1790] REV. WILLIAM SMITH, D. D. 327 



of St. John's will duly consider every circumstance in their choice. I 

 have the interest of that Seminary and its future success much at heart. 

 I hope you will attend the meeting and inform me early on whom the 

 choice shall fall, if a choice should now be made. It would have been 

 well if the Assembly had restored the funds previously to an election. 

 But, I trust, there will be no danger of their not being restored next 

 November sessions. I am happy to hear that the number of students in 

 the College increases, and I am persuaded that if a proper choice of a 

 head be made, and the Legislature continue their nursing hand, the 

 Maryland College will be an ornament to the State. The College of 

 Philadelphia flourishes greatly, but we received back our funds in such 

 a deranged state that I have almost repented my removing back to Phila- 

 delphia, and were I not too far advanced in years I am not certain 

 whether I might not have offered my services once more as the head of 

 one of the Maryland seminaries. But my family is attached to Penn- 

 sylvania, and, by a renewal of my former exertions, I hope yet to get 

 the funds of the College of Philadelphia restored to their former foot- 

 ing. We have an application before the Legislature for the purpose. 

 My sentiments respecting the choice of a Principal for St. John's, you 

 may hint to Dr. Clagget and Mr. Sprigg, but not as expressing any 

 doubt of the prudence and zeal of any of the worthy Visitors and 

 Governors, nor as if I had any further wish to interfere than barely to 

 express my hasty thoughts to you in our familiar way. 



I write these lines hastily at Wilmington, where I heard from Mr. 

 Condon, for the first time, that the election was to be on Tuesday next. 

 Dr. Andrews has some wish, had he known in time, to offer himself for 

 some place in one of your colleges, where his salary might be better 

 than what we can yet give at Philadelphia. 



I am yours affectionately, William Smith. 



To the Rev. Dr. Wm. West, 



Rector of the Protestant Episcopal Church, Baltimore. 



The union of the University with the College, and Dr. Smith's 

 retirement from the Provostship, left him without stated employ- 

 ment, as also without any salary except the i?200 allowed him by 

 the Trustees of the old College. And being now arrived to ad- 

 vanced years, his pecuniary condition v/as in some danger of being 

 straitened; for although he had a large amount of real property in 

 several parts of Pennsylvania, and his wife was also in possession 

 of some landed estate, a large portion of their joint estate was 

 unproductive, and was held in this condition in the well-founded 

 hope of advancement in price with the improvement of the countiy. 



It was probably with a knowledge of the convenience which 



