159 



of the men and of the time, and perhaps a lesson not without utility 

 at the present day. I have collected it from a careful examination of 

 the minutes of the board. Kinsley had fallen into the slow illness 

 which was ultimately the cause of his death. His habit of mutual 

 and implicit confidence with the board, together with his illness, had 

 occasioned his accounts to grow a little behind hand in settlement; 

 but instead of this giving rise to the retention of money belonging to 

 the Institution, as has been charged in some well known instances, it 

 had the reverse effect of inducing him to advance his own funds for 

 the public service. In the first instance, friendship, and afterwards 

 the instructions of the board, induced John Reynell to assist him, both 

 by settling his accounts for him, and by advancing Reynell's funds 

 for the common service; both of them feeling that the charitable and 

 educational institution must not be allowed to suffer. At length, on 

 the demise of the old and confidential Treasurer, a iTiinute of respect 

 and regret was recorded ; but no successor was appointed, and business, 

 when occasion offered, was only referred to John Reynell to fulfil the 

 duties which belonged to that office, until, at length, and as if acci- 

 dentally, repeated recognitions of him in that capacity had taken place. 

 It may be fairly asked whether modern changes in such habits have 

 given rise to much improvement. 



Of the Pennsylvania Hospital, John Reynell was also Treasurer, 

 and was the original one, having been elected during the organization, 

 July 1, 1751, new style. At the annual election, in 1752, he was 

 removed from the Treasurer's office, to be made a manager; and his 

 place was supplied, in the prior capacity, by Charles Norris. We may 

 imagine that he here also acted upon the principle of not undertaking 

 too many duties; and he may have thought that the Trcasurership, 

 which he had been exercising in the manner we have just described 

 for the previous two years, was sufficient. He was continued manager 

 for twenty-eight years, and for the last twenty-three of them as Presi- 

 dent. He declined re-election at the annual meeting in 1780. 



During the troubles which preceded the revolutionary war, John 

 Reynell acted in a manner consistent with his character. He was a 

 whig who disapproved of civil war. Flis name appears signed to the 

 Address of the Merchants of Philadelphia to the people of the Colonies, 

 against the Stamp Act. Deeply imbued with a sense of the destructive 

 tendency of all military struggles, and of opinion, as he repeated it, 

 that the worst of all wars is a civil war, he could not in any way 

 promote the sanguinary struggle with England. In peaceable resist- 

 ance, on the other hand, he was active and persevering; and be 



