1/79] ^^"^' U'lLLIAM SMITH, D. D. 21 



offence was the political complexion of the trustees lately chosen. 

 They were gentlemen," adds the Bishop, " prominent in the Revo- 

 lution,' but, in the politics of the State, opposed to those who gov- 

 erned it;" that is to say, opposed to President Reed and some of 

 his friends. They were not of that " popular party " to which 

 President Reed belonged ; though they were Republicans and the 

 faithful and uniform friends of Washington, which it would be hard 

 to prove that President Reed hmiself ever was.* 



The interests of the College were defended against this unjust 

 attack with great ability, by James Wilson and William Lewis, 

 two of the ablest and most upright lawyers whom the United 

 States have produced. 



But I forbear to give in my own words a particular account of 

 this matter, since the history has been succinctly, fearlessly, 

 truthfully, and well told by the Provost Stille, in a recital of it 

 which no man can improve. The Provost says : 



On the 23d of Februar)-, 1779 — more than two hundred pupils 

 having already flocked to the Schools — the Assembly of the State passed 

 the following resolution : 



''Ordered that Mr. Clymer, Mr. Mark Bird, Mr. Iloge, Mr. Gardiner, and Mr. 

 Knox, be a Committee to inquire into the present state of tlie College and Academy 

 of Piiiladelphia, its rise, funds, etc., and report thereon to the House, and that they be 

 empowered to send for persons and papers." 



This Committee was met by a Committee of the Board of Trustees, 

 who, on the i6th of March, 1779, delivered to them an elaborate state- 

 ment prepared by Dr. Smith, containing a complete history of the Col- 

 lege. It was designed to meet, and it did meet fully, every objection 

 which had been made against the Institution by ill-disposed persons. 

 On all points it seems to me most satisfactory, and, therefore, I have 

 made free use of it in the present Memoir. This Committee of the 

 Assembly, so far as I have been able to discover, never made a Report. 

 The matter seems to have been allowed to sleep until July of the same 

 year, when it was mentioned in the Board of Trustees that the President 

 of the State, General Reed, had intimated that it would be improper to 

 hold a public Commencement at that time, some of the Trustees, in the 



* See his letter of 1776 to Charles Lee, in the dark days preceding the battle of 

 Trenton (Lee's Memoirs, p. 178), and his letter to General Gates in the darker days 

 of Conway's Cabal, of November, 1777, ni the History of the Republic, by John C. 

 Hamilton, Vol. L, p. 368. The latter letter, which, I think, was not in print until 

 printed by Mr. Hamilton (after the Biography of President Reed by his grandson 

 was publislied), is not given in the Biography. The former, which is, was in print before. 



