National Scioitific and Juiitcatioiiai hislitnlions. 2 75 



cursory view of a chart of North America, received this natural and truly correct 

 impression. The look of general Washington, the energy of his mind, his nohle 

 and irresistible eloquence, all conspired, so far to impress the zvriter with these sub- 

 jects, that if ever he should unfortunately become insane, it zvitlhe from his anxiety 

 for the ffdr rat city and naTionai. univkksitv.' • 



111 another part of the same book Mr. Blodj;et describes a conversation 

 with Washington, which took place after the site of the capital had been 

 decided upon, in which the President " stated his opinion, that there were 

 four or five thotisand inhabitants in the cit}' of Washington, and tintil 

 congress were comfortably accommodated, it might be premature to com- 

 mence a .seminary, -i^ * * He did not wish to see the work commenced 

 tintil the city was prepared for it; but he added, that he hoped he had 

 not omitted to take such measures as would at all events .secure the entire 

 object in time, e\-en if its merits .should not draw forth from every quarter 

 the aid it would be fotind to desei-ve," alluding, of course, to the provi- 

 sions in his own will. "He then," continues Blodget, "talked again 

 and again, on Mr. Ttirgot's and Doctor Price's -calculations of the effect 

 of compound interest, at which, as he vras well ver.sed in figures, he 

 could acquit himself in a masterly manner."^ 



Concerning the fate of the Potomac Company, a portion of who.se stock 

 was destined by Washington as a nucletis for the endowment of a univer- 

 sity, it is not necessary now to speak. The value of the bequest was at the 

 time placed at ^5,000 sterling, and it was computed b}' Blodget that had 

 Congress kept faith with Washington, as well as did the legislature of 

 Virginia in regard to the endowment of Washington College, his dona- 

 tion at compound interest would in twelve years (18 15) have grown to 

 $50,000, and in twenty-fotir 3'ears (1827) to $100,000, an endowment 

 sufficient to establish one of the colleges in the proposed university. 



Madison, when a member of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, 

 probably acting in harmony with the wishes of Washington, proposed 

 as among the powers proper to be added to those of the General L,egis- 

 lature, the following: 



To establish a university. 



To encourage, by premiums and provisions, the advancement of u.seful knowl- 

 edge and the discussion of science. 3 



That he never lost his interest in the ttniversity idea is shown by his 

 vigorous appeal while President, in his mes.sage of December, 18 10, in 

 which he tirged the importance of an institution at the capital which 

 would "contribute not less to strengthen the foundations than to adorn 

 the .structure of our sy.stem of government." 



Quite in accord with the .spirit of Madi.son's message was a letter in 

 the Penn.sylvania Gazette of 1788,'' in which it was argued that the new 

 form of government proposed by the framers of the Constitution could 

 not succeed in a republic, unless the people were prepared for it by an 



' Economica, p. 22. 3 Madison rajjcrs, I, pp. 354, 577. 



= Idem,, Appendix, p. ix. •♦See Appendix A. 



