirkland sign, seal, and deliver the within instrument as his voluntary deed in the presence of himself and of Ebenezer Caulking, the other subscribing witness, who did subscribe as a witness in the presence of said George, and I having examined the same and ﬁnding no material erasure or interlineations therein except as noted, do allow the same to be recorded. Hugh White. Recorded the 23d day of May, I 795. Jonas Platt. PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS oE THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. Meeting of February 24, I 796. The board resolved itself into a Committee of the whole on the report of the sub-committee appointed to prepare the annual 1797] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 95 report and after some time spent thereon, the Vice—Chancellor resumed the Chair and Mr. Schuyler from the said Committee reported that with some amendments they had agreed to the said report and that as agreed to it is in the words following, to wit, , The Regents of the University respectfully submit to the Legislature the following report concerning the progress of literature in the State. The Trustees of the Academy of Hamilton Oneida in the County of Herkimer have erected the frame of a building for an Academy, which will require a considerable sum of money to complete. There is a small schoolroom, half a mile from the Academy, in which scholars have been formerly taught, but no Teacher has been employed, nor school kept since Sep- tember I794. The funds for an Institution here, consist of 425 Acres of Land in the neighborhood of the Academy, chiefly uncultivated, and 400 Dollars on a subscription not collected. An incumbrance of IOOO dollars has been laid on the land by the Trustees for the purpose of raising the frame of the building. It was judged by the visiting Committee to ‘ be inexpedient to apply any part of the money assigned to this Academy. PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTs or THE UNIVERSITY or THE STATE or NEW YORK. Meeting of March 6, I 797. Mr. Benson from the Committee appointed to draft the annual Report to the Legislature made a Report which was read, whereupon The Board resolved itself into a Committee of the whole to take the same into Consideration and after some time spent therein the Chancellor reassumed the Chair and Mr. Schuyler from the said Committee reported that the Committee had gone through the same made some amendments and had agreed to it as amended in the Words following. 96 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [179s Hamilton Oneida Academy is in a worse Situation than it was the preceding year; the Building is covered, but there is no Prospect it will be further completed; the Funds being wholly expended & the Property already taken in Execution to satisfy Debts still due. PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. Meeting of March 5, 1798. Mr. Ellison from the Committee appointed to prepare the annual Report to the Legislature, delivered to the Board the Draft of a Report which was read & approved. . Hamilton Oneida Academy. The Trustees in a Letter to the Regents represent “ That about four hundred and sixteen Acres of good land were given as a Fund for the support of the institution; that they built the Academy on a large scale in dependence on the promises of liberal aid from different quarters; that being disappointed in these sanguine expecta- tions, that they were able only to erect the Frame and partly enclose it in doing which they had incumbered nearly one half of the farm by a Mortgage; that a number of Gentlemen of property and respectability in the neighborhood, have asso- ciated and determined to assist the Trustees in carrying the work on to completion, and that they have now before them pleasing prospects,‘and doubt not of having shortly a respect- able Seminary in that growing country.” SAMUEL KIRKLAND To ]oHN THORNTON KIRKLAND President of Harvard College, 1810-1827. Paris, 5th December, 1798. My dear Son —— As you have from time to time expressed so much concern for the interest of the family, I will assign some causes for my present ﬁnancial embarrassments. In the ﬁrst place, I sustained considerable loss in personal estate in the late war. 1798] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE , 97 ._._. 2d. I have always kept an open generous house, and from my , public character and connection with the Indians have been exposed to much company and great expence. That I have been liberal towards the education of my children, you can testify. At the ﬁrst turn of the times-———the depreciating of our currency, and the sudden rise of labour and the neces- saries of life————my salary ceased, when many others had it not only continued but enlarged. Moreover the ceasing of my salary just at that juncture and at the time of my sickness, was more disadvantageous to me than twice its sum or value at another time. 3d. My long sickness, with the necessary and unavoidable expence attending it, including the almost total derangement my farming business sustained during that period (in the estimation of my judicious neighbours) could not be less than 2000 dollars. During this period, moreover, being unable to attend to my worldly affairs, I met with several - losses by bad debts and failures. 4th1Y. The money I advanced and hired for the Trustees of the H. 0. Academy amounted to a little more than I 100 dollars, in the outset. Interest, cost of suits, journies, executions and the like have increased the principal to nearly 1700 dollars. For a part of this I am still indebted to you. And that the Academy might progress and attain the important ends of its Institution, I gave the Trustees a full and complete discharge of all demands upon them. In addition to this, and over and abovevthe 325 acres of land I gave to the Trustees, when a part of them and some gentlemen of the ﬁrst character in the County, associated and covenanted to complete the building, (dividing it into twenty shares) were unwilling to proceed unless I subscribed a 20th part —-— which I did cheerfully and shall soon pay my proportion-—and blessed be God, the building is so far completed as to receive 40 or 50 scholars and will be opened in the course of two or three weeks by an able and worthy gentleman chosen and recommended for the purpose by Dr. Dwight, President of Yale College. He is already arrived. Perhaps you think I ‘ have done more than I ought to have done for this Institution, 7 98 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1798 considering the infancy of the settlement of this Town and its vicinity; that I ought to have learned to be just before I became generous. This may be true. But the ﬂattering prospects, and many encouragements given to promote the Institution when the Plan was ﬁrst proposed, induced me to think I should make no farther sacriﬁce of property than the first donation, which I conceived to be my duty. Let me once more remark that from the encouragements I had received, I boarded and lodged three Indian boys for near three months; and now almost four years have fed, cloathed, and schooled a boy of a Tuscarora Chief,* and most of the time paid for his education, all at my own expense, except a hat or a pair of mogesans given by his father. I also advanced IOO dollars toward repairing the Oneida mi1ls———with some articles of farming utensils, for which as yet I have received no com- pensation. I also victualed the sick Indian Chief with his two and three attendants under Dr. Hopkins’ care, at the request of the former Superintendent of Indian affairs, for near two months. Your affectionate Father Saml Kirkland. Revd. T. Kirkland. KIRKLAND’s RELEASE TO THE T RUSTEES OF THE ACADEMY. Be it known that in consideration of six cents, the receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge: I hereby release, exonerate, and discharge the Trustees of Hamilton Oneida Academy of and from all Constraints, Debts, Dues and Demands either in Law or equity, upon condition that the sum of two thousand Dollars shall be applied towards inclosing and ﬁnishing the Building called Hamilton Oneida Academy according to a Con- tract agreed on by and between Thomas Hart and his Asso- ciates of the one part and the said Trustees of the other part. Witness my hand and seal in the year of Our Lord One thou- sand seven hundred and ninety nine. .____.____..__. Samuel Kirkland. * Captain Cusick. 1799] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 99 Joel Bristoll. I hereby certify that the above is a true Coppy from the original Discharge in my hands. Sewall Hopkins, Clerk. PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. Meeting of March 5, 1799. Mr. Benson from the Committee appointed to pre- pare the annual Report to the Legislature, delivered to the Board the Draft of a Report which was read & approved; and ordered to be engrossed authenticated in the usual manner and presented to the Legislature. Hamilton Oneida Academy. The Trustees have represented to the Regents that they have completed so much of the Building as is sufficient for the Accommodation of a large School. They have procured an Instructor Mr John Niles, who has had experience in the Instruction of youth at Greenﬁeld Academy in Connecticut and whose Recommendation from the Revd. Dr Dwight is an ample Testimonial of his Virtue and of his Qualiﬁcations as an Instructor. The School was opened in the Academy on the 26111 day of Deer. last nearly twenty Scholars were ad- mitted and the Number was daily increasing, and there was Reason to believe would in a short time be respectable. HAMILTON ONEIDA ACADEMY IN I799. From an Appendix to the Journal of Samuel Kirkland for the years I798~I799, dated Boston, November, 1799. The Report to which reference is made, is the Report of Dr. Belknap on the condition of the Oneida Indians and the mission, published in the Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society. The Report speaks of the hopeless state of Hamilton Oneida Academy, of which I have so often written heretofore. The 100 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1802 event has disproved the predictions of some of the Regents of the University of New York, who are often cited as represent- ing that there is no prospect of its progressing. This Institution, from its origin, has been opposed by the ignorance, prejudice, selﬁshness, and envy of certain persons in the state of New York, tho’ it is presumed that few Institu- tions of the kind have been established upon more liberal and humane principles; and from its local circumstances, few are better situated to be the means of diﬁfusing useful knowledge and promoting good order and government. To give its his- tory, the difﬁculties and opposition it has had to encounter, the many discouragements it has surmounted, would be too long for a place here, were I furnished with the necessary documents. This I hope will be given in the course of the ensuing years byan abler and less injured hand. It has been thought an object worthy of attention, even in its infant state, and has been visited by many gentlemen, among whom are the Revd Presidents of Yale College and that at Williamstown. Suffice it to say that the incumbrances under which it was laid have been in a great measure taken off, and the building partly finished in a neat, workmanlike manner. It is furnished with upwards of ﬁfty Scholars, and two learned and respectable Instructors. But one Indian boy is in the School; many have applied, and repeatedly, but the provision for theirsupport which was calculated upon has not been made. A few hundred dollars annually for the support of some Indian boys is all that is wanting to make it answer every purpose with respect to the Indians that either I or anybody else ever proposed. PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS OF THE “UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. Meeting of March 26, I802. The Regents of the University respectfully make the following as their annual Report to the Legislature. Hamilton Oneida Academy. The principal Branches of 1803] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 101 Education taught in this tAcademy are, the Latin and Greek Languages Arithmetic, Geography, English Grammar & Surveying——It consists of ﬁfty Scholars——there are two Preceptors —— A commodious House is now building near the Academy for boarding of Scholars, which will be a means of increasing their numbers; and there is no doubt considering the local situation of this Academy and the reputation of its lnstructors, but that it will soon become very respectable. . . . The Committee appointed to prepare a Statement of the monies heretofore paid to the different Colleges & Academies of this State and an estimate of what further sums ought to be distributed, Report That the Book herewith presented contains a Statement of the monies that have from time to time been paid to the different Colleges & Academies in this State, and that in the opinion of the Committee there ought to be a further distribution of the following Sums to the Academies hereafter mentioned to be applied for the purchase of Books & Apparatus To wit Hamilton Oneida Academy . . . . . . . . . . . $100 North Salem Academy . . . . . .; . . . . . .. I00 Dutchess County Academy. .t . . . . . . . . . I00 and that the Trustees of said Academies account to the Board for the Expenditure of the Sums so to be granted to them respectively. ]osEI>II WILLARD TO SAMUEL KIRKLAND, Cambridge October :20, I803. Revd Sir, The Corporation of Harvard College have made you a grant of one hundred dollars, out of Indian monies in the Treasury, which they think is all they can do for you, at present. This sum, together with an equal one, which the Society for propa- gating the Gospel have voted you, will give you some relief ..under your difficulties, for which I heartily rejoice. The Corporation have also voted to support Isaac Solegwaston one 102 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1805 quarter at the Hamilton Oneida Academy. When the bill is transmitted to them, at the end of the quarter, they expect that it contain the several particular charges. They will also expect a Certiﬁcate from the Preceptor, respecting Isaac’s particular studies and pursuits at the Academy, the progress made by him, and his behaviour and moral character. Should the prospect concerning him be very promising, and our Indian funds be sufficient, I think it probable that we may afford him some farther assistance in his education. However, I should advise you to look out for assistance from other quarters, as I can promise you nothing absolutely. I rejoice, Sir, at the full recovery of your health, and your renewed zeal in pursuing the objects of your mission. ‘May the great Head of the Church animate and support you in the prosecution of your arduous and difficult work! And may he grant you success among the poor Aborigines, to whom you minister, adequate to your desires and the desires of all who wish well to the cause of Zion. A line from you, when you shall have opportunity to write to me, will be very acceptable. I am, Revd Sir, your sincere friend and humble Servant Joseph Willard. Revd Samuel Kirkland. PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE 01+‘ NEW YORK. Meeting of March 25, 1805. To the Honorable the Legislature of the State of New York --— The Regents of the University of the State of New York respectfully Report ——-—. The Regents have required annual Returns from the diHer— ent Academies according to a prescribed form -- This has enabled them to exhibit a general return which at one view shows the state of all the academies that have complied with the regulations. ’That for the last. year is annexed as 1808] oE HAMILTON COLLEGE 103 part of this Report. From the representations that have been received it appears that most of the academies suffer for the want of pecuniary aid beyond what is in the power of the Regents to afford- Return of Academies in the State of New York I804. Hamilton Oneida Academy. Studies Funds Reading 8: Writing . . . . . . . . . . Academy Lot and House - . $3500 Eng. Grammar, Cyphering etc. 26 Other Real Estate . . . . . . . . . .. 900 .Mathem Book Keeping etc.. 6 Personal Estate . . . . . . . . . . .. 240 Dead Languages . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Library and Apparatus . . . . .. 462 Logic, Rhetoric, Composition Annual Income etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 From the Funds . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Moral Philosophy etc . . . . . . .. From Tuition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494 French Language . . . . . . . . . . . ———-———————- Natural Philosophy . . . . . . . .. Teachers Salaries per annum. 604 -—————————— Average Price of board per Total number of students. . .. 64 annum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 65 Price of Tuition per annum.. $12 PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. Meeting of April 4, 1808. To the Honorable the Legislature. The Regents of the University of the State of New York Respectfully report, Return of Academies in the State of New York for 1807 Hamilton Oneida Academy. Studies Funds Reading & Writing . . . . . . . . .. I9 Academy House & Lot . . . . .. $3500 English Gramr. & Arithmc.. 84 Other Real Estate . . . . . . . . .. I200 Maths. Book Keepg. Geogy.. 28 Personal Estate . . . . . . . . . . .. 250 Dead Languages . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Library & Apparatus . . . . . . . . 350 Logic, Rhetoric, Compn. &c. . I3 -—-—————————— Moral Philosophy . . . . . . . . .. Annual Income Natural Philosophy . . . . . . . .. From the Funds . . . . . . . . . . . .. 95 French Language . . . . . . . . . . . I From Tuition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530 -—-——————-.-- Teachers’ Salaries . . . . . . . . .. 547 Total number of students.... I21 Average price of Board per Price of Tuition per an. . $8 to $12 annum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 78 104 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1811 PROCEEDINGS OE THE REGENTS OE THE UNIVERSITY OE THE STATE OE NEW YORK. Meeting of February 26, I810. A Petition from the Trustees of Hamilton Oneida Academy praying a Charter for a College was received read and considered. The board thereupon resolved that it is in— expedient to grant the prayer of the said Petition. PROCEEDINGS OE THE REGENTS OE THE UNIVERSITY OE THE STATE OE NEW YORK. Meeting of March 29, I810. The Regents met pursuant to adjournment. 1 . The Committee appointed to distribute the sum of twenty‘ two hundred Dollars among the several academies of the State reported as follows —— viz —- Hamilton Oneida Academy . . . . . . . . . . . $150 Resolved that the same be approved of,and that the Treas- urer pay the aforesd. sums to the several Academies accordly. PROCEEDINGS OE THE REGENTS OE THE UNIVERSITY OE THE STATE OE NEW YORK. Meeting of March 4, 1811. A petition from the Trustees of Hamilton Academy and another from the Trustees of Kingston Academy —-— Pray- ing Charters investing the said Academies with the Privileges of Colleges were severally read and referred to Mr Kent Mr DeWitt and Mr Clinton. 18ll] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 105 PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS or THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE O_F NEW YORK. Meeting of March II, I811. The Committee to whom were referred the petition of the Trustees of Kingston Academy and the petition of the Trus- tees of Hamilton Oneida Academy praying that the Regents would erect those Academys into Colleges Reported That under the Provisions in the Act instituting the Univer- sity no academy ought to be erected into a College until the state of Literature therein is so far advanced and its funds so far enlarged as to render it probable that it will attain the Ends and support the Character of a College in which all the liberal arts and sciences are to be cherished and taught. That in the opinion of the Committee no College ought to be established until suitable buildings have been provided and a fund created consisting of a Capital of at least $50,000 yield- ing an annual Income of $3,500. The Academies in question furnish no Evidence of any such requisite means and their petitions ought not to be granted. The Committee however have bestowed some Consideration upon the Propriety of instituting one or more Colleges within this State upon the supposition that the requisite funds might be procured. p A The literary character of the State is deeply interested in maintaining the reputation of its Seminaries of learning, and to multiply Colleges without adequate means to enable them to vie with other similar institutions, in the United States, would be to degrade their character and to be giving only another name‘ to an ordinary‘academy. The establishment of a College is also imposing upon the Government the necessity of bestow- ing upon it a very liberal and expensive Patronageand with- out that patronage it would languish and not maintain a due reputation for usefulness and universal learning. The Com- mittee are therefore of opinion that Colleges are to be cau- 106 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1812 tiously erected, and only when they are called for by strong public expediency. They are of opinion however that considering the great extent and population of this State an addition may be pru- dently made to the two Colleges already existing provided the proper means shall have been previously ascertained and procured. The Committee think it would be advisable to establish a College within the Western District in some proper situation to be determined on by the Regents and that the situation to be selected be one that would best and permanently accommo- date the Inhabitants of that district having a due regard not only to its present but to its future increase. PROCEEDINGS or THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. Meeting of March 5, I812. The Petition from the Trustees of Hamilton Oneida Academy praying that the said academy may be invested with collegiate powers and priviledges and the Petition from the Trustees of Fairﬁeld academy praying for like powers and priviledges which were read at a former meeting and post- poned for further consideration, were referred to Mr Kent Mr Van Vechten and Mr Southwick; ordered that the applica- tion for the Incorporation of academies, which are received and which may be received during the present session of the Board, be referred to Mr Dewitt, Mr Smith, and Mr Jenkins. PROCEEDINGS or THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YoRK. Meeting of March To, 1812. The committee to whom were referred the application for a college in Oneida county and that Hamilton Oneida academy be erected into a college —— Reported -— D That in their opinion the Prayer of the applicants ought to be granted. 1812] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 107 The report being considered, The Regents adopted the fol- lowing resolution. Resolved that the chanceller of the University be autherized to issue a charter establishing the said college by the name of “ Hamilton College ” whenever it shall appear satisfactorily to him that funds are procured for the said Institution which with those already provided shall amount to ﬁfty thousand dollars. A PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. Meeting of May 22, I812. The following reports from the colleges and academies were received to wit—— . . Hamilton Oneida Academy. . His Excellency the Chanceller reported to the Board a schedule of subscription for the contemplated college at Paris in Oneida County which being considered by the Board a satis- factory compliance with the resolution heretofore passed on that subject and Mr Chief Justice Kent having reported the Draft of a charter for the said college. Resolved that a charter issue accordingly. CHARTER OF HAMILTON COLLEGE By the Regents of the University of the State of New York. Whereas the Trustees of Hamilton Oneida Academy, in con- junction with many of the citizens of the Western District of this State, have, by their petition, made known to us, that they, the said applicants, were minded to found a college, by engrafting the same on the said Academy, at or near the scite of said Academy, in the Town of Paris, in the county of Oneida, and having signiﬁed to us, that the name thereof shall be “ Hamilton College,” and have proposed to us the twenty 108 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1812 four persons, hereafter named, for the ﬁrst Trustees of the said College; and whereas it satisfactorily appears, that funds are procured and provided, towards the support of said College, to the amount of ﬁftythousand dollars, and we having ap- proved thereof, and it appearing to us, that the funds intended by the said applicants, for the use of the said College, are as duly and sufficiently secured and vested for that purpose as is requisite, and that the founding of the said College can not be farther completed, before the said Trustees are incor- porated: Therefore, in virtue of the power in us vested by law, we have granted and declared, and by these presents do grant and declare, that a College, for the instruction and education of youth, in the learned languages and liberal arts and sciences, shall be and hereby is founded and established, in the said Town; that the Trustees of the said College shall always be twenty four in number; and that Henry Huntington, George Brayton, Morris S. Miller, Nathan, ‘Nilliams, James S. Kip, James Carnahan, Jedediah Sanger, Joseph Kirkland, John H. Lothrop, Thomas R. Gold, Jonas Platt, James Eells, Asahel S. Norton, Ephraim Hart, William Hotchkiss, Joel Bristol, Henry McNiel, Peter Smith, Dirick Lansing, Jasper Hopper, Obadiah German, Arunah Metcalf, Simeon Ford, and Walter _Fish, shall be the present Trustees; and that the said Trustees and their successors shall be a body corporate and politic, by the name of “ The Trustees of Hamilton College,” and shall have perpetual succession and shall be capable to sue and be sued, and to purchase, take, hold, enjoy, and have lands, messuages, tenements, hereditaments, and real estate whatsoever, in fee simple, or for term of life, or lives, or years, or in any other manner howsoever; and also goods, chattels, books, monies, annuities, and all other things of what nature or kind soever, provided, always, the clear yearly value of such real estate do not exceed the sum of thirteen thousand three hundred and thirty three dollars and one third of a dollar lawful money of the United States; and also to appoint a President and 1812] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 109 Professors and Tutors to have immediate care of the educa- tion and government of the Students, who shall be sent to and admitted into the said College for instruction and education, according to such ordinances, rules, and orders, as shall be made by the said Trustees; and also to appoint a Treasurer and Clerk, and all other needful ofﬁcers and ministers, and assign to them their respective business and duties; and also, from time to time to make such ordinances, rules, and orders for the management and disposition of the lands and other real estate, and of the chattels and monies and other property at any time held or possessed by them, the said Trustees, for the use of the said College; and for the more orderly and con- veniently performing and executing the trusts and authorities hereby granted and committed to them, as they, the said Trustees shall deem most ﬁt and beneﬁcial; and also all such ordinances, rules, and orders, directing and appointing what books shall be publicly read and taught in the said College, and for the better government of the said College, and of the President, Professors, Tutors, and Students thereof, as they, the said Trustees, think best for the general good of the same; provided that no ordinance, rule, or order, to be made by the said Trustees, nor shall the appointment of a President, or of any professor, or tutor, in the said College, nor of a treasurer or clerk, or any other ofﬁcer or minister, have any force or validity, unless the same shall be agreed to by the major part of any thirteen or more of them, the said Trustees, convened and met together; and provided farther that no such ordinance, rule, or order, shall be repugnant to the Laws of this State, or the Laws of the United States; neither shall any of them extend to exclude any person of any religious denomination whatsoever from equal liberty and advantage of education, or from any of the degrees, liberties, privileges, beneﬁts, or im- munities of the said College, on account of his particular tenets in religion; and provided also that every such ordinance, rule, or order, whereby the punishment of expulsion, suspension, deg- radation, or public confession shall be inflicted on any student, 110 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1812 shall be put in execution only by such major part of any thir- teen or more of the said Trustees; that the President of the said; College shall hold his ofﬁce for and during his good behaviour; but that all professors and tutors, and every treasurer and clerk, and all other officers and ministers, shall hold their respective offices, at the will and pleasure of the said Trustees; that there shall be two meetings of the said Trustees in the said Town in every year, on such days, and at such place, as the said Trustees shall by ordinances to be by them from time to time made in that behalf, appoint, to be denominated stated meet- ings; and until the said Trustees shall have made an ordi- nance, appointing the days and place of such stated meetings, the same shall be held on the last Tuesday in May and on the last Tuesday in September, and in the building hitherto called the Academy; That when any special meeting of the said Trustees shall be deemed necessary, the Senior Trustee then residing in the said Town, and taking upon himself the exercise of the office, shall, on application for that purpose in writing, under the hands of any ﬁve or more of the said Trustees, appoint a time for such special meeting, at some convenient place in the said Town, and cause due notice thereof to be given, by adver- tising the same, in one or more of the publick news-papers, printed in Utica, at least twenty days before such meeting; and at such meeting such senior Trustee, before entering on any business, shall certify such notiﬁcation to the Trustees then met; that whenever the said Trustees shall be met to- gether at any meeting, the senior Trustee, then present, shall preside at such meeting; that the seniority intended in these two several cases, shall be determined according to the order in which the said Trustees are herein named, and shall be here- after elected; That the said Trustees may, by the President of the said College, or any other person by them authorized and ap- pointed, give and grant any such degree and degrees, to all such persons thought by them worthy thereof, as are known to and usually granted by any University or college in Europe; 1812] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 111 That the said Trustees shall and may have a Common Seal, under which they shall and may pass all grants, diplomas, and all other writings whatsoever requisite or convenient to pass under such seal, and which shall be engraven in such form and with such devices and inscription as shall be agreed upon by the said Trustees, and to alter the same, at their pleasure; and ﬁnally, that the said Trustees and their successors forever shall enjoy all the corporate rights and privileges which we are empowered to grant. In Testimony whereof we have caused our common seal to be afﬁxed to these presents the twenty sixth day of May in the thirty sixth of the Independence of the United States, 1812.. Daniel D. Tompkins Chancellor of the University of the State of New York Fran. Bloodgood, Secretary. PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS’ OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. g A Meeting of June 4, I812. Resolved that the chanceller be authorized to accept of a surrender of the charter of the Hamilton Oneida Academy on his being satisﬁed that they have granted and conveyed all their estate Real and Personal to the Trustees of Hamilton College. LAws OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, I812. CHAPTER 237. /TN ACT for the Endowment of Hamilton College, and for other purposes. Passed June 19, 1812. I. Be it enacted by the People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, That the comptroller of this state, as soon as may be after the passing of this act, 112 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1812 shall, on behalf of this state, assign and transfer unto the trustees of Hamilton college, for the use and beneﬁt of said college, and to their successors in ofﬁce, bonds and mortgages executed to the people of this state for lands heretofore sold in the late Oneida reservation to the amount of ﬁfty thousand dollars, including principal and interest now due thereon. 2. And be it further enacted, That upon the paymentof the interest due or to grow due on the said bonds and mortgages, at or before the expiration of one year after the same shall have become due, the payment of the principal shall not be demanded until the expiration of ten years from and after the passing of this act. 3. And be it further enacted, That the charter granted to the college of physicians and surgeons in the city of New York, by the regents of the university, bearing date the fourth day of June instant, be and the same is hereby ratiﬁed and con- ﬁrmed, any grant or charter heretofore made by the said regents to the said college to the contrary notwithstanding. THE FOUNDING OF HAMILTON COLLEGE. From 5'0-me Reininiscetzces of the Life of Samuel Kirkland Lothrop, p. 26. Hamilton College was at this time a matter of great interest to all the best and most substantial people of that part of New York, but especially to the Kirkland and Lothrop families. It had grown out of the Oneida Academy, an institution vir- tually founded some ﬁfteen or twenty years before by my grandfather, who had given it nearly the whole of the lands the had received from the Indians and the State of New York in attestation of his valuable and patriotic services during the VVar of the Revolution, especially in keeping the Six Nations neutral during that struggle. His great object was to have a school on the borders of civilized and savage life where the youth of both conditions-——-civilized and savage---could be educated together, and the latter receive especial beneﬁt from 1812] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 113 intercourse with the former. But the borders would not re- main stationary: civilization constantly encroached; the Indians, though still numerous, became insigniﬁcant and un- important amid the rapid increase of the white population; and the wants of the latter seemed to demand that the Academy should be elevated to the rank of a college. A charter for this purpose was granted; and through the Federal inﬂuences - which in the Kirklands, Lothrops, and other good people in Oneida County at that time were strong and potential———-it was called Hamilton College,in honor of the great statesman. Considerable funds had been raised, and new buildings were to be erected; and my father, as one of the Trustees, was intrusted with the superintendence of these things, and for a year or two was much at Clinton and on College Hill, as it was called. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. First Meeting, July I4, 1812. In pursuance of the provisions and directions contained in the Charter of the College, & at the request of five of the Trustees named in said Charter, I hereby notify Messrs Henry Huntington, George Brayton, Morris S. Miller, Nathan W'i1- liams, James S. Kip, James Carnahan, Jedediah Sanger, Joseph Kirkland, John H. Lothrop, Thomas R. Gold, Jonas Platt, James Eells, Ephraim Hart, V\/'illiam Hotchkiss, Joel Bristoll, Henry McNeil, Peter Smith, Dirck C. Lansing, Jasper Hopper, Obadiah German, Arunah Metcalf, Simeon Ford, and Walter Fish, the Trustees of the said College, named in said Charter, that a Meeting of the said Trustees will be holden at the house of Abraham W. Sedgwick, innkeeper in the village of Clinton, in the town of Paris, in the county of Oneida, on the I4th day of July next, at ten o’clock in the forenoon Asahel S. Norton, Senior Trustee, residing in the town of Paris. Dated June 19, I812. 8 114 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1812 The above and foregoing notiﬁcation, was given by me the Subscriber and inserted in the news—paper printed in Utica intitled the “ Utica Patriot ” on the 2 3rd day of June 1812, and done on the application of ﬁve Trustees named in the Charé ter of Hamilton College; the like notiﬁcation was inserted in the “ Columbian Gazette” printed in Utica. Certiﬁed this 14th day of July 1812 Asahel S. Norton, Senior Trustee, residing in the town of Paris. At a Meeting of the Trustees of Hamilton College, at the house of Abraham VV. Sedgwick, innkeeper, in the village of Clinton, in the town of Paris, on the 14th day of July in the year of our Lord 1812, pursuant to the foregoing Notice; the following Members of the board were present,—— viz: Henry Huntington, George Brayton, Morris S. Miller, Jedediah Sanger, Joseph Kirkland, John H. Lothrop, Thomas R. Gold, Jonas Platt, Asahel S. Norton, Ephraim Hart, Joel Bristoll, Henry McNeil, Peter Smith, and Nathan Williams. P Henry Huntington, being the Senior Trustee, took the chair C as President of the said board of Trustees. Nathan Williams was appointed Secretary pro tem. On motion of a Member of the board the Charter of the College was read. C On motion of Mr. Kirkland, Ordered, that a Committee of the members of the board be appointed, to report arrange- ments for carrying the objects of the Charter into execution, and that the President of the board appoint said Committee; on which Jonas Platt, Thomas R. Gold and Joseph Kirkland were appointed. C . The above Committee reported the following Resolutions, viz. ‘ Resolved, that Peter Smith, Ephraim Hart, and George Brayton, be a committee to secure the donations, property, and 1812] or HAMILTON COLLEGE 115 funds belonging to this Corporation, with full and ample power and authority to apply to the Comptroller of this State, and receive on behalf of this board an assignment of the Bonds and Mortgagespmentioned in the Act of the Legislature of this State, entitled “An Act for the endowment of Hamilton College,” passed in June 1812. And also with full power to accept and receive on behalf of this Corporation, a regular conveyance and assignment of all the property and estate real and personal, now belonging to the “ Trustees of Hamilton Oneida Academy.” And also with full power and authority, to ask for and obtain regular conveyances and securities to this board for all the Land, Monies and other Property whatsoever subscribed by any person or persons towards the funds of “ Hamilton ‘.College,” and it shall be the duty of said Com- mittee to report their proceedings to this board without un- necessary delay. Resolved, that Mr. Platt, Mr. Gold, and Mr. Miller, be a Committee on the Presidency, Officers of the College, and any other Ofﬁcers or Agents necessary to be appointed by the Trustees; which Committee is required to report the proper duties to be attached to each of the said ofﬁces respectively, and the salaries or compensation to-be made to the said ofﬁces. Resolved, that Mr. Norton, Mr. Kirkland, and Mr. Lothrop, be a Committee to report in relation to the duties of a Treasurer and Clerk and their salaries; also a code of bye- laws and rules for this board, and the device proper for the Common Seal; also the present state and situation of the build- ings belonging to Hamilton Oneida Academy, and an estimate of the expense of putting the same in repair; ‘Which were adopted by the board. A Resolved that the Seal of “ Hamilton Oneida Academy” be adopted as the Seal of this Corporation, until another is provided. Resolved, that the board be adjourned, to meet again on the 21st inst. at ten o’clock in the forenoon, at the place of this 116 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1812 meeting; and that the Secretary notify said meeting to the members of the board not now present. Adjourned. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Second Meeting, July 21515 1812. At a Meeting of the Trustees of Hamilton College, pursu- ant to adjournment, at the house of Abraham W. Sedgwick, innkeeper, in the village of Clinton, in the town of Paris, on the 21st day of July, 1812, the following Members of the board were present, viz. Henry Huntington, George Bray- ton, Morris S. Miller, James S. Kip, Jedediah Sanger, Joseph Kirkland, John H. Lothrop, Thomas R. Gold, Jonas Platt, Asahel S. Norton, James Eells, Ephraim Hart, Joel Bristoll, Henry McNeil, Peter Smith, Dirck C. Lansing, Jasper Hop- per, Simeon Ford and Nathan Williams. Henry Huntington, President, Nathan Williams, Secretary pro tem. The several committees, appointed at the last meeting, were called on to report. Mr. Platt, Mr. Gold, and Mr. Miller, one of said committees, reported as follows: The Committee, to whom was referred the subject of the Presidency and officers of the College, with directions to report as to the duties to be assigned to each of them and the compensation to be allowed to them respectively, Report: That the powers and duties to be assigned to the head of the College, and the salary proper to be allowed to him, will depend in a great degree on a previous question, to be decided by the Trustees; viz. Whether the President alone shall per- form the higher duties of the Institution, or whether he shall be aided by a Provost or Vice-President of distinguished lit- erary attainments, who shall perform the principal labors of instruction and discipline? , I f the Trustees prefer the former mode; then the committee 1812] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 117 are of opinion, that a salary of ﬁfteen hundred dollars per year, payable quarterly, together with the use of a convenient dwelling house, garden and out houses, should be allowed to the President. ‘ If the Trustees prefer the latter mode of organization; then the committee recommend, that a salary of seven hundred and ﬁfty dollars per year payable quarterly be allowed to the Presi- dent; and that a salary of fourteen hundred dollars per annum, payable quarterly, together with the use of a convenient dwell- ing house, garden and out houses, be allowed to the Provost or Vice President. The committee further recommend, that the following Pro- fessors be immediately appointed for Hamilton College, viz. a Professor of Chemistry and Mineralogy; a Professor of Surgery and Anatomy; a Professor of the Institutes of Medi- cine; and a Professor of Obstetrics: And that a Committee be appointed to confer with the Persons who shall be appointed to the said Professorships, in regard to the Chemical and Surgi- cal Apparatus, the necessary apartments for their accomoda- tion, the compensation for their services, and all other matters in relation to their Professorships respectively. The Committee further recommend, that the appointment of Tutors, and the regulation of their respective duties and com- pensation, be postponed until the next meeting of thisboard. Messrs. Norton, Kirkland, & Lothrop, another of the said committees, reported as follows: To the Board of Trustees of Hamilton College: The undersigned, a committee appointed by a resolution of the Board passed the 14th instant, on the several subjects there expressed report as follows: On the subject of the Bye-laws, necessary for the regula- tion of the board, the Committee have deemed it necessary for the present to submit for the adoption of the board only the following, viz. T I. All the appointments, both of the Officers of the Col- 118 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1812 lege and in ﬁlling the vacancies that may happen in this Board, shall be made by ballot. II. All committees shall be named and appointed by the presiding ofﬁcer of the Board. III. Whenever any member shall propose a resolution for the adoption of the Board, the same shall be presented in writing. I IV. The members of this Board shall be allowed nothing for their ordinary services; but their expences in coming to, attending on, and returning from the meetings of the Board shall be paid by the Treasurer. V. The Reports of all committees of the Board shall be made in writing. - On that part of the Resolution, relating to a Common Seal for the Corporation, the following devices are submitted for the selection of the Board: IStpThe emblematical ﬁgure of Wisdom or Science, Minerva, leading her votary up an emi- nence and pointing to the temple of Fame situated on the I-Ieight ; Motto, Scientiae et Virtutes, Pmemium Splendidum; ‘ in the margin of the Seal the words C ollegii Hamiltonensis Sigillum, Fundatum M DC C C XII . 2nd The same ﬁgure crown- ing one of her sons in the vestibule of the temple of Fame with her appropriate wreath, the words Lux et Veritas entwined in the wreath; same Motto, same Margin. 3rd An appro- priate ﬁgure raising a veil from the vision of a nonciate, with the ﬁnger of her right hand resting on the book of Knowl- edge open, and pointing to the words Lm: etg Veritqs writ- ten therein; Motto in Greek charactersi,t,<Tvw0¢ 5eaUT<7V”,'" same Margin. 4th Or the ﬁgure of a celestial being, raising a veil‘ in the same manner, pointing to the words ‘Tvwfh Eeatmw” written in Greek characters in the open Book of Knowledge; Motto, “ Lege, Prodesse, et C 0n5[7ici,* ” same Margin; Seal to be 2% inches in diameter. . On the subject of repairs immediately necessary to render the Academy commodious and convenient for students the .1’ ,1)“ 1' V .13’ i « 7 , 5:3.’ ‘ ' '4‘ r 1812] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 119 committee further report: that after having reviewed the premises and taken the estimates of the proper mechanics on the subject, they are of opinion that the upper arched room at the South end of the building be ﬁnished ———that two addi- tional stacks of chimnies be built —— that all the rooms undergo a thorough repair, and that the same together with the Halls and Staircases be painted and whitewashed; that the under- pinning be repaired; that the staircases be removed and placed in the Halls running crosswise of the building, and the other halls be converted into closets or bed rooms to accomodate the rooms; that two of the rooms be converted into one, to accomodate a professor of chemistry, if necessary; and that the whole expence to be incurred will probably amount to the sum of ﬁve hundred and seventy—ﬁve dollars. On motion of Mr. Platt, Resolved, that Mr. Bristoll and Mr. Hart be a committee to examine whether any and what Lands, if any, are necessary for the accomodation of the Col- lege, with power to treat for and obtain the refusal of any lands which they may deem useful to the institution, & make report thereof to this Board. The Board then adjourned until 8 o’clock A. M. on Wednesday. Wednesday morning July 22nd 1812, the Board met pur- suant to adjournment. On motion of Mr. Gold: Resolved, that Mr.,Gold, Mr. Platt, and Mr. Miller be a committee to procure a Seal for the Corporation, with the following depvisegiand motto: The emblematical ﬁgure of a Celestial Being or angel, raising a veil from the vision of a pupil or novitiate, with the left hand, and the ﬁnger of the right hand resting on the book of Knowledge open, and pointing to the words “ Lux et Veritas,” written therein; Motto, “T N991 EEAYTON”; in the margin “ C ollegii Hamiltonensis Sigillum, F1/mdatum MDCCCXII.” The size to be the diameter of two and a half inches; and authority is given said committee to make any unessential alteration in the same device. 120 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1812 On the motion of Mr. Gold, Resolved, that Mr. Smith and Mr. Brayton be a committee to procure a College bell, of a proper size, and not exceeding in weight two hundred pounds. On motion of Mr. Platt, Resolved, that Mr. Bristoll, Mr. McNeil, and Mr. Hart, be a committee to carry into effect the alterations and repairs in the buildings, according to the report of the committee thereon, and this board will provide for the expense thereof. And that said committee be authorized to make such alterations and additional repairs as they may deem necessary, provided the expence of such alterations and addi- tions shall not exceed the sum of two hundred dollars. On motion of Mr. Kirkland, Resolved, that the board pro- ceed to the election of a President of the College -—- which was done accordingly; and on counting the votes it appeared that the Rev. Caleb Alexander was unanimously elected President of said College. , R A committee was then appointed to inform Mr. Alexander of his election. Said committee then reported that said information had been communicated to him, and in reply the Rev. Mr. Alex- ander presented to them the following letter of resignation, which was ordered to be read, viz. “ Paris, July 22nd 1812. Gentlemen——having received by your committee, your Reso- lution of this date, informing me that you have unanimously appointed me President of Hamilton College, I do hereby express to you my sincere thanks for the honor bestowed on me. After maturely considering the subject, and reﬂecting on my own situation, as also that of my family, I believe it my duty under existing circumstances to decline accepting the appointment. Allow me to say that I am your affectionate friend and humble servant C. Alexander.” To the Trustees of Hamilton College. 1812] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE p 121 On motion of Mr. Gold, Resolved, that whereas the Rev. Caleb Alexander was this day appointed President of Hamil- ton College, and did thereupon decline accepting the said ofﬁce, and this Board conceiveing themselves justly indebted to said Alexander for his great and zealous exertions in procuring the Charter and funds of the College: to the ends therefore that due compensation may be made to him in the premises; Resolved, that the Treasurer of the Board be directed to pay to the said Caleb Alexander the sum of one thousand ﬁve hundred dollars as soon as the same shall be received into the Treasury and within the period of six months, with interest from this date, and the further sum of ﬁve thousand dollars in ﬁve equal annual installments, to be computed from this . day, with annual interest on the same, and that the senior Trustee and Clerk, on behalf of this Board, execute to the said Caleb Alexander a bond or obligation accordingly under the seal of the Corporation. On motion of Mr. Gold, Resolved, that Mr. Norton, Mr. Bristoll, and Mr. Hotchkiss be a Committee to take charge of and superintend the School now kept in Hamilton Oneida Academy, on the relinquishment thereof to the Trustees of Hamilton College, until the further order of this Board. The Rev. Caleb Alexander having declined to accept the Presidency, as above; A On motion of Mr. Williams, Resolved, that the Board pro- ceed to the election of another person to ﬁll that ofﬁce ; which having been done accordingly, it appeared on counting the ballots that the Rev. Samuel Miller, D.D., was elected the President of said College. On motion of Mr. Ford, Resolved, that Mr. Gold, Mr. Platt, and Mr. Miller be a Committee to communicate to the Rev. Doctor Samuel Miller his appointment to the Presidency of Hamilton College, and to request his answer as to his accept- ance of the appointment. On motion of Mr. Platt, Resolved, that the Board proceed to the election of Professors of Chemistry and Mineralogy 122 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1812 and of Obstetrics, which was done accordingly. And Doctor Josiah Noyes was elected Professor of Chemistry and Mineralogy; and Doctor Westel Willoughby Professor of Obstetrics. On motion of Mr. Platt, Resolved, that Mr. Norton, Mr. Bristoll, and Mr. McNeil be a Committee to confer with Dr. Josiah Noyes and Doctor Westel Willoughby in regard to the Chemical Apparatus, the necessary apartments for their accomodation, the compensation for their services, and all other matters in relation to their Professorships respectively. The Board then adjourned to meet again on the twenty- ﬁfth day of August next, at ten o’clock A. M., at the same place. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Third Meeting. August 25, 1812. At a meeting of the Trustees of Hamilton College, pursu- ant to adjournment, at the house of Abraham W. Sedgwick, in the village of Clinton, town of Paris, on the 25th day of August, I812, the following members of the Board were present, viz: Morris S. Miller, James S. Kip, Jedidiah Sanger, Joseph Kirkland, Thomas R. Gold, Jonas Platt, Asahel S. Norton, James Eells, Ephraim Hart, Joel Bristoll, Henry McNeil, Peter Smith, Dirck C. Lansing, and Nathan Williams. Morris S. Miller, President; Nathan Williams, Secretary pro‘ tem. On motion of Mr. Gold, Resolved, that the Committee appointed to communicate to the Revd D? Miller his election to the Presidency of the College, Report that they have per- formed that duty, and have received for answer that he declines the honor of the office. Therefore, on motion, Resolved, that this Board proceed to the election of another person to ﬁll that office; which being done accordingly, it appeared on counting the ballots that William Johnson, Esquire, was elected the President of Hamilton College. 1812] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 123 On motion, Resolved, that Mr. Platt, Mr. Gold, and Mr. Williams be a committee to communicate to the President elect his appointment, and to request his answer as to his acceptance of the same. On motion, Resolved, that the Board proceed to the election of a Professor of Theology, which was done accordingly, and on counting the ballots it appeared that the Rev. Asahel S. Norton was elected to that office. C On motion of Mr. Gold, Resolved, that the salary of the President of the College be eighteen hundred dollars, together with the use of a house, garden, and out houses. On motion of Mr. Gold, Resolved, that the Grammar School of the late Hamilton Oneida Academy be continued by the Trustees of the College. Resolved, that the College be opened for the reception of Students in the ensuing Autumn, and that Mr. Norton, Mr. Eells, and Mr. Lothrop be a Committee to provide for open- ing and organizing the College and continuing the Grammar School; and also, in conjunction with Professors of the Col- lege, to examine and admit Students into a Class in the College for which they may be found competent. Resolved, that the above Committee notify the Public of the intention of the Board to open the College for the recep- tion of Students the ensuing Autumn. ’ On motion, Resolved, that the Board proceed to the elec- tion of a Professor of the Learned Languages, which was done. On counting the ballots, it was found that Mr. Seth Norton was elected to that ofﬁce. On motion. Resolved, that the salary of the Professor of Languages be seven hundred and ﬁfty dollars, and that he perform the duties of a Tutor of the College until the further orders of this Board. The Committee appointed to the property and funds of the College, by Mr. Smith, their Chairman, made the following report of their proceedings to the Board, which was on motion 124 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1812 accepted: viz. The Committee appointed on the 14th of July last, of which Peter Smith is Chairman, Report in part, That two of its members have waited on the Comptroller of the State and have obtained from him assignments to the Trus- tees, pursuant to an Act entitled “An Act for the endowment of Hamilton College and for other purposes passed 19th of June 1812,” of seventyesix several Mortgages upon lands in the late Oneida Reservation, on which Mortgages agreeable to the Schedule herewith is due of Principal $37658.7o, and of interest calculated up to the said 19th of June, 1812, $12 346.83, making in the whole $50005. 53, which is $5. 53 more than the Trustees were entitled to receive by theaforesaid Act, which overplus of $5. 5 3 your Committee have transmittedto the treas- ury of the State. The Mortgages, with an assignment upon each, your Committee now delivers up to the Board. Your Committee suggest that it would be advisable for the Treasurer of this Board to obtain from the Comptro1ler’s office a particular statement of the payments heretofore made on each Mortgage; then by comparing the payments with the provisions in the several statutes in relation to “ Reservation Mortgages ” he will the more readily ascertain if any and on which interest is now due and collectable, and when the residue will be collectable. A Your Committee, in furtherance of their duties, have appointed John Kirkland, Esquire, their Agent to receive from the respective donors to the College monies and other effects, as well as titles to the lands subscribed, and that he is making progress in the premises. a Resolved, that the Treasurer of the Board be instructed to procure from the Comptroller of the State the information mentioned in the report of Mr. Smith this day. The Committee on the Chemical Apparatus, by Mr. Norton, their Chairman, made a Report accompanied with documents, which on motion were accepted and ﬁled. On motion of Mr. Norton, Resolved, that the Committee 1812] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 125 heretofore appointed to confer with Doctor Noyes in regard to Chemical Apparatus be authorized to purchase the apparatus belonging to him and mentioned in the catalogue ﬁled with the above Report by said Committee, and that the sum of two hundred and twenty dollars and twenty-eight cents be and the same is hereby appropriated for that purpose. On motion, Resolved, that seven hundred and ﬁfty dollars be the salary of the Professor of Chymestry, and that it com» mence from the 25th day of August and continue until the further order of this Board; and that he be requested to per- form the duties of a Tutor until the further order of this Board. On motion, Resolved, that the Committee appointed for the organization of the College report to this Board what buildings it may be necessary to erect the next season, and also to ascer- tain if a suitable dwelling house can be obtained for the use of the President this winter. On motion, Resolved, that the Committee for repairing the College Buildings be authorized to contract for the occupation of the Boarding house and the price of board for the ensuing year. On motion, Resolved, that the Treasurer be authorized to make a rebate or discount at the rate of ten per cent per annum to such of the Subscribers to the College as may anticipate their payments, in case their subscriptions are for money not on interest. Resolved, that the Stated Meeting of this Board on the last Tuesday in September next shall be held at the house of Abra~ ham W. Sedgwick, in the village of Clinton, at ten o’clock A. M. Adjourned accordingly. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. g Fourth Meeting, September 28, 1812. At a stated meeting of the Trustees of Hamilton College on the last Tuesday of September, 1812, at the dwelling house 126 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1812 of Abraham W. Sedgwick in the village of Clinton, pursuant to Charter and the adjournment of the board at their last meet- ing, the following members of the board were present, viz.: Henry Huntington, Joseph Kirkland, Thomas R. Gold, Jonas Platt, Asahel S. Norton, James Eells, Ephraim Hart, Joel Bristoll, Henry McNeil, George Brayton, Nathan Williams, John H. Lothrop, and Jedediah Sanger. Henry Huntington, president; Nathan VVilliams, Secretary pro tem. Mr. Norton, chairman of the committee for the organization of the College, reported as follows: The undersigned, committee appointed to provide for the opening and organization of the College, and for other pur- poses, take leave to report: That in pursuance of the duty assigned to them they have provided for the opening of the College on Thursday, the 22d day of October next; and should a sufficient number of students offer themselves and be found qualiﬁed for admission, that the four usual Classes will then be organized and admitted for instruction. That examina- tions for admission to the several classes are appointed to be holden by the professors and committee elected for that pur- pose on the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday preceding the said 22d day of October. That the third Thursday in Septem- ber has been designated as a suitable day for the annual cele- bration of Commencement. And that they have agreed that the College year be divided into three terms of study and three vacations; that one vacation take place immediately after Commencement and continue for four weeks; at the expira- tion of which a term of thirteen weeks commences, to be suc- ceeded by a vacation in the Winter of six weeks; then another term of thirteen weeks, to be followed by a vacation of three weeks; and then a term of thirteen weeks to end on the day of Commencement. To entitle the Student to admission into the Freshman Class, the committee have made it requisite that he shall be able to read, construe, and parse Virgil’s Aeneid, Cicero’s 1812] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 127 Select Orations, and the Greek Testament, and that he shall have learned English Grammar and Vulgar Arithmetic; but that less attention will be paid to the quantity read, than to the manner in which it has been read; and whether the Student shall have read less of the books prescribed or other books in the Latin and Greek languages will not be considered material, if he understands those languages sufficiently to go on with his class. For admission to the three higher Classes the com- mittee have directed that the Student shall generally be exam- ined in those studies in which Students are usually examined for admission to the same Classes in Colleges of the ﬁrst stand- ing in the United States; and that each Student, at the time that he offers himself for examination, present satisfactory testimonials of having sustained a good moral character. That all Students be roomed in the College, to be located by the ofﬁcers of the College, and that for the present not more than three Students be appointed to one room. That each Student furnish his own bed, furniture, ﬁre—wood, and candles, and be responsible for his equal proportion of all damages done to his room (the natural and necessary wear thereof excepted) during his residence in the same, to be adjudged by an inspector appointed for that purpose; that he pay atthe commencement of every quarter the sum of six dollars for his tuition; and that he submit to such regulations in regard to the Commons, when established, as the Trustees shall direct. That the Grammar School be continued under the direction of one of the Tutors of the College hereafter to be appointed, and that pupils be instructed only in the preparatory studies requisite for admission into the Freshman Class of College; And that, to carry the above arrangements into effect, it will be necessary to appoint two additional instructors, either two Tutors, or one Tutor and one Professor to perform for the present the duties of a Tutor. The committee further report that they have caused to be published in the two News Papers printed in Utica (with a 128 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1812 request that publishers of News Papers in the Western Dis- trict and those friendly to the Institution elsewhere would A insert the same in their respective papers) a Notiﬁcation desig- nating the time the College will be open for the reception of Students, the days of examination for the several Classes. and the studies generally in which Students will be examined for admission; and also of the continuation of the Grammar School lately taught in Hamilton Oneida Academy. In pursuance of another part of the duty assigned to them, the committee report: That it will be expedient and necessary ' during the ensuing year to erect a building, either of stone or brick, of about eighty feet in length, thirty-ﬁve in breadth and one and a half story in height as a Common Dining Hall for the use of the College, together with a suitable building of the same material and under the same roof for the accomo- dation of a Steward and his family; and that in the course of the present Autumn a convenient necessary of brick or stone ought to be built for the immediate relief of the Students. As a preliminary step to the erection of such buildings, the committee have taken leave to suggest to the consideration of the Board the propriety of having the lot of ground on which the public buildings are to be placed, regularly surveyed and laid out; a plan of the buildings hereafter.to be erected drawn, and the scite and dimensions of each building, together with the materials to be used, designated; with a view to the eventual construction of a pile of buildings that shall unite elegance with convenience. , The committee further report, that after making the neces- sary enquiry, they could not ﬁnd a house on or near the Hill, in the neighborhood of the College, suitable for the residence of the President, and that in the village near the meeting house none can be calculated upon with certainty; but that there is the prospect of obtaining one early in the Spring. Which was accepted and adopted by the board. On motion, Resolved, that Mr. Platt, Mr. Lothrop, and 1812] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 129 Mr. Hart, be a committee to purchase any lands adjoining the College property, which they may deem necessary, upon such terms as they may approve; and that thereupon they cause the College plot to be surveyed and a Map thereof to be made, designating thereon the scites of the College build- ings, the - streets, alleys, and pleasure grounds, with such explanatory notes as to the kind and dimensions of said build- ings and other subjects as they may deem proper; and also that they cause such trees to be planted on said grounds, and such other improvements thereof to be made as they may deem useful. Resolved, that the committee who were directed to advertize the opening of the College for the reception of Students, cause such notice to be inserted without delay in the principal News Papers in the W.estern District, and also in the cities of New York and Albany. Resolved, that the Treasurer procure from the Comptroller’s ofﬁce a_ particular statement of the payments which have been made upon the Mortgages which have been assigned to the Trustees of the College. Resolved, that the Clerk of the board furnish the Treasurer with a copy of all resolutions which may be passed relating to the duties of his office. Resolved, that Mr. Seth Norton make the selection of the Books which have been given to the College. Resolved, that Mr. Norton, Mr. Lothrop, and Mr. Eells be a committee to consult with Professors Norton and Noyes as to the books proper for the several Classes to study the ensuing VVinter; and to procure such additional apparatus as may be immediately necessary for the department of Professor Noyes. Resolved, that Mr. Hart, Mr. Bristoll, and Mr. McNeil be a building committee, and that they be authorized to explore the country adjacent to the lands belonging to the Corporation on which is contemplated to erect the public buildings, with a 9 130 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1812 view of discovering if there be any stone quarries from which it would be expedient to quarry stone for the public build- ings, and if in their opinion such stone in sufﬁcient quantity and of a quality suitable for that purpose be found at any reasonable distance, to make contracts without delay for pro- curing the same for the buildings to be erected during the ensuing year; and further, that they cause a building for a necessary for the College to be erected as soon as the scite thereof shall be designated by the committee appointed for that purpose. Resolved, that until a President be appointed who shall take upon himself the duties of his ofﬁce, the Professors and Tutors of the College have the immediate care and governance of the Students, who shall be required to recite three times in each day, Sundays, VVednesdays, and Saturdays excepted, and upon the two latter days only twice, and that the Clerk give to the Senior Professor a copy of this Resolution. The committee appointed to communicate to William John- son, Esquire his appointment as President of the College, and to request his answer etc., Report, that they have made the communication, and have received for answer that he declines the office. Therefore on motion, Resolved that this Board proceed to the election of another person to ﬁll that office. Which being done accordingly, it appeared on counting the ballots that the Rev. Doc!’ Azel Backus was elected President of Hamilton College. On motion, Resolved, that Mr. Platt, Mr. Gold, and Mr. V\/illiams be a committee to communicate to the President elected as aforesaid his appointment, and to request his answer as to his acceptance. It being suggested by Mr. Platt that James Carnahan, hav- ing removed from this State, had vacated his seat as one of the Trustees of Hamilton College, Resolved, therefore, that another person be elected in his place. VVhich being done, it appeared on counting the ballots that the Rev. Samuel F. Snow- den was elected a Trustee. 1812] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 131 On motion, Resolved, that the Board proceed to elect a Tutor of the College. Which being done, it appeared on counting the ballots that Mr. Joseph Montague was duly elected. Resolved, that he be allowed a salary of four hundred dollars, to be com- puted from this day. The Board then adjourned to the 28th of October next, to meet at this place. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Fifth Meeting. November 24th, 1812. . On motion of Mr. Kirkland, Resolved, that the President of the College be inaugurated on the third day of December next, and that he be requested to deliver on that day an inaugural address in English; and that Professor Nor- ton be requested to deliver an address in Latin; and that the addresses be accompanied by such other apposite exercises as the committee of arrangements may deem proper; and that Mr. Lothrop, Mr. Snowden, and Mr. Norton be a committee to make arrangements for the occasion. . . . Resolved, that there be erected for the use of the College a Dining Hall, a Kitchen, and necessary outhouses for the Stew- ard, and that the same, except the outhouses, be built of Stone, and that the building committee procure the necessary materials and contract for building, and that the buildings be placed upon the ground designated by the committee who were appointed to lay out the grounds of the College, and that John H. Loth- rop be added to said building committee; and that the Sum of two thousand ﬁve hundred dollars be appropriated to carry into effect this resolution. Resolved, that Mr. Platt, Mr. Kirkland, and Mr. Williams be a committee to confer with the President and Professors in relation to a Code of Laws for the Government of the College, and that they prepare and report the same to this board. 132 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1812 Resolved, that Mr. Eells, Mr. Norton, and Mr. Snowden be a committee to confer with the President and Officers of the College upon the course of studies to be pursued by the Students of the College; and that the President and Officers of the College be requested to submit a plan of studies to this Board; and that until further order of this Board the Students pursue such studies as the President and Officers shall direct. Resolved, that the Treasurer take measures to ascertain the value of the Lands given to this Corporation, and that he report the sums due on Bonds, Mortgage, Notes, and Sub- scriptions, when the same are payable, designating such as are on interest, and whether the interest is payable annually; also the amount of Stock belonging to the Corporation, and in what companies the same is holden and its present value; also the amount of monies which have been or may be appropriated before the coming in of his report. * Whereas it is necessary that a small addition be made to the College Library, for the use of the Students: therefore, Resolved, that the sum of one hundred dollars be appropriated for this purpose; and that Mr. Platt, Mr. Williams, and Mr. Kirkland be a committee to procure the same as soon as there shall be sufficient money in the Treasury not otherwise appro- priated; and that the Treasurer pay the saidsum of one hun- dred dollars to the committee on their order; and that the said committee select the books subscribed to the funds of the College; and that the committee appoint a Librarian, and regu- late the manner in which the books shall be drawn, until the further order of this Board. Resolved, that the purchase of four acres of land, made by the committee, of Job Herrick, be sanctioned by this Board, and that a bond be executed on behalf of this Board to the said Job Herrick for the sum of four hundred and ﬁfty dol-i liars, payable on the ﬁrst day of April next, at which time said Herrick is to deliver possession; and also for indemnify- 1812] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 133 ing said Herrick and his representatives against a certain Bond and Mortgage executed by said Herrick to Nathaniel Richards, Gustavus Upson, and Najah Taylor, of the city of New York, for the sum of six hundred dollars, with interest, bearing date the 17th day of September, I812, and payable the 17th of September, 1813; and also that the Treasurer remit to said Job Herrick one hundred dollars in part of the money sub- scribed by him towards the funds of Hamilton College. Resolved, that the salary of the Tutors of the College be ﬁxed at ﬁve hundred dollars a year, and that Mr. Montague be entitled to the beneﬁt of this resolution. Resolved, that the Building Committee report to this Board at their next meeting the fences necessary to be made the next Summer; also the repairs necessary to be made in the Board- ing house and the out houses, to ﬁt them for the accomodation of the President. L . Resolved, that there be appropriated a sum not exceeding one hundred dollars, for the purpose of paying Doct. Noyes for the air—pump and apparatus; and a further sum not exceed- ing two hundred and twenty dollars for the purpose of paying for a Seal and a Bell, to be paid to the respective committees appinted for these objects. . Resolved, that Mr. Norton, Mr. McNeil, and Mr. Lothrop be a committee in relation to the ofﬁce of Steward, that they make inquiry as to a suitable person to ﬁll that place, and that they report to this Board such rules and regulations in relation to the Steward’s department as they may deem proper, and the time when it will be expedient for him to enter upon the duties of his ofﬁce. Resolved, that Mr. Eells, Mr. Hart, and Mr. McNeil be a committee to confer with the Trustees of the Society whereof the Rev. Mr. Norton is Pastor, and to make a contract or arrangement with them for accomodating the Students of the College in their attendance on Divine worship, and that said committee report at the next meeting of the board. 134 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1812 Resolved, that the Prudential Committee be authorized and required to hire a suitable house for the temporary accomo— dation of the President and his family .as early as the ﬁrst day of February next. On motion, the board adjourned to meet again at this place on W/ednesday, the 2d day of December next, at 5 o’clock P. M. LAWS HAMILTON COLLE GE, IN THE TOWN OF PARIS, COUNTY OF ONEIDA, AND STATE OF NEW-YORK: ENACTED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES. ca 4:‘ *1 UTICA: PRINTED BY IRA MERRBLL. ' I I I I O O D D O O I O CO 136 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY * [1813 THE LAWS OF HAMILTON COLLEGE. CHAPTER I. Of the Government of the College. I. The Government of the College shall be vested in the President, Professors and Tutors, duly elected, qualiﬁed and introduced into ofﬁce, according to the Charter and rules estab- lished by the corporation, and shall be styled the Faculty of the college. T H. The President shall have power to direct in all matters relating to the college; to govern the undergraduate Students, and the resident Graduates, and to punish all crimes and offences, committed by them against the laws of the college, except in cases referred by law to the Faculty. III. The Professors and Tutors, severally, shall have power to govern the undergraduate Students, and to punish them for any crime, except in cases referred by law to the Faculty: Provided that they may not, in any case, proceed contrary to the advice and direction of the President. IV. The President, at his discretion, shall have authority to appoint a meeting of the Faculty.————All matters, which by law are referred to the Faculty, shall be brought before such meetings, and determined by the major part of the members present, whereof the president shall be always one, and con- curring in such determination: And when the members pres- ent shall be equally divided, the president shall have a casting vote. And in all other cases it shall be the duty of the pro- fessors and tutors, when requested by the president, to give A their opinion and advice. 1813] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 137 CHAPTER II. Of admission into the college. . . Of the distinction of the classes. . . . Of resident graduates . . . and of the manners of the students. I. AFTER the ﬁrst of January, 1813, no person shall be admitted into the freshman class till he has completed his fourteenth year; nor to an advanced standing, without a pro- portional increase of age. Candidates for admission into the college shall be examined, by the president, or, under his direc— tion, by one or more of the professors or tutors; and no one shall be admitted, unless he shall be found able to read, trans- late and parsge Cicero’s select orations, Virgil, and the Greek Testament, and to write true Latin in prose, and shall also have learned the rules of vulgar arithmetic. II. Every candidate for admission to an advanced standing, shall be examined by the president, and one or more of the professors or tutors; or, under the direction of the president, by two or more of the professors or tutors; and no such candidate shall be admitted to such standing, unless he shall be found fully qualiﬁed, in all branches of learning proper for the same. But no one, whether a candidate for an advanced standing, or coming from another college, or having been before dismissed from the college, shall be admitted into the senior class, after the end of January vacation. III. No candidate shall be permitted to attend on the col- legiate exercises, until he shall have been regularly examined and approved; nor until he shall have given a satisfactory bond to the treasurer, for the payment of his term bills. IV. Any student, however, who comes recommended from any other college, may be admitted without any pecuniary con- sideration, to the standing for which he shall be found quali- ﬁed, on examination as before directed, for the admission of candidates to an advanced standing. 138 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1813 V. Every candidate for admission into the college, shall pro- duce satisfactory evidence of a blameless life and conversation. VI. N 0 student shall be admitted as a member of this col- lege, from any other college, unless he produce a certiﬁcate from the proper authority, that he has been subject to no col- lege censure, except on a hearing, the prudential committee shall deem it consistent with the interest of the college to admit him. VII. The senior tutor shall keep a matriculation book, in which shall be registered the names of all students, who, by their regular behavior, and attention to collegiate duties, for six months at least, after their admission, shall exhibit evi- dence satisfactory to the Faculty, of their unblemished moral character. And if any candidate shall fail of exhibiting such evidence, within a reasonable time, he shall be allowed to attend on the exercises of the college no longer. Each candi- date shall be particularly required to exhibit proof that he is not guilty of using profane language. All those who are students on probation, as well as the regular members who have been matriculated, shall be subject to the laws, penalties and discipline of the college. VIII. No candidate’s name shall be registered, until he shall have subscribed the following engagement: 1, A. B. on condition of being admitted as a member of Hamilton College, promise, on my faith and honor, to observe all the laws and regulations of this college,‘ particularly, that I will faithfully avoid using profane language, gaming, and all indecent, disorderly behavior, and disrespectful conduct to the Faculty of the same: as witness my hand, A. B. IX. Every student, not belonging to Paris, shall be placed under the guardianship of a patron, who shall be one of the Faculty of the college, and shall be either chosen by the parent or legal guardian of the student, or appointed by the president: and no student shall contract any debt with out a written per- mission from his patron, on penalty of being privately dis— missed. 1813] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 139 X. Masters and Bachelors of Arts, who shall signify to the president their purpose of residing at the college, with a view of pursuing literature under his direction, and under the government of the college, and give a sufﬁcient bond to the president and fellows for the payment of their term bills, shall be considered as resident graduates and students of the college. XI. The undergraduate students shall be divided into four distinct classes. The first year they shall be called freshmen; the second, sophomores; the third, junior sophisters; and the fourth, senior sophisters; And in order to preserve a due subordination among the students, the classes shall give and receive, in the course of their collegiate life, those tokens of respect and subjection, which from common and approved usage belong to their standing in the college. And, if any scholar shall not comply with this law, or shall be guilty of any abusive speech or behavior towards his fellow-students, or towards any other person, he may be punished by admonition or otherwise, as the offence may require. XII. If any student, during the time of his pupilage, shall contract matrimony, he shall no longer be a member of the college. I CHAPTER III. Of the religious worship and order of the College and of monitors. I. IT shall be the duty of the Faculty, diligently to inspect and watch over the manners and behavior of the students, and in all proper methods, both by example and precept, to recom- mend to them a virtuous land blameless life, and a diligent attention to the public and private duties of religion. II. The president, or, in his absence, one of the professors, or one of the tutors, shall pray every morning and evening, in the chapel, and read a chapter, or some suitable portion of scripture; unless a sermon or some other theological discourse shall be delivered. And every undergraduate student shall be obliged to attend, unless he can render a sufficient excuse for absence. 140 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1813 III. The president is desired frequently to deliver, in the chapel, lectures or dissertations on such religious, moral, and other subjects, as he shall judge proper for the instruction of the college; which being publicly appointed, every student shall attend. IV. Every undergraduate Student shall be obliged to be present at every exercise of public worship, on every Lord’s day, and on days of public Fasting and Thanksgiving; and no reason of a student’s absence from public worship shall be received as sufficient, unless, when practicable, previously made known to the president, or a professor, or a tutor. V. It is enjoined upon all the students to observe the Lord’s day as holy and sacred to the duties of religion: and if any student shall profane the said day by unnecessary business, by diversion, or by walking abroad, or shall be absent from his chamber on this day, or the preceding evening, or shall thereon admit any other student or a stranger into his chamber; or on the preceding or following evening shall make indecent noise or disturbance, or shall behave indecently or profanely at the time of public worship, or at prayers, in the chapel, he may be punished by admonition or otherwise, as the nature and de- merit of the crime shall require. VI. Resident graduates are required to attend prayers, lectures, and all other exercises of divine worship in the chapel, under penalty of being deprived of the privilege of the library for neglect: and if they shall persist in the neglect, or set examples of open profaneness and disregard to the Lord’s day, and the religious order of the college, and after admoni- tion by the president, shall not reform, they shall be adjudged and declared to be no longer resident graduates, or members of the college, nor allowed to reside in it. VII. Monitors shall be appointed by the president, who shall be furnished with bills, in which they shall note down those who are absent from, come late to, or egress from, prayers and other public exercises in the chapel, on which the students are by law obliged to attend; which bills they shall deliver to the president, a professor, or a tutor, whenever they shall be required. 1813] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 141 CHAPTER IV. Of the course of Academic Literature and Iristruction iii the College. I. THE Faculty shall instruct the undergraduate students in the three learned languages, the liberal arts and sciences, and the whole course of academic literature. 11. The senior class shall be under the especial instruction of the president: each tutor shall take the care of, and instruct the particular class committed to his charge by the president: the professors shall deliver public lectures in the chapel, and private lectures and instructions to the classes and students, in the several branches of science which they severally profess, under the direction of the corporation, or of the prudential committee; and where no particular direction is given by the corporation or the prudential committee, under the direction of the president. III. The president, with the advice of the professors and tutors, shall appoint all classical exercises and examinations, and the authors which shall be read and recited by the respec- tive classes, not inconsistent with the regulations of the trustees: And it shall be the duty of the president annually at the commencement to lay before the corporation the state and method of instruction, the authors recited, and the progress ofliterary improvement in the college. Each of the professors shall, at his discretion, deliver, occa— sionally, public lectures in the chapel. The lectures of the professor of chemistry, shall be delivered to the two elder classes, separate or together, at the discretion of the professors, by and with the concurrence of the president. The students of the classes speciﬁed are required universally to assemble at each Lecture, according to the direction of the professors; and shall by them be required to account for absence, and any other negligence. 142 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1813 Each student shall take notes of the several heads of the instruction delivered at each lecture; and shall be examined by the professors concerning the knowledge which he has gained from the preceding lecture. The professor of chemistry shall deliver three lectures in a week, until his course is completed. The prudential committee shall be empowered to make tem- porary alterations in this system, as convenience may require; to exist, in no instance, longer than till the next ensuing ses— sion of the corporation. FRESH MAN YEAR. First Term.-—— The ﬁrst ﬁve books of Livy for a morning lesson. Graeca Minora, for the recitation at II o’clock, A. M. Arithmetic thoroughly and demonstratively, at 4 o’clock, P. Second TerrrL.——-Adam’s Roman Antiquities, for the morn-— ing recitation. Algebra at II o’clock, A. M. Homer at 4 o’clock, P. M. Third Term.-—— Cicero de Oratore, for the morning lesson. The first volume of Morse’s Geography, (newest edition) at II o’clock A. M. with the best atlasses: and great attention to globes and maps. Homer at 5 o’clock, until four books are completed. One student is required to declaim every day before his tutor and class. And to declaim in the chapel before the faculty and all the students, as often as it shall be thought proper by the faculty, taking into consideration the numbers in the classes. SOPHOMORE YEAR. First Term.———- Murray’s English Grammar (octavo edition) for morning lesson——— Euclid’s Elements at II o’clock——— Geography at 4 o’clock, till ﬁnished and reviewed. One com- position in rotation and one declamation each day through the Sophomore year. Second Terrm.—~ Horace for the morning lesson——Euclid at II o’clocl<. In Webber’s Mathematics, begin with Trigo— 1813] OF HAMlLTON COLLEGE 143 nometry, and proceed to Navigation, substituting Flint’s Sur- veying for Webber’s. The recitation at II o’clock A. M. and 4 o’clock P. M. in these studies. Elegant exercises in Greek at such time as may be convenient this term. Third Term.—— What remains of Horace for the morning lesson——Webber, beginning with navigation and proceeding to Spherical Astronomy, at II o’clock. The Extracts from Xenophon’s Cyropaedia and Anabasis, forthe recitation at 5 o’clock. JUNIOR YEAR. First Term.——— Chemical and Philosophical lectures at 9 o’clock A. M. and no morning recitation, three days each week —— Enﬁeld’s Natural Philosophy at II o’clock A. M. four days in the week —— Graeca Majora at 4 o’clock P. M.—-— Ferguson’s Civil Society on the days there is no chemical or philosophical lecture —- recite at II o’clock A. M. N. B. Students to take notes of all Lectures, and reduce them to writing to be examined by the Professor. Second Term.--—— Chemical & Philosophical lectures as before. Enﬁeld’s Philosophy as before. . Tytler’s History after Ferguson. Graeca Majora. Valpy’s Elegantiae Latinae. Third Term.‘———— Chemical and Philosophical lectures as before. Fluxions after Euclid is ﬁnished. Tytler continued. Tacitus after Graeca Majora. English composition and declamation as in the Sophomore Year, with the addition of Forensic Disputation, on Wednes- day of each week. si§:NIoR YEAR. Lectures on Chemistry and Natural Philosophy, as before, at 9 o’clock A. M. First Term.—— Forensic Disputation, Mondays and Tues- days, at 4 o’clock P. M. 144 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1813 Blair’s Lectures on Rhetoric, Wednesdays, Thurdays and Fridays, 4 o’clock P. M. Vincent’s Exposition of the Catechism on the Sabbath, at 4 or 5 o’clock P. M. Second Term.——— Chemistry and Natural Philosophy in lec- tures, as above. Disputation as above. Duncan’s Logic at 4 o’clock P. M. After Duncan, Locke on the Understanding, with the exhibition of arguments and sentences, &c. Third Term.——-— Chemical and Philosophical lectures - Paley’s Moral Philosophy —— Disputation —— Criticisms. Examine for degrees the 4th Wednesday of July. The under classes to be publicly examined twice each year, viz., at the expiration of the terms in May and September. IV. The classes shall not go to their recitation rooms, until after the tolling of the bell for the recitation; and shall leave them immediately after the recitation is ended. V. If any student shall be absent from any lecture, recita- tion, disputation, or other classical exercises duly appointed, he may be admonished: —-——And every student, who shall be absent from an examination appointed by the Faculty, shall receive such college punishment as the nature of the offence may require. VI. There shall be two public examinations, each year; one on the week preceeding May vacation; and the other on the week preceeding the commencement. VII. If any Student shall appear, on examination, deﬁcient in those branches of knowledge, which according to the regular course of literature in the college he hath been pur- suing, it shall be the duty of the president, or his tutor, to admonish him of such deﬁciency, that he may be incited to apply with greater diligence to study: and if, notwithstanding,‘ at the next succeeding public examination, holden after an interval of at least three months, he shall appear so deﬁcient as to be unﬁt for his standing, and unable with proﬁt and reputa— tion to pursue his studies with his class, he shall be dismissed from the college. 1813] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 145 VIII. The customary public exhibitions in the chapel, shall be holden under the direction of the president, at the close of the winter and spring terms. If any student without per- mission from the faculty, Shall fail to perform the exercise assigned him, he may be sent home. IX. On the fourth Wednesday of July, annually, the senior- sophisters shall be examined, under the direction of the faculty, and other gentlemen of a liberal education, who may be present, as to their knowledge and proﬁciency in the learned languages, and liberal arts and sciences :— And being found well skilled in them, and the whole course of academic litera- ture, shall be advanced to the standing of candidates for the degree of bachelor of arts; and having made all necessary preparations for commencement, the president may give them leave of absence from the college until the Friday before the commencement. X. If any member of the senior class absent himself from the July examination, without reasons satisfactory to the faculty, he shall be precluded receiving a degree with his class. XI. No candidate shall be permitted to exhibit on the public commencement, unless he present his composition for correc- tion, on or before the Monday preceding the July examination. CHAPTER V. Of Vacations, and of Absence from the College. I. THERE shallibe three vacations annually. The first, four weeks immediately after commencement: The second, six weeks from the second Wednesday in January: The third, three weeks from the Wednesday immediately preceding the second Thursday in May. II. N o undergraduate shall reside in the college, during any of the vacations, without the knowledge and permission of the president: And if any one shall transgress this l.aw, he shall be ﬁned not exceeding twenty cents for each day. 10 146 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1813 III. Immediately upon the expiration of every vacation, the undergraduate students shall assemble at the college: If any student shall voluntarily absent himself from the college with- out a just and reasonable excuse, when by law he ought be present, the faculty shall have power, at their discretion, to correct such disobedience by ﬁne, not exceeding ﬁfty cents by the day, during such absence, or by admonition, as the nature of the case may require. CHAPTER VI. Of the Location of the Students. 1. THE president shall have authority to locate the students in the chambers and studies of the college; and if any student shall refuse to dwell in the chamber assigned to him by the president, he shall be dismissed from the college: and if any i student shall remove from his own into another chamber; or make up his bed for lodging in any other chamber than his own, he may be ﬁned or punished in some other way, as the circumstances of the case may require. II. If any student to whom a chamber is assigned, shall be absent from the college beyond the time allowed him, or shall be vexatious to his chamber mates, or shall injure the chamber, or there shall be any other sufﬁcient cause, the president may, at his discretion, take away a chamber from him to whom it is assigned, and dispose of it to another. III. No student shall walk abroad, or be absent from his chamber, (except to attend the collegiate exercises) in the hours of study, which shall be, from the tolling of the study bell, in the morning and afternoon, till the close of the succeed- ing recitations. IV. Every student, whether present or absent, shall be at the expense of his proportion of furniture, wood and candles. necessary for the chamber assigned to him. 1813] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 147 CHAPTER VII. Of College damages, and the assessment of them. 1. WHEN any damage shall be found done, except by the inevitable providence of God, to any chamber or study in the college, the person or persons to whom such chamber or study is assigned and belongs, shall make good the same, unless such damage shall have happened while they were absent, in vaca- tion. And when any damage is done to any chamber or study in vacation, or to any other parts of the college, or the appur- tenances thereof at any time, the same shall be assessed upon all the undergraduate students, and charged in their quarter- bills: Provided always, if the person or persons who were principals or accessories. in doing any such damages, shall be discovered, he or they shall make full satisfaction for the same; and if they shall have been done intentionally by any student or students, they shall each be liable to a ﬁne not exceeding three dollars and thirty—three cents, and to any other college punishment which the circumstances of the offence shall require. II. The president shall cause to be estimated all damages of broken glass at the end of every term, and the same to be assessed upon the students according to law, and charged in their term bills. III. To ascertain other damages done to the college build- ings and appurtenances, there shall be annually appointed at commencement three persons, who shall be called inspectors of the college, and any two of them have power to act ;— whose duty it shall be to inspect and estimate all damages done to the college, buildings and appurtenances, whenever they shall be required by the president: They shall also, ex ofﬁcio, inspect and set down in writing, the state of every chamber, and study at the beginning and ending of every vacation, and likewise of the buildings and appurtenance of the college; and at the end of each term and of each vacation, they shall esti- 148 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1813 mate the damages done to each chamber and study, or to other parts of the college buildings and appurtenances during the preceding term or vacation, which had not before been esti- mated, on the special request of the president. And all esti— mates of damages, particularly stated, the inspectors shall deliver to the president in writing, with their names sub- scribed ;—-—- which estimates, with a reasonable compensation to the inspectors for their trouble, shall be the rule by which the undergraduates shall be assessed and charged respectively by the president for damages, in the term bill, next after such estimates shall have been made. IV. All damages estimated by the inspectors of the college, shall by order of the president, be immediately repaired, when practicable; and when in the opinion of the inspectors it shall be expedient, that any damages done to the college, or to any of the appurtenances thereof, should be repaired before an estimate of such damage is made, the president shall order the repair to be made; and provided the repair is full and com- plete, the actual expence shall be a rule to the inspectors in the estimate of the damage; otherwise it shall be assessed according to their discretion. V. N o repairs, additions or alterations shall be made in any chamber of the college, or in the appurtenances of any cham- ber, by any student or students, but at his or their own expence, and under the direction of the inspectors of thelcollege, on penalty of a ﬁne not exceeding three dollars and sixty-seven cents for each offence. VI. ‘Whenever in the opinion of the inspectors of the college it shall be necessary that the chapel, or any of the public cham- bers or entries of the college, or the chambers of the students, or any of them, should be whitewashed, the same shall be done by order of the president, under the direction of the inspectors, or some one of them; the expence of which shall be paid out of the college treasury. 1813] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 149 VII. The inspectors of the college shall be authorized to judge and determine whether the college chambers are ﬁt for the reception of the students; and if on inspection of any chamber, it is not in their opinion ﬁt to be inhabited, no student shall be obliged to reside in such chamber, until it shall be repaired, and judged by the inspectors ﬁt to be inhabited. CHAPTER VIII. Of Crimes and .71/Iisdemeanors. I. Every student, whether a graduate or undergraduate, shall be subject to the laws and government of the college, and show, in speech and behavior, all proper tokens of rever- ence and obedience to the faculty of the college: And if any student shall transgress this law, by treating them, or any of them, with reviling or reproachful language; or by behaving contumaciously or contemptuously toward them, or by being guilty of any kind of contempt of their persons or authority, he may be punished by any censure, even to expulsion, as the nature and aggravations of his crime may require. II. If any student shall be guilty of blasphemy, robbery, fornication, theft, forgery, duelling, or any other crime, for which an infamous punishment may be inflicted by the laws of the state, he shall be expelled. III. If any student shall assault, wound, or strike the presi- dent, a professor, or a tutor, or shallmaliciously or designedly break their windows or doors, he shall be expelled. IV. If any student shall be guilty of ﬁghting, striking, quarrelling, challenging, turbulent words or behavior, fraud, lying, defamation, or any such like crimes, he shall be punished by ﬁne, admonition, or other college punishment, suited to the nature and demerit of the crime- V. If any student shall break open the door of another; or privately pick his lock with any instrument, for the ﬁrst offence 150 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY T [1813 he shall be ﬁned eighty cents; and for the second, ﬁned, ad- monished or expelled, as the nature of the offence may deserve. VI. If any student shall be guilty of an injury to a fellow- student, or to any other person, upon complaint and proof thereof made to the president, he shall, with the advice of the professors and tutors, give judgment thereon, and order satis- faction to be made according to the nature of the offence or injury; which if any student refuse to do, he shall be publicly admonished; and if, after admonition, he persist in such re- fusal, he shall be dismissed. VII. The president, a professor or a tutor, shall have authority to break open and enter any college chamber or study, at all times at discretion. And if any student shall refuse to admit the president, or any one of the professors or of the tutors into his chamber or study; or to assist them in suppressing any disorder, or to give his evidence respecting any matter under examination, when in any of these cases required, or shall falsely declare himself ignorant of the matter, he may be punished by admonition, suspension, rusti- cation, or expulsion, as the circumstances of the crime may require. VIII. If any student without leave obtained of the presi- dent, or one of the professors, or of the tutors, shall go from the college, or beyond the place allowed him, or shall not return by the appointed time, he may be punished by ﬁne, admonition or otherwise, according to the degree and circum- stances of the offence. IX. If any student play at hand or football in the college— I yard, or throw any thing against the college-building or fence, by which they may be in danger of damage, he shall be ﬁned eight cents. I X. Every student in studying time, shall abstain from hallooing, singing, loud talking, playing on a musical instru- ment, and other noise in the college, or college yard. XI. If any student shall ring the college—bell, except by order of the president, a professor, or tutor, he shall be ﬁned, or otherwise punished, as the case may require. 1s13] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 151 XII. If any student shall keep any kind of ﬁrearms or gun- powder, or shall ﬁre any gun-powder in or near the college- yard, or near the dwellinghouse or the person of the president, a professor or a tutor, he shall be admonished, rusticated, or otherwise punished as the case may require. XIII. If any student shall play at billiards, cards or dice, or any other unlawful game, or at back-gammon, or at any game for a wager; or shall keep in his chamber, cards, or a back—gammon board ; or shall call for any strong drink in any tavern or other place within two miles of the college, he shall be punished for the ﬁrst offence by admonition, and for any subsequent offence may be rusticated, suspended or sent home. XIV. If any student shall venture money or goods in any kind of lottery, or chance game, not allowed by the laws of the land, he shall be punished by admonition, rustication or expulsion, as the nature and circumstances of the case may require. XV. If any person not belonging to the college shall con- temptuously treat or abuse the faculty of the college; or shall instigate, advise or aid any student to a refractory and stub- born behavior or carriage towards the laws and governors of the college; or shall draw away or seduce any of the students into vile principles or practices, the president, a professor or tutor, may forbid the person so offending to enter into the college-yard, and also prohibit the students to hold any inter- course with him, which if any student shall have, after such prohibition, he may be admonished or otherwise punished at the discretion of the faculty. XVI. If any combination or agreement to do any unlawful act, or to forbear compliance with any injunction from lawful authority in the college, shall be entered into by under- graduates; or if any enormity, disorder, or act of disobedience shall be perpetrated by any undergraduates in consequence of such combination or agreement, in both or either of those cases, such and so many of the offenders, shall, upon due conviction, be punished with admonition, rustication, dismission or expul- 152 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1813 sion according to the circumstances of their offences, as shall be judged necessary for preservation of good order in the college. XVII. In all cases when an offence is committed frequently or daringly, the faculty shall have power to enhance the punishment at their discretion: In all cases the faculty may accept an ingenuous public confession, in lieu of a penalty, except where the law requires expulsion. XVIII. Whenever any member of the college faculty shall be satisﬁed that any student is guilty of frequent absence from prayers, public worship, or "any college exercises, established by law; or of disorderly behavior, when present at any of them, or in the dining hall; or of unreasonable expensiveness in living or apparel, or in proper company keeping, in his room, or elsewhere; or of idleness, or profane language, or profan- ing the Sabbath; or that he has gone out of college limits without leave; or procured, or received meals, or other enter-I tainment, in any tavern or boardinghouse ; or frequented such‘ house or houses; or that he absents himself from his room, after 10 o’clock at night; or is frequently absent from his room in study hours; or has been guilty of any loose conduct, or of disrespectful behavior to any officer of this college; he shall be admonished of his misbehavior by his instructor, or any other member of the faculty; and, if he continue unre- formed, it shall be notiﬁed to the faculty, who shall admonish him again, and make known his case to his parent or guardian; if he continue still unreformed, he shall be sent home; and shall never be readmitted, except by a major vote of the faculty. XIX. Every student shall be answerable for all vicious, scandalous, and immoral conduct, during the several vacations, in the same manner as in term time. XX. Whereas the laws of the college are few and general, and cases may occur which are not expressly provided for by law: in all cases, the Faculty shall proceed according to their best discretion, and may punish a student by inflicting any 1813] or? HAMILTON COLLEGE 153 college censure, according to the nature and circumstances of his crime, not inconsistent with the charter of the college. XXI. The President shall cause a bill of the ﬁnes and other punishments, inflicted upon the students for misdemeanors and crimes, to be kept for the inspection of their parents and guardians, whenever they shall request it; which bill shall con- tain a summary account of the reasons of such ﬁnes and punishments. CHAPTER IX. Of the Library — Of the .Mnsenm —— Of the Philosophical Chamber and Apparatus ——-— Of Commons —- Of College Dnes and Quarter-Bills. THE president and the prudential committee shall have power to make regulations, until the trustees otherwise direct, on all matters relating to the Library, Museum, Philosophical Chamber and Apparatus, and Commons, and the college dues and quarter—bills. CHAPTER X. Of Commencement and Academical Degrees. I. THE Commencement shall be on the third Wednesday of September annually, and the candidates for the ﬁrst degree shall attend at the college, on the Friday preceding. II. No student may expect the honor of the ﬁrst degree, who hath not attended and performed the course of academical exercises, as ‘appointed by law for the space of four years; except such as have been regularly admitted to an advanced standing; nor unless on the examination in July, or a Special examination appointed by the president, he shall have been approved as a candidate for the same; and also have, on the day before the commencement, produced certificates from the Treasurer, the Butler, and the Librarian, that he has paid to them their respective dues. 154 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1813 III. No candidate for the second degree may expect the honor of the same, unless he shall have preserved a good moral character, and previously to the commencement signiﬁed to the president his desire of the same: All candidates for either degree shall be personally present, unless in any instance the president and fellows shall judge it proper to confer the honor of a degree upon an absent candidate, in which case he shall pay into the college treasury one dollar, or such greater sum as the president and fellows shall appoint. And certiﬁcates from the treasurer, that the money required of the candidates for the second degree, for the public dinner, and likewise of absent candidates, has been paid to him, shall be produced to the scribe of the corporation on the commencement morning; or said money may be paid to the scribe, who shall be accountable to the treasurer for the same, or so much thereof as he shall receive. IV. All academical honors shall be given by the president, with the consent of the trustees, and the candidates for a ﬁrst or second degree, shall, each, for the same, pay to the presi- dent four dollars. V. The candidates for either degree shall attend the public procession on the commencement day, from and to the college; and shall perform the public exercises, which shall have been previously appointed for them by the president; and no public exhibition shall be made without such appointment nor with- out having been approved by the president. And if any student, without permission from the faculty, shall fail to perform the exercise which has been allotted to him; or shall speak any thing which has not been approved by the faculty, he may be deprived of a degree. The president shall begin and close the business and public entertainment of the day with prayer. 1813] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 155 LAWS or THE STATE or NEW YORK, I813 CHAPTER 98 AN ACT extending the Time, and continuing in force for a limited Period, certain Banking Incorporations in this state, and for other purposes. Passed April 2, 1813. I. BE it enacted by the people of the state of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, That the act entitled “ an act to incorporate the stockholders of the Merchant’s Bank in the city of New York,” and the act entitled “ an act to incor- porate the stockholders of the New York state bank, and for other purposes,” shall be and hereby are respectively extended and continued in force until the ﬁrst Tuesday of June, one thousand eight hundred and thirty—two. " II. Provided always, and be it fnrther enacted, That it shall and may be lawful for the comptroller of this state, and he is hereby authorized and required to subscribe to the capital stock of each of the said banks, six hundred shares, in the name of the people of this state, for the use of the common school fund, to be paid for out of the said fund; and that the treasurer of Union college shall and may subscribe for the use of the said college, four hundred shares to the capital stock of each of the said banks, and the capital stock of each of the said banks are hereby accordingly increased one thousand shares; and that the treasurer of Hamilton college shall and may subscribe for the use of the said college, four hundred shares to the capital stock of each of the said banks, and the capital stock of each of the said banks is hereby increased accordingly: Provided always, that the trustees of the said colleges shall not vote upon the said shares so to be subscribed: Provided always, that on the shares to be so subscribed shall be paid into the said bank a sum not exceeding the amount paid by the former stock- holders, and in like manner from time to time as calls may be made by the directors of said bank. 156 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1813 V. Provided always, and be it further enacted, That it shall and may be lawful for the comptroller of this state, and he is hereby authorized and required to subscribe the sum of ﬁfteen thousand dollars to the capital stock of the bank of New York, and the sum of ﬁve thousand dollars to the capital stock of the bank of Albany, in the name of the people of this state, for the use of the common schools, to be paid out of the common school fund; and also that the treasurer of Union college for and in behalf of the trustees of said college, be and he is hereby authorized to subscribe the sum of twenty thousand dollars to the capital stock of the bank of New York, the sum of twenty thousand dollars to the capital stock of the bank of Albany, the sum of ﬁve thousand dollars to the capital stock of the Farmer’s bank, and the sum of ﬁve thousand dollars to the capital stock of the bank of Hudson; and also that the treasurer of Hamilton college, for and in behalf of the trustees of the said college, be and he is hereby authorized to subscribe the sum of ﬁfteen thousand dollars to the capital stock of the bank of New York, the sum of ﬁfteen thousand dollars to the capital stock of the bank of Albany, ﬁve thousand dollars to the capital stock of the Farmer’s bank, and ten thousand dollars to the capital stock of the bank of Columbia, and ﬁve thousand dollars to the capital stock of the bank of Hudson; and the capital stockof the said banks is hereby respectively increased to an amount equal to the sums authorized by this act to be subscribed on behalf of the people of this state, and the trustees of Union college and the treasurer of Hamilton college: Provided always, That the trustees of Union college and the trustees of Hamilton college shall not be entitled to vote for directors upon the shares to be subscribed for the use of the said colleges. VI. And be it fzzrther enacted, That it shall be lawful for the trustees of Columbia college, with the consent of the direc- tors of the banks mentioned in this act, to subscribe to the capital stock of each of the said banks to the extent hereby authorized and granted to the trustees of Union college, and 1813] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 157 in case such subscription shall be made, the capital stock of the banks where it is made shall be increased to the amount of such subscription: Provided always, That the trustees of Columbia college shall not be entitled to vote for directors on such subscriptions. LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, I813 CHAPTER 82 AN ACT relating to the different Colleges within this State. Passed April 9, 1813. I. Be it enacted by the People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, And whereas the comptroller, by virtue of an act heretofore passed, did transfer to the trustees of Hamilton college, bonds and mortgages executed to the people of this state, for lands in the late Oneida reservation, to the amount of ﬁfty thousand dollars: Therefore, XVII. Be it further enacted, That upon the payment of the interest due, or to grow due on the said bonds and mortgages, at or before the expiration of one year after the same shall have become due, the payment of the principal shall not be demanded until the expiration of ten years from the nineteenth day of June, one thousand eight hundred and twelve, pursuant to the terms and conditions of the act aforesaid. PROCEEDINGS OF THE T RUSTEES. Seventh Meeting, May 15, 1813. John H. Lothrop, chairman of the committee to whom was referred the subject of the stewardship of the Col- lege, reported as follows: The committee appointed to devise a plan for the establish- ment of the stewardship of Hamilton College report the following: 158 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1813 I. Of the Office and Duty of the Steward. I. The steward shall contract to execute the duties of his office at least one year from the time of his entering on the same, give sufficient surety, to be approved by the Treasurer, for the faithful performance of his trust, and on all subjects relating to his department be associated with the Faculty of the College. 2. He shall reside in the house adjoining the dining hall built for that purpose, with his family, and have the occupa- tion of the garden and other grounds to be appropriated to his use on such terms as shall be provided by contract. 3. A large and extensive garden shall be improved and culti- vated by the Steward for his own and College use, the plan and arrangement of which shall be under the direction of the Trustees; in which apartments shall be allotted to such Students as may wish to learn and practice Botany, Horti- culture, the cultivation of fruit, etc., under the particular direc- tion of the Faculty. 4. The Steward shall be the purveyor of all supplies for the commons of every nature, and superintend and direct the whole disposition and management of the same under such regula- tions as shall be prescribed by the Trustees. 5. The Steward shall likewise be the purveyor of all the wood to be used by the Students, which he shall have ready at all times, secured in woodhouses to be provided, suitably prepared for the ﬁreplaces of the College, and shall deliver the same by the cord in the Students’ apartments in the College when required. 6. The Steward ex officio is to be the Butler of the College, the duties of which department shall be executed under the regulations and direction of the Faculty. 7. The Steward shall, if directed by the Faculty, have the i charge and direction of washing and mending for the Students, which he shall cause to be faithfully executed by servants under 1813] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 159 his direction. He shall likewise have direction and manage- ment of the sweeping, making beds, disposition of ashes, and washing and cleaning the rooms of the Students and the other buildings of the College, and shallat all times have in his employ proper persons to do necessary errands at the call of the Students. None but male servants shall be permitted to perform any of the duties required within the College or College yard, and all servants are to be under the sole control and management of the Steward. 8. The Steward, as inspector of the public buildings and College premises, may associate with himself two suitable mechanics to make estimates, etc., and it shall be his duty to see to making all repairs and to assess on any Student the amount of any injury done by him to his room or the College appurtenances, subject to the correction of the Prudential Committee. The good order, neatness, preservation, and re- pairs of the whole College premises shall be committed to the care and management of the Steward, whose duty it shall be to attend to the same. 2. Of the Compensation of the Steward. The Steward shall keep regular and correct accounts of the expenditure of all monies in the various departments of his ofﬁce, shall procure vouchers for the same, and the same shall be audited by the auditing committee at the expiration of each term. He shall likewise open and keep all accounts with each Student, and make all collections and account for the same in the general statement of his accounts; and as a compensa- tion for all his services he shall be allowed such salary as shall be agreed on by the committee who may contract with him. 3. Of the Regulation of the Hall. I. The provisions of every description provided by the Steward shall be of a good quality, pure and wholesome. 2. Plain, simple, and neat cookery will be insisted on as indispensible, and the following bill of fare so arranged as to 160 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1813 produce as great variety as possible: for breakfast, coffee, souchong and hyson skin tea, chocolate shells, and milk, hot rolls and butter, plain toast, buckwheat and Indian cakes and cheese; no meat. Dinner: roast, boiled, fried, fricaseed, and broiled fresh meats, salt meats once a week, soups twice a week, salt or fresh ﬁsh on Saturdays, with an abundant supply of every description of vegetables the country produces, plain rice, ﬂour, Indian, buckwheat, and bread pudding, baked and boiled. Supper: tea, chocolate shells, and milk; toasted dry bread, biscuit, rusk, plain cakes, and cheese; no butter or meats. 3. The Steward, when not prevented by sickness or indis- pensible business, shall be personally present and superintend every meal iiand see that all the tables are well served. When necessarily absent he shall procure some suitable person as his substitute. 4. The tables in the dining hall are to be painted and set without cloths; the tops white, edged with blue, and varnished with copal varnish; the stands and seats a dark chocolate. The necessary furniture of the Hall and cooking materials for the kitchen to be furnished for the Steward under such regulations as shall be presented by the board. 5. Not more than ten Students are to be allotted to one table, who are to be seated so as to face inwards and to be located in classes; each table to have two monitors, whose places and duties shall be designated by the Faculty for the purpose of preserving order, and reporting all transgressions of the rules prescribed by the Faculty to the President. The tables and seats of those of the Faculty who shall dine in the Hall to be regulated by the President. ’6. The Faculty are to make such rules and regulations for the government and good order of the Hall as they shall think proper, two fair copies of which shall be kept posted in the Hall. 7. If at any time any provisions shall be placed on either of the tables impure, ill—dressed, and not conformable to the 1813] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 151 regulations heretofore mentioned, it shall be the duty of the monitor of that table to make immediate report to the Faculty who shall be present, who shall immediately inspect the same and report to the President. ‘ 8. Each table at dinner shall be furnished with at least two dishes of meats and vegetables, and other things in propor- tion, and at all meals as much alike and in as equal a manner as possible, under the direction of the Steward. 9. No Student shall be allowed to enter the kitchen or dining Hall or Steward’s house out of meal times except by the par- ticular permission of the Steward. IO. At the expiration of each quarterthe Steward shall pro- vide a dinner in an extra style, which is to be considered as a galaxy dinner, and for which each Student shall pay the Stew- ard an extra sum of ﬁfty cents. No Students shall be per- mitted to partake of this dinner who shall have been convicted of misconduct or irregular behaviour in the Hall during the quarter, unless by particular permission of the President. I 1. Perfect neatness and cleanliness will be considered indis- pensable, and for this purpose the ﬁoor of the kitchen and Hall shall be mopped and ﬁled every evening and both apart- ments thoroughly cleansed at least once a month; the tables properly cleansed after each meal and kept well painted and varnished. The committee further report that among the several appli- cants for the stewardship they are of opinion that Abraham VV. Sedgwick is the most suitable person to be appointed to that ofﬁce, and that they have notiﬁed the said Sedgwick that they would so report to the board, and that it will be necessary for the Steward to enter on the duties of his ofﬁce at the com- mencement of the next October term. Resolved, on motion of Mr. Gold, that the above report with the amendments be accepted. Resolved, that the Prudential Committee, with the addi- S tion of Mr. Lothrop, be instructed to contract with the Steward. S 11 162 DOCUM_EN‘T‘ARY HISTORY [1813 Resolved, that the sum of two thousand two hundred and ﬁfty dollars be appropriated to enable the Building Committee to discharge the duties enjoined upon them. . Resolved, that the committee appointed to lay out the Col- lege grounds be instructed to confer with the persons who have encroached on said grounds and report a mode for settling any dispute with said persons and ascertain the exterior line of said grounds. . Adjourned without day PROCEEDINGS or THE TRUSTEES. Eighth Meeting. September 14, I813. . Resolved, that a sum not exceeding two thousand dollars be appropriated for the use of the Steward, to be expended under the advice and direction and subject to the draught of the Prudential Committee. Resolved, that the Committee for laying out and improving the College grounds be instructed to purchase twelve acres of land adjoining said grounds on the north for the use of the College, upon the best terms to be obtained, and that the Treas- urer pay to the order of said Committee such sum or sums as may be necessary for the purpose aforesaid. Resolved, that it is expedient to erect the present season a woodhouse north of the Dining Hall and that a sum not exceeding four hundred dollars be appropriated for that object, subject to the draught of the Building Committee. . . . Resolved, that Mr. Platt be a committee to draw suitable conveyances for conveying all and singular the property, real and personal, from the Trustees of Hamilton Oneida Academy to the Trustees of Hamilton College, and to cause the same to be executed. , Resolved, that a new College be built the ensuing season; that the walls thereof be made of stone; that a sum not exceed- ing nine thousand dollars be appropriated for building the College ; and that Mr. Lothrop, Mr. Platt, Mr. Gold, Mr. Nor- 1814] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 163 ton, and Mr. Kirkland be a committee to consider and adopt a suitable plan for said building and cause the same to be erected. Resolved, that there be appropriated for the purpose of pro- curing chemical apparatus and materials one hundred dollars. Resolved, that the Treasurer pay to the Faculty of the Col- lege the sum of two hundred dollars to be expended for the purchase of books for the College Library. PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. Meeting of March 29, I814. The Regents of the University report———— From Columbia, Union, and Hamilton Colleges, special rep- resentations of their respective conditions have been made to the Legislature, by which the degree of increasing prosperity in each will be seen, and how far the very great beneﬁts they are calculated to afford to the community, recommend them to the unremitted support of Government. Hamilton College is yet in its infancy, and the Regents cherish the expectation that it will grow to maturity with a rapidity equal to that of the improvements progressing in the district for whose accommodation it has been principally erected. LAws OF THE STATE OF N Ew YORK, I814. CHAPTER I20. From Southwick’s edition, Albany, 1814. AN AC T instituting a Lottery for the promotion of Literature and for other purposes. Passed April I3, 1814. WHEREAS well regulated seminaries of learning are of immense importance to every country, and tend especially, by the diffusion of science and the promotion of morals, to defend and perpetuate the liberties of a free state: Therefore, 164 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1814 I. BE it enacted by the People of the state of N ew-Y ork, represented in Senate and Assembly, That there shall be raised by lottery, in successive classes, a sum equal in amount to the several appropriations made by this act, together with the simple interest accruing thereon, till the same shall be raised and paid by the managers appointed to superintend the same: Provided, however, that this provision for the payment of interest shall not extend to interest which may accrue on either of the provisions contained in this act for more than six years from the time of passing the same. II. And be it further enacted, that one hundred thousand dollars be appropriated, to be paid out of the avails of said lottery in manner aforesaid, towards the completion of the ediﬁces already commenced by the trustees of Union College, and for the erection of such other ediﬁces as may by them be deemed requisite. 111. And be it farther enacted, That thirty thousand dollars be appropriated as aforesaid, for the purpose of paying a debt already contracted by the said trustees. IV. - And be it farther enacted, That twenty thousand dollars be appropriated as aforesaid, for the purpose of increasing the library, and also the philosophical and chemical apparatus belonging to said institution. V. And be it further enacted, That the sum of ﬁfty thou- sand dollars be appropriated to augment the small charity fund heretofore granted by the legislature of this state. . . . VI. And be it further enacted, That all the right, title, and interest of the people of this state in or to all that certain piece or parcel of land, with the appurtenances, situate in the ninth" ward of the city of New-York, known by the name of the Botanic Garden, and lately conveyed to the people of this state by David Hosack, with the appurtenances, be and the same is hereby granted to and vested in the trustees of Columbia College, in the city of N ew-York, their successors and assigns; but this grant is made upon the express condition, that the college establishment shall be removed to the said tract of land 1814] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 165 hereby granted, or to lands adjacent thereto, within twelve years from this time; and if the said establishment shall not be so removed within the time above limited, then and thence- forth this grant shall cease and be void, and the premises hereby granted shall thereupon revert to the people of this state. VII. And be it further enacted, That the trustees of Colum- bia College shall, within three months from the time of the passage of this act, transmit to the trustees of each of the other colleges in this state, a list of the different kinds of plants, ﬂowers and shrubs in said garden; and within one year thereafter, the said trustees of Columbia College shall deliver at the said garden, if required, at least one healthy exotic ﬂower, shrub or plant of each kind, of which they shall have more than one at the time of application, together with the jar or vessel containing the same, to the trustees of each of the other colleges of this state, who shall apply therefor. VIII. And be it further enacted, That the sum of forty thousand dollars be paid to the trustees of Hamilton College, to be by them applied as the interest of the said college may require. IX. And be it further enacted, That four thousand dollars be appropriated to the minister and trustees of the Asbury African church, in the city of N ew—York, for the purpose of enabling them to discharge a debt contracted in the pur- chase of their church, and to establish a school under their direction. . X. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the secretary of state, to transmit to the N ew—York historical society, a set of the revised laws, and also of the journals of the present and future sessions of the legislature. . . . XI. And becit farther enacted, That the right reserved to this state, to subscribe to the stock of the bank of Utica, be and the same is hereby transferred to the college of physicians and surgeons of the western district, with full power to dis- pose of the same. 166 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY ‘ [1814 XII. And be it farther enacted, That thirty thousand dol- lars be appropriated as aforesaid, to the college of physicians and surgeons in the city of New—York, for the endowment of the said college. XIII. And be it farther enacted, That it shall be the duty of the trustees of said colleges, to account annually to the regents of the university, for the expenditure of the money herein appropriated for the use of said colleges, and that the said regents report the same from time to time to the legislature. XIV. And be it further enacted, That the person adminis- tering the government of this state, be and he is hereby authorised to appoint four managers, who are hereby empow- ered to form such plan for the said lottery as may appear expedient, to dispose of the tickets and to superintend the drawing of the same. XV. And be it further enacted, That the managers appointed as aforesaid, shall hold their appointment subject to the future pleasure of the legislature, and that they shall have the powers and be subject to the regulations, restrictions and directions contained in the act, entitled “An act relative to the managers of lotteries,” passed April 13th, 1813. XVI. And be it farther enacted, That no ticket in anyclass in this lottery, shall be offered for sale till the lotteries hereto- fore granted by the legislature of this state shall be drawn. XVII. And be it fnrther enacted, That two classes of this lottery, as well as of the lotteries heretofore granted, may be drawn in each and every year, until the whole shall be completed. (N ote.-—- No bill before the legislature excited greater inter- est and attention than this act. Much credit is due to the unwearied exertions of the able and eloquent president of Union College, in procuring its passage.) 1814] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 167 PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Ninth Meeting, May 19, I814. Resolved, that the further sum of seven thou- sand dollars be, and the same is hereby appropriated for com— pleting the new College this season, and that the Building Committee be authorized from time to time to draw on the Treasurer for the amount of the same. Resolved, that Joseph Kirkland, Joel Bristoll, and Simeon Ford be a committee to examine into the state of the Steward’s department and to report to the board at their present meeting if any, and what, alterations are necessary. Resolved, that Azel Backus, Thomas R. Gold, and Samuel F. Snowden be a Committee to purchase books for the Library and philosophical apparatus for the College, and that the sum of ﬁve thousand dollars be appropriated for this purpose. Resolved, that John H. Lothrop, Joel Bristoll, and \/Villiam Hotchkiss be a committee to settle the accounts of the Steward, and to make such alterations in the diet of the Students as they may think proper, and to make other regulations in the Stew— ard’s department as may be for the interest of the Corporation, and that the Committee have power to draw on the Treasurer from time to time in favor of the Steward. Resolved, that the charge for tuition and room be raised to thirty dollars per year after the present term, and that for the present term it be eight dollars. Resolved, that (in consideration of the advanced expense of living) in addition to the present compensation the Professors and Tutors be entitled to their board in the Hall, and that they have the beneﬁt of the foregoing provision for the pres- ent term. 168 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1815 PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Tenth Meeting. September 13, I814. . Resolved, that a further sum of four thousand dollars be appropriated for the use of the Building Committee appointed to erect a new College ediﬁce. Resolved, that a sum not exceeding ﬁfteen dollars be annu- ally appropriated to purchase premiums on public speaking, and that the Treasurer pay the same to the order of the President. R Resolved, that the report of the Committee upon the sub- ject of the Steward’S department be referred to Ephraim Hart, Sewall Hopkins, VVilliam Hotchkiss, Joel Bristoll, and Azel Backus, and that they be empowered to settle with and dis- miss the present Steward if they shall think best, and to employ such other person as they may deem proper; and that they be authorized to make any alterations that they may deem expedi- ent in either the price of board or the diet, and to make any other arrangement in relation to this department that they may think necessary. . . Resolved, that Azel Backus, Asahel S. Norton, and Thomas R. Gold be a Committee to prescribe the form of a diploma and procure a plate for the Same, and that the sum of eighty dollars be appropriated for that purpose. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Eleventh Meeting. May 9, I815. . . S Resolved, that the further sum of ﬁfteen hundred dollars be appropriatedto the use of the new Building Com- mittee and that the Treasurer pay their drafts for that sum. Resolved, that William Hotchkiss, Sewall Hopkins, and Joel Bristoll be a committee to lay out and improve a sidewalk from Hamilton College to the village of Clinton, and that the sum of ﬁfty dollars be appropriated for that purpose; provided that the inhabitants of said village will subscribe and pay one hundred dollars for the Same object. S 1816] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 169 PROCEEDINGS or THE TRUSTEES. Twel_fth Meeting. September 12, I815. Resolved, that all persons, alumni of other Colleges requiring a like term or course of studies as prescribed in this College, who are entitled to a degree of Master of Arts in the Colleges where they may have been educated, be admitted to the degree of Master of Arts in this College, unless personal objection be made to any such person. . . . Resolved, that the President request the Sheriff of the County of Oneida for the time being to attend upon Com- mencement and assist in keeping order during the services; and that the Steward make provision for the entertainment of the Sheriff in the same manner as for the Trustees. Resolved, that the Treasurer cause a settlement to be made with Abraham W. Sedgwick, the former Steward, and take such measures for the collection of the balance due as he may deem proper. Resolved, that Joseph Kirkland, Nathan Williams, and Henry Huntington be a Committee to make application to the Legislature for further donations, in such manner and at such times as they may deem for the interest of the College. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Fourteenth Meeting. September I0, 1816. The Committee appointed for that purpose reported the following Rules and Regulations, which were adopted by the Board: I. The Executive Government of the College is vested in the President, Professors, and Tutors, who shall severally exercise such powers and perform such duties as have been or shall be assigned to them by the Trustees. 2. The several officers of the College, in their individual capacity, or as members of the Executive Government, are 170 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1816 required to exert their authority and inﬂuence in maintaining discipline and promoting virtue, piety, and good learning in the Seminary; to notice and punish violations of the laws; to refer the consideration of offences exceeding the power of a single ofﬁcer to punish, to the Executive Government, and to afford the President and Government their advice and co—operation. 3. The Executive Government have power to determine the relative standing of the Students; to prevent and to punish, as in their judgment may be deemed necessary, the commis- sion of crimes and misdemeanors against which no express provision is made by the laws of the College, and in general to make such regulations for the better execution of the Col- lege system as shall not be incompatible with the Charter of the College nor the express ordinances of the Trustees. But all such regulations shall be reported to the Trustees at the meeting next after they shall have been made. 4. The President is authorized to exercise a general super- intendence of the literary and religious concerns of the Col- lege; to see that the course of instruction and discipline is duly executed; to call meetings of the Executive Government at his discretion; to preside and to vote in those meetings; to preside at the publick examinations, exhibitions, and com- mencement; to perform the religious services of the Chapel; to address publick and private instruction and counsel to the Students; to hear the recitations of the Senior Class in Rhetoric, Logic, Locke on Human Understanding, and moral Philosophy; and in general to take such measures and per- V form such acts for the better execution of the duties assigned to him as in his judgment shall not be inconsistent with the Charter and Laws of the College. No Regulation of the Execu- tive Government may go into operation without the concur- rence of the President. 5. The Professors and Tutors (unless specially exempted) shall occupy apartments in the College, and are required to exercise authority and frequent inspection in their particular 1816] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE C 171 districts; and as occasion may in their judgment require in any part of the College premises. 6. During the ﬁrst and second Terms of the year the Pro- fessor of Languages is required to hear, in each week, four recitations of the Senior Class in Kaimes’ Elements of Criti- cism and in such portions of Classical and English Literature as the Executive Government may direct; he is also to hear during the same terms in each day one recitation of the Fresh- man Class in the Latin or Greek language; and is especially required to instruct them effectually in the elements of these languages; during the third Term he shall hear once in each day a recitation of the Sophomore Class in the Odes of Horace, and he is required to instruct them in like manner in the Prosody of the Latin Language, and particularly in the meters which occur in the Poems of Horace. Through the whole year he is, moreover, required to review and correct the composi- tions of the Senior and Junior Classes. 7. The Professor of Chymistry and Mineralogy is required to deliver in each week three lectures to the Senior Class on subjects connected with his profession, and to illustrate his lectures by appropriate experiments; during the second and third Terms of the year he is moreover required to have in each week one recitation of the Junior Class in an approved compendium of the principles of Chymistry, and to illustrate the language and doctrines of that branch of Natural Philoso- phy by suitable experiments. The several articles of Chymi- cal apparatus are committed to his care, and he is directed to see that they are in good order and in their proper places. 8. The Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy is required to hear in each day two recitations in some branch of Mathematics or Natural Philosophy. During the third Term of the Senior Year he is to instruct the Senior Class four times in each week in the use of Mathematical and Philo- sophical Apparatus and in the practical applications of the doc- trines of Natural Philosophy. In general he is to give such instruction and exhibit such experiments to the Senior Class as 172 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1816 may tend to complete the course of education in his depart- ment, and prepare his pupils most effectually for their ﬁnal examination. He is also required to keep an accurate meteoro- logical register, and to take care that the several articles of Mathematical and Philosophical Apparatus are in good order and in their appropriate places. 9. The Tutors are each to hear three recitations on Mon- days, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and two recitations on Wednesdays and Saturdays, in such portions of Classical and English Literature and Mathematics as shall be assigned to them in the manner prescribed in the following article. IO. The hours for recitations and other Collegiate exercises and the books to be recited (except as herein before provided) shall be determined by the Executive Government. Duties not comprehended in the preceding distribution shall be assigned to the proper officer in the same manner. 11. The Students shall regularly and seasonably attend the Publick and Private lectures, recitations, and other exercises announced by the President, or by a Professor or a Tutor. They shall use their best diligence in preparing themselves for their several literary exercises and shall perform them with care. . 12. For better ascertaining and promoting the improvement of the Students, the several Instructors are specially desired at each recitation or private lecture to satisfy themselves respec- tively as far as practicable that each Scholar has duly studied the lesson assigned, and for this purpose they are authorized and required to direct the attendance of one or more Students or of the whole Class, who were required to perform an exer- cise at other than at the stated times of College Exercises. 13. The ﬁnal examination of the Senior Class shall com- mence on the fourth Wednesday preceding the Publick Com- mencement. At the close of this examination the Seniors shall have leave of absence until the Friday next preceding the Commencement. 1816] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 173 14. The Trustees, while they enact laws with penalties, earnestly desire that all the Students may be ever excited to diligence in study and a right behaviour by other motives than the fear of punishment; by a sense of duty and of character; by a regard to their own permanent advantage, to the wishes and expectations of their friends and instructors, and to the claims of Society; and by alove of Literature and Science. If in any case such considerations and incentives are ineffectual, punishments will be necessary. The College punishments are ﬁnes, admonitions, ofﬁcial notice of delinquency to Parents or Guardians, the injunction of special study, degradation, rusti- cation, suspension, dismission, and expulsion. I 5. The ﬁnes imposed by a Professor or a Tutor may in no single instance exceed one dollar. Fines imposed by the Presi- dent may not in any case exceed two dollars. All ﬁnes exceed- ing two dollars must be imposed by the Executive Government. 16. Crimes which are to be punished by the Government collectively are: Profaneness; intoxication; riotous behaviour; dissipation; ﬁghting; insolent and contemptuous deportment towards any Officer of the College; insulting, challenging or abusing any one of the Students or resident graduates; lying or prevarication; entering the apartment of another Student at an unreasonable hour of the night; offences which accord- ing to the laws of the State are punishable by ﬁne, imprison- ment, or otherwise; associating with bad company after advice and counsel to the contrary from a Trustee or Officer of the College; combinations to resist the Government generally or any particular Ofﬁcer in the discharge of his ofﬁcial duties; all acts of resistance in consequence of such combinations; refusal to give testimony in regard to any offence against the laws or authority of the College when required by the Govern- ment; frequenting Taverns; prodigality in expenses; making or attending festive entertainments in the College or its vicin- ity; Exhibitions of any sort whatever, publick or private, without permission from the President; tumultuous, indecent, or troublesome noises to the dishonor or disturbance of the 174 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1816 College or any part of it, or to the disturbance of the town or any of its inhabitants, especially after being warned to desist by a Trustee or ‘Officer of the College; Want of respect in speech or behaviour to any person concerned in the Instruc- tion and Government of the College; refusal to admit into any apartment the Officer who may demand entrance; neglect or refusal to attend immediately when sent for by any Officer of the College, and to render suitable assistance, when required, for the suppression of disorder in the College; playing at cards or other games of chance; and defacing or otherwise injuring the College Buildings. I 7. When any Scholar is brought before the Government for violence or insult offered to any Officer of the College, the person or persons injured or insulted, unless a major- ity of the Governors are so injured or insulted, shall not have a voice, or be present, when such insult or injury is investigated. 18. Misdemeanors punishable by any one of the Instructors are: absence from any one of the stated or occasional lec- tures, recitations, and other publick exercises, both literary and religious; coming unseasonably to those exercises, or care- lessly performing them; absence of any Student, in the hours of study, from the room assigned to him; absence from his room after ten o’clock at night; singing immodest songs or using indecent language; indecorous behaviour at the required exercises; absence from the College territory during the hours t of study and recitation; noise and disturbance in the apart- ments of the College during the same hours. 19. The Officers of the College are severally authorised to punish misdemeanors recited in the preceding article by ﬁnes, admonitions, and the injunction of special study. Other pun- ishments are to be inﬂicted by the Government collectively. 20. When the misdemeanors above mentioned are frequently committed, and the infliction of the milder punishments fails to produce a reformation of the offending Student, the case may be referred to the Officers of the College generally, who shall decide on the treatment necessary to be pursued. 1817] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 175 21. Students who shall be absent from the College premises ‘ﬁve minutes after the hours of study have commenced shall be ﬁned a sum not exceeding twenty—ﬁve cents. 22. Students who are found during the hours of study in any apartment of the College other than that which is assigned to them by the President shall be ﬁned a sum not exceeding twenty-ﬁve cents. 23. Students who are absent from their room after ten o’clock at night shall be ﬁned any sum not exceeding one dollar. ‘ 24. No Student shall put himself under the tuition of an Instructor in any science or art without the permission of the Faculty. 25. If any Student, being an undergraduate, shall buy, sell, or barter among themselves books, apparel, or any other thing above the value of two dollars without the leave of the Presi- dent, one of the Faculty, or their Guardian or Parent, it shall be in the power of the Executive Government to make void such bargain, and to punish each person so offending by a ﬁne not exceeding one dollar. 26. It shall be the duty of the Students, on the requirement of the Faculty, to disclose the objects and constitution of any association among them, whether literary or otherwise, and it shall be the duty of the Faculty to suppress any such associa- tion or society if they shall disapprove of the same. 27. The duties injoined by the laws of the College on the President, in case of the President’s absence or indisposition devolve on the Professor of Languages, to be by him per- formed as far as may be. H PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Fifteenth Meeting. January 21, 1817. At a special Meeting of the Trustees of Hamilton College. the attention of the Board being called to the subject of electing a President of the College as successor to the Revd. 176 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1817 Azel Backus, D.D., deceased, the following proceedings were had, Viz. : Resolved, that this Board proceed to elect by ballot a Presi- dent of the College as successor to the Reverend Azel Backus, D.D., deceased. On counting the ballots, it appeared that the Reverend Henry Davis, D.D., of Middlebury, Vermont, was duly elected; Therefore, Resolved, unanimously, that the Reverend Henry Davis, D.D., President of Middlebury College, be and he is hereby appointed President of Hamilton College, and that Mr. Miller, Mr. Dwight, and Mr. Kirkland be a Committee to notify the President elect of his appointment. Resolved, that the Treasurer attend upon the Honorable Legislature of this State to present a petition soliciting pecuni- ary aid and that this Board make provision for the payment of his expenses and time, and in case no aid can be obtained from the Legislature, that the Treasurer (if in his opinion it shall be necessary) go to the city of New York for the purpose of negociating a loan for the use of the College. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Sixteenth Meeting. March 17, 1817. At a Special Meeting of the Trustees of Hamilton Col- lege. Resolved, unanimously, that the Treasurer be and he is hereby directed to pay to the widow of the late President Backus the salary which would have become his due up to the end of the third quarter of the current year, and that the Trus- tees will provide for the board and tuition of the late Presi- dent’s son, Robert Backus, in case he shall think proper to pursue the usual course of studies adopted by the College, and that the Secretary be directed to send to the widow of the late President a copy of this resolution. 1817] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 177 The Committee appointed to communicate to the Reverend Henry Davis, D.D., his appointment as President of this Col- lege, and to request his answer, having reported that they had attended to that duty and had received for answer that he declined accepting the ofﬁce; Therefore Resolved, that this board proceed to elect by ballot another person to ﬁll the vacancy, which being done accordingly, it appeared on counting the ballots that the Reverend Francis Brown of Hanover, in the State of New Hampshire, was elected President of Hamilton College; wherefore, Resolved, that Mr. Miller, Mr. Dwight, Mr. Kirkland, and Mr. Frost be a Committee to inform the Reverend Francis Brown of his appointment as President of Hamilton College‘, a and that they request his early answer. Resolved, that the Revd. Henry Dwight be requested to proceed to Dartmouth College and have a personal interview with the Revd Mr Brown on the subject of his acceptance of the Presidency of Hamilton College; and that the Treasurer pay the reasonable expenses of his journey. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Eighteenth Meeting. June 6, I817. The Report of the Committee on the subject of the presidency was read, by which it appears that the Reverend Francis Brown declines accepting the ofﬁce of President of the College; whereupon Resolved, that the Committee on the subject of the Presi- dency be instructed to inquire and ascertain whether the Rever- end Gardiner Spring, of the City of New York, would accept the appointment of President of Hamilton College if elected to that ofﬁce, and in case he should consent to accept the appointment, that this Board would proceed to the election. Resolved, that the communication of the Committee on the subject of the Presidency to the Revd M1‘ Spring be forwarded by Mr Professor Norton, and that the Treasurer pay his rea- sonable expenses therefor. 12 178 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1817 LAWS or THE STATE or NEW YORK, 1817. CHAPTER XCI. AN ACT for the relief of Hamilton college. Passed March 18, 1817. ‘WHEREAS the trustees of Hamilton college have repre- sented to the legislature, that they have been at great expense in erecting buildings and making other improvements, neces- sarily incident to a new establishment; and, in consequence thereof, have been obliged to contract large debts, which they are, at present, unable to discharge Without sacriﬁces greatly to the injury of the college, inasmuch as they are restrained, by the terms of the grant, from collecting the monies due upon the mortgages assigned them by the comptroller, pursu- ant to an act for that purpose, and the money granted them by lottery cannot, at present be realized —— Therefore, BE it enacted by the people of the state of N ew York, rep- resented in Senate and Assembly, That the treasurer of this state, on the warrant of the comptroller, pay to the trustees of Hamilton college, the sum of ten thousand dollars, in part anticipation of the money authorised to be raised for the said college, by virtue of the “ act instituting a lottery for the pro- motion of literature, and for other purposes,” passed April I 3, 1814; and that the said sum of ten thousand dollars, with interest at the rate of six per cent. per annum, be retained by the treasurer, for the use of this state, out of the sum of forty thousand dollars, by the eighth section of the said act directed to be paid to the trustees of the said college. 1817] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 179 PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Nineteenth Meeting. June 24, I817. The Report of the Committee on the subject of the Presidency was read, by which it appeared probable that the Revd Gardner Spring would accept the ofﬁce of President of the College if elected. The Board immediately proceeded to the election, and on counting the ballots they appeared unani- mous in favour of the Revd Mr Spring. Therefore Resolved, unanimously, that the Reverend Gardner Spring, of the City of New York be and he hereby is appointed Presi- dent of Hamilton College. Resolved, unanimously, that the Committee on the subject of the Presidency communicate to the Revd Gardner Spring without delay his appointment as President of Hamilton Col- lege and renew to him the expression of the anxious wishes of the Trustees for his acceptance of the appointment; and that in case of M1‘ Spring’s acceptance of the Presidency, his salary shall commence from the time of such acceptance; and that the Trustees will defray the expense of his removal and that of his family and effects to the house appointed to the use of the President near the College. PRocEEDrNGS_oE THE TRUSTEES. Twentieth Meeting. July 21, I817. The Committee on the subject of the Presidency having reported that the Revd Gardner Spring declined accept- ing the office of President of the College, the Board proceeded to elect by ballot a person to ﬁll the vacancy, when on counting the ballots, it appeared that they were unanimously given for the Reverend Henry Davis, D.D., of Middlebury, in the State of Vermont. Resolved, unanimously, that the Revd Henry Davis be and hereby is appointed President of Hamilton College. 180 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1818 REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES OF HAMILTON COLLEGE To THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY, 1818: From the papers of President Davis, in the College Library The Faculty of the College are President, the Rev. Henry Davis, D.D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. annual salary $1800.00 Professor of Chemistry, Dr. Josiah Noyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. do do 750.00 Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy, Theodore Strong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do do 750.00 Professor of Languages, Seth Nor- * ton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do do 750.00 Tutors: Edward Robinson . . . . .. do do 500.00 Rev. Eleazer Barrows. . ., do do 500.00 for preaching to the Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200.00 Number of Students, 58. $5250.00 The property of the College is as follows: The College Plot, about 30 acres, on which are two build- ings, Oneida Hall, of wood, three stories high, 96 feet by 48. Hamilton Hall, of stone, four stories, 93 by 48. A Dining Hall and Steward’s House in connection, of stone, 55 feet in length. A President’s House, of wood, and another small house, and outhouses. About $30,000 in notes, bonds, and mortgages, yielding annually about $2000.00. About 3,000 acres of wild land, indifferent in quality and unproductive. A Library of about 650 volumes. A few articles of chemical and philosophical apparatus, very insufﬁcient. The expense of each student who spends his whole terms at the College, for tuition, board, room, and ﬁrewood. is $120.00. 1819] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 181 PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Twenty—Third Meeting. August 25, I818. Resolved, that from and after the present commence- ment no instrumental music shall be admitted on commence- ment days or other days of public exhibition in College, either in procession or during the exercises of the day, except such as may be necessary to accompany the vocal music of the day. REPORT or THE TRUSTEES or HAMILTON COLLEGE TO THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY, JANUARY, 1819. From the papers of President Davis, in the College Library The Faculty of the College. Pres. Rev. Henry Davis . . . . . . . . . .. Annual Salary $1800 Prof. of Chemistry, Dr. Josiah Noyes do 750 Prof. of Math. & Nat. Philosophy, Theodore Strong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do 7 50 Senior Tutor & Chaplain Rev. Eleazer Barrows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do 750 Junr. Tutor, Solomon Strong . . . . . .. do 500 Professorship of Languages vacant. Number of students seventy three, thirty three of which have been ad- mitted since the last commencement. Course of Studies. Freshman Class; Livy, Graeca Minora, Roman Antiquities, Arithmetic revised, Murray’s Eng. Grammar, Morse’s Geog- raphy of America, Graeca Majora. ‘ Sophomore Class; Geography of the Eastern Continent, Graeca Majora, Playfair’s Euclid, Day’s Algebra, Horace, Webber’s Mathematics 2 vol. Homer, Tully De Oratore. 182 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1819 Junior Class; VVebber’s Math. 2 vol., Day’s Surveying, Enﬁeld’s Nat. Philosophy, Tully De Oratore, Tacitus, Henry’s Chemistry, Vince’s Fluxions, Tytler’s Elements of History. Senior Year; Hedge’s Logic, Bl.air’s Lectures, Lock on the Human Understanding, Pa1ey’s Moral Philosophy, Kaim’s El. Criticism, Paley’s Ev. Nat. and revealed religion, Butler’s Analogy. By all the Classes particular attention is paid to composition and speaking. The two older classes receive lectures from the professors in their respective branches. Expense of Board, Tuition and Room rent, and Apparatus and Library, as before. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Twenty-ﬁfth Meeting. August 24, I819. Resolved, that Mr. Kirkland, Mr. Bristoll, and Mr. Hopkins be a Committee to lay out the grounds enclosed in the College Yard, and to cause trees of ornament to be set out in such numbers and in such manner as they may deem proper, and that the sum of one hundred dollars be appropriated to defray the expense. ' PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. Meeting of April 3, I819. The Board then proceeded to the consideration of the annual Report of the Regents to the Legislature and after some time spent therein and sundry amendments made thereto it was resolved that the same be adopted in the words following. Hamilton College, although the youngest in the State, bids fair to rise high in reputation, and from the advantages of its location, it can not but prove extensively useful. Its number of students during the last year was seventy three. 1820] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 183 PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. Meeting of April 12, 1820. Mr Young from the Committee appointed to prepare the .annual Report of the Regents to the Legislature submitted the following——- It appears from the returns made by the Colleges and Academies within the state, that during the last year eighty seven students have been members of Hamilton College. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Twenty-seventh Meeting. August 22, I820. Resolved, that a suitable burying ground or cemetary be set apart and designated on the College land, near the College, for the interment of the Ofﬁcers of the College and their families, the Students of the College, and others attached thereto. _ Resolved, that Messrs. Platt, Norton, and Miller be a Com- mittee to tender to the persons offering to erect a monument to Schenendo, the Oneida Chief, a place in said cemetary for said monument, consulting the Oneida Indians and their Catechist. Resolved, that the remains (the friends of the deceased assenting), of the Reverend Samuel Kirkland, Doctor Backus, and Professor Norton be removed to said cemetary and monu- ments be erected; that a suitable fence be erected around said burying ground; and that a sum not exceeding three hundred dollars be appropriated for the above purpose. . Resolved, that the resolution heretofore passed, prohibiting the use of instrumental musick on commencement day, be rescinded, and that hereafter instrumental musick may be em- ployed and paid by the class which graduates, provided the whole expense on account of said musick does not exceed the sum of twenty dollars, and provided that there shall be no performance of said musick in the church until the close of the exercises. 184 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1821 PROCEEDINGS 01+‘ THE REGENTS. Meeting of March 19, 1821. Mr Duer from the committee appointed to prepare the annual Report of the Regents to the Legislature submitted the following draft. ' In Hamilton College the number of students is ninety two, the annual expense to each, for Board, tuition, lodging and contingences, is ninety two dollars for the ﬁrst two years, and one hundred and one for the next two. ‘The course of study adopted in this institution is, upon the whole, judicious, as well as comprehensive, and the growing importance of that section of the State, in which it is situated, entitles it to a continuance of the fostering protection of the Legislature. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Thirty-first Meeting. November 21, 1821. Resolved, that an additional College Building, according to the plan heretofore adopted, be erected, the same i to be completed by the ﬁrst of January, 1824, and that for that purpose Messrs. Lothrop, Lynch, and Hopkins, together with the Treasurer, be a committee to designate the site for, and cause said building to be erected within the period afore- said; which committee, in purchasing the materials and com- pleting the building, shall observe the utmost economy, and avoid all unnecessary expense as far as due regard to the original Plan of College Buildings will permit. Resolved, that Messrs. Lynch, Kip, and McNeil be a com- mittee to make application to the Legislature the ensuing winter for additional funds for the College. 1822] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 185 PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. Meeting of April I0, 1822. The Committee appointed to prepare the annual report to the Legislature submitted the following draft which having been read and amended was adopted, as follows: The number of students in Hamilton College is one hun- dred. The property of this institution consists of about thirty acres of ground, on which are the College ediﬁces; about twenty six thousand dollars in Bonds Notes & Mortgages about Three thousand acres of wild land unproductive and not of much value; a Library of Thirteen hundred volumes and some articles of Chyrnical &' philosophical apparatus. The expense for a student who spends his whole terms at College including tuition board and contingencies for the two first years is about ninety two dollars annually and One hun- dred dollars annually for the two last. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Thirty—third Meeting. August 27, I822. Resolved, that the Committee of Finance, with the Treasurer, be instructed carefully to watch over the Lottery Funds of the College. Resolved, that a power of attorney under the seal of the Corporation and hand of the Clerk be executed to the Treas- urer, authorizing and empowering him to transfer all the right of this Institution to the avails of the Literature Lottery to the Trustees of Union College, and to receive from said Trustees such payments and securities as he shall think proper, subject to the approbation and directions of the Committee appointed on that subject. Resolved, that hereafter curtains shall not be drawn around the pew in the rear of the stage on any day of Commence- ment or Classical Exhibition, and that no ardent spirits or wine be suffered to be brought into the church by any graduate or undergraduate of the College for their use on those days. 186 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1823 PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. Meeting of April 17, 1823. Mr Duer from the Committee appointed to prepare the annual report submitted the following draft, viz. The number of students in Hamilton College was on the 2 3rd of January last, one hundred and seven. The Professor- ships appear to be well arranged, and the Course of Studies, upon the Whole, judicious in reference to the local situation of the College. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Thirty-Fourth Meeting. May I 3, I823. Resolved, that the Building Committee take a survey of the old Academy building, and take immediate measures to make such repairs therein as shall be necessary to render the same ﬁt for the accommodation of the ‘Students at the commencement of the next term, and that they draw on the Treasurer for the amount of their expenditures. Resolved, that the members of the Finance Committee re- siding in Utica audit the account of the Treasurer as to his agency and expenses in dispositing of the Lottery Funds of - the College, and that the Treasurer retain the amount. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Thirty—sixth Meeting. October 8, I823. Resolved, that Messrs. Gold, Platt, and Anthon be a Committee to consider and report upon the subject of the College exercise of Public Speaking. Resolved, that an additional building for the College be undertaken, and that the sum of seven thousand ﬁve hundred dollars be appropriated for that purpose; and that a Com- mittee of Superintendance, to consist of eight members of the 1825] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 187 board, be appointed, with full power to cause said building to be erected, and in such style and form as they may adopt; and the said Committee Shall appoint a sub-committee of their ‘number to aid and assist the Treasurer in executing this resolution, and draw for the monies so appropriated as the same may be needed. Resolved, that Messrs. Lothrop, Lynch, Hart, VanRens- selaer, McNeil, Platt, Kirkland, and Gold comprise said Committee. PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. Meeting of April I2, I82 5. The Regents of the University respectfully report. The condition of Hamilton College equals the most san- guine expectations entertained for its prosperity. The faculty consists of the President, three Professors and the requisite number of Tutors. The number of Pupils in the different classes, the present year, is one hundredand ﬁve. This insti- tution has increased in reputation and now affords its patrons very ﬂattering prospects of continued usefulness in the promo- tion of science and diffusion of literary knowledge. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Fortieth Meeting. May I0, 1825. Resolved, that the General Superintending Com- mittee of the College building now erecting be authorised to enquire into the expediency of inclosing the said College and ﬁnishing a suite of rooms for the occupancy of Professor Monteith and his family, together with the necessary lecture and recitation rooms; and also as to the propriety of discon- tinuing the further prosecution of the work on said building after it shall have been so enclosed and rendered secure from injury; and of applying the materials on hand to the erection of a Chapel for the use of the College; and that the said Com- 188 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1825 mittee report their opinion in the premises to this Board at their next meeting. Resolved, that no instrumental music whatever be admitted at Commencement, or at Classical Exhibitions, except as the accompaniment of vocal music. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Eorty—ﬁrst Meeting. August 23, I825. Resolved, that the College Building erected the present season be secured against the weather, the windows boarded up, and that further proceedings be suspended till 3 further orders. 3 Resolved that the Treasurer proceed to build a Chapel and cause the same to be completed as soon as practicable, con- sistent with due economy, and that Messrs. Platt, Lothrop, and Hubbard be a Committee to advise and direct the Treas- urer as to the form and size and mode of ﬁnishing; and that the Chapel be located south of Kirkland Hall; and in case the t Committee should differ in opinion in relation to the advice and direction to be given the Treasurer, they are authorized to call on the Building Committee for their assistance. PHILIP HooKER TO JOHN H. L.oTHRoP. Dear Sir. I have received your favour of the Igth instant. I received a communication from the late MI‘ E. Clark dated the 8th of last month, giving me a particular description of the Site and Buildings of Hamilton College, requesting me to forward a Plan or Elevation of a front of a chappel, to have a Tower and Steeple standing intirely without the Building which was to be 75 by 50 feet front. He informed me that the Building would be “ Erected for other purposes, beside Religious and Classical exercises ” that it would have “ three tiers of win- dows ” and that it would be “ 33 feet in height above the watertable.” 1826] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 189 On the receipt of his letter I wrote to him to inform me of the distribution ofthe interior the better to enable me to design a front to answer the internal arrangement, and whether a steeple with a proportionate spire would be preferred-———or whether something of the style of a cupola with two sections ﬁnished with a dome would not be more proper for a Chappel than a lofty spire. The tower I presume ought to contain a clock ——- and a college bell as a matter of course. If I under- stand the thing correctly the Steeple is to be placed in front, or at the east end. Is the stairs to be carried up in the tower or elsewhere. If you will favour me with a few hints on the subject, I shall forward a drawing for the same forthwith. Respect fully yours P. Hooker 23rd Novr 1825 J. H. Lothrop Esq PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Forty-second Meeting. December 7, I82 5. Resolved, that Messrs. Gold, Platt, and Smith be a Com- mittee to petition the Legislature at the next session, and, if the same be deemed expedient, to cause a special delegate to attend the Legislature, to solicit funds for Hamilton College, at the expense of this Board. LAWS OF THE STATE or NEW YORK, I826. CHAPTER 143. AN ACT for the protection of the Side Walks between the Public S qnare in the Village of Clinton, in the C onnty of Oneida, and Hamilton College, and between the said S qnare and the Ladies’ Seminary in said Village. Passed April I0, 1826. I. BE it enacted by the People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, That if any person, after 190 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1826 the passage of this act, shall wilfully do, or aid or assist any person in doing any injury to the side walks, between the public square in the village of Clinton, in the county of Oneida, and Hamilton College, or to the side walks between the public square and the ladies’ seminary in said village, or to the fences or railing erected for the protection thereof, every person so offending, shall forfeit the sum of ﬁve dollars for each offence, to be recovered, with the costs of suit, in an action of debt, before any justice of the peace, in the name of the overseer of highways of the road district, in which such injury shall have been done. 2. And be it further enacted, That if any person shall here- after wilfully ride, lead or drive any horse or horses along, either of said side walks, or shall wilfully drive any Waggon, sleigh, or other carriage thereon, every person so offending shall forfeit the sum of one dollar, to be recovered in like manner. 3. And be it further enacted, That every person offending against any of the provisions of this act, shall in addition to the penalties imposed by this act, be liable to pay damages to the extent of the injury done, to be recovered in like manner, and that all penalties and damages to be recovered under this act, shall be applied in the reparation of the said walks, or of the fences and railing erected for the protection thereof. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Forty-fourth Meeting. August 22, I826. Resolved, that Messrs. Gold, Lothrop, and Hubbard be a Committee to petition the Legislature for aid to the College funds, and if in their opinion it be expedient, to em- ploy a special agent to attend the Legislature. Resolved, that the Treasurer furnish said Committee with documents to show correctly the amount of the College funds, after the expense of the present building, now in course of erection, is deducted, as far as they can be ascertained. 1827] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 191 Resolved, that a Professorship of Theology be established, and the same is hereby established in Hamilton College, and that a Professor be appointed whenever in the opinion of the Trustees the same shall be sufficiently endowed. Resolved, that Messrs. Davis, Gold, Smith, McNeil, and Coe be a Committee to prepare and circulate a subscription paper for fundslto endow the Professorship of Theology in Hamilton College, the subscription to take effect in case the sum of twelve thousand dollars be subscribed. PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. Meeting of April 12, I827. The usual returns have been received from all the Colleges in the State, according to which, their respective number of Students in each class, for the past year, is as follows: Sopho- Semlors Junior mores Total Columbia College.. 33 30 31 33 127 Union College . . . . —— -——— — —— 183 Hamilton College.. 25 29 22 I4 90 Geneva College. . . . 7 2 I0 18 37 PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Forty—ﬁfth Meeting. May 8, I827. Resolved, that it be the duty of the President and Professors of the College to visit the rooms of the Students at least twice a week, and that it be the duty of the Tutors to visit the rooms of the Students in each of their particular sections at least once a day during each Term. Resolved, that the Treasurer, as soon as he can get posses- sion of the Boarding Hall and grounds, connected therewith, lease the same on the most favourable terms he can obtain. Resolved, that Messrs. McNeil, Lothrop, Kirkland, Bronson, 192 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1827 Brown, Hopkins, and Coe be a committee to enquire into the state of the College in general, and particularly in relation to the government and Course of Instruction therein, and the conduct and demeanor of the several Officers thereof; and in particular in relation to any suggestions which may have been made by one Ofﬁcer unfavourable to another, or derogatory to his character in any manner, and that they report thereon at the next meeting of this Board. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Forty—Sixth Meeting. August 21, 1827. Whereas, at the last meeting of this Board a committee was appointed to investigate the condition of the College and to report at the present meeting the result of their enquiries; and whereas, such report has been presented to the Board at their present meeting and put on ﬁle, showing, among other facts of deep interest to the friends of the College, that its produc- tive funds are very rapidly reducing, and do not at the present time exceed the sum of ﬁfteen thousand dollars, and that the sum annually received for tuition falls more than three thou- sand dollars short of the amount of the salaries paid to the officers of the College; and whereas the state of the public mind with respect to the College is such as to forbid the hope of securing patronage to the Institution and an increase to the number of its students until some very essential and favourable changes shall take place in its character; therefore Resolved, that, such being the condition of the College, this Board, as guardians of the Institution, having high and im- portant trusts to discharge, and regarding at the same time the interests and character of the present Faculty of the Col- lege, are of opinion that imperious necessity demands the ap- plication of some remedy to prevent the entire destruction of the Funds and the total prostration of the Institution. 1828] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 193 ii PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Forty-seventh Meeting. September 19, I827. Resolved, that the pecuniary circumstances of the College make it necessary to reduce the Salaries of the Officers; therefore Resolved, that the Salary of the President be reduced to the sum of twelve hundred dollars, and that the Salary of the Professor of the Greek Language be reduced to the sum of six hundred ﬁfty dollars. Resolved, that until further ordered Professor Monteith discharge the duties of the Professor of the Latin and Greek Languages. Resolved, that the present state of the College imperiously requires that the services of the Professor of the Latin Lan- guage be dispensed with until the next meeting of this Board. Resolved, that Mr. Lothrop, Mr. Maynard, Mr. Frost, Mr. Dwight, and Mr. Smith be a committee to report to this Board as soon as practicable a proper course of studies, exercise, and discipline to be pursued in this Institution; and that the Treasurer pay all the necessary expenses of the committee in the execution of their duty. PROCEEDINGS or THE TRUSTEES. Forty—eighth Meeting. January 9, 1828. A letter from Professor Strong, announcing his resignation as Professor of Mathematics &c., was read, ac- cepted, and ordered to be ﬁled. The report of the committee of the 19th of September, appointed to report a proper course of studies &c., was read and considered and ordered to lie on the table. A communication from Mr. Smith on the same subject was disposed of in like manner. . Resolved, that the resolution of this Board passed at their last meeting, reducing the salaries of the President of the 13 194 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1828 College and the Professor of the Greek Language be andthe same is hereby rescinded. Resolved, that Mr. Hopkins, Mr. Maynard, and Mr. Bron- son be a committee to confer with the President of the Medical Society of the County of Oneida and such other persons as he may designate, on the subject of the memorial presented by him for the consideration of the Board; and to report at the next meeting of the Board such measures to be taken in the premises as they may deem for the best interest of the College. Resolved, that Mr. Bronson, Mr. Aikin, Mr. Lansing, Mr. Williams, and Mr. Coe be a committee to take into considera- tion the state and condition of the College with power to devise such measures as they may deem proper for its in- terests; and to report the same to this Board at ‘its next meeting. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE, 1828. At a meeting of the students of Hamilton College, convened at the Chapel on the 14th inst. for the purpose of expressing their opinions with regard to the causes of the present low state of this institution, N. Cushman was called to the chair, and S. T. Fairchild appointed Secretary. After many remarks from different individuals upon the object of the meeting, on motion of Mr. Mather it was Resolved, that Stephen A. Goodwin, Hamilton Van Dyck, and Hicks Worden be a committee to draft resolutions expres- sive of the sense of.the meeting. The committee retired for a short time and reported the following. The Students of Hamilton College, aware of the low state of this institution; fully convinced that with its best interests are identiﬁed their own; that the fondest wishes and justest expectations of their friends, of the patrons of this College, and of the community at large, are not realized; feeling a deep solicitude for its welfare; and believing that it is expedient 1828] or HAMILTON COLLEGE 195 no longer tamely to witness measures, which in their opinion are detrimental to their own interests, and those of the institu- tion of which they are members, do adopt as expressive of their sentiments on this subject the following Preamble and Resolutions. Whereas the decline of this institution has been wrongfully attributed to the mal-administration of the Faculty, and where- as certain measures adopted by the Trustees have, in their influence upon our justly revered president and professor of languages, seriously affected the reputation of this institution, and whereas in consequence of these measures our very eminent instructor, the late professor of mathematics, has left this institution, on which account many students who have been induced by his high reputation as an instructor, to become members of this college, not only feel themselves deeply in- jured, but are unwilling without ample satisfaction longer to remain, and whereas the course of studies in the several classes in consequence of the aforesaid measures, has been so arranged as to produce great dissatisfaction in those classes, and where- as in consequence of the aforesaid measures the students are required to attend public worship git an unreasonable distance, much to their inconvenience and frequently to their unneces- sary exclusion from religious instruction, and whereas the Trustees have neglected to establish a Professorship of Rhetoric and Divinity, as their own promises had led us con- ﬁdently to expect, Therefore, Resolved, That so far from considering the Faculty as having contributed to the decline, we believe that their un- remitted exertions have been for the advancement of the best interests of this Institution. Resolved, that the treatment of our respected Principal and Professor of Languages, so deleterious in its consequences, should and hereby does receive our decided disapprobation. Resolved, That the immediate appointment of an able Pro- fessor of Mathematics is indispensably necessary. Resolved, That if affairs remain long in their present con- 196 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1828 dition we cannot enjoy the advantages which were expected in this and are enjoyed in other institutions and do not feel our- selves under any obligations whatever longer to continue mem- bers of this Institution. On motion of Mr. Norton, Resolved that the preceding preamble and resolutions be adopted as expression of the sense of this meeting. On motion of Mr. Ullmann, Resolved that the proceedings of this meeting be signed by the Chairman and Secretary. On motion of Mr. Baxter, Resolved that a committee of three be appointed to hand the proceedings of this meeting to the Trustees of Hamilton College. Messrs. Baxter, Mather, and Ullmann were appointed to the committee. (Signed) N. Cushman, Chm S. T. Fairchild, Secretary. [Endorsed] Recd & nothing sent PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Fifty-ﬁrst Meeting. September 17, I828. . Resolved, unanimously, that Mr. John H. Lathrop, of the Town of Gardiner, in the State of Maine, be and he is hereby appointed Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy in Hamilton College with a Salary of eight hun- dred dollars per annum; and that the Clerk of the Board be and he hereby is directed to notify the Professor elect of the said appointment, and to assure him that it is the ﬁrm deter- mination of this Board to continue the College in operation, and if he accept said appointment he will meet with the cordial cooperation and support of this Board. Resolved, that Mr. Williams, Mr. Gridley, and Mr. Bristoll be a committee to ornament the College yard by planting forest and other trees and shrubbery at a suitable season of the year, at an expense not exceeding ﬁfty dollars. 1828] 0 OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 197 HENRY DAVIS TO THE REGENTS or THE UNIVERSITY. From the papers of President Davis, in the College Library To the Honourable the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York the undersigned begs leave respect- fully to present the following petition. Gentlemen, Constituted as you are, by the supreme authority of the State, the guardians of the interests of Literature and Science in a great and prosperous Community, you cannot but ex- perience lively gratiﬁcation in every well—directed and success- ful effort, made under your fostering care, for the promotion of those interests; and the failure of an effort for this object, no matter from what cause, commenced under circumstances calculated to excite in the public mind well grounded hopes of a propitious result, will not fail to be regarded by you with deep regret. And when an Institution of Learning, founded under your auspices and liberally endowed from the public treasury, becomes sickly and paralyzed in its operations — and of course fails of its object —— to your Honourable Body it belongs, it is believed, to investigate the disorders under which it is labour- ing and to prescribe the remedy. It is with no ordinary emotions that your petitioner ﬁnds himself constrained by an imperative sense of duty to invite the attention of your Honourable Body to the Institution over which he presides. Situated in a region highly fertile, delight- ful, and favoured with a salubrious climate; in the midst of an enterprising, virtuous, numerous, and increasing people; with an endowment of $100,000 from the State and of $50,- 000 from private muniﬁcence, Hamilton College, it was con- ﬁdently expected, was destined soon to become a highly respect- able and useful Seminary. The steady growth of the Institution for several years seemed to leave little room to doubt that the expectations which 198 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1828 had been excited would be fully answered. The following facts derived from the printed documents of the College furnish a satisfactory history of its progress during the administration of your petitioner. The ﬁrst year of his presidency no catalogue of the students was published. The whole number in the four classes at this period‘-— I817-I8———was little more than 5o—-—- graduated IO I818-I9——whole number—— 73 . . . . . . . . . . .. 12 1819-20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 89 . . . . . . . . . . .. I4 I820"2I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 93 . . . . . . . . . . .. I8 I82I“22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. IOO . . . . . . . . . . .. 15 1822-23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. I07 . . . . . . . . . . .. 33 1823-24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 110 . . . . . . . . . . .. I7 1824-25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. I05 . . . . . . . . . . .. 23 1825-26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. IOO . . . . . . . . . . .. 28 1826-27 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. go . . . . . . . . . 23 1827128 -——no correct catalogue was published. . 17 There were admitted this year, previous to the 1st of No- vember, 32 young gentlemen -— as great a number as has been usually admitted so early in the year. The number of under- graduates at that time was about 80. Had it not been for certain adverse occurrences, it was ascertained that they would have amounted, at least, to I00. Since that time, Nov. Ist, 1827, we have had no Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy to give instruction in those Sciences; and since May I828 no Professor to give instruction in the Languages. Subsequent to the last date but one Professor (i. e. a Professor of Chymestry) has been connected with the Institution, whose salary, because they have no services for him, is suspended by a resolution of the Board of Trustees for the present year. At the Commencement in August last, besides the seventeen young gentlemen in the Senior class who were then graduated, there were remaining in the College but ten members, viz. three Sophomores and seven Freshmen. ‘Of the 80 young 1829] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 199 gentlemen who were members of the Institution Nov. 1st 1827, four only’ are now connected with it; ﬁve have been admitted the present year; so that the total number of our scholars at present is nine, of which ﬁve are in the Sophomore, and four in the Freshman class. It must be obvious to any one that causes of no ordinary character must have operated on the vital energies of the Institution to produce so rapid and un- paralleled a decline. In View of the facts above stated, your petitioner would respectfully and earnestly request of your Honourable Body that you would faithfully seek for a knowledge of those causes ; and adopt such measures to save the College from the dissolution which threatens it, and to restore its once healthful and vigorous action, as in your wisdom you shall deem proper. Should it be the opinion of your Honourable Body, after a thorough and impartial investigation of the subject, and when in possession of all the facts, that its rapid decline and present languishing condition can justly be attributed to your peti- tioner, he will be unwilling to remain an obstacle to the pros- perity of an Institution, which he doubts not may be rendered by judicious and able management an ornament and a blessing toour State and to our Nation. Henry Davis Hamilton College President of Hamilton College. 15th Jan. 1829 PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. Meeting of February 3, 1829. A communication from John Lay, Jesse Curtiss, Josiah Bacon and others, representing themselves to be a Committee appointed by citizens of the County of Oneida, setting forth the present declining state and condition of Hamilton College, and requesting the Regents to ascertain the causes which have produced the decline, and to adopt such measures to restore the College to its former state as to them should appear suit- ZOO DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1829 able and proper, was read, and after some time spent thereon it was ordered, that, inasmuch as the Trustees of said College did not make any report to the Regents at their last annual session, the Secretary be directed to inform them of their default, and to call on them for a Report of the present state and condition of their College and of the causes, if any, which have produced a decline in its affairs. - PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Fifty—second Meeting. March 18, 1829. A communication from the Regents of the Uni- versity of the State of New York was read and considered, and a committee, consisting of Messrs. Kirkland, Lansing, Yates, Williams, and Lothrop was appointed to report thereon, which report having been made, was accepted by the Board, as follows: “ The Regents of the University having, by their resolution C of the 3d day of February, 1829, called upon this Board to report the present state and condition of Hamilton College, and also the causes, if any, which have produced a decline in its affairs; and the usual annual report of the state of the College having been submitted by the Chairman and Clerk of the Board on the 23d day of February last; “ Resolved, without expressing any opinion on the power of the Board of Regents to require of the Trustees to report the causes of the decline of the affairs of the College, that in their opinion it would be inexpedient to attempt to state the causes of such decline, and would lead to no practical good; but that the Trustees will be happy to receive a visit from the Board of Regents, or a committee of the same, whenever it shall suit their convenience or pleasure. .” Resolved, that whereas a proposition has been made in the name of Gerritt Smith, Esq., to support the College on cer- tain conditions apparently favourable to its prosperity, Messrs. Davis, Yates, Williams, Goodrich, and Knox be a committee 1829] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 201 to receive his proposition deﬁnitely and report the same to this Board at their meeting in May next. GERRIT SMITH TO ANDREW YATES. From the papers of President Davis, in the College Library Petersboro March 2 3rd, 1829 Rev. Dr. Yates. My Dear Sir, The subject of your conversation with me last Saturday has been much on my mind ever since. The concerns of a College may be brought under the general distinction of its internal and external interests. The ﬁrst being the charge of the faculty and the other of the Corporation. On the last branch I will make a few remarks. Formerly no serious inconveniences were felt from the great defect in the kind of government exercised by the Cor- poration of a College. That defect consists in the govern- ment being so very general and distant and inconstant. A Col- lege at the present time that is highly prosperous may succeed in spite of this defect; and the principal reason why all our Colleges may not succeed as well now, as they formerly did under a government sitting thus loosely about them, is the rapid multiplication within a few years of similar Institutions in our country. The competition amongst these schools has, of course, been sharpening, as their number increased; and inducing a closer, more attentive and particular government of them. This com- petition and these consequences of it have been the greater because many of these schools are individual property, and are conducted under the vigilant eyes and by the stimulated hands of self interest. It is already with our superior schools, as with our manufactories. A few years ago, and our manufac- toring establishments succeeded pretty well even under the very general and negligent charge of the Incorporated com- panies that conducted them. Now, private enterprise in the 202 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1829 same channels has either driven those establishments ashore, or necessitated them to come under a more efﬁcient direction. A similar competition amongst our schools of a higher grade is loudly demanding a similar change in the govern- ment of them; and perhaps there is not one of them under such a vital need of this change as Hamilton College. For if the government usually exercised by a Board of Trustees over a College is not adequate to sustain the Institution against its multiplying competitors, how totally insufficient must such a government be to revive and invigorate a dead College. What remedy is within the reach of your Board? I think of nothing that promises so well to raise the College as the enlistment of individual responsibility in the undertaking. That responsibility I never felt to any great extent, whilst I was a member of the Board, and probably it was so with my fellow members. To make that responsibility the most effectual, let it be made to extend to the property, as well as to the character of the person you load with it. \Vhere will you ﬁnd the right man to come under that heavy responsibility? In a conversation with Mr Keep the other evening, I was vain enough to volunteer myself for it. I am conscious of having three qualiﬁcations for the service. The ﬁrst is: a strong attachment to my Alma Mater. The second is: that I am in such circumstances, as probably justify me in incur- ring the hazard of so much of my property. And. the third is: my solicitude (quite as ambitious as any man should be) to preserve, in all my pursuits, a good and respectable name. But these qualiﬁcations, important as they are, do not com- prise all that are needed for this service. It is desirable that the person imbarking in it, be able to add to these qualiﬁca- tions an extended reputation for integrity, wisdom and learn— ing ———— such a reputation in short as would inspire a very gen— 2 eral and strong conﬁdence in the success of the undertaking, to which he puts his hand. I most earnestly wish, that the Board might ﬁnd a man of such eminent ﬁtness, willing to pledge his faithful and per— 1s29] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 203 severing endeavors———his purse and his character——-to the revival of an Institution, in whose fall so many precious public interests sympathise and deeply suffer. I know not where you can ﬁnd such a man. Probably Henry Dwight of Geneva is as nearly so as any man in this part of our country; but he has such an aversion to a College, that he would make a con- science of pulling down rather than building up one. Should the Board be pleased with such a scheme, as was barely hinted to them by Mr. Keep, and should they after fail- ing to ﬁnd a suitable man for it, think proper to charge me with the high trust, that the scheme contemplates reposing in some individual, you are at liberty to say I will gratefully accept of it on the following terms. Ist. Term of the trust to be 6 years. 2nd. I am to have the use of all the College grounds, build- ings and their contents. 3rd. The Board to repair and improve from time to time in such manner, as they may think proper, the said grounds and buildings, and also the apparatus and Library. 4th. The Board to complete the North Ediﬁce, if the increase of students within the six years should require it. Looking no farther than the interest of their treasury, they would of course be pleased to have this expenditure become necessary. 5th. Commencement Dinner to be provided by the Board. 6th. The Board to be at no expense in sweeping rooms, halls, &c, nor in providing fuel, nor in ringing the Bell. 7th. I am to defray the whole expense of providing teachers —— and this item of expense is not to fall below 25 to $30,000 in the six years —— will perhaps exceed this estimate. 8th. I am to receive all charges for tuition and diplomas; and also any rents that may be derivable from any portion of the premises. 9th. I am to draw on the Treasurer of the Board for $10,000,; this sum is $1000 more than I spoke of to Mr Keep —but I must necessarily be at considerable expense, aside from paying the salaries of the members of the Faculty—- 204 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1829 and in making up the $9000 I looked at the subject of the salaries only. The $10,000 I am to draw for in the following manner: first year, $3000; second year, $2000; third year, $1500; fourth year, $1500; ﬁfth year, $1000; sixth year, $1000. My draughts in each year to be quarterly and equal. In the Annual Report which I shall be bound to make to the Board of the particular condition of the College, I am to render an exact account of my receipts and disbursements in the premises. At the end of six years, or at the end of any previous year, when the Trustees shall request me to relinquish this trust, or when I may choose to relinquish it, I am to pay to the Treasurer of the Board whatever surplus of income over expenditure may be remaining in my hands at the time. Should there be a deﬁciency instead of a surplus, that deﬁciency to be my loss. There is to be no interest account between the Treasurer and myself. 10th. As the Corporation have no right to put into other hands, unconditionally and beyond their power of resumption at any time, the government of the College, so, of course, they are not to suffer myself or others to appoint or have the exclusive nomination of any member of the Faculty of the College. I need but add that the Corporation will readily perceive the suitableness and importance of gratifying my wishes on these subjects during the continuance of my Trust, as far as may possibly consist with their sense of propriety. 11th. I could not be induced to receive this Trust without having an entirely new Faculty, and therefore, if President Davis should persist in holding his place, the negotiation between the Board and myself is at an end. I have not come hastily to this conclusion, nor have I lightly esteemed your last Saturday’s arguments against it. I am President Davis’ friend. I have been his pupil, and his kindness and faithfulness to me whilst standing in that interesting and endearing relation to him can never be for- gotten by me. Such are my feelings towards that venerable man and his excellent family, that his continuance in the 1829] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 205 Presidency of the College would be to me a most agreeable feature in my contemplated connexion with it, were it not that, in my honest judgment, higher considerations, and before which all personal considerations must give way, are decidedly opposed to it. Dr. Davis came into his present ofﬁce furnished with the. most ample and ﬂattering testimonials of his ﬁtness for it. I cannot believe that he has lost any of his intrinsic ﬁtness for it. I know him well, and cheerfully disavow all suspicion of his being in his dotage. Still, Hamilton College cannot rise under President Davis. Hamilton College must present a new aspect, a new state of things, before it can gain public conﬁdence. And can it have that aspect, that apparently new state of things, as long as President Davis continues at the head of it? Produce a change in its conditions, as extensive as you please, and yet forbear to change this most essential feature, and Hamilton College, in spite of all you have done, will continue to be, in the superﬁcial view of the public mind, the same old thing of which it has become so sick and weary. My friend Dr. Kendrick, in his remarks on this subject before the Board, admitted that public opinion is Omnipotent, but he added, very happily, that it is not immutable. The doctor’s general proposition is certainly full of truth, but Hamilton College has lamentably proved an exception to it, for the years that have passed away since the doctor stated it have but too conclusively proved that public opinion, inthis instance, pos- sesses the attribute of immutability as well as of omnipotence. I say not by what means Hamilton College has fallen. A share of the blame may belong to the President; a still larger share to the Board. I insist upon this only, that time ha-sabundantly proved it can never rise but under the auspices and application of other hands. I used to say that if the Board would but exercise conﬁdence in the President, and cordially cooperate with him in advancing the interests of the College, their work would not be in vain. But I would not say so now. Things have come to such a pass that the public would obsti- 206 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1829 nately refuse to take any hope from any such attempted co—operation. They would look’ for no beneﬁcial fruits from it. It was given out last September that a reconcilation had taken place between the President and the Board, and the public had large promises made to them of the cordial co—opera- tion of the two in their future efforts to revive the College; but the fact that you have scarcely students enough to disturb the silence of your empty buildings pronounces the futility of your conjoint endeavors to win public favour to the Col- lege. In vain has proved your appointment at that time of a very able man for your Professorship of Mathematics, and of another man, perhaps equally able, for your Professorship of Languages. In vain has it proved, that your Secretary then announced to the public the new-manning and new-rigging of the vessel. It was in vain to awaken hopes of her making a successful voyage so long as she continued under the old commander. I But before we talk of regaining the public confidence by means of a cordial union of the President and the Board, let us, in view of what has passed, frankly acknowledge the impracticability of an union ever taking place. A few such facts as the following show that it cannot: 1st. The Board have unanimously resolved that the interests of the College demand the resignation of the President. 2d. Members of the Board have told Dr. Davis in my hear- ing that he is, in their judgment, unﬁt for the place, and that whilst he persists in holding it they can do nothing—~they have no encouragement to do anything —— to revive the College. 3d. For several years the President has been spending no little breath in charging the downfall of the College on the Board, and in all this time the Board, or at least many mem- bers of the Board, have as freely charged it on him. I might, if it were necessary, communicate many more facts to show that the Board and the President have, in their official capacity, /long since parted forever. It is but the form of their first cfonnection that now remains. Should I enter upon the pro- 1829] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 207 posed Trust, it would be with the purpose of uniting my own spirited and persevering endeavours with such endeavours on the part of the Board to raise our beloved Hamilton into the very ﬁrst rank of American Colleges. But how could I ﬂatter myself with the aid of such indispensable aid from the Board, so long as we were not rid of what, in their repeated judg- ment, is a fatal objection to the prosperity of the College? It is surely not enough for me to know that the Board is friendly to the College. I am already persuaded that every member of it is so. But before I come under the heavy responsibility, I must see that there are no obstacles in the way of the pros- perity of the College which the Board will regard as insuper—- able. and which will, of course, deter them from putting forth such efforts in behalf of the College as will correspond with the friendship they feel for it. Let Dr. Davis continue to be the President of the College, and I would place no reliance on the aid of the Board, for they could not give me their aid against all their convictions of the uselessness of my efforts under this encumbrance. From views of his duty which, sincere as I have no doubt they are, I must still think to be mistaken, Dr. Davis will prob- ably refuse to retire from office. He remains there, as he says, for self—vindication. There, where he has become so unpopular, does he choose to remain to conquer public opinion. If I may be permitted to speak so freely of a man for whom I am bound to feel the greatest respect, I would say that Presi- dent Davis’ mind labo-rs under two great errors in this mat—- ter: Ist, He has no right as a man, much less as a Christian, to weigh himself, his private grievances and private interests, against the College and all those great public objects which suffer so deeply for the revival of the College, and which must continue to suffer until he makes room for its revival. 2d, If public opinion is made up of individual opinions similar to my own, then President Davis will surely not improve in it by refusing to give up his office, but he will continue to sink lower and lower in it, and to exhibit stronger and stronger proofs of his selﬁsh recklessness of the public good. 208 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1829 N o doubt we all agree that President Davis, in the very act of voluntarily returning to private life, will do much towards awakening in the public mind a tender interest towards himself ; and there, too, he would have leisure, if so disposed to employ it, to collect his testimony and frame his argument for con- vincing the world that the downfall of Hamilton College is chargeable on the Corporation and not on himself. I add no more. Yourself and the other gentlemen compos- ing the committee can, no doubt, readily determine whether it is worth while to assemble the Board to consider this communication. I need scarcely say to one of such characteristic promptitude as yourself that no time should be lost in getting to the close of this business. With great respect and sincere friendship, Yours, Gerrit Smith. PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. Meeting of March 24, I829. . A communication from the Trustees of Hamilton College declining a compliance with the resolution of the Regents passed on the 3d of February last, calling on them to report the causes of the decline in the affairs of said College was read and referred to the Committee appointed to prepare the annual Report of the Regents to the Legislature. PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. Meeting of April 7, 1829. Mr Butler from the Committee appointed to prepare the annual report of the Regents of the University to the Legisla- ture, submitted the following draft -- There are at this time but nine students in Hamilton College, ﬁve of whom are in the Sophomore and the remainder in the 1829] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 209 Freshman Class. No report was received from this College during the year 1828; but the number of students in the insti- tution at the date of the report for the year 1827 was ninety. The causes of the subsequent diminution in the number of students, not being communicated to the Regents in the annual report of the Trustees, a resolution was passed by the Regents on the 3d day of February last, requiring the Trustees of the College to report its present state and condition, and also the causes if any which had produced a decline in its affairs. A copy of this resolution having been transmitted to the officers of the institution, the Regents were informed by a Letter from the Treasurer of the corporation, under date of the 23d of February, that a meeting of the Trustees was soon to be held, when the subject would be laid before them. Since that time the Regents have received a communication, a Copy of which is annexed to this report, by which it will be perceived that the Trustees without expressing any opinion upon the power of the Regents to inquire into the affairs of the College, have declined complying with the resolution of the 3d of February on the ground that it would be inexpedient to attempt to state the causes of the decline in the affairs of the College, and would lead to no practical good; but the Trustees state their readiness to receive a visit from the Regents, whenever it shall suit their convenience or pleasure. It does not distinctly appear from the resolution of the Trustees, whether they intend to deny the power of the Regents to inquire into the matters embraced in their resolution or not; and yet if those powers were admitted, it is difficult to suppose that the Trus- tees would have declined answering the inquiries addressed to them. Viewing the subject in this light, the Regents can not refrain from presenting this omission of the Trustees as a palpable violation of the Lawsvof the State, which authorise & require the Regents “to visit and inspect all the Colleges in the State, examine into the state and system of education and discipline therein, and make a yearly report thereof to the Legislature; and also to visit every college in this State, once 14 210 ‘ DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1829 a year, by themselves or their committees, & yearly to report the state of the same to the Legislature.” It is believed that the power of the Regents to inquire, in reference to this particular institution, into the matters included within the purview of their resolution of the 3d of February, cannot safely be drawn in question; and it will be seen, that there was a peculiar ﬁtness in asking the informa- tion desired, when it is considered, that the institution referred to had, on two several occasions, received liberal endowments from the Treasury of the State. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Fifty—third Meeting. May 12, I829. The committee appointed at the last meeting of the Board to receive the proposition of Gerrit Smith, Esquire, of Peterboro, in relation to the support of the College on certain conditions apparently favourable to its prosperity, and to report the same to the Board at this meeting, made a report, accompanied by the propositions of Mr. Smith, in writing. The report of the committee was read and accepted. The communication of Mr. Smith was then read; and thereupon the following resolution was offered and adopted unanimously : C Resolved, that the proposition of Mr. Smith, accompanying the report of the committee appointed to confer with him in relation to the support of the College, is inadmissible and ought not to be accepted. Resolved, unanimously, that Simeon North, A. M., be and he hereby is appointed Professor of Languages in Hamilton College. Resolved, that the Salary of the Professor of Languages be eight hundred dollars. . Resolved, that the President of the College and the Secre- tary of the Board of Trustees make such communications to the publick in relation to the College as they shall think proper. 1829] ‘ OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 211 PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Fifty—fourth Meeting. August 25, 1829. A report from the Committee appointed at a former meeting of the Board in relation to the Oneida Hall * was received and accepted, and thereupon Resolved, that the Treasurer be authorised and required to remove with as little delay as may be practicable the college building called Oneida Hall, and to level the ground on which it stands; that he be directed to dispose of the materials of which it is composed to the best advantage in his power; and that he report to this Board at its next meeting what he shall have done in the premises, with a particular statement of his services, receipts, and expenditures. On motion of Mr Morse, Resolved, that a committee be appointed to inquire into the present state, condition, and pros- pects of the Institution under the care of this Board; and also that they enquire into the expediency of introducing into it some of the alleged improvements in the method of teaching, and generally to propose such measures as shall in their judg- ment be adapted to its future prosperity. Messrs. Morse, A. Yates, Kendrick, Goodrich, and Randall were appointed to the Committee. . The Committee appointed on the resolution offered by Mr. Morse presented their report. Accompanying the report were a number of resolutions, which, after amendment, were adopted as follows: 1. Resolved, that ways and means be devised for increasing the Library as rapidly as possible. 2. That it be the duty of the Faculty to deliver courses of lectures on as many branches of science as practicable; and that, when they discover that any of the graduates evince genius and the proper talent for good teachers and lecturers, they exert their inﬂuence to have them remain. in the Institution * The original Hamilton Oneida Academy. 212 DOCUMENTARY IHISTORY [1830 after graduation with a view to qualify themselves for such stations. 3. That hereafter, and as soon as the number of pupils will Warrant it, some experienced practical civil engineer shall be employed by this Board annually to deliver a course of lectures on practical surveying, levelling, civil engineering, and subjects which have an intimate connection therewith. 4. That every person, whether a student in the Institution or not, on paying a compensation to be ﬁxed by the Prudential Committee and strictly conforming to the laws of the College, be allowed to attend all or any of the lectures or recitations of the Institution at the discretion of the Faculty. 5. In order to secure competent and satisfactory instruction to the higher classes of the Institution, Resolved, that a Pro- fessorship of Rhetoric and Belles Lettres be established; and that Messrs. Davis, Lansing, and Goodrich be appointed a committee to make enquiries and to nominate some suitable person to ﬁll such Professorship at the next stated meeting. 6. That a committee be appointed to enquire into the man~ ner in which the monies granted by the State and the dona- tions of individuals have been applied; that they examine all the expenditures of this Board and report to it a detailed state~ ment of such expenditures, and the amount of money received from the State and from private donation; and that such com- mittee be authorised, with the consent of the Treasurer, to appoint a competent person to prepare such statement, and allow a reasonable compensationitherefor; and that Messrs. Knox, Randall, and Bacon be appointed such committee. 7. That the Prudential Committee be directed to propose to this Board at its next meeting such measures as the state of the College lands and buildings shall admit of, to furnish the students with the means of gardening and mechanic labour. _ PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. Meeting of February 26, I830. The Trustees of Hamilton College report the num- ber of students in College actually attending at the time of 1830] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 213 their report, as thirty one, all of whom belong to the three lower classes. . The Regents, in compliance with a resolution of the honor~ able the Assembly, of the I 5th of January last, requiring them to lay before that house, in their annual report or otherwise, “a detailed statement of the affairs of Hamilton College, showing, among other things, the grounds of the difﬁculties under which that institution is said to have been suffering, the number of students therein during the year past, the num- ber of graduates at the last commencement, the salaries paid to each of the officers of the College during the last year, and the general prospects of that institution ”, respectfully report: That not having in their possession any documents affording the information required by the Assembly, they caused a copy of the resolution as soon as the same was received by them, to be transmitted to the president of the board of Trustees of said College with a request that the information required by it might be transmitted to the Regents, to enable them to lay it before the Assembly in their annual report. In answer to the communication thus made, the Regents have received from the chairman of the board of trustees of said College, the usual annual report of the college, together with an acknowl- edgment that a copy of the aforesaid resolution had been duly received, accompanied by an intimation that it could not be answered until the next regular meeting of the board of Trustees should take place, which would not be before the month of May next: but the Regents have been since informed by one of the trustees of said College, that a special meeting of the board was to be held in the ensuing month of March, for the purpose of furnishing the information required by the said resolution, to the end that the same might be laid before the Legislature at its present session. The Regents will there- fore retain the said resolution, and comply with it as soon as they shall be enabled so to do by the trustees of said College. p 2l4 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1830 PROCEEDINGS or THE TRUSTEES. Fifty-ﬁfth Meeting. March 17, 1830. A communication from the Regents of the Uni- versity, inclosing a copy of a Resolution passed by the Hon. the Assembly on the 15th day of January last, requesting a A detailed statement of the affairs of Hamilton College, showing among other things the grounds of the difficulties under which the Institution is said to have been suffering; the number of students therein during the last year; the number of gradu- ates at the last commencement; the salaries paid to each of the Ofﬁcers of the College during the last year; and the general prospects of the Institution, was read and ordered to be ﬁled. A report from the Committee appointed at the last meeting of the Board on the state of the ﬁnances and expenditures in pursuance of the 6th resolution adopted at that meeting was received, read, and accepted. On motion of Dr. P. Randall, Esq., Resolved, that it is expedient to report on the request of the Regents as made in their communication to this Board on the 20th day of January last, and that a Committee of three be appointed to prepare said report and to submit the same to this Board for consideration. Messrs. Randall, Morse, and Wil1i.ams were thereupon appointed said Committee. On motion of Dr. Yates, Resolved, that the unoccupied lands around the College belonging to the Institution be apportioned to such Students as are desirous to exercise themselves in agri- culture and labour during the hours of relaxation from study, that the same be enclosed and ploughed for their use so far as it may be needed, and that the same be subject to the direction of the Prudential Committee. The Committee appointed to submit to the Board an answer to the communication received from the Regents of the Uni- versity presented a Report in answer thereto, which Report was read and adopted. On motion of N. P. Randall, Esq., Resolved, that the Treas- 1830] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 215 urer make an abstract from the ﬁnancial report made by him in August last, shewing the amount of the funds of the Col- lege, and their situation, to be attached to the report this day made respecting the ﬁnancial concerns of the College; and that p the said report and abstract, together with the Report adopted by the Board in answer to the communication of the Regents of the University be by him transmitted to that Body. REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES To THE REGENTS, March I7, 1830. From the papers of President Davis, in the College Library The Trustees of H. Coll. acknowledge the receipt of a com- munication from Regents of the University of the state of N. Y. with a copy of a resolution of the House of Assembly, requesting a detailed statement of the affairs of the Institu- tion, shewing among other things, the grounds of the difficul- ties under which it has been suffering, the number of Students therein during the past year, the number of graduates at the last commencement; the salaries paid to each of the officers during the last year; and its general prospect. A The Trustees without reference to, or denying the right of the Regents or the Legislature to make this call upon them, most cheerfully proceed to the task of answering the resolu- tion. The statement of the Treasurer herewith transmitted will give a general view of the financial condition of the Col- lege, and if more particular information is desired it will not be withheld. As to the grounds of the difficulties in relation to the Insti- tution, the Trustees do not deem it discreet to attempt any enumeration of them all; but among the most prominent, the Trustees would mention the facts, that the ofﬁce of Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy was vacant from Nov. 1827 to May 1829; and the ofﬁce of Professor of Lan- guages was vacant from May 1828 to August 1829. In consequence of these vacancies many of the students then 216 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1830 in the College left it, and resorted to other institutions. Others who would probably have joined the College were prevented from entering it. An unfortunate difference of opinion among the Trustees as to the most advantageous method of conduct- ing the affairs of the College and between a part of the Board of Trustees and the Faculty of the College had probably a tendency further to check the prosperity of the institution. The said Trustees further report that, so far as respects the number of students and graduates the last year, the present number of students, the officers of the College and their sal- aries, the amount of the funds of the College, the number and condition of the buildings, they refer to their annual report made in February last. The salaries paid to the officers of the College during the year ending in August last were: to the President $1800, to one tutor $400, and assistant during the two ﬁrst terms of the year $165, and to a professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy from May last, at the rate of $800 per annum; these gentlemen being the only officers of College receiving compensation during the last year. The Trustees have the satisfaction further to report, that, since August last, the officers appointed as Professors of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy, of the Languages, and also of Chemistry have been and are now severally engaged in the active discharge of their official duties, and that the insti- tution appears to be rapidly rising from the depressed state into which it had fallen. From the low state of its funds, however, the Trustees do not feel themselves warranted in employing the number of Professors they might otherwise think desirable, yet they think that the great experience of the President, Dr. Davis, his high reputation as an instructor, assisted as he is by the other able men associated with him in the faculty, warrant them in the belief that the institution cannot fail of affording opportunities for acquiring a classical education highly advantageous to the student and satisfactory to the public, and that notwithstand- 1830] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 217 ing the cloud that has lately obscured its prospects, it cannot fail under the fostering care of itspresent ofﬁcers, to obtain the conﬁdence of the community and a high rank among the literary institutions of our country. PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. Meeting of March 30, 1830. A special communication was received from the Trustees of Hamilton College, in answer to the call made on them by the Regents, for information required by a resolution of the honorable the Assembly of the I 5th of January last, which having been read, it was thereupon ordered, that a copy of the said Communication be transmitted to the honorable the Assembly. PROCEEDINGS or THE TRUsTEEs. Fifty-eighth Meeting. August 24th, 1830. The committee appointed at the last meeting of the Board to enquire into the expediency of enlarging the number of branches taught in this Institution and to enquiregenerally as to the expediency of increasing the number of Professors and of making with their consent a new assignment of their duties; and, in case this committee shall think it expedient to make an increase of Professors, that they nominate a candidate or candi- dates for the office; made a Report which was read, and the Resolutions accompanying the same were thereupon, after undergoing discussion, adopted, as follows, viz.: Ist. Resolved, that the following be considered the perma- nent Professorships in Hamilton College, and that they be ﬁlled with Professors as speedily as practicable; viz. 1. Of Ancient Languages. 2. Of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy, with En- gineering. Of Moral and Political Science. 218 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1830 4. Of the Physical Sciences, viz. Chemistry, Geology, Botany, and Zoology. 5. Rhetorick and Belleslettres. 6. Of Divinity. 2d. Resolved, that provision be made to ﬁll the Professor- ships of the Physical Sciences and of Rhetorick and Belles- lettres at this meeting, so that their courses of instruction may commence if possible with the ensuing year. A communication was received from Mr. Theophilus Smith, who was at the last meeting of the Board elected Professor of Rhetorick and Belleslettres, declining the acceptance of said appointment. The Board then proceeded to elect a Professor of Rhetorick and Belleslettres, and on receiving and counting the ballots, Professor Haddock of Dartmouth College was declared to be duly elected to said ofﬁce. Thereupon it was Resolved that Professor Haddock, of Dartmouth College, be and he hereby is appointed Professor of Rhetorick and Belleslettres in Hamil- ton College, with a salary of eight hundred dollars per annum. Resolved, that Messrs. Williams, Norton, and Davis be a committee to notify Professor Haddock of his appointment and ascertain whether he accepts of said oﬁice; and if he decline, that they be instructed to correspond with Mr. John Wayland, of Providence, in Rhode Island, and ascertain whether he will, if elected, accept of said ofﬁce; and should be decline, that they learn of Joel W. Newton, of Amherst, in Massachusetts, whether he will consent to become a candidate for said ofﬁce; and in case he should decline; that they then recommend to this Board at its next meeting some suitable person to ﬁll said ofﬁce who will consent to accept the same. Mr. Hart introduced a Resolution which after being dis- cussed and amended was adopted as follows : Whereas Doct. Josiah Noyes has signiﬁed his willingness to resign his ofﬁce as Professor of Chemistry in Hamilton College to the Board of Trustees; therefore, Resolved, that 1831] 01-“ HAMILTON COLLEGE 219 his resignation be accepted; and the ofﬁce is hereby declared to be vacant; and also that the Treasurer pay all arrears due to him. The Board then proceeded to elect a Professor of the Physi- cal Sciences, and on receiving and counting the ballots James Hadley, M.D., of F airﬁeld, in the County of Herkimer, was declared to be duly elected. Thereupon it was Resolved, that James Hadley, M.D., of Fairﬁeld, in the County of Herkimer, be and he hereby is appointed Professor of Physical Sciences in Hamilton College. Resolved, that a committee be appointed to notify Dr. Had- ley of his appointment and to confer with him on the subject of his salary, and agree as to the time and manner in which he will enter upon the duties of his office; and that the com- mittee be authorized to promise him a sum not exceeding eight hundred dollars per annum. Messrs. Morse and Yates appointed committee. . On motion of Mr. Morse, Resolved, that the Treasurer be directed to convert the securities and lands of the Corpora- tion, exclusive of the College Buildings and premises, into money as fast as the same can be done Without loss, and pro- ceed to pay its accredited debts as fast as he receives the money. Resolved, that if money cannot be raised in the way pointed out in the above Resolution sufficiently fast to discharge the debts, that the Treasurer be directed to borrow on the credit of the Corporation a sum sufficient for the purpose. PROCEEDINGS OF THE. TRUSTEES. Sixtieth Meeting. June 7, I831. The committee appointed to notify Professor Haddock of his election to the office of Professor of Rhetorick and Belles- lettres reported that they had attended to the duties assigned them, and had received from him a communication declining to accept the appointment. The Committee further reported that they had corresponded with Mr. John Wayland, of Brown University, and had ascer- tained that, if elected, he would accept of said office. 220 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1831 The Board thereupon proceeded to elect by ballot a Pro- fessor of Rhetorick and Belleslettresg and upon counting the ballots it appeared that Mr. John VVayland was unanimously elected. . . . r A report from the committee appointed to notify Dr. Had- ley of his election to ﬁll the office of Professor of the Physical Sciences, shewing the terms on which he accepted said appoint~ ment, was then read and ordered to be ﬁled. Resolved, that a committee of ﬁve be appointedto consider the propriety of appointing a Professor of Divinity in Hamil- ton College at the next meeting of the Board, and in case they shall thinkit advisable to make such appointment, that they recommend a suitable person to fill said Professorship. Messrs. Davis, A. Yates, Coe, and Ledyard were appointed said committee. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Sixty-ﬁrst Meeting. August 23, 1831. '.l‘he committee appointed to examine and report to the Board at its present meeting upon the expediency of electing a Professor of Divinity in Hamilton College reported in writ- ing, which report concluded with proposing for adoption three resolutions; the ﬁrst of which, being read and considered, was adopted as follows: Resolved, that the title of Professor of Divinity be changed to that of Pastoral Professor, and that the special duties assigned to the proposed Professor shall be to give instruction on the inspiration of the Scriptures, and to such as desire it a critical knowledge of the original Languages; also practical and experimental religion on the Sabbath according to the usage in the observance of that day, and at other times, both in private and in public, as occasion may require; and to dis- charge such other duties as are required of a Pastor towards his flock. On motion of Mr. Morse, the following resolution was adopted as a substitute for the remaining resolutions offered by the committee: 1831] or HAMILTON COLLEGE 221 Resolved, that as soon as funds can be raised for the purpose the Professorship be ﬁlled. The committee appointed to enquire into the expediency of appointing an Executive or Prudential Committee with certain p speciﬁed powers, etc., reported the following Resolutions, which, being read and considered, were adopted: Resolved, that there be annually appointed a Committee consisting of ﬁve members of the Board, to be denominated the Executive Committee, who shall be clothed with the follow- ing powers during the intervals between the meetings of the Board: First; To appoint the Tutors. S Second; To devise ways and means for increasing the funds, and with the concurrence of the Board to execute them. Third; To appoint an Agent or Agents to solicit and receive donations for the endowment of some or all of the Professor- ships and for other necessary purposes. Fourth; To report the names of suitable persons to ﬁll vacancies in the Faculty. Fifth; To procure temporary instruction in case of vacan- cies in any of the Professorships. ‘ Sixth; To make all repairs to the buildings necessary to their preservation from immediate injury; not, however, to exceed ﬁve hundred dollars in any one year. Seventh; To make arrangements for the meetings of the Board and for Commencements. Eighth; To expend the monies appropriated for the increase of the Library, Geological and Mineralogical ‘Cabinets, and for the Philosophical and Chemical apparatus and for the improve- ment of the College grounds. C Ninth; To recommend at every meeting of the Board such measures for adoption as in the opinion of the Committee the best interests of the Institution require. Tenth; To take care that all the personal property of the College is preserved and kept in good condition. 222 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1831 Messrs. Davis, Williams, Knox, Goodrich, and Bristoll were appointed said committee. Resolved, that a sum not exceeding one hundred and ﬁfty dollars be appropriated for the purpose of purchasing a com- plete set of levelling instruments. PROCEEDINGS OF A MEETING OF CITIZENS OF UTICA. December 8, I831. From the papers of President Davis, in the College Library At» a meeting of the citizens of the village of Utica, held pursuant to previous notice, at the court room in the academy in said village on Tuesday, December 8th, I831, for the pur- pose of taking into consideration the condition and prospects of Hamilton College and to adopt such measures in relation thereto as should be deemed proper; Joseph Kirkland, Esqr. was called to the chair and Thomas H. Hubbard and Horace Butler were appointed secretaries. I . The following preamble and resolution were offered for consideration by Henry Seymour, Esqr. and unanimously adopted: T Whereas, it appears from the representations of the presi- dent & trustees ofHamilton College, that this institution, which for the last two years has been rapidly recovering from a declension which for a time had threatened it with utter desolation, is embarrassed for the want of sufficient funds to answer its future usefulness and prosperity. On motion of Mr. Kellogg Hurlburt, it was resolved that it is the interest andthe duty as it is within the power of this , community to raise the requisite funds to place this institution on a permanent basis & to insure its future usefulness and prosperity. , The following resolution was then offered by Charles P. Kirkland, Esqr. and unanimouslyadopted. Resolved, that for the purpose of discharging the duty which we feel to be incumbent on us in relation to this institu- % 1832] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 223 tion, we will use our efforts to procure in this town the sub- scription of a sufficient sum to establish a professorship therein. And whereas the most important interests of society are identiﬁed with the encouragement and support of our schools & literary institutions: Therefore resolved, as the sense of this meeting, that Hamilton College, hitherto the hope and pride of this central portion of the state, is entitled to the patronage and support of this community. On motion of D. VVager Esqr. it was Resolved, that a com- 'mittee of twenty—ﬁve persons be appointed to solicit subscrip- tions for the purposes aforesaid. Whereupon the following gentlemen were appointed to compose committee, viz: Joshua A. Spencer, Ephraim Hart, Rudolph Snyder, John H. Ostrom, Nicholas Devereux, ‘Nm. Williams, Sylvester Doolittle, Hiram Denio, Samuel G. ‘Nalker, Moses Bagg,JOhn E. Hinman, James Dean, Silas D. Childs, Rutger B. Miller, Theodore S. Gold, Alvin McAllister, Jene VV. Doolittle, Elisha VVells, Milton Brayton, Samuel P. Lyman, Kellogg Hurlburt, Henry Seymour, Augustin G. Danby, David Wager, and Charles P. Kirkland. It was further resolved, that the proceedings of this meeting be signed by the chairman and secretaries, and published. Joseph Kirkland, Chr. Horace Butler . } Secretaries T. H. Hubbard PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. Meeting of February 28, I832. The Regents of the University respectfully Report, That they have received Reports, during the present year, from Union, Geneva and Hamilton Colleges. The report of Hamilton College shows the whole number of students, during the present year, to have been ninety three. From a special report of one of the trustees, it appears that the condition and prospects of this institution are decidedly im- 224 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1832 proved; that the course of study has been enlarged, and the standard of admission elevated; that “ particular care has been taken to furnish competent and thorough instruction in the physical sciences and mathematics, and on subjects of a prac- tical nature allied to them ;” and that an effort has been made, with so much success already as to leave little doubt ‘of its accomplishment, to raise by voluntary subscription, a sum not less than forty thousand dollars, for the endowment of three or more of its professorships. It is exceedingly gratifying to see this institution, after the series of discouragements to which it has been subjected, assuming an honorable rank among the other colleges of the state. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Sixty—second Meeting. August 22, 1832. Whereas, in consequence of the prevailing sickness of the season, and the great alarm from danger in the assem- blage of a large collection of people, the Faculty of Hamilton College have determined to dispense with the usual exercises of the annual Commencement, on motion, Resolved, that this Board approve of the determination of the Faculty in dispensing withthe usual annual exercises of Commencement for the above reason assigned. Resolved, that a sum sufficient to pay all the debts due to individuals be borrowed on the security of such of the prop- erty of this Corporation as may be necessary for the purpose, except the College ediﬁces and lands, and that a Committee of three be appointed to negotiate for the requisite loan; and further, that when such loan shall have been procured, the requisite mortgages and papers tosecure such money shall be executed, and the Seal of this Corporation afﬁxed thereto by the Treasurer of this Board. . Resolved, that Henry Davis, D.D., be appointed Agent of the Board for the purpose of receiving donations to its funds, with power, in his discretion, to appoint a sub—agent or agents, and that this Board will hereafter give to the agent or sub- agents a reasonable compensation. « 1832] OF HAMILTON‘ COLLEGE 225 ~ Resolved, that the Senior Trustee and Secretary be author- ized to give the Treasurer a Power of Attorney authorizing him to prosecute and recover, or settle, secure, and compound all Debts due this Board; and to employ Assistants under him; and afﬁx the Seal of the Corporation to such Power; . . . Resolved, that a Committee be appointed to apply to the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York, or to the Legislature, for an appropriation of three thousand dollars per year for ﬁve years, to meet the annual expense of the College, and that Messrs. Morse, Spencer, and Davis be the said Committee. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Sixty-third Meeting. December 18, I832. The will of William H. Maynard having been read, on motion of Mr. Knox the following Resolutions were adopted: ’ Resolved, that Messrs. Morse, Spencer, and Yates be a Com- mittee to take into consideration the Bequest of the late William Hale Maynard to this Board, and to report what measures are, in the judgment of the Committee, necessary to effectuate the object of the donor. Resolved, that the Trustees of Hamilton College, in com- mon with their fellow citizens, do most deeply deplore the loss society has sustained by the death of the late VVilliam Hale Maynard, and that they respectfully tender to his sur- viving relatives their sympathies and condolence in this affliction. . Resolved, that in order to effectuate the intention of the deceased as expressed in his last Will and Testament, a new Professorship be instituted in this College, to be denominated “ The Maynard Professorship of Law, Civil Polity, and Politi- cal Economy.” Resolved, that the incumbent of this Professorship be required to combine with his Lectures on the Science of Law such practical and useful information as shall fully comport 15 226 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1833 with the desires expressed by the Testator, and also be required to frame a course of instruction that will impart to his pupils: a knowledge of the Constitution of the United States and of the several states composing the Confederacy; a general knowl- edge of the Laws of Nations; the Common Law, as far as it is of any binding effect in this State; the Statute Laws of this State; the practical method of procedure in the trans- action of business in the higher courts of this State; Law Ethics; a general outline of the jurisdiction of Courts of Eauity, and of the practice and of the leading principles which controul their decisions; a general knowledge of the Laws of Congress, and of the organization and practice of the Courts of the United States. Resolved, that the Professor be required to cause his pupils‘ to write essays on subjects falling within his department, and also to exercise them in the argument before him of supposed cases and points of law unsettled and disputable. Resolved, that Doctor Yates, Messrs. Keep, Morse, Gerrit Smith, and John B. Yates be a Committee to meet the Citi~ zens of Utica at such time and place as the Committee shall designate, to lay before them the condition and claims of Ham- ilton College, and to endeavor to secure their efficient coopera- tion in raising forty thousand Dollars, agreeably to a former resolution of this Board. PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. Meeting of February 27, 1833. By the Report of Hamilton College it appears, that the Rev. Henry Davis has resigned the ofﬁce of President of the College, and the trustees have elected the Rev. Ichabod S. Spencer his successor, and hopes are entertained that he will accept the office. The number of students belonging to the , College, at the date of the report, was eighty nine. The trus- tees state, that since their last report, the Hon. V\7illiam H. Maynard has died and left by his will a legacy of twenty thou~ sand dollars, with a portion of the residue of his estate, of vL _...,;;': 36.. X ' 1833] HAMILTON COLLEGE 227 uncertain amount, to the trustees, as a perpetual fund for the endowment of a professorship of Law in said College. They have instituted a professorship, and will appoint a professor, and carry into effect the muniﬁcent intentions of the testator, as soon as they shall come into possession of the funds desig- nated for that purpose. The trustees continue their efforts, with prospects of success, to raise by subscription forty thou-— sand dollars for the support of the faculty. The prospects of this institution have been gradually improving since the year 1829, and are now such, as to induce the belief, that it will be permanently useful. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Sixty—fourth Meeting. March I 3, I833. . The Revd. Dr. Davis laid before the Board a letter from the Revd. Ichabod S. Spencer, dated Brooklyn, Febru- ary 2, 1833, in which he states that, after mature deliberation, he felt constrained to decline the Presidency of Hamilton College. Whereupon, Resolved, that the Reverend Sereno E. Dwight, of the City of New Haven, in the State of Connecticut, be and he hereby is appointed President of Hamilton College. Resolved, that a Finance Committee be appointed, to con- sist of the President—elect, the Treasurer, and Messrs. Bristol, Hubbard, and Knox; and that said Committee be convened as early after the arrival of the President elect as may be con- venient; and that they be authorised to appoint two or more Agents, in addition to those already appointed by the Board, to visit such sections of this State as they shall judge expedient, to procure contributions to a permanent fund, for the support of the Faculty. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Sixty—ﬁfth Meeting. April 16, I833. Resolved, that Messrs. Kirkland, Hubbard, and Aikin be a Committee to examine and report to this Board at their next 228 . DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1833 meeting whether any, if any, and what alterations ought to be made in the Charter of Hamilton College. R Resolved, that Messrs. Adams, Aikin, and Knox, together with the President, be a committee to digest and report at the next meeting a plan of religious instruction to be pursued in this College; and that Mr. G. Smith be respectfully requested to place in the hands of said committee the plan on this sub- ject drawn up by him and presented to this board at the last meeting. . Resolved, unanimously, that Gerritt Smith be associated with the President of the College as Agent to obtain the requisite funds to place the Institution on a permanent footing, and that this Board earnestly request Mr. Smith to accept of this trust. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Sixty—sixth Meeting. June 4, I833. The Committee appointed at the last meeting to digest a plan of religious instruction to be pursued in the College, made through their Chairman, the Revd Mr Adams, a detailed Report, which was accepted. . . . Resolved, that the Revd Mr Adams be requested to furnish the Secretary of the Board with a copy of the papers read by him to the Board this day in vindication of the principles of the Report submitted by the Committee of which he is Chair- man, and that the Treasurer pay the expense of the writing of said copy, and that it be kept for the use of the Trustees and Faculty of the College. Resolved, that the Report submitted by the Committee of which Revd Mr Adams is Chairman be adopted in its general views and principles, and that the said Report be placed in the S hands of the Faculty of the College, to report at the next meet- ing of the Board such modiﬁcations in the details thereof as may to them appear desirable. 1834] , 0E HAMILTON COLLEGE 229 PROCEEDINGS 0E THE TRUSTEES. Sixty—seventh Meeting. August 13, I833. . Resolved, that the Treasurer be, and he is hereby authorized, by and with the advice of the Executive Com- mittee, to sell, at such time and in such manner as to him and them shall seem most advantageous, all the lands and real estate (except the College grounds) belonging to Hamilton College, and on such sale to execute conveyances for the same. Resolved, that the Treasurer, with the advice of the Execu- tive Committee, be authorized to give the notes of the Corpora- tion to such of its creditors as require it, provided that those debts are such as are not contested, and the amount liquidated. Resolved, that Messrs. Dwight, Spencer, Morse, and Beards- ley be a Committee to petition the Legislature to relieve the wants of the College. PROCEEDINGS 0E THE REGENTS. Meeting of February 26, 1834. From the report of Hamilton College it appears that its faculty consists of a president, four professors and three tutors; and that the number of students matriculated in the College is 103. The trustees represent that the legacy bequeathed to them for the endowment of a law professorship in their college has not yet come to their hands. That their productive funds, applicable to the payment of their current expenses, having become nearly exhausted, they have for sometime been solicit- ing donations to enable them to raise $50,000 in aid of their exhausted ﬁnances; that more than $28,000 of that sum “ have been subscribed and promised in the County of Oneida, and upwards of $7000 more by some of the trustees and individuals in three western towns; so that the trustees have conﬁdent expectations that the whole sum will be speedily raised.” But should such expectations not be realized, and no relief be 230 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1834 obtained from other sources, the trustees represent “ that their institution will be seriously embarrassed in its pecuniary opera- tions,” and its future usefulness much diminished. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Seventieth Meeting. August 12, I834. Resolved, that the Treasurer be, and he hereby is, authorized to confess a judgment to any one of the creditors of this Corporation in trust for himself and all the other creditors for a sum equal to all the debts owing by said Cor- poration, or for such less sum as shall be deemed advisable by him. Resolved, that Messrs Knox, Hubbard, and Spencer be a Committee to confer with the creditors of Hamilton College and make an effort to satisfy them without confessing judg- ment. Resolved, that Messrs. Morse, Dwight, Hubbard, Spencer, and Gerritt Smith be a Committee to confer with the Hon. John C. Spencer on the subject of the establishment of the Law School, and the Maynard Professorship, and the relation which it shall bear toward the College; the powers and privi- leges of the Professor thereof, and of the government and dis- cipline to which itspupils shall be subject; and of his becom- ing the incumbent thereof, and of the terms and conditions on which he will undertake the discharge of the duties of such Professorship; and that they report at the next meeting of this Board a place for conducting the School and a code of laws for the government thereof. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Seventy-ﬁrst Meeting. November I2, 1834. . Resolved, that Messrs. Spencer, Dwight, and Kirk- land be a Committee to confer with the Trustees of Union College, or with a Committee of said Trustees, in relation to the claims which this Board believes it has against Union College. 1835] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE. 231 Resolved, that the same gentlemen be appointed a Com- mittee to devise ways and means, if possible, to pay the balance due to the creditors of Hamilton College. Resolved, that in the opinion of the Board of Trustees of Hamilton College, it is important to the interests of that Institution that a Post Office be established on College Hill; and that the Postmaster General be respectfully requested to establish a Post Office at that place to be called Hamilton College Post Ofﬁce. Resolved, that the Executive Committee inquire into the expediency of disposing of house lots to such Professors as may wish to erect dwelling houses for their private residences; and also into the expediency of inserting a clause in the con- veyances by which this Board can repossess itself of the lots on paying the appraised value of the building; the said Com- mittee to report in writing at the next meeting. PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. Meeting of February 24, 1835. From the report of Hamilton College it appears that its present faculty consists of a president, four professors and a tutor, and that the whole number of students belonging to the college is 115, of whom 55 have entered during the present collegiate year. The trustees of the college represent that during the two last years they “ caused a subscription to be circulated in many parts of ‘the State, for the purpose of raising $50,000 as a permanent fund, the interest of which should be applied to— wards the payment of the salaries of the ofﬁcers of the college ”; that their efforts to raise such a sum have ﬁnally been crowned with success, the subscription being ﬁlled up, and the amount subscribed having thereby become payable in four equal annual instalments. V\7hen the whole fund shall be collected and invested, the trustees represent that the in- come from it, together with the ordinary tuition money of the college, will be sufficient to pay the salaries of all their present ofﬁcers. 232 DOCUMENTARY SHISTORY [1835 It appears from the report that “the property bequeathed to the institution by the late William H. Maynard, for the endowment of a law professorship, has not yet come into the hands of the trustees, and that no further steps have been taken towards the appointment of an incumbent to ﬁll that ofﬁce.” To show the great increase in the patronage and support of this institution during the last ﬁve years, the trustees state in their report that their receipts from tuition money which in 1829 amounted to only $289.88, and in 1830 to $1,185.79, now amount to $3,812.91 for a single year. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. . Seventy—third Meeting. July 28, I835. Resolved, that Messrs John B. Yates, Gerritt Smith, and Thomas H. Hubbard be a Committee to endeavor to procure on loan a sum of money Sufﬁcient to pay the whole or any part of the debts of this Institution, the principal of which shall not be payable in less than ﬁve years; and that the said ‘ Committee shall have power to mortgage any of the real estate of the Institution, and that the President and Secretary be authorized to execute any writing for that purpose and afﬁx the seal of this Corporation thereto. Resolved, that the Faculty of the College be requested to report to this Board at its next meeting their views in relation to removing the College to Utica. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Seventy—fourth Meeting. September 20, I83 5. A memorial of the Association of Alumni of Hamilton College, on the subject of the removal of the College to Utica, heldat Clinton the 29th of July, was read by the Secretary, on which no order was taken. ' Also was read a paper purporting to be a memorial of a County Convention, held at Clinton on the Ist instant. on the 1835] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 233 same subject; on which the following Resolution was passed, nem. con.: Resolved, that the paper now presented, purporting to be the proceedings of a meeting of the Citizens of the County of Oneida, be returned by the Secretary to the person who forwarded the same to this Board. Resolved, unanimously, that the question of the removal of the College ought not to be further agitated. Resolved, unanimously, that it is expedient to establish the Law Professorship of this College at.Utica, and inasmuch as this cannot be done without an act of the Legislature author- izing it, therefore, Resolved, that the Board of Trustees will petition the Legislature to pass I an act conferring such authority. Resolved, that Messrs. Spencer, Beardsley, Kirkland, G. Smith, and Hubbard be a Committee to prepare and present a memorial to the Legislature in behalf of this Board praying for the passage of such a law. Resolved, that the Secretary publish the foregoing Resolu- tions, passed unanimously. The following communication was presented by Rev. Sereno E. Dwight, tendering his resignation of the ofﬁce of President of Hamilton College: “ Gentlemen: ‘When the Presidency of Hamilton College was tendered to me, in March 1833, I knew that the Institution was bankrupt in its character, but I did not know that it was bankrupt in its fortunes. At your meeting, April 16th, 1833, in answer to one of my preliminary questions, I was assured by you that more than six thousand dollars of the College funds still re- mained; and as the annual expenses exceeded the current revenue from the quarter-bills about $3000, I was told that this residue would enable you to proceed two years at least without running in debt. This assurance was given by you in good faith, and yet I need not inform you, it was wholly unfounded. The College, instead of having one farthing of 234 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1835 funds, was then bankrupt for more than $10,000, making a difference of at least $16,000 between the reported and the actual state of its resources. It was this assurance on your part alone which determined me in accepting the office. I thought that in two years an adequate Fund might be raised for the support of the Faculty, and the College thus rescued from ruin. At your meeting on the 4th of June following I learned with surprise that the College was wholly withoutfunds, and must close its concerns unless I entered upon and prosecuted with success the business of raising a Fund of $50,000 within one year. Had I not already removed my effects to Clinton, I should then, as I told you, have relinquished the office. As the case stood, however, in obedience to your directions and in submission to a stern necessity, I entered on the task of raising that Fund during a year (from July 1st, 1833 to July 1st, 1834) ever memorable as a year of gloom and perplexity and universal pecuniary embarrassment. I need not remind you of the unceasing toil and mortiﬁcation and self-denial attending the enterprize, nor of the universal conviction of your own body as well as of the community at large that it must fail. It is sufficient to say that, owing in an important degree to the untiring exertions of one of your own number, through the blessing of God it was crowned with success. At your meeting June 19, 1834, however, your agents had scarcely reported that the subscription for the $50,000 Fund was ﬁlled, before it was officially announced to us that the College debts, beyond any means of paying them, amounted to at least one-quarter of that Fund. This embarrassed state of your Treasury has perplexed us in all our relations. Expenditures absolutely necessary for the reputation and thrift of the College have been rendered impracticable. The salaries of the officers have been only half paid. When I took the ofﬁce, the sum of $500 was voted for necessary repairs on the President’s house; yet these re- pairs could not be, and have not been made. 1835] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 235 Owing to these facts, I and my family have now for two years and a half been unable to keep house, and have been compelled to board out under circumstances of great em- barrassment. Yet, during the perplexities one cheering cir- cumstance has occurred, and it ought to be mentioned with gratitude. Notwithstanding all our difficulties, the College Catalogue has shown regular increase in the number of students, and in the collegiate year just closed it has exceeded the largest number ever found in the College in its most pros— perous state. But at this present time we are met with still greater difﬁ— culties. The debts now amounts to at least $16,000 and we have nothing to pay it with but the College buildings and grounds. Of this debt, $9000 are already in judgments, and executions to that amount may at any moment be levied on the buildings, and the College broken up. Only two sources of relief from these embarrassments have been thought of ; the claim on Union College, and the removal of the College to Utica. The claim on Union College can probably be enforced only after a protracted lawsuit, the issue of which is un- certain. As to the removal of the College, my views are known. That the College can never ﬂourish in its present loca- tion without large funds and that it cannot exist at all under a heavy load of debt is my deliberate opinion. Had this Board in its wisdom by a full and nearly unanimous vote resolved on the measure of removal, on the conditions proposed, and had the Legislature subsequently sanctioned it, I am satisﬁed, not only that the embarrassments of the College would have been removed, but that it would soon have become a large and ﬂourishing seminary. The vote you have just taken leaves no room to hope for such a consummation; while the very agitation of the question will, if the removal does not take place, seriously diminish the number of the students and the amount of the revenue. T In this untoward crisis, the question what I ought myself to do is forced upon my immediate attention. Had the actual 236 DOCUMENTARY PIHISTORY [1835 state of the funds been correctly stated to me on the 16th of April, 1833; had I then taken the office (which I certainly should not have done) and were I now to relinquish it; the charge might perhaps be fastened upon me of putting my hand to the plough and looking back. But I did not agree to make bricks without straw. We now owe about $16,000 above any and all our means of payment, and must increase this debt the current year to $19,000 or $20,000 ; whereas had the report of the funds then made to me been correct, we should now owe nothing. I state these facts, Gentlemen, on this occasion, not because they are new to you, but because those now on the stage and those who may come after us ought to know that the office which I so lately occupied was not relinquished with- out sufﬁcient reasons. It ought also to I be known, if the College came to an end, not only that I was not, but who was, the cause of its ruin. I now therefore tender you my resigna- tion. of the Presidency of Hamilton College, and request your acceptance of the same. I I ought in justice to myself to observe that my subscription of $500 to the Permanent Fund was made only on the supposi- tion that I should remain connected with the College. I leave it to you to decide, after what I did to raise the Fund, whether the payment of it ought to be enforced. VVith the best wishes for the welfare of the College and for your own prosperity, collectively and individually, I am, Gentlemen, most respectfully, Your Friend and obedt. Servant, S. E. Dwight. Clinton, Sept. 2d, 1835.” President Dwight having withdrawn, the following Resolu- tions were adopted: Resolved, that the subscription of the late President Sereno E. Dwight to the Permanent Fund be remitted, and that the same be supplied out of the general funds. 1835] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 237 Resolved, that in consideration of the valuable services rendered by President Dwight to this College, this Board do make a grant to him of the sum of one thousand dollars, and that the Treasurer execute to him the corporate bond there- for payable in two years with interest annually. Resolved, that the thanks of this Board be tendered to Presi- dent Dwight for the valuable services rendered by him to this Institution, and that our best wishes attend him for his future prosperity and happiness. Resolved, that the Secretary communicate to President Dwight a copy of the foregoing Resolutions. Resolved, that out of the first monies received by the Treasurer, pertaining to the disposable fund, he pay to the Rev. Sereno E. Dwight the sum of ﬁve hundred dollars towards his salary now due. Resolved, unanimously, that the Treasurer be and he is hereby authorized to execute the bond of the Corporation and a mortgage on all its real estate for the sum of ten thou- sand dollars to any person or persons who will loan to the College that amount in money payable in ﬁve years with interest annually. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Seventy—ﬁfth Meeting. November 17, I835. Resolved, that this Board will now proceed to the . choice of a President of the College. On counting the votes, it appeared that the Revd Joseph Penney, D.D., of North- ampton, Massachusetts, was unanimously chosen. Resolved, that the President of this College be required to report at each meeting of this Board immediately preceding Commencement on the condition of the College, and that all other members of the Faculty be required to report to the President one month before said meeting on the state of their respective departments. 238 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1836 PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. Meeting of February 26, I836. The trustees of Hamilton College report, that its present faculty consists of a President, four professors, and a tutor; and that the whole number of students belonging to the college is now Io2. The trustees state, that no part of the property bequeathed to them by the late William H. May- nard, for the endowment of a law Professorship, has yet come to their hands. PROCEEDINGS .OF THE TRUSTEES. Seventy—sixth Meeting. April 20, I836. Resolved, that Dr Penney and MI‘ Chase be a com- mittee to digest a plan for the establishment of scholar- ships in this College for the defraying of a part or the whole of the expenses of indigent Students, and to solicit by Agents the endowment of the same by individuals or associations, provided that no regulations of this committee contravene any of the existing laws of the Institution. Whereas, the present rapid increase and the still more rapid anticipated increase in the number of the Students of Hamil- ton College make it indispensable that the North College ediﬁce be completed, and whereas the other ediﬁces of the College are in a somewhat dilapidated state and need to be repaired with the least necessary delay, and whereas the College grounds need further improvement, and whereas the funds of the College are permanent and the expenditure of any more there- of than the revenue is directly forbidden, and whereas this revenue is all needed to pay the salaries of the Ofﬁcers ; Resolved, therefore, that this Board again appeal to a generous public in behalf of the College, and an attempt to raise a fund of $5000 for the accomplishment of the above important purposes. 1838] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 239 PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUsTEEs. Seventy-seventh Meeting. July 26, I836. . Some inquiries being made in reference to the claims on Union College, it was Resolved, that Messrs Morse, Denio, Hubbard, and Penney be a committee to confer with the Trustees of Union College on the subject of a basis for the settlement of the claim of this Institution against Union College, with full powers to agree on the same. , Resolved, that in case of the failure of said negotiation the committee be directed to employ J- A. Spencer, Esq., to institute a suit against said College. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. Seventy—eighth Meeting. August 5, I836. Resolved, that the Resolution of. this Board passed 2d September last, declaring it expedient to establish the Law Professorship of this College at Utica, and to petition the Legislature to pass an act conferring authority to do so, be rescinded. LAWS or THE STATE OF NEW YoRK, 1838. CHAPTER 237. AN ACT to appropriate the income of the United States de- posite fund to the purposes of education and the diffu- sion of knowledge. Passed April 17, I838. The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows: § I. The income arising from the investment of the moneys deposited by the United States with the State of New York, according to the act of congress, entitled “An act to 240 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1839 regulate the deposite of the public moneys,” passed June 23, 1836, shall, after deducting the charges thereon, be expended for the purposes of education and diffusion of knowledge, in the manner hereinafter provided. * >l< >l< >l< >%< >l< >l< >!< § 7. Three thousand dollars of the income aforesaid shall, for the period of ﬁve years and until otherwise directed by law, be annually paid to Hamilton College, to be applied exclusively by said college to the payment of its professors and teachers. JOSEPH PENNEY TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES. Hamilton College, 23 January, 1839. Gentlemen : of Three years have elapsed last month since by your appoint- ment I entered on the duties of the Presidency of this Institu- tion. In so doing I resigned a situation of very uncommon advantages and comforts to myself and family, for one of many privations and difficulties. But this I did cheerfully, from the interest I took in the cause of Education, and my reliance on the reasonable cooperation of the Board of Trustees and the citizens generally of this region. My hope was that by a course of cautious reformation and faithful labour in the interior of the Institution, and by a conciliatorv but ﬁrm and sober course towards the community without, the College might live down existing prejudices and become a blessing to the country and deserving of its patronage. I was led to believe that former jealousies about the location of the College and other adverse inﬂuences foreign to the merits of its management would trouble it no more. I expected cordial cooperation from all my colleagues in correcting, in a kind and prudent manner, whatever in the internal affairs of the Institution might afford the public any reasonable’ cause to complain. In these hopes I have been disappointed. I ﬁnd I 1839] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 241 myself impeded in every department of the interests of the College by obstacles which I had no reason to anticipate, and over which I have no control. Having no wish to aggravate the difﬁculties of the College, I think it unnecessary to go into a speciﬁcation of these obstacles. They are known to many of the Board, and shall be freely communicated if the interests of the College can be thereby promoted. In the mean time I regard it equally inconsistent with what I owe to my friends, to the cause of education, and to myself, to occupy the ofﬁce you have assigned me, with so many drawbacks on my means of meeting respectably and successfully its weighty responsibilities. I therefore beg leave, Gentlemen, most respectfully to resign into your hands the ofﬁce of the Presidency of Hamilton College, with which you have honored me, at and after the first day of May next ensuing. I have thought it due to the Board and important to the interests of the College thus to give reasonable notice of my purpose, so that, if possible, a successor may be obtainedbefore I leave the Institution. And let me add that any service that I can render the College in this or any other department of its interests shall be always most cheerfully rendered. I trust the personal sacriﬁces and disappointments to myself in this resignation will exonerate me from the charge of re- garding the welfare of the Institution with indifference. I shall still fondly cherish the hope that by some happy disposal of the present adverse inﬂuences, and in some hands more competent than mine, the College may yet surmount the diffi- culties under which it labours, and fully accomplish the design of its founders. r Permit me, ﬁnally, to express my grateful acknowledgments for the personal kindness I have experienced from every member of the Board, and my lasting esteem and gratitude toward those gentlemen who, in the midst of so many dis- couragements, have given the most substantial proofs of dis- 16 ‘ 242 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1842 interested devotion to the cause of education here——-one of the ﬁrst and most vital of the interests of our country. I am, Gentlemen, most respectfully, A Your obedient Servant, To the Trustees of Joseph Penney. Hamilton College. PROCEEDINGS or THE TRUSTEES. Eighty-ninth Meeting. July 26, 1842. Mr. Spencer, as chairman of the committee in rela- tion to the claims of this Institution on Union College, made a written report relative to the ﬁnal settlement of said claims, as follows: The Committee of the Trustees of Hamilton College to whom was referred the subject of the claims or demands of the said Trustees against the Trustees of Union College aris- ing on a covenant entered into between said Colleges, growing out of the operations of the drawing of the Literature Lot- teries of this state, respectfully reports: ‘That the whole claim has been amicably adjusted and settled by the surrender by the Trustees of Union College of the bond of the Trustees of Hamilton College given to them for seven thousand dollars, amounting, with interest, at the time of the surrender, to more than ten thousand dollars; and by the payment of ﬁve thousand dollars in money, and the securing the payment of other ﬁve thousand dollars in ﬁve equal annual instalments by the hand of the said Trustees of‘ Union College and the annual interest thereon, by the bond of the Revd Eliphalet Nott, D.D., President of said College; both of which securities are believed by your committee to be good and ample. Upon the receipt of such surrender, payment, and security, a release of all claims and demands on the part of the Trustees of Hamilton College upon the Trustees of Union College was duly executed and delivered by our Treas- urer to the Treasurer of Union College. All which is respectfully submitted. Joshua A. Spencer, Chairman. 1855] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 243 LAWS or THE STATE or NEW YORK, 1855. CHAPTER 310. AN AC T relating to the Law Department of Hamilton College. Passed April 12, I855. The People of the State of New Y orle, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows: § I. The trustees of Hamilton College shall prescribe suit- able times for the public examination of students connected with the law department in said institution, and upon applica- tion made by said trustees or by their authority to the supreme court, either at a general term thereof, or at a special term, to be holden for that purpose, if necessary, the court shall appoint a committee to consist of not less than three respect- able counsellors of said court, (any two of whom may pro- ceed with the examination,) to attend the examination in respect to such applicants then being connected with said law department, as shall, pursuant to the regulations adopted by the said trustees, be candidates for the degree of bachelor of laws, and who shall apply to the said examiners for the certiﬁcate hereinafter mentioned. § 2. It shall be the duty of said committee carefully and thoroughly to examine the applicants for such certiﬁcate, in respect to their learning, ability and qualiﬁcations for admis- sion as attorneys and counsellors in the supreme court, and to ascertain the length of time during which each applicant has pursued the study of law in this State, under competent instruction. They shall further require from eachapplicant full and satisfactory evidence of good moral character, and that his deportment during his connection with such institu- tion has been orderly and upright. § 3. Upon the production to the court of the certiﬁcate of such examiners, or any two of them, stating the fact of such examination, that the person named in said certiﬁcate was recommended as qualiﬁed for the degree of bachelor of laws, that he appeared to be of sufficient learning and ability to be 244 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1855 qualiﬁed for admission to practice as an attorney and coun- sellor of the supreme court, and also that he had furnished satisfactory evidence of good moral character, the court may make an order for the admission of such person to practice as an attorney and counsellor of the supreme court, which order shall be inall respects as valid and effectual as though such person had been examined at a general term in open court. This order may be made at any special term of said court held in and for thecounty of Oneida, or at a general term thereof. PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. Meeting of July 6, I85 5. The Secretary reported the following laws, or refer~ ences to law, passed at the last session (18 5 5) as proper_to be brought to the notice of the Regents: Chapter 310: An Act relating to the law dejaartmem‘ of Hamilton College. (passed April I2, 1855.) PROCEEDINGS or THE TRUSTEES. One Hundred and Eleventh Meeting. July 24, I855. Resolved, that a committee be appointed for the purpose of carrying into full effect the resolutions of this Board passed at the meeting held on the 27th day of August, 1820, for the removalof the remains of the Revd Samuel Kirkland and the Indian Chief Schenandoah from the place of their interment to the College Cemetery; that said com- mittee be authorized to make the removal (with the assent of the surviving members of Mr. Kirkland’s family); and also that they cause a suitable monument to be erected to the memory of the said Revd Samuel Kirkland, who is justly regarded as the Founder as well as the Benefactor of this College; and that the removal and the erection of the monu- ment be accompanied with such ceremonies as to the com- mittee may appear appropriate. And that a sum not exceeding $300, mentioned in said resolution of August, 1820, be re- appropriated in order to carry this resolution into effect. Also T 1857] OF’ HAMILTON COLLEGE 245 Resolved, that the committee be authorized to remove the remains of the members of the family and direct descendants of Mr. Kirkland who were buried on his homestead or in the village burying groundto the said cemetery to be reinterred by his side. The Chairman announced as the committee Mr. VVetmore, Dr. Vermilye, and Mr. Williams. PROCEEDINGS 01? THE TRUSTEES. One Hundred and Sixteenth Meeting. July I 5, 1857. Dr. Fowler, chairman of the special committee of ﬁve in relation to the Presidency, made a report in writing as follows: The committee to whom was referred the communication of the President of the College, announcing his purpose to resign his place, beg leave to report, that they had an inter- viewwith Dr. North soon after their appointment, and that he designated commencement or an early day thereafter for the period of his resignation, provided the arrearages in his salary were paid at that time, the resignation to take effect at the close of the approaching vacation. The committee unani—i mously and respectfully recommend that Dr. N orth’s salary as President be continued until the close of the ﬁnancial year, April 15th, I858, a measure which, while it is justiﬁed by fre- quent precedents, harmonises with the feelings of all the friends of the College towards a long tried and faithful ofﬁcer. And on motion of Judge Bacon, Resolved, that the report of the committee be accepted. July 16, I857. The Secretary presented and read a paper of which the following is a copy: To the Trustees of Hamilton College Gentlemen: In accordance with the intention expressed to the Board in a former‘ communication, I hereby resign my ofﬁce as the 246 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1858 President of Hamilton College. With the office of President, a I also resign my place as a member of the Executive Com- mittee, and as Auditor of the Treasurer’s accounts. It is my desire that this resignation shall take effect on the first of September next. ’ With good wishes for the continued prosperity of the Col- lege, and with sentiments of respect towards those in its Boards of Trust and Instruction with whom I have so long labored for its advancement, I am, Gentlemen, Your obedient Servant, Simeon North. On motion of Dr. Fowler, Resolved, that the resignation of the Presidency of the College and of his membership of the Executive Committee, tendered by Rev. Simeon North, D.D., LL.D., is hereby accepted. Resolved, that we avail ourselves of this opportunity to express our sense of the assiduity with which Dr. North has devoted himself to the fulﬁllment of the duties of the various ofﬁcial relations he has sustained to this College for a period of twenty—eight years, our gratiﬁcation at the uninterrupted harmony which has existed between him and his associates in the Faculty and Board of Trustees, and our high regard for him as a friend, a christian gentleman, and a scholar. Resolved, that the Secretary be instructed to transmit a copy of the foregoing resolution to Dr. North. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. One Hundred and Eighteenth Meeting. July 6, 1858. Dr. Fowler, in behalf of the committee, submitted a series of resolutions, and remarks were made by Dr. Condit, - Mr. Woolworth, Judge Denio, Mr. Brayton, and others. On motion, Resolved, that Rev. Samuel VV. Fisher, D.D., F be and he is hereby elected President of Hamilton College. Resolved, that the duties of the President for the time being continue the same which have been discharged by his prede- 1858] or HAMILTON COLLEGE 247 cessors; subject to the right of this Board hereafter to modify them in. such manner as to embrace the Pastorate and Instruc- tion in Moral Philosophy; and that in the special efforts which may be made to increase the funds and extend the usefulness of the College, he will be expected to take such earnest and efﬁcient part as his position and inﬂuence shall render appropriate. Resolved, that the Salary of the President elect be ﬁxed at two thousand dollars a year, and that the same commence with his entrance on the duties of his office, and be payable in three payments to be made on the ﬁfteenth day of December, April, and August of each year. . . . Resolved, that this Board deem it highly important that a dwelling and premises should be provided and owned by the College suitable for the residence of the President, and that this subject shall receive proper attention so soon as the ﬁnances of the Institution will permit. . On motion of Judge Denio, Resolved, that this Board approve the action of the Executive Committee touching the Observatory and a Director therefor, and that the three reso- lutions passed by the said committee be and the same are hereby ratiﬁed and adopted. b The three resolutions referred to above are in the words following: Resolved, that Dr. C. H. F. Peters, of Albany, be and he is hereby appointed to take charge of the Observatory at Hamil- ton College for one year, with a salary of six hundred dol- lars, payable tri-annually from the proceeds of the special sub- scription made for that purpose and not otherwise; this appointment being subject to the order of the Board of Trus- tees at their next meeting. Resolved, that Dr. Peters be and he is hereby requested to enter upon the discharge of the duties pertaining to his office at as early a date as practicable and not later than the ﬁrst of May next; to proceed to Canastota in order to forward the completion of the telescope and to take such measures as may 248 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1858 be advisable to place the Observatory in working operation, with the least possible delay. Resolved, that no expenses be incurred on account of the Observatory except such as can be paid from the proceeds of good subscriptions actually made before such expenses are incurred. PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. Meeting of October I4, 1858. A memorial from the Trustees of Hamilton Col- lege, representing that they had erected an Astronomical Observatory, and had furnished it with a large and powerful telescope, and other instruments for astronomical observations, and asking that they may be permitted to determine the longi- tude of their observatory and of such other places in the state as the Regents may designate, was presented and read. After extended discussion on the subject of the memorial, it was, on motion of Mr Benedict, Resolved: That the appli- cation of Hamilton College be laid on the table, and the whole subject postponed to the annual meeting in January at which time the Trustees of the college shall have an opportunity to be heard before the Board in relation to the subject of their memorial; and that they be requested in the meantime to com- municate to this Board such speciﬁcation of what said college propose to do, of their power to do it, and the compensation which they will deem proper, as may be necessary to enable this board to act in the premises. PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. Meeting of January 13, I859. The memorial of the Trustees of H amilton College in regard to the determinations of longitude presented at the meeting of the Board, Oct. 14, I858, and made the special order for the present meeting was called up. judge Denio was heard in behalf of the College. He submitted a proposal of 1860] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 249 C‘ the Executive Committee of the Trustees to determine the longitude of the College observatory within one year, perhaps by a less time, will be sufficient for one thousand dollars.” After full discussion it was on motion of the Rev. Dr. Camp- bell unanimously resolved, That One thousand Dollars be appropriated to the Trustees of Hamilton College from the appropriation of Chap. 784, laws of 1857, “ To the Regents of the University to defray the expenses of ascertaining the Meridian of such important locality or localities as said board shall prescribe.” It was on motion further Resolved, That Mr Pruyn be a Committee to perfect such arrangements with the Trustees of the College as may be necessary for executing the preceding resolutions. THE LIBRARIES OF THE UNION AND PHOENIX SOCIETIES. In the year 1860 the old literary gocieties transferred their libraries to the _College. The contracts are identical in form. That of the Union Society is given here, from the original document in the College Library. These Articles of agreement made and entered into this seventh day of November I860, by and between the Union Society of Hamilton College by Charles H. Roys, George H. Starr, David L. Kiehle, Anson J. Upson, and Oren Root, the Trustees of said Society of the ﬁrst part, and the Trustees of Hamilton College by O. S. Williams their Treasurer of the second part witness: The Union Society hereby sells transfers and delivers its Library in trust to the said Trustees of Hamilton College on the-. following conditions: Ist The College to take possession of said Library and remove it, and put it up, and suitably arrange it in the Rooms of the College Library; make a full and complete catalogue thereof, and have the whole ready for use with all con- venient speed. On the Catalogue, and the labels placed in the books, they shall be designated as belonging to the Union Society Library. 250 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1860 2d The College Library shall be open on Tuesday and Friday of each week in term time, and for one hour at a time, for drawing books;»each member of the Union Society may draw books from any part ofthe Library free of charge, and may retain ﬁve volumes at once according to the rules of the Library, but no student unless he be a member of the Union or Phoenix Society shall be permitted to draw any book which shall belong to the Library of either of said Societies. 3d The College to preserve said Library in good order and condition, and with the same care which shall be bestowed on the original College Library; but if such care is exercised, the College shall not be liable for any damage or loss which may happen to said Union Library. 4th The College shall pay to the Union Society or its creditors the several sums in which it is indebted to them, amounting to $147.63 or thereabouts according to the schedule hereunto annexed, as soon after this contract shall be perfected as may be convenient, and on or before the first day of January next. And this payment, and the labor and care to be bestowed and performed as hereinafter stated shall form the considera- tion for the transfer of said Library above provided for. 5th The said Union Society may have the said Library returned and retransferred to it at any time within ten years hereafter, by giving one year’s notice in writing of a resolution of said Society requesting the same to be done, and by paying to the College the said amount of $147.63 or thereabouts, with annual interest from the date of the payment thereof by the College. 6th The College shall grant to the Union Society a suitable and sufﬁcient portion of the present Debating Rooms of the Union and Phoenix Societies free of charge, to be ﬁtted up and used by said Society for a Hall for its meetings. Second; The Trustees of Hamilton College hereby accept said Library on the conditions above stated, and on their part agree to perform and abide by the same. 1861] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 251 Witness the said Union Society by its Trustees, and the Trustees of Hamilton College by their Treasurer the day and year first above written. “ The Union Society, By Chas H. Roys. Geo. H. Starr .D. L. Kiehle A. J. Upson O. Root PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRUSTEES. One Hundred and Twenty—sixth Meeting. July I7, 1861. . On motion of Dr. Fowler, Resolved, that the Sec- retary be directed to inform Dr. Peters that, while the Board highly appreciate the services he renders, the funds of the College do not admit of any appropriation from them towards the payment of his salary and the expenses of the observatory, and that it will be impossible to make him any further com- pensation than such as he may receive from the friends of Science and from the Board of Regents for special services performed by him on their behalf; and on like motion, Resolved, that if there should occur a vacancy in the Direc- torship of the Observatory during the current year, that the Executive Committee be and they are hereby authorized to make some temporary and economical arrangement for its care and safe keeping and use until the next meeting of the Board. The Executive Committee having made a report touching the transfer to the College of the Libraries of the Union and Phoenix Societies and their action thereon; on motion of Judge Gridley Resolved, that the action of the Executive Committee be and the same hereby is approved, and that it be ratified and adopted as the action of this Board in the premises. C 252 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1865 7 On motion of Mr. Wetmore, the following preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted: Whereas Professor Root, Rev. A. D. Gridley, and Mr. John C. Hastings, who have been the Curators of the College grounds for some years past, have tendered their resignations, Resolved, that the same be accepted. Resolved, that these gentlemen have rendered a valuable and lasting service to the College by the system of improve- ments. which they commenced; improvements which have already grown to such maturity that they have entirely changed the external appearance of the College grounds, and rendered them a place of great beauty and attraction. For their faith- ful and disinterested services we tender to them our hearty thanks, and give them the assurance that what they have com- menced and carried forward with so much labor and ﬁdelity, we will have continued to their full completion. Resolved, that the Secretary be and he hereby is instructed to transmit to each of the above named gentlemen a copy of the foregoing preamble and resolutions. ’ PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. Meeting of May I4, 1862. . Special Committee to attend the Semi—Centennial of Hamilton College, the Governor, Mr. Hawley, the Chan- cellor, the Rev. Dr. Campbell, Mr. Leavenworth. LAWS or THE STATE OF NEW YORK, 1865. CHAPTER 641. AN AC T making appropriations for certain pitblic and chari- table institutions. Passed May I, 1865, by a two-thirds vote. The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows.‘ Section I. The treasurer shall pay on the warrant of the comptroller, out of moneys in the treasury not otherwise appro- 1868] oE HAMILTON COLLEGE 253 priated, the several amounts speciﬁed in this act, to the persons duly authorized to receive the same. . Section 2. . . . For Hamilton College, for an arrear- age of a former appropriation, ﬁfteen hundred dollars. . LAws OF THE STATE oE NEW YORK, I866. CHAPTER 748. AN ACT making appropriations for certain expenses of Gov- , ernrnent, and to supply deﬁciencies in former appropriations. Passed April 21, I866; three-ﬁfths being present. The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows: Section I. The treasurer shall pay from the several funds here speciﬁed, to the several persons indicated in this act, the amounts named, or such part of those amounts as shall be necessary to accomplish in full the purpose designed by the appropriations. . Section 2. The following amounts are hereby appropriated for the several objects speciﬁed, namely: For Hamilton College, in lieu of the same amount appro- priated in eighteen hundred and sixty—ﬁve and unpaid, one thousand ﬁve hundred dollars. THE CAMPUS OF HAMILTON COLLEGE. From A. J. Downing’s Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Land- scape Gardening. Sixth edition. I859. Supplement by Henry Winthrop Sargent, pages 571-572. Another phase of improvement in our rural taste is the in- creasing care and attention bestowed upon the grounds attached to our colleges, hospitals, .and other public buildings. Mr. Downing, we think, did much‘ to develop this in the taste he displayed in the arrangement of the grounds attached to the Smithsonian Institute and La Fayette Square, in VVash— ington. VVe are rapidly passing from the straight, formal 254 , DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1868 C walks, and the rectangular plantations of the past, into the more harmonious and pleasing arrangements of the modern school. Clinton Park and Botanic Garden, which contains within its limits Hamilton College, at Clinton, N. Y., is a very successful illustration of this improvement. Fifteen or twenty acres have been enclosed within the College Park. and entirely laid out in the most skillful and artistic manner. Broad and extensive lawns are divided by graceful walks throughout the whole extent; trees and shrubs, of every description flourishing in this climate, have been planted in ‘groups, masses, or as single specimens. A section of the ground will be used as a Botanic Garden, in which trees, shrubs, and ﬂowers will be arranged according to their several families. The humanizing influence of harmonious and beautiful surroundings upon every one, is beyond all question; and it was truly said by the Rev. Mr. Gridley, to whose taste and energy much of the success of the Clinton Park is due, that “ it is no vain thing to suppose that the minds and hearts of students will be beneﬁted by daily walks through such grounds, and in view of such a varied and wide-spread landscape: these peaceful shades and sunny slopes and laughing streams -- this hum of cheerful industry-—-—the music of distant church bells, and the glimpses and echoes here caught of the great thoroughfares of business and travel that mark the great world without ———— these skies, ever changing and ever beautiful, and the seasons rolling through them-———what mind can be brought into the midst of such scenes without deriving from them essential proﬁt? ” REPORT or THE CURATORS or THE COLLEGE CAMPUS. By referring to foregoing diagram of the couege plot, it will be seen that in the year 18 5 3 the college domain consisted of about thirty—three acres of land. Its buildings were the~ present Chapel, three College Halls, the Cabinet, the old President’s house and its outbuildings, three wood sheds, one in rear of each college, and a barn in rear of the Cabinet. w A _......_.._a._... -»....,4.s........._....4_....,4 —A - 4292.43! aﬁaﬂog uap..m3 3 ¥’*"9P!"3~’cl sferf/e, ﬁarrerz 5'0/'4 co uered )1/17% weeds 7"’res°." Davis 5° .10 5'0 30 go «: I Q 0 .0 0‘_g_0' 2 6 0 0 0 v Q 2 Q Q 3 _ A V V 4_ Lombardy Po/:/afs, rcmourea’ 2 ca) ' _ , , . I 0 O 0 Q i * 0 e; ., 0 0 T35-o o 0_ C8 are at’? O 0 Q 0 cp o o O o o 00 <00 cyoacres 9 ° ° 00<3rdom’$do 0 j 0 0 . ° 0 0 o o o o 0 o g 0 ca :2 o o r- O O o o o o ° a 67 9 $3’ 9 Elm Prof. caravan" Pres 41‘ .Davi.s ._E.M7rf}I Condifion of Coﬂege Grounds when phced in ﬁne care of the Curators in I853 Scale L 165%. I ‘:;$ 330 H. From a Map by Professor Oren Root, Sr. H>o.>t~>g-- ;aa.z,2_g a-59}/03 . Boarding House ( Old President’s House), 1802. . South College, 1812. . Cabinet (Old Commons), 1812. O 08- G o ° 0 os¢¢-on-n THE CAMPUS IN 1868 Site of Hamilton Oneida Academy, 1793-1832. ,, , 81 I m. ° , , 0 o o O ' O . Chapel. 1825-1827. . Middle College, 1825. . North College, 1825, ﬁnished 1844-1845. . Observatory, 1854. . Gymnasitim, 1853. . Chemical Laboratory, 1855. Library, 1866. 12. Old Kirkland House, 1794. 1868] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 255 The President’s house stood nearly in front of the South College, a little south of the front, and the woodhouse, barn and garden belonging thereto extended along the Vernon road, there being an entrance to the College grounds between the barn and garden. The rectangular lot of four acres lying I immediately around the College Halls was enclosed in front with a low stone wall surmounted by a wooden fence. Straight walks four or ﬁve feet wide ran in front of the Colleges and the Chapel and from these several buildings to each of the front gates. In front of the north and middle Colleges, at the time they were built, the surface of the earth was removed at considerable expense to the depth of three or four. feet and the ground leveled leaving it in a condition that made it difﬁcult to grow trees planted in this part of the grounds. This College yard was planted somewhat sparsely with trees. The row of Elms near the front fence was set out by Othniel Williams (Senior) at that time Treasurer of the College. Most of the other trees were planted subsequently under the supervision of Presidents Penney and North. The lot east of the road in front of the Campus was used as a pasture and was destitute of trees, except a few which bordered the walk leading to the Cemetery. To this it should be added that there was a row of Lombardy Poplars on the east side of the road just mentioned and another behind the Colleges, these trees with others along the hillside road having been planted in the year I805, under the superintendence of Rev. ‘ Samuel Kirkland. Such was the condition of the College grounds in the year 1853, when the Faculty and several friends of the Institution in this vicinity began to consider the importance and feasibility of improving the same. In the autumn of that year, several meetings of gentlemen were held at the house of President North to consult as to what alterations, if any, were required in the College premises, together with the probable cost of making them. As the result of these consultations, a plan for remodeling the grounds, presented by Mr. John C. Hastings of Clinton, was adopted, 256 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY a [1868 and a committee was appointed to carry that plan into execu- A tion. This committee consisted of Prof. Oren Root, J. C. Hast- ings, Esq. and Rev. A. D. Gridley. At the same time subscriptions were made by the Faculty and friends of the College in Clinton, amounting to one thousand dollars ($1,000), for the purpose of enabling the Committee to make a beginning in the work which had been projected. The following are the names of the donors to this fund: Presdt. Simeon North Hon. Josiah Bacon Rev. Robt. G. Vermilye Treas. O. S. Williams, Esq. ‘Prof. Charles Avery Prof. Oren Root Prof. Edward North Prof. Theodore W. Dwight Rev. Benjamin W. Dwight Rev. A. D. Gridley . John C. Hastings Trustees At a subsequent meeting of the Trustees of the College the above Committee for improving the grounds were requested to serve as permanent Curators of the College Grounds. The ﬁrst step in the improvements thus inaugurated was the taking away of the fence and the removal of a large quantity of stone in the walk in front of the Colleges to the site of the . present Observatory building. These stone were used in the construction of the foundation walls of that building. A large amount of earth was removed in ﬁlling the cellar where the President’s house stood, and in surface grading in ﬁlling up low places in various parts of the ground and in leveling down the land into a smooth slope, from the line of fence removed, to the lot on the east side of the road. Grading having been ﬁnished, here and in other parts of the ground, attention was given to draining, a work much needed, and which was done 1868] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE 257 at considerable expense of time and labor. The road in front of the Colleges, being about IOO feet wide at the south end and diminishing to 60 feet in front of the North College, by permission of the Road Commissioner was now reduced in width, and its straight lines changed, so as to make them con- form to the general plan of reconstruction. The President’s House with its outbuildings next took up the line of march to the site they now occupy on the Vernon Road. The Presi- dential well is still extant. At this stage of the improvements the Trustees purchased seven acres of land for the beneﬁt of the college on the north side of the east lot. Also Prof. Ed- ward North donated to the College half an acre of land for the enlargement of the Cemetery, which was laid out anew according to a plan furnished by Mr. J. C. Hastings. The work thus far, together with the removal of the row of large poplar trees in front of the College, and the making of beds for the new roads and paths and bordering them with turf, was accomplished in the fall of 1853 and the summer of 1854. An excellent material for covering these walks was found in the College lands in the red shale lying on the north- west border of the ground. To protect the grounds from street cattle a wire fence was placed on each side of the road in front of the Colleges, and the other portions of the Campus were enclosed with hedges of buckthorn and wooden fences. The wire fence has since proved almost an entire failure, while the hedges are to this day their own best commendation. In planting of the grounds, especially the unoccupied east lot, it was a leading object of the Committee to secure as great a variety of trees as should be found practicable. They wished to obtain a specimen of every desirable tree and shrub, decidu- ous and -evergreen, which might be expected to prove hardy in the climate of central New York. These trees and plants they proposed to arrange with a special view to landscape effect, though with some reference to a botanical classiﬁcation. Ac- cordingly liberal purchases were made from various nurseries,’ which with donations from friends of the institution, enabled 17 258 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1868 the Committee to carry out their plans with some degree of satisfaction. The different varieties of the oak, ash, elm, maple, etc., were set mostly in family groups; while of the evergreens, in addition to a general distribution through the grounds, a special collection was begun, which is designed to include every conifer hardy enough to endure our northern winters. For several years past, also, a memorial tree has been planted by each Senior Class, the planting being accompanied with suitable exercises and ceremonies. The work on these grounds progressed under the care of the Curators until Dr. Fisher was appointed President, having been in their care about four years when he claimed the supervision of the grounds. The Curators accordingly sent in their resignation to the Board of Trustees. Their resignation was accepted with the as- surance on the part of the Trustees that the improvements in accordance with the plan adopted, should be carried forward. In 1867 Dr. Fisher resigned the office of President of the College. During the time the grounds were under the care of Dr. Fisher, very little was done towards improving the surface of the grounds, and the lines of the roads and walks were neglected and some were ploughed over and lost. Many of the trees originally planted by the Curators were injured and some destroyed, and although a considerable number of trees were planted under his direction, but few of them, owing to bad planting and other causes, are now living. In 1868 the former Curators of the grounds were by the Board of Trustees requested to reassume the care of the grounds. Incomplying with this request the Curators do so, with a desire so far as the means are furnished them, to carry forward the improvements ﬁrst contemplated. As a postcript to this historical sketch, it may be added that the building formerly known as “ Hamilton Oneida Academy ” which stood midway between the South College and Chapel was taken down in the year 1832. The lines of its foundation walls with their several compartments may now be traced dur- 1875] OF HAMILTON COLLEGE . 259 ing a mid summer drouth in the parched grass growing above them, where there is not much depth of earth. The Gymnasium was erected in the year 1853. Astronomical Observatory in 1854. Chemical Laboratory in I 85 5. The work of embellishing the grounds of Hamilton College is far from being completed. There are many other valuable trees and shrubs which should be added to our collection. The surface of the land should be graded to a lawn like smoothness, and provision should be made for a more frequent mowing of the grass in summer. Classic Vases, Sun Dials, Fountains with jets d’eau, and rustic seats or tasteful kiosks might well add their attractions to the simpler charms of nature, and these things are sure to be enjoyed in the good time coming. Addendum: The principal Donors of trees referred to in the foregoing sketch, were Charles Downing of Newburgh; Hovey & Co., Boston, Mass.; Henry W. Sargent, Fishkill; Frost & Co., Hooks & Co., Ellwanger & Barry, Rochester; Wm. D. Walcott, New York Mills; John C. Hastings, Prof. Edward North and Prof. Oren Root and Rev. A. D. Gridley of Clinton; John J. Smith, Philadelphia. Clinton, May I2th, I868. Oren Root A. D. Gridley} Curators J. C. Hastings PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. Meeting of January 14, I875. The Vice Chancellor, from the Standing Commit- tee on Tncorporations, submitted an application from the Trus- tees of Hamilton College for such an amendment of the Char- ter of the College as will provide for the election of one Trustee annually by the Alumni of the said College. The Committee 260 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY [1888 ﬁnd that the application is in conformity with the law and the ordinance of the Regents, and recommend that the same be granted and that an ordinance be issued to that effect, under the seal of the University. LAWS on THE STATE or NEW YORK, I888. CHAPTER 128. I AN ACT to extend and define the powers of the trustees of Hamilton College in regard to the investment of its funds. Became a law without the approval of the Governor, in accord- S ance with the provisions of article four, section nine of the Constitution, April 12, 1888. Passed, three—fifths being present. The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows: Section I. The board of trustees of Hamilton College is hereby authorized in addition to any mode of investment now authorized by law, to invest the funds of said college, in its discretion, in any of the securities hereinafter named, namely: In the stocks and bonds, or other interest bearing obligations of any State in the Union that has not within ten years pre- vious to making such investment, defaulted in the payment of any part of either principal or interest of any debt authorg ized by any legislature of said State to be contracted; in the stocks and bonds of any city in this State issued pursuant to the authority of any law of this State; in bonds and mort- gages on unencumbered real estate situate in any of the fol- lowing named States, namely, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, V\/isconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, Illi- nois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and worth at least twice the amount loaned thereon. Section 2. Nothing in this act shall be so construed as to contravene any limitations expressed or implied by any donor of any such funds in regard to the investment or use thereof. Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately. APPENDIX ADDRESS OF HORATIO SEYMOUR AT THE DEDICATION OF THE MONUMENT TO SAMUEL KIRKLAND ADDRESS OF ELIHU ROOT AT THE UNVEILING OF THE STATUE OF ALEXANDER HAMILTON THE DEDICATION OE THE KIRKLAND MONUMENT ADDRESS OF HORATIO SEYMOUR June 25, 1873. At the erection of this monument to the memory of the Indian missionary, under the direction of a College founded by him to educate the men of that race as well as of the whites who then lived on either side of a line running near where we now stand, and which marked the boundaries of their respective properties, the scene would be incomplete if there had been no one here of the lineage of the Iroquois. I am T glad that those who by their courage and conduct won for themselves the title of the “ Romans of the VV est ” are repre- sented by some who speak their language, and recall by their faces and forms the memory of the tribes who once held dominion over these hills and valleys by the lordly titles of wisdom and of might. The chief interest in the character of Kirkland grows out of his labor in behalf of the confederate nations of Indians, who, in their “day, held the destinies of this country in their hands. It is well too that descendants of Sconondoa, whose stalwart form moulders here by the side of his Christian teacher, meet by the graves of their fathers the descendants of Kirkland. Thus, after the lapse of many years, those of the blood and lineage of the warrior and of the Christian missionary come together at a spot so sacred to them and at a time and an occasion of such deep interest. The spirits of the ‘dead are made glad as they wit- ness the scene. No just estimate can be put upon the labors of him to whom this monument is dedicated, until we understand the character, power and inﬂuence of those for whom he lived and toiled. At this time the Indians are looked upon by many with mingled feelings of abhorrence and disgust. There is a growing feel- ing that the heroism which was once conceded to them existed [263] 264 APPENDIX only in the imaginations of the novelists or the fancy of poets. I shall not attempt any defense of the race, but we must bear in mind that on this broad continent with all its diversity of climate and varieties of mountains and plains, lakes and rivers, their several tribes differ as muchin mind and morals as do the white nationalities of Europe. To do justice to the memory of Kirkland, I shall speak of those with whom he was brought in contact, and over whom he exerted a great and benign inﬂuence. They were savages, ﬁerce, wild and cruel, but they were also a heroic and patriotic people. They were brave and skillful warriors, wise legislators, keen diplomatists, and elo- quent orators. In all these respects they towered above all other tribes upon this continent. They held in subjection a vast extent of country, and in proportion to their numbers they conquered more enemies and held control of more terri- tory by force of arms than any people of which history gives account since the days of Alexander the Great. By the testi- mony of friends and enemies alike, they are shown to have been the foremost tribes within the present limits of the United States. Until Europeans came, their boast that they “ were men excelling all other men,” was not a vain one so far as wisdom, diplomacy and arms were concerned. The colonial historian Smith says of them in 1750: These of all those innumerable tribes of savages which inhabit the northern part of America are of more importance to us and the French, both on account of their vicinity and warlike disposition. In the correspondence of the French colonial ofﬁcials with Louis the Great, it is said: No people in the world, perhaps, have higher notions of military glory than these Indians. All the surrounding nations have felt the effects of their prowess, and many not only become their tributaries, but are so subjugated to their power, that -without their consent they dare not com- mence either peace or war. Colden, in his history, printed in London, in 1747, says: The Five Nations think themselves by nature superior to the rest of mankind, and -call themselves “ Onguekonwe,” that is, men surpassing all others. This opinion, which they take ca.re to cultivate in their children, APPENDIX 255 gives them that courage which has been so terrible to all nations of North America, and they have taken such care to impress the same opinion of their people on all their neighbors, that they on all occasions yield the most submissive obedience to them. I have been told by old men of New England, who remembered the time when the Mohawks made war on their Indians, that as soon as a single Mohawk was discovered in the country, these Indians raised a cry from ‘hill to hill, “A Mohawk! a Mohawk! ” upon which they all ﬂed like sheep before wolves, without at- tempting to «make the least resistance, whatever odds were on their side. All the nations round them have for many years entirely submitted to them and pay a yearly tribute to them in Wampum. A gentleman of this State, and a descendant of one of its most honored families, has given me a statement derived from the highest authority, which shows the mastery they had gained over the coast tribes. After the whites had formed large settlements about the harbor of New York and its vicin- ity, the Long Island Indians sold some of their lands to their civilized neighbors, without the permission of their Iroquois masters. It was difﬁcult to punish this act by war without making trouble with the whites. A single Mohawk warrior took upon himself the duty of vindicating the honor of his people. Armed with his tomahawk and decorated with his war—paint, he trod the forest paths along the banks of the Mohawk and the Hudson, and passed through the white settle- ments to the village of the guilty tribe. Having called a coun- cil of its warriors, he reproached them for their act of dis- respect toward their masters, and demanded the name of the man who ﬁrst signed the deed. A chief arose and said it was his act. As he uttered this admission, the Mohawk struck him dead with his tomahawk, and turning on his heel went back upon his solitary path unmolested and unquestioned. This was heroism, although it was barbarous heroism. It was not only in courage that they surpassed all other tribes. The historian Smith states that in his day ~- The art of public speaking is in high esteem among the Indians and much studied. They are extremely fond of method, and are displeased with any irregular harangu.e because it is difficult to be remembered. $ 266 APPENDIX We have many proofsof their skill in oratory and of the s clearness and logic of their addresses. Even now, when their power is gone and their pride broken down, they have many orators among them. I have heard‘ in my official life speeches made by them, and I have also listened to many of the distin- guished men of our own lineage; while the untutored man could not arm himself with all the facts and resources at the command of the educated, yet I can say that I have heard from the chiefs of the Five Nations as clear, strong and digniﬁed addresses as any I have listened to in legislative halls or at the bar of our judicial tribunals. Oratory is too subtle in its nature to be described, or I could give to you some of its ﬁnest expressions in Indian addresses. They did not excel merely in arms and oratory, they were a politic people. Monsieur de la Potiére, a Frenchman and an enemy, says in his history of North America: When we speak of the Five Nations in France they are thought, by a common mistake, to be mere barbarians, always thirsting for blood, but their characters are very different. They -are indeed the ﬁercest and most formidable people in North America, an-d at the same time are as politic and judicious as can well be conceived, and this appears from their management of all affairs which they have not only with the French and English, but likewise with almost all the Indians of this vast continent. As to their civil polity Colden says in 1747: Each of these nations is an absolute republic by itself, and every castle in each nation is governed in all public affairs by its own sachems or old men. The authority of these rulers is gained by and -co-nsists wholly in the opinion the rest of the nation have of their integrity and wisdom. Their great men, both sachems and captains, are generally poorer than the common people, and they affect to give away and distribute all the presents or plunder they get in their treaties or in wars, so as to leave nothing to themselves. There is nota man in the members of the Five Nations who has gained his office otherwise than by merit. There is not the least salary or any sort of proﬁt annexed to any office to tempt the covetous or sordid, but on the contrary every unworthy action is unavoidably attended with the forfeiture of their commissions; for their authority is only the esteem of the people, and ceases the moment that esteem is lost. APPENDIX 267 I have in my possession a copy of a large map printed in 17 5 5, which was published “ with the approbation and at the request of the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Planta- tions,” and made up from official papers and reports. This lays down the boundaries of the conquests of the Iroquois. They run on the south through the center of North Carolina to the Mississippi river; thence up that stream to a point oppo- site the west end of Lake Superior; then along the northerly side of the great lakes to the St. Lawrence, near Montreal, and from that point by an irregular line to the sea coast. It may seem incredible that a people whose warriors never exceeded ﬁve thousand in number could have carried their con- quests over this vast region. All their warlike expeditions must have been made on foot, through wilderness regions, or along rivers and over lakes in frail bark canoes. Yet the evidence that they waged war with the remote tribes of the South and West is conclusive. They fought with the Cherokees in Georgia, they made treaties with the Creeks, and they brought the Tuscaroras from their southern homes and placed them in western New York and made them the sixth tribe of their nation. With all their heroism the Five Nations could not have extended their conquests over this vast area but for another fact which it is proper to allude to here, for it had much to do with their power, and has had and will ever have a great inﬂuence in the course of events, both in peace and war, in our country. It is frequently said at the South, and it was lately stated by Governor Wise, of Virginia, that if the great rivers of our country had run in an easterly direction instead of their southern courses, this Union would have been severed by the late civil war. It may perhaps be said that but for that fact it would never have been formed, and it is doubtful if the civilization of our country would not today have been that of France instead of being of the English type. It is true that our Union is bound together by the silver cords of our rivers, whose valleys seem to stamp upon the face of our 268 APPENDIX country the law of God, that it should be a land living under one government. These highlands upon which we meet today were the homes of the conquering Iroquois. They lived on these slopes or in the recesses of these valleys. They make in many ways the most remarkable range of hills to be found on the face of the earth. Extending across the southerly side of our State in an easterly direction, they are about three hundred miles in length and only at a few points, rise more than two thousand feet abovethe level of the ocean. Yet from their sides ﬂow waters, which run by all the great cities on our Atlantic except Boston. From its southern face its springs send their streams through the Delaware by Philadelphia to the Delaware Bay; through the Susquehanna by Baltimore to Chesapeake Bay, on the con- ﬂuence of which stand Washington, Norfolk and Richmond. The waters of the Allegany drift by Pittsburg, Cincinnati, St. Louis and New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico, while the interlocking streams in western New York run into Lake Erie, thence by the lakes and the St. Lawrence by Buffalo, Montreal and Quebec to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. On its northern face are the tributaries of the Mohawk and Hudson, ﬂowing by Albany, Brooklyn and New York to the Atlantic ocean. These various rivers at their intermingled sources in this State make but gentle slopes; but as they deepen and widen with their swelling ﬂoods, they cut in their onward course the country into great valleys, which are channels of commerce and intercourse in peace and the routes of armies in time of war. It was their position at the head of these great valleys which taught the Iroquois the Napoleonic strategy of war and enabled them to throw their united forces upon their enemies who were divided by ranges of mountains and thus cut off any combined resistance. One after another, the isolated tribes were subjugated. While their enemies were thus humiliated the Five Nations were made bold and daring. They gained in conquest not only the arts of war, but wisdom and skill in government. Says Colden: APPENDIX 269 They strictly follow one maxim, formerly used by the Romans to increase their strength: that is, they encourage the people of other nations to incorporate with them, and when they have satisﬁed their revenge by some cruel example, they adopt the rest of their captives, who, if they behave well, become equally esteemed with their own people, so that som.e of these captives have afterwards become their greatest sachems. Thus not only their own conduct and courage but nature aided this people in their career of military glory and conquest. These hills about us were their strongholds. These valleys which stretch out their lengthened courses through our conti- nent were the pathways by which they sallied forth to make war upon their enemies. We who live in the ancient homes of a brave race, who in their day were conquerors and rulers, should cherish the traditions and honor the memories of those who, in the region overlooked by this College, displayed cour- age in war, wisdom in council, and loftiness in patriotism. It was to the work of carrying the cross to this proud, ﬁerce, pagan and savage people that Kirkland devoted his life, and it became a life beset with dangers and clouded with suffering. In his early manhood he went out alone through the over- shadowing forests to the most remote and barbarous clan. I will not detail the incidents of his career. I told you of the savage heroism of the Mohawk, who went forth on his soli- tary journey, armed with weapons and painted with the sym- bols of death, to do ‘his work of vengeance. I now point you to the Christian hero who sought alone in the deep wilderness those who imperiled his life, that he might do with them his ' work of love and mercy. Beyond the dignity and power of the people to whom he was a missionary of the Christian religion, and beyond his own ‘merits and services as a man, there is in the minds of those versed in the history of New York another aspect of his life which increases our interest in his career and adds to the impressiveness of this occasion. He was the last of that long line of missionaries who, for more than a century, were actors in the most dramatic events in the history of this conti- 270 APPENDIX nent. Our national independence was wrought out by patriotic toils and sufferings which we cannot hold in too high reverence. But our national independence was a certain result of time, however, the ﬁrst struggle might end. Back of that, there were events of higher interest and wider and more varied inﬂuences —— those which decided the character of our civilization, those which determined what kind of people should govern this continent when it should be free from European control; events which trained our fathers for the struggle of the revolution and gave them the wisdom to form our government and shape its institutions. For more than a century it was uncertain if French or English manners, customs and laws should dominate here. For more than a century the doubtful struggle was carried on under circumstances of the most» romantic interest. Besides the force of arms and the art of diplomacy, religious inﬂu- ences were actively engaged. The future of the continent was involved in the course of European events. The wars of Louis the Great and the victories of Marlborough, although they made great changes in the balance of power in Europe, were fol- lowed by far greater and more lasting results in America. This contest between the great powers was felt in every part of our continent. On the one hand, the English settlements were the most populous, but, on the other, the French held the interior of the country. If they could retain what they claimed by right of discovery, the English would be hemmed in along the sea coast, where no powerfulnationality could be founded. The French demanded, by right of discovery, all the conﬂuent rivers of the Mississippi and St. Lawrence valleys, which would give them the regions west of the Alleghanies and a large part of our own State. To oppose this claim, the British took the ground that the vast territory in dispute was held by the Iroquois by right of conquest, and that their alliance with the British government brought to it the region thus gained by their Indian allies by the force of their arms. The dwellers upon these hills and valleys around us were thus made the APPENDIX I 271 ‘\ arbiters to decide what type of civilization, what form of government should prevail on this continent. Both of the European parties felt the power and rights of the Five Nations, and they saw, too, that these Indians held in these hills the stronghold of this ﬁeld of contest. Both of those proud, kingly governments were suitors for the friendship of. these savage tribes. Both put forth every effort of power and diplomacy for a long series of years to gain the alliance of the Romans of the West. There is nothing in the colonial histories of other States to compare in ‘interest with the annals of this region, as they are recorded in the French, Dutch and English documents. In no other section were events of such importance or of such far—reaching consequence. The influence of the other colonies would have been of little value if the French had been the victors in this contest; they would not have had the broad arena of the United States,‘ as they now extend from the Atlantic to the Paciﬁc, on which their teachings or examples could work out these results. While the long and dreadful struggle went on, the most inﬂuential allies of the French were their missionaries, animated alike by religious and patriotic zeal, they traversed the wildest regions on the borders of the Mississippi and the great lakes, and encountered, unarmed in their solitary wanderings, all the dangers of inter- course with hitherto unknown savage tribes. It was upon the Iroquois that they exerted their utmost inﬂuences. One hundred and ﬁfty years ago they were active among these hills and in the valleys which we now overlook. Although in many instances they suffered the most cruel deaths at the hands of the Indians, they persevered in their efforts to bring them over to the faith of their church and the support of their government. All of them were educated men, and some were of the noble families of France. When their labors were ended by the extinction of French power onthis continent, the ﬁrst to enter the ﬁeld of their sufferings and toils was the missionary Kirkland. In the same spirit of religious zeal, 272 APPENDIX partiotic devotion and heroic daring, he went out on his soli- tary pathway to the savage homes of the wilderness. More fortunate than those who went be fore him, his religious teach- ings took root and have never perished. More fortunate than his predecessors in another respect, he was able to render efﬁcient support to his country’s cause, for he, like them, had to mingle patriotic duties with religious labor. He held the Oneidas and Tuscaroras from joining the armies of Britain in the Revolutionary War, and after the establishment of our independence, he did much to restrain the whole confederacyi from taking part in the general onslaught of the Indians on the western borders of our settlements. However much those missionaries differed in nationality and creed, the story of their common zeal, heroism and devotion will ever make one of the most fascinating chapters in the history of religious suffering and labor. It is well that the erection of this monument was put off until this time, for the value of events is better seen after the lapse of time, and in view of results, than at the period of their occurrence. The history of Kirkland excites more inter- est now than it did ﬁfty years ago, and it will grow in interest through the coming century. He was not only a link between ‘ two great eras in the history of civilization in America, for he lived and acted in the periods of our colonial condition and of our national independence, but he was also the last of the chain of missionaries, Catholic and Protestant, whose religious teachings and political inﬂuences had so much to do with shap- ing the destinies of our country. The grand features of our State that made it the heart and center of great events in Indian warfare in the struggles between French and English civilization, and the great battle—ﬁeld of the Revolution, have also made it the center of commerce, and its valleys the path- way through which the armies of immigration from the old world pour their vast array of numbers into our broad i country. APPENDIX 27 3 The rush of crowds from other States and countries in the past has obscured in the minds of citizens of New York its history and the cause of its greatness. Some one has sharply - said that men love to praise the States they are glad to come from, at the expense of the State they are glad to go to. But that men should dwell with pleasure upon the scenes and traditions of their birth-places and upon their early homes is natural; and hence in New York we hear much of all histories save our own. We have now reached a period when the native-born citizens outnumber all others, and they are turning their attention to the historical events of their own State. Among the ﬁrst steps taken are the erection of monu- ments which more than all other forms of records, arrest attention and excite public interest. Commemorations of various kinds call out recitals and traditions of the past. New York should have a monumental history. One should be placed upon the battle—ﬁeld of Oriskany, on the line of our great thoroughfare, to tell the throngs who passby of Indian war- fare; one at Saratoga, where the revolutionary struggle was virtually ended and the alliance of France was gained; one on the banks of the Hudson, at a point where the British ﬂeets were resisted. We begin to ﬁnd that the scenes around us are impressed with grave and thrilling events. As men grow in wealth they adorn their homes with pictures of acts or scenes. So as we grow in a knowledge of the history of our State, we ﬁnd it coloring the scenes of our hills and valleys, making them glowing and glorious to the mind’s eye. Knowledge adorns all nature around us as the artist adorns the walls of our homes. The work of teaching local history is not merely to minister to local pride. It gives enduring pleasure; it elevates the mind; it puriﬁes the tastes; it tends to make men better and more thoughtful. It should be taught in our academies and colleges, and above all, we should have in the State a clear, 274 APPENDIX outlined history of New York, for our common schools, illus- trated after the manner of Lossing’s Pictorial Field Book of the Revolution. The history of our country has heretofore usually been written in a provincial spirit; but when it shall be presented in a more enlarged and philosophic way, it will be seen that the range of hills upon which we stand, the valleys of the Mohawk and the Hudson and the plains of western New York, have been the scenes of the most dramatic interest, and those which have told most upon the destinies of our country. No great history of our civilization and government can be written which does not make this State its central point. As this truth shall in the future be impressed upon the minds of our people, not only will the interest in the character of Kirk~ land increase, but that college which he founded through his purpose to make it a means of education to the Indian as well as the white man, will be regarded as a memorial of a race which at one time held despotic rule over a region greatly exceeding the united territories of France and Britain. The relationship which its founder bears to the long line of missionaries who for a century labored with savage tribes in danger and suffering, will give to the college a sacredness in its religious aspect. But it will not be merely a memorial of the past, for it ﬁttingly crowns with its structures the range of hills from which ﬂow the rivers which bind together our Union with silver bands, and it overlooks those valleys which have been traveled by armies in war, are the channels of com- merce in peace, and which will be in the future what they have been in the past, the pathways of great events. ALEXANDER HAMILTON ADDRESS OF ELIHU ROOT, UPON THE PRESENTATION TO HAMILTON COLLEGE BY THOMAS REDEIED PROCTOR, OF A STATUE OF ALEXANDER HAMILTON, JUNE 17, I918. In behalf of the Board of Trustees of Hamilton College I have the honor to accept this statue of the great man who one hundred and twenty-six years ago gave his name to the institution, and who stood ﬁrst in the list of the incorporators and of the Trustees appointed by the Charter for the Hamil- ton Oneida Academy, which twenty years later was invested with the collegiate powers and privileges we now exercise. The generous loyalty which moved you to this gift is con- sistent with the long career of unselﬁsh citizenship that marks you as an inheritor of the great tradition of public service which is the most precious possession of our country, and which found its highest inspiration in the life of Washington, and second only to him in the life of Alexander Hamilton. The title of the College to a special share in the memory of the Statesman whose name it bears, and. the title of this memorial to its place on the College campus, may be read in the early records of the Regents of the University of the State. On the 12th of November, I792, a petition was signed for the establishment of an Academy here on the edge of the Oneida woods for the education of Indians and whites, and this petition was considered by the Board of Regents on the 29th of January, 1793. The journal record of the meeting reads: The respective applications of Samuel Kirkland and seven other persons praying that Alexander Hamilton and’ ﬁfteen other persons ‘for that purpose nominated’ may be incorporated by the name and style of the Trustees of Hamilton Oneida Academy at Whitestown in the County of Herkimer, and of Joseph Yates and twenty—three other persons pray- ing that Abraham Yates Jr. and twenty-three other persons nominated in the said application may bepincorporated by the style of the Trustees of the Academy of the town of Schenectady in the County of Albany, * * * were severally read and committed: to the Vice Chancellor Gen- eral Clarkson and Mr. Verplanck. 275' 276 APPENDIX After a favorable report by the sub—Committee The Board resolved itself into a committee of the whole to take the above report into consideration, and after some time spent thereon the *-Chancello-r resumed the chair, and General Schuyler from the said com- -mittee reported that they had agreed to the report of the sub-committee, wereupon ' RESOLVED That the Board agree to the said rep-o-rt. ORDERED That the Secretary prepare instruments in the usual form for incorporating the said Alexander Hamilton and the other ﬁfteen persons for that purpose named, and the said Abraham Yates and the said twenty- three other persons named in the said application, and that the Chancellor afﬁx the seal of the University to the said instruments. The General Schuyler named in the journal as reporting the agreement of the Committee was Philip Schuyler, the always loyal and affectionate father-in—law of Hamilton, the true hero of Saratoga, the noble gentleman whose name was borne by that Fort Schuyler then standing in the valley upon which we look from this hillside, in the place where since that day the noble City of Utica has come into being. The other Academy named in the resolution has grown into Union College and Union University. So the charter was prepared as the resolution directed, and was signed by George Clinton as Chancellor of the University and incorporated Alexander Hamilton and his associates into the Institution which now does him honor, and which is itself a monument to his name. I will read the list of the Trustees appointed by the charter. They were: i Alexander Hamilton, John Lansing, Egbert Benson, Dan Bradley, Eli Bristol, Erastus Clark, James Dean, Moses Foot, Thomas R. Gold, Sewal Hopkins, Michael Myers, Jonas Platt, Jedediah Sanger, John Sergeant, Timothy Tuttle, Samuel Wells. The ﬁrst three of these were men of nation—wide reputation. John Lansing, laterChief Justice and Chancellor of the State, had been General Schuyler’s military secretary, and was one of Hamilton’s colleagues in the Convention of 1787. Egbert Benson, the ﬁrst Attorney General of the State, was Hamilton’s APPENDIX 277 companion in the Annapolis meeting of I786 which called the Convention of 1787, and was his close ally in urging the adoption of the Constitution. A Of the others there is hardly one but played a conspicuous and honorable part in the history of this region, and their descendants may well look with satisfaction upon the record which links their fathers’ names in association for a beneﬁcent undertaking with this great ﬁgure of the world’s history. Hamilton’s interest in the new enterprise was not merely casual or personal. He was then Secretary of the Treasury and the dominant spirit in the cabinet of Washington’s ﬁrst Administration. The troublesome race question at that day was not black, or yellow, or brown; it was red. For thou- sands of miles westward from the comparatively feeble settle- ments upon the Atlantic seaboard extended a vast and unknown wilderness peopled by savage and warlike Indians. Hatred for the whites and a ﬁerce determination to prevent further encroachment prevailed from the St. Lawrence to the Gulf. Every frontier community lived in dread of their sudden and remorseless forays. The Indian menace hung always like a black cloud on the Western horizon threatening the infant Republic. Samuel Kirkland, the brilliantly successful agent of Wash- ington during the Revolutionary War for the management of the Iroquois, was a most trusted advisor of the Administra- tion upon Indian affairs. He proposed to remedy the evil by educating, civilizing, and Christianizing the Indian. He pre- pared a plan of education which he urged upon the Administra- tion. It appears to have been referred to Timothy Pickering, then Postmaster General, and the paper containing his approv- ing discussion of the plan has been preserved. This Insti- tution was a part of the plan. It was to try out the plan by educating Indians and whites together; so the new enterprise enlisted the interest of the members and friends of Wash- ington’s Government. Pickering approved it; Hamilton become a part of it; Schuyler reported favorably upon the charter; 18 278 APPENDIX Baron Steuben laid the cornerstone of the new Academy. Alas, the plan of education was a dream! The Indians in general proved incapable of receiving education, and the whites alone have proﬁted by what was done. There was another reason for Hamilton’s participation. He was deeply interested in education in his own State. It was Hamilton’s Committee in the New York Legislature which reported the Act of 1787 creating the University of the State. It was Hamilton who drafted the report; it was his construc- tive genius which gave form to the educational system of the State that endures to this day and the ﬁrst act of the Regents of the University in exercise of the power to create institu- tions of learning vested in them upon Hamilton’s initiative was to incorporate the Institution for which he stood sponsor, and to write his name at the head of the long and honored list of citizens who have given their free service to the cause of public instruction under the Constitution and laws of this State. But all this was a secondary incident in a great career. It explains why the statue should be here, but it does not explain why there should be a statue. We raise statues to Alexander Hamilton because the lessons of a century and a quarter have shown that the people of the United States owe to him a greater debt forthe creation of the American Republic than to any other man save Washington. He was not greater than Washington, but the high quality and power and intense devotion and splendid achievement of his service for the cause of ordered liberty through self- government, set him next to Washington. The two supple- mented each other and worked together in perfect conﬁdence and affection with a single purpose and the same just concep- tion of the essence of a government that should reconcile liberty and obedience to law, independence and peace, sovereignty and honor. Together they endured detraction and public abuse, and strove against ignorance and folly, and selﬁshness and prejudice and malice, against intriguers and APPENDIX s 279 demagogues and traitors, through the critical period which fol- lowed the recognition of independence, when the principles of the new Nation had to be determined, and the institutions to give them effect had to be established. At the end ofthat ﬁrst formative period the great—hearted character of Washington and the marvelous insight of Hamilton’s genius into the princi- ples that control human conduct, had given to the future of mankind the institutions of government which after a cen- tury’s test of human weakness, of domestic and foreign war, of vast growth and prosperity, now bind together one hundred million people in the effective exercise of power to preserve Christian civilization, and to defend their liberty and the world’s liberty. , Hamilton was not greater than Lincoln, but if there had been no Hamilton, probably there would have been no Lincoln, because there would have been no Union for Lincoln to save. The treaty which closed the Revolutionary War removed the external force that alone secured any semblance of, united action among the thirteen colonies, and there speedily ensued a state of confusion and absence of general direction and control almost comparable to the condition of Russia today. The Continental Congress under the old Articles of Confedera- tion had no power whatever. It could not levy taxes or com— mand moneyto pay its own expenses; it could not raise troops nor maintain them. It could pass resolutions, but could not enforce them. It could make treaties, but could not keep the promises they contained. There was no national lawmaker or executive or judiciary. There could be no action, except by the unanimous agreement of all the thirteen States; and when the war was over they ceased to agree. Each State was jealous of its own independent power, and absorbed in the pursuit of its own selﬁsh advantage; burdensome and vexatious inter- state tariffs and commercial restrictions prevailed. Bitter con- troversies had come to the verge of war. No national con- sciousness had been awakened; and a people individually honest appeared to have no sense of collective or national honor. The 280 APPENDIX obligations of the treaty of peace were grossly violated. The treaty promised security for the property of loyalists. The separate States conﬁscated their property. The treaty promised ‘ justice in the courts. The States nulliﬁed the promise. Foreign countries would not make commercial treaties with an alleged nation whose word was worthless. No one would loan money to a government that was unable to raise money to pay. Issues of inconvertible paper money speedily depreciating to nominal values completed the destruction of public credit. The specie in the country disappeared. Business returned to the method of barter. There was no security for the fruits of enterprise. There was general stagnation and distress. The farmers of , Western Massachusetts ——- ignorant of the true nature of the evils which oppressed them——-rose in rebellion against the State government. The Southwest discussed the formation of a separate confederacy. The failure of the American colonies to maintain any effective government seemed to have been demonstrated. With the instinctive comprehension of political problems in which he was superior to all other men of his time, Hamilton perceived the essential causes of demoralization which were urging the infant confederacy towards its ruin, and the nature of the remedies which were necessary. He saw that the Divine Right of Kings ﬁnds its support among men in the necessity of government, that justice and peace are impossible without government possessed of power to compel obedience to its laws. He saw that if the members of a political community would be free they could not rest with the repudiation of superior authority, but must supplement that repudiation by subjecting themselves as individuals to the control of an effective govern- ment, resting upon their own collective authority; that the organized power of self-government must take the place of the organized power of royal government, or liberty would perish in anarchy. He was not alone in this understanding; but he surpassed all others in the clearness of his vision, in capacity to apply theory to the practical affairs of life, so that APPENDIX 231 untrained minds of narrow scope could understand what it meant for them, in power of clear and compelling exposition, in determination to make the people of his country see what he saw so clearly, and in the high courage and intensity of the warrior spirit striking for the victory of agreat cause. In the Annapolis meeting where but ﬁve States were represented he drafted the address which called the Convention of 1787. His presence in the New York Legislature of 1787 was for the speciﬁc purpose of securing the appointment of delegates from New York to that Convention. He did his part in the Convention, hampered by colleagues who reflected the hostility of George Clinton to the movement. It is probable that he himself could not have brought about the compromises of the Constitution which were necessary to its acceptance. It is certain that he believed a far stronger government to be desirable, but he alone signed the Constitution as a representa—- tive of New York, and he had the largeness to hold all minor questions of difference of no account compared with the over- whelming importance of creating a real national government. When the Constitution was signed, he became the ﬁrst of its champions. A majority of the people of the country were against him. Local prejudices and personal interests opposed him. A great multitude in all the States were jealous of their individual liberty, and unwilling to surrender any portion of it upon the demands of a public policy which they had never learned to understand. The contest which followed and its result stand forth as the supreme example of the capacity of an unlettered Democracy to yield its prejudices to the force of reason made plain by high intelligence and driven home by the fervor of sincere patriotism. The letters of The Fed- eralist, the major part of which Hamilton wrote, were read and studied in town and village and farmhouse. They furnished the material for discussion in the State conventions called to act on the new Constitution. They were not mere theoretical discussions. They dealt with the workings of human nature under government, and with the effect of the 282 APPENDIX proposed provisions upon the daily life and affairs of the plain people. They overcame all opposition of argument, and instructed and convinced the candid minds of the multitude to whom they were addressed. The book which now contains them is universally recognized as one of the greatest if not the greatest of all works upon government. The most stubborn obstacle to the adoption of the new system was the political power of George Clinton in the State of New York. VVhen the Convention of that State met, two- thirds of the people of the State, and four—sevenths of the members of the Convention, were opposed to the Constitution. On the 17th of June, one hundred and forty years ago this day, Hamilton entered the Convention for a parliamentary battle, which in merit and in fame has no equal in American history, except in the great debate when Webster replied to Hayne. He faced a solid adverse majority bound together by political allegiance to Clinton, with their minds determined, and apparently not open to argument. For more than a month with undivided leadership on the ﬂoor of the Convention, with splendid courage and persistency, and with unrivalled power of persuasive and compelling argument, he incessantly assaulted this solid and sullen phalanx. He broke the phalanx by con- vincing the judgment of the most logical and able of his antagonists, and by sheer force of personal power he destroyed the political organization which opposed him, and won the majority of the. Convention to the adoption of the Constitution. VVhen the new Government was formed, it still remained to make it a real and not a paper government. Adequate and effective organization must be created for the exercise of its powers. Sound principles must be followed in laws under which enterprise would revive; foreign relations must be established upon a basis to command respect and ensure the dignity of independence and the beneﬁts of commercial inter- course; obedience to national authority must be compelled. VVithout these things, the experiment would still fail. Here again Hamilton was the man of the hour. As the first Secre- APPENDIX 283. tary of the Treasury, he made the organization of the Treasury Department which has endured to this day, and which after more than a century is in this present month of June with perfect order and accountability receiving four billions of taxes, after marketing within the year at par over ten billions of bonds at low rates of interest. He raised the public credit from the dust, and industry and enterprise revived. He estab- lished a conception of National honor which has become a National tradition, proof against all assaults. As the dominant spirit in Washington’s cabinet and the acknowledged leader of the Federal Administration, always in unison with Washing- ton himself, his clear vision led the way against the opposition of the Department of State to the policy of neutrality and abstention from European quarrels, and the ratiﬁcation of the Jay treaty, that landmark of liberal diplomacy, against a temp- est of public protest. Without military ofﬁce he directed and controlled the ﬁrst exercise of armed power by the Government of the United States, before which the whiskey rebellion of 1794 faded away, and the power of government under the Constitution to compel obedience was established. He did all these things under storms of abuse and villiﬁcation, which now seem incredible. He had no weapons of defence but integrity, the broad wisdom of his action, and power of exposi- tion and argument. He had no faculty for political combina- tion or securing political favor. He had the ardent ambition of youth, but it urged him always to achieve great ends rather than selﬁsh advantage. No consideration of personal popu- larity ever for an instant hindered or modiﬁed the expression of his convictions. He appealed to the nobler against the baser motives of his countrymen. He overcame prejudice and selﬁsh impulse by impressing the common intelligence with the funda- mental and eternal truths upon which in all ages and places the order of human society depends. So great came to be the respect of his associates for his extraordinary powers and their con- ﬁdence in the sincerity of his purposes that John Adams, ‘speak- of his own administration said: “ Hamilton was all the time 234 APPENDIX the Commander—in-Chief of the House of Representatives, of the Senate, of the Heads of Departments, of General Wash- ington, and last and least if you will of the President of the United States.” Hamilton’s work was not for his own day alone. . He trans- lated thought into action, and gave to his political conceptions the demonstration of permanent institutions founded upon them ; and the descendants of the people for whom he wrought have given to his ideals the immortality of a noble tradition. Self—government is an art which does not come to man by nature. It must be learned. Terrible experience proved that when the French overthrew the Bourbons, when the Mexicans overthrew Diaz, when the Russians overthrew the Romanoffs. Alexander Hamilton was the greatest teacher of the art of self—government in the history of the world. To him more than to any other save VVas.hington is due that intelligent con- ception of the relation between liberty and law which enables this great, free people, more than a century after Hamilton’s death, voluntarily, with alacrity, without the slightest fear of endangering their liberties, to vest in the President at Washing- ton as Commander—in-Chief of their Army and Navy the mightiest power ever exercised by a single man, with millions of soldiers and sailors in arms, millions of workmen making warlike supplies, billions of money——— quantities beyond reali- zation—-——universal restrictions upon food and fuel and the conduct of business and of life, hard to bear, but cheerfully borne. It is due to Hamilton more than to any other save Washington that this people have a conception, a tradition, an ideal, of a Nation whose power is a bulwark of liberty, so that they are willing to make sacriﬁce for it, feeling that when they give up for it their means, and their peaceful careers, and their lives, and the lives of those dear to them, they are laying their offerings on the altar of liberty, enlarging power for the moment that liberty may live. This granite may crumble, this bronze may corrode, this College may be dissolved; but the monument of rAlexander ‘Hamilton’s work will remain. 1 Boarding house. /gm (/J./z,a.<./~.-,_,m,/ cxe.4—« <7-~ v—\./s.4.r\/vb‘. INDEX Adams, Parker, 228. Admission, 126-27, 137-39.. Administration of the ‘College, letter of Gerrit Smith on, 201-8. Agriculture, instruction in, 28, 32-34, 46-47, 55-56, 212, 214. Aid requested from the Legislature, 169, 176, 184, 189, 190, 225, 229. Alexander, Caleb, elected Presi- dent, 120. _ compensation for services, 120- 21. Alumni Association moval of College to Utica, 232. Alumni trustees, 259-60. Amherst College, 20. Asbury African York, 18, 165. Astronomical observatory, 247-49. Atenis, Oneida chief, brings son to Academy, 71-73. Aukeand’yakon, Laurense, Oneida chief, brings son to Academy, 70-71. Avery, Charles, 20. Backus, Azel, first President, 130, 131,168, 183. Backus, Robert, 176. . Bacon, Josiah, 199. Bank stock, law relating to, 155- 57. Baxter, William, 196. Belknap, Jeremy, 99. Bell, ‘College, 119, 133. Benson, Egbert, 64,68, 95, 276-77. Blackmer, Ephraim, 62. Blackmer, Joseph, 62. Blair, Seth, 61. Bloodgood, Francis, 111. See ‘Church, New ‘Commons Hall. Botanic Garden, Hamilton College, 254, 257-59. 285 opposes re— A Botanic Garden, New York, 164- 65. ' Bradley, Dan, 61, 64, 68, 77. Bradley, Joel, 91. Brant, Joseph, Mohawk chief, 26, 30. letter to Kirkland, 40-41. Brayton, George, 108, 113, 116, 126. Breese, Ai, 86. Bristoll, Eli, 61, 64, 65, 68, 86. Bristol, George, 196. Bristoll, Joel, 62, 65, 99, 108, 113-16, 119, 122, 126, 167-68. Bronson, Green Carrier, 194.’ Brown, Francis, elected President, 1817, 177. Brown, Samuel Gilman, 20. Buildings, 128, 129, 162, 180. appropriations for, 162, 167, 168, 186. repairs, 118-20. stone for, 129, 256. see also Commons Hall, Chapel, ‘Chemical laboratory, North College, Observatory, Oneida Hall, South College. Butler of the College, 158. Campus, enlargement, 119, 128, 132, 162, 257. , improvement, 128-29, 162, 182, 196, 23-8, 254-59. report of the ‘Curators, 254-59. Sargent’s comment on, 253-54. surveyed, 128. Carnahan, James, 108, 113, 130. Casety, Thomas, 61. letter to Kirkland, 41-42. Caulkins, Ebenezer, 44, 47, 48, 94. letters to Peter Thacher, 80-81, 87—88. Cemetery, 183, 257. Chapel, 139-40, 187-89. 114, ~._..,.7_‘_ 286 INDEX Charter, Hamilton College, 3-4, 104- 7. text of, 107-111. 5 changes proposed, 227-28.. amendments, 259-60. Charter, Hamilton Oneida Acad- emy, 4-5, 68-69. Chemical apparatus, appropriations for, 122, 124, 129, 163, 167. Chemical Laboratory, 259. Church, 133. Clark, Erastus, 61, 64, 65, 68, 70, '77, 86, 90. Classes, 139. - Clinton, George, 4, 5, 281-82. College of Physicians and Surgeons in the City of New York, 112, 166. College of Physicians and Surgeons in the Western District, 165. Columbia College, 18, 156, 164-65. Commencement, 126, 153-54. music forbidden, 181, 188; per- mitted, 183. sheriff to keep order, 169. wine forbidden in church, 185. exercises omitted, 1832, 224. Commons Hall, 125, 128, 167.’ appropriations for, 131, 162. bill of fare, 159-61. rules governing, 1813, 157-61. to be leased, 191. Corn Planter, Seneca chief, 46. Crimes and misdemeanors, 149-53-, 173-75. Curators of the College Grounds, 252, 254-59. Curriculum, 129, 131, 141-45, 170- 72, 181. revision proposed, 193, 211. extension of, 217-18. Cus-hman, Noah, 194-96. Cusick, Nicholas, Tuscarora chief, 71, 73, 98. Darke, Robert, 62. Darling, Henry, 20. Dartmouth, William Legge, second earl of, 6, 10. Dartmouth College, 10, 19, 20. Davis, Henry, 176, 177, 179, 191, 195, 200, 204-8, 216, 220, 222, 224, 226. ' petition to the Regents, 197-99. Dean, Jame_s, 61, 64, 65, 68, 77. Debating, 143-44, 226. Debts of the College, 219, 224, 225, . 229-37. Declamation. See Public speaking. Decline of the College, 1827-29, 18, 191-217. Degrees, 110, 153-54, 169. Denio, Hiram, 247, 248. Diploma, 168. Divinity, Professorship of, 195, 220. Downing, Andrew Jackson, 253. Dwight, Henry, 177, 203. Dwight, Sereno Edwards, 18, 227, 229 raises endowment fund, 234, 237. resignation of Presidency, 233- 36. ‘ «; Dwight, Timothy, visits Whites-1 town, 15-16, 100. Eells, James, 108, 113, 116, 122, 125, 133. Endowment, 18, 191, 197. appropriations by the State, 111-12, 123-24, 165, 178. fund of 1833-34, 234, 237. lands, value of, 131-32. r Maynard fund, 225-27, 229. Utica citizens, proceedings in regard to, 222-23. Utica funds, 226, 229, 231. see also Salaries, funds for; Lottery fund. Engineering courses proposed, 1830, 212. Entrance requirements, 126-27, 137- 39. Examinations, 137, 144. ﬁnal, 145, 172. Executive committee of the Trus- tees, 221-22. Exhibitions, 145. INDEX 287 Expenses of students, 103, 180, 185. Faculty, powers of, 136, 169-70. Fairﬁeld Academy, 106. Fences, 133, 255, 256, 257. Finances, 1827, 192. investigation of, 212. Fines, 150-53, 173-75. Firewood, 158. Fish, Walter, 108, 113. Fisher, Samuel Ware, 12, 20, 246, 258. Foot, Brunson, 62. Foot, Ira, 63. Foot, Moses, 61, 64, 68-, 77. Football prohibited, 150. Ford, Simeon, 108, 113, 116. Founding of the College, 112. Fowler, Philemon Halsted, 246, 251. Games, 151. Garden, College, 158, 212, 214. Hamilton Oneida Academy, 28, 46-47, 55-56. German, Obadiah, 108, 113. Gold, Thomas Ruggles, 63, 68, 77, 90, 108, 113-16, 119, 122, 125, 186, 189, 190. Good Peter, Oneida chief, 47, 58. Goodwin, Stephen A, 194. Graduate students, 139-40, 211-12. Graduation, 153-54. Griffin, Nathaniel, 62. Gridley, Amos Delos, 252, 254, 256- 59 . « Gridley, Philo, 196, 251. Gymnasium, 259. Hadley, James, 219, 220. Hamilton, Alexander, 4, 12, 64, 66, 67, 68, 91. consents to be a trustee, 58. address by Elihu Root on, 275- 84. Hamilton Oneida Academy, history, 12-17. Thomas Casety urges establish- ment, 41. location proposed, 26, 27, 46, 50, 91-94. curriculum, 55-56, 103. Hamilton Oneida Academy, scription form, 58-60. petition for a charter, 64-65. plan for administration of, 49- 56. gifts, original subscriptions, 61- 63-. Kirkland’s, 70, 97, 98; deed of land, 90-94. state appropriations, 101, 104. incorporated ‘by the Regents, 4-5, 58, 66-67. Charter, 68-69. trustees, 5, 70, 276-77. first building, 1793, 74, 80-81, 87. Indian council in relation to, 71-75. Caulkins as Principal, 1793, 80- 81, 87-88. John Sergeant’s comment on, 79. trustees’ petition to the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge, 75-77. sub- laying of the corner stone, 13, 14, 84-86. loans, 86, 89-90. condition, 1796-1807, 99-101, 103. trustees petition for a -college charter, 104-7. property transferred to the Col- lege, 111, 162. school continued by ‘the Trus- tees of the College, 123, 127. history of the academy build- ing, 118-19, 211, 258. Hart, Ephraim, 108, 113, 114, 116, 122, 125. Hart, Ezra, 62 Hart, Thomas, 62. Harvard ‘College, 19, 49. supports Indian boy in the Academy, 101-2. Hastings, John 'C., plans improve- ment of campus, 255, 259. Hedges, 257. Herrick, Job, sells land for campus, 132. 95-96, 288 INDEX History, Local, study-of, 273-74. Hooker, Philip, architect of chapel, 188-89. Hopkins, Sewall, 61, 64, 65, 68, 77, 194. Ho-pper, Jasper, 108, 113, 116. Hotchkiss, William, 108, 113. Huntington,,,_,,Henry, 108, 113, 114, I Indian education, 26, 43, 44, 57. address of Indians to Regents, 69-70. council in relation to, 71-75. grant by Congress, 43. see also Plan of education. Indian pupils in the Academy, 47,: 70-76, 81,“ 87-88, 98, 100, 10l—2. Indian traders, 34, 38. Indians, Kirkland’s mission, 82-83. missionaries to, 6, 269-72. Indians, see also Atenis, Aukeand— ’yakon, Brant, Cusick, Corn Planter, . Good Peter, Iroquois, Kaghhelayen, Oneidas, Onon- dagoes, Miamees, Reed, Senecas, Skenandoa, Solegwaston. Iroquois, address of Horatio Sey- mour on, 263-74. treaty, 1792, 11. Johnson, Sir William, 7, 8. Johnson, William, elected President, 122,130. Kaghhelayen, Oneida chief, 71. Kellogg, Amos, 63. Kellogg, Solomon, 86. Kemp, John, letters to Kirkland, 39-40, 81-83. Kent, James, 4, 106. drafts charter for the College, 107. Kingston Academy, petition for a college charter, 104-6. . Kip, James Samuel, 108, 113, 116, 122. , Kirkland, Charles Pinckney, 222, 227. I Kirkland, Daniel, 6. Kirkland, George VVhiteﬁeld, 94. Kirkland, John, 124. Kirkland, John Thornton, 19, 96-98. Kirkland, Joseph, 86, 108, 113-17, 122, 125, 167, 169, 182, 200, 222- 23. Kirkland, Ralph W., 61. Kirkland, Samuel, 6-15, 22. commission as missionary, 8, 9, 25. plan for Hamilton Oneida Academy, 49-56. See also Plan of education. gifts to the Academy, 61, 70, 97, 98. deed of land to the Academy, 13, 90-94. thanks of trustees, 70. journey to the Seneca‘ country, 74. poplars planted by, 1805, 255. burial in the ‘College Cemetery, 183, 244. dedication of monument, 1873, . 244, 263-74. selections from Journal, 26-27, 1./57-58,1/‘71-75, 99-100. j- letter to J. T. Kirkland, 96-98; to Henry Knox, 32-34; to Stephen Van Rensselaer, 89- 66. address to Indians regarding the Academy, 73-75. Knox, Henry, letter from Kirk- land to, 32-34. Knox, Jo-hn Jay, 212, 225, 230. Lands, sale of, 229. Lansing, Dirck Cornelius, 108, 113, 116, 122. Lansing, John, 64, 68. Laird, Samuel, 62. Lathrop, John Hiram, 196. Law professorship, 225-26, 230, 233. Law school, location in Utica, 233, 239. examinations,‘ 243. 90; to Jeremiah Wadsworth, “Library, 132, 163, I 211, 249-51. INDEX _ _ J 289 Laws of New York. Missionaries to the Indians, 6, 269- endowment of the College, 111- 72. 12, 155-57. Monitors, 140. Literature lottery, 17-18, 163- Montague, Joseph, -130:“ /3 /1 66. Monteith, John, 193. relief of the College, 178-79. Moor’s Charity School, Lebanon, protection of sidewalks, 189. Conn., 6-7, 10, 11. appropriations for the College, inquiries concerning, 40, 81-82. 239, 252-53. Morse, James Otis, 211, 219, 220, law department, 243. 225, 230, 239. amendment to Charter, 260. Music forbidden at commencement, Laws of the College, 131, 135-54, 181, 188. 169-75. permitted, 183 Lectures, 140, 141, 143, 171, 211. Legislature, petitioned for aid, 169, 176, 184, 189, 190, 225, 229. 1,, requires statement on condition of College, 213, 214. Myers, Michael, 64, 65, 68. New York laws. 1 See Laws of New York. New York Historical Society, 165. North, Edward, 20, 257. North, Simeon, 210, 245-46, 255, 256. r. i»- 7: as ' ‘Gm’ J _,}§;}.:.‘> gifts to, 129, 132. rules, 132, 153. Literature lottery, 17-18, 16366. Longitudes, determination of, 248- 49. Lothrop, John Hosmer, 108, 113-17, 126, 157, 162, 167, 184, 187, 188, 193. Lothrop, Samuel Kirkland, quoted, 112-13. Lottery law, 17-18, 163-66. Lottery fund, 164, 178, 185, 230, 239, 242. Lynch, James, 184. McNeil, Henry, 108, 113, 114, 116, 122, 126, 191. Massachusetts Indian Society, 49. Matriculation, 138. Maynard, William Hale, bequest to the College, 225-27, 229, 231, 238. Medical Society of Oneida County, 194. Metcalf, Arunah, 108, 113. Miamee Indians, 47. Middle ‘College, 184, 186. Miller, Morris Scott, 108, 113-16, 119, 122. Miller, Samuel, elected President, 121-22 North, William, 84. North College, 186-88, 238. ' Nforftcm, Asahel Strong, 91, 108, 113-17, 122, 125, 133. elected Professor of Theology, 123. Norton, Seth, 123, 129, 183. Nott, Eliphalet, 242. Noyes, Josiah, 121-22, 218-19. Observatory, 251, 256, 259. Oneida County, Citizens of, 199-200. Oneida Hall, 118-19, 211, 258. Oneida Indians, 34-35. address to the Regents, 69-70. villages, 32. Onondaga Indians, 26. Opening of the College, 123, 126. Pastoral Professor, 220, 221. Penney, Joseph, 20, 237, 240-41. Peters, Christian Henry Frederick, 20, 247, 251. Phelps,“Oliver, 63, 66. Phelps, Silas, 62. Phoenix Society, library, 249-51. Physics, apparatus, 133. Pickering, Timothy,_ 12. letter to Kirkland, 35-38. 290 INDEX --1 Plan of Education, 12-14, 27-31, ‘ Reed, Jacob, Oneida Indian, 70, 87. 277-78. agriculture, 32-34, 46-47, 55-56. expense, 32-34, 45-46. Kirkland’s letter to Knox, 32- 34. John Kemp’s letters to Kirk- land, 39-40, 81-8-3. comment -by Joseph Brant, 40- 41; by Timothy Pickering, 35-38; by John Sergeant, 78-80; by Edward Wiggles- worth, 42-43. approved by ‘Washington and Hamilton, 58; by Board of Commissioners, 48-49; by Society for Promoting Chris- tion Knowledge, 39; by Regents, 57-58. discussed with the Indians, 71. Society for Promoting Chris- tian Knowledge Withdraws support, 82. Platt, Jonas, 61, 64, 65, 68, 77, 90, 94, 1081, 113-19, 122, 125, 183, 188. Post office at the ‘College, 231. Preaching, 133, 247. , President of the College, duties, 136, 150, 170, 191, 247. salary, 116-17, 123, 193-94, 247. report to the Trustees, 141, 237. to visit students’ rooms, 150, 191. ‘#5 President’s house, 125, 128, 133, 247, 255. Princeton College, 7, 20. Prizes for public speaking, Professors, duties, 169-72. salaries, 117, 125, 193-94. ’ allowed board in commons, 167. to visit students’ rooms, 170- 71, 191. Professors’ houses, 231. Professorships, 117, 191, 1217-18. Public speaking, 142-43, 182, 186. Race question, 277-78. Randall, Nicholas Pike, 214. Regents of the University of the State of New York, 5, 57, 58. proceedings, 66, 94-96, 99-103, 104-7, 111, 163, 182-87, 191, 199, 212, 223, 226, 229-31, 238, 244, 248-9, 252, 259 report to, 1818-19, 180-82. require special report on the state of the College, 200, 208, 212-13, 215-17. Religious exercises, 139-40. instruction, 228. Reorganization of the College, Ger- rit S~mith’s plan, 1828, 201-8, 210, 217-19. Revolutionary V1/ar, Kirkland’s services, 11, 269, 272, 277. Rhetoric professorship, 218. Roberts, Seth, 63. Root, Elihu, “Centenary of Hamil- ton College,” 1-22. “Alexander Hamilton,” 275-84. Root, Oren, S1-., 20, 252, 25(»59. Root, Oren, Jr., 20. Salaries, 116, 117, 193-94, 247. funds for, 234, 239, 252-53. Sanger, Jedediah, 61, 64, 68, 86, 108, 113, 114, 116, 122, 126. Sargent, Henry V./inthrop, descrip- of the campus, 253-54 Schenectady Academy, 5, 67. Scholarship funds, 238. Schuyler, Philip, 95, 276. Schuyler, Fort, Kirkland chaplain at, 11. Seal of the College, 118, 119, 133. Secret societies forbidden, 175. Sedgwick, Abraham W., 113, 122, 125. I «ﬁrst steward of commons, 161, 168. Semi-centennial of the College, 252. Seneca Indians, 26, 27. 123, 130, 132, 195, 212, INDEX Sergeant, John, 64, 68, 82, 83. subscription to the Academy, 61. criticism of the Plan of edu- cation, 78-80. Seymour, Henry, 222. Seymour, Horatio, Address at dedi- cation of Kirkland monument, 263-74. Shale paths, 257. Sheriff of Oneida County to attend commencement, 169. Sidewalk to Clinton, 168, 189. Six Nations. See Iroquois. Skenandoa, Joh.n, Oneida chief, 70, 71, 73, 84, 183, 244, 263. Smith, Gerrit, plan for the adminis- tration of the College, 200, 201-8, 210. solicits funds, 228. Smith, Peter, 63, 108, 113, 114, 116, . 122. Snowden, Samuel Finley, 130. Societies, student, regulation, 175. Society in Scotland for Propagating -Christian Knowledge, 6, 10, 26, 32. appoints Kirkland a missionary, 25. approves Plan of education, 39, 48-49. inquires regarding Mo0r’s school, 81-82. withdraws support of Plan of education, 82. petition of trustees of Academy to, 75-77. Solegwaston, Isaac, Oneida Indian, 101-2. South ‘College, 162, 167, 168. Special students, 212. Spencer, Ichabod Smith, elected President, 226, 227. Spencer, John Canﬁeld, elected Professor of Law, 230. 291 Spencer, Joshua Austin, 223, 230, 233, 242. Spring, Gardiner, elected President, 177, 179. Stanwix, Fort, at, 7, 10 _ Steward, 133, 157-61, 162, 167, 168. Steuben, Frederick William, baron von, 13, 14. ’Address at laying of corner stone of Academy, 84-86. Strong, Theodore, 193. Students, admission, 123. number, 1817-1828, 198 resolutions adopted by, 194. Sullivan’s expedition, 1779, 11. Sunday observance, 140. Surveying, instruction in, 212, 222. Thacher, Peter, letter of E. Wig- glesworth to, 42-43. letter of Kirkland to, 43-48. Thayendenagea, see Brant, Joseph. Theology, professorship of, 191, 195, 220, 221. Tompkins, Daniel D., 111. Trustees of the ‘College, 108. elected by alumni, 259-60. reply to the Regents, 200, 208- 10, 213, 215-17. rules of the Board, 117. Tuition, 167, 180. receipts from, 1829-1833, 232. Tutors, duties, 172, 191. salaries, 130, 132. Tuttle, Oliver, 63. Tuttle, Timothy, 61, 64, 68, 77. Union College, 5, 18, 67, 155-57, 164, 185, 230, 239, 242. Union Society, library, 249-51. University of the State of New York. See Regents of the Uni- versity of the State of, New York. Upson, Anson Judd, 21, 249. Indian conference 1828, 4”” WW . £0‘-:,«/O:«</vv*"’““""” &A’‘‘’‘”Q’{‘ ’“ _ by v., /'C'C*U-7-7*"/‘ ,¢m~« 7< ZUg%ax%%*7\Wxw\WMw\¢‘W;, ‘sea..- .42. 5:“-4/~a«>..J"‘7‘" /:;,.. Lu- <i::: -ll ,,'. ft é/ / / A... 292 INDEX Utica, N. Y., relation to the College, 18, 19. citizens of, 222-23, 226. establishment of law school in, 233, 239. removal of the College to, 18, 227-28, 232, 233, 235, 240. Utica, Bank of, 165. Vacations, 126, 145-46. Van Rensselaer, Stephen, 84, 89-90. Wadsworth, Jeremiah, 66. Washington, George, 12, 58, 277. Wayland, John, 218-20. Wells, Samuel, 62, 64, 68. West, Stephen, letter to Thacher, 89. Wetmore, Edmund Arnold, 245, 252. Peter T’ kf"'£v(—/7/L/'-—¢-4// ,/ /La.««/ pa... Wheelock, Eleazer, 5-10, 25. Wigglesworth, Edward, letter to Peter Thacher, 42-43. Willard, Joseph, letter to Samuel Kirkland, 101-2 Wager, David, 223 Williams, Nathan, 108, 113, 114, 116, 122, 125. Williams, Othniel, 196. Williamson,‘ Major, 84. \/Villoughsby, Westel, 121-22. Woodsheds, 162. Yale College, 20. Yates, Andrew, 226. letter of Gerrit Smith to, 201-8. Yates, Joseph, 67. 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Geography: Clinton (N.Y.)
Abstract: The present volume brings together all the available primary records relating to Samuel Kirkland's Plan of Education and the history of Hamilton Oneida Academy, the laws of New York and the proceedings of the Regents of the University of the State of New York so far as they relate to the Academy. Includes addresses by Elihu Root and Horatio Seymour.
Part of: Hamilton College Library Digital Collections, Hamilton College Publications
Identifier: yhm-arc-pub-hed65
Use/Rights: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/

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