NK\V 



feet loa* and M wide, with slieht central projections In 

 front and war, -was the LuceM edifice in the '. 



;).,..; ...- .' v ............ I, ], M ill' 



a bamiimnt. and wa* Hraoanted by a cu|>ol:i. ' 

 tauoed sixlv room* fur all purposes, public anil private. 

 chapel, librarv . niiu r....- 



chamber*, of which there were 49 to aoooaunoaala l r; 

 Modem*. It wa* constructed of stone, and the pre>i 

 dent's hiiuw in ih- vicinity was of brick. Although 

 boraed down in 1H02 and again in 1 *"'. its main walls 

 till rtnl. and. except lr tli- iin-ivlitly tow. -r> at tin- 

 end*, it present* substantially it.- original appearance. , 

 urriculutn if studies was equal to that of any 

 ollegea, consisting of Latin, both written 

 and nixiki i to ! translated into both Latin 



..ud Knuli-h. French. Hebrew, geography, algebra, 

 gwnnjetry. navigation and astronomy, DatBral philoso- 

 phy, ontology, logic, rlu'torir. and ethic-, i 

 with theology tor thoso who intended to Ix-come inin- 

 wters of the gwpe). The pre-idem. taaiated )>y two 

 .o-.Lsional lecturer, was eXDMted to 

 irive in-lruetion in all these branches ^in addition to 

 jular services as a minister. So varied were 

 the accomplishments of 1'rcsidcnt Burr, as had been 

 those of President l>ickinson, that he was equal to the 



When the college was removed to Princeton in 1756 

 there were about 70 student*, and the number in- 

 creased rapidly. Gov. Belcher died Aug. 31, 1757. 

 President Burr (ire-pared and preached the funeral 

 sermon while very unwell himself. Proatnted by his 

 great labors, he nr\cr rallied, but died Sept. -4. 

 \i-~l two days before the eommeiieeinent. 

 Jonathan Kdwards. perhaps the greatest mind 

 this country has produced, was elected to sueeee -1 Mr. 

 Burr, his son-in-law. Inaugurated Feb. 10. 17~>s. he 

 had just entered upon his work when lie died of inocu- 

 lation. Mareh 'J'J. 17.'>s. Thus (he prospects of Nassau 

 Hull appeared darker than before. 



After a vacancy of eighteen months Rev. Samuel 

 Davies was chosen president, entered upon his duties 

 July 3'>. IT.VJ, and was inaugurated Sept. 26, 1759. 

 But the bright hopes he had excited were doomed to 

 lor on Feb. 4, 1761, "this brilliant 

 ..iii'i-. in the midst of his rising reputation and growing 

 usefulness, suddenly resigned his lnvath. to the incon- 

 solable grief of the whole society and universal lamen- 

 tation of all good in 



I >r. Samuel Finley was now elected president, 

 i upon his duties in July, 1701, and was inaugu- 

 rated Sept. 30, 1761. The college rapidly increased in 

 numbers, and was flourishing in all respects. The 

 diBBCS of 176.V-66 each contained 31 students. Again 

 were expectations bitterly disappointed. A peculiar 

 fatality seemed to attend the office of president. Dr. 

 Pinky died July 17. 1700. Thus within the space of 

 twenty years the college had been called to mourn the 

 low of five presidents Dickinson, Burr. Edwards, Da- 

 Ties, Finley an array of the most eminent ministers 

 our country had yet produced. 



The c'llleiru had graduated nearly 300 student^ and 

 had ol -iderable reputation on both sides of 



the Atlantic. The Kev. l>r. John AVithcrspoon, of 

 Scotland, was now elected president, but at first de- 

 clined, and the Hcv. Samuel Blair, an alumnus of high 

 promise, was chosen in his place. He magnanimously 

 declined when he learned that Dr. Withcrspoon would 

 accept the appointment if again offered. This was 

 nid l>r. \\itherspoon began his long and suc- 

 cessful administration, Aug. 17, 17r',>. Strenuous had 



in ' i' :|u-it.' iiii]il> 



lot tones, and in other ways. V> t in 



o had only L'N|.' in proclamation 



( ov. Belcher had left 474 volumes to 



h in 1761 had been increased to T-'IMI 



-noon obtained large gift* for it from his 



fnanda in Great Britain, and subscriptions wen 



I colonies from Massachusetts to Georgia, so 



OOLLBGK 



that nearly 8000 were collected by 17V... oi which the 

 Phillips family in Boston gave 600. Mr. John Wil- 

 liamson, of ViiiMiiia. had given jL'Mni sterling to found 

 ; ,ip of theology, to which H>-\. John Blair 

 wa.- elected in 1767. This was the first chair endowed, 

 but owin.L' to the inadequacy of the funds he resigned 

 in I7r,'.i and l>r. \\ itherspoon discharged these duties 

 in addition to his many other- lie was assisted by 

 three tutors. In 1771 Wm. C. lloii-ton wits appointed 

 professor of mat hematics ami natural philosophy. In 

 177'.' the Kev. Samuel Stanhope Smith was made pro- 

 fes-sor of moral philosophy and subsequently of the- 

 olojpr. 



I'r. Witherspoon was very active and energetic, and 

 e\t ended the course of studv. The number otstudents, 

 which had fallen off directiv alter Dr. Finley' s death, 

 now began to increase, and from this time until the 

 outbreak of the revolution in 177") the average of the 

 classes graduated was 22. The exercises of the college 

 were greatly interrupted by the war and no commence- 

 ment was held from 1775 to 177'.'. although the exam- 

 inations took place and the degrees were conferred by 

 the trustees as soon after as a quorum of that body 

 could meet. Dr. Witherspoon was a member of the 

 Continental Congress from 1775 to I7S2. and along 

 with Richard Stockton and Benjamin Rush, alumni ol 

 the college, signed the Declaration of Independence. 

 Nassau Hall was occupied as a barrack and a hospital 

 by both the British and American troops from 1776 to 

 1781. It still bears the mark of a cannon-ball tired in 

 the battle of Princeton, Jan. 3, 1777. Another ball 

 destroyed the portrait of George II., a present from 

 Gov. Belcher, which hung in the chapel, now a part of 

 the geological museum. 



The Continental Congress met in the library in the 

 second story of Nassau Hall in 17S.'!. and the army lay 

 at Rocky Hill, a short distance from Princeton. Con- 

 gress was present at the celebration of the Fourth of 

 July by the American Whii: and Cliosophic Societies, 

 the two literary societies of the college. Not only the 

 I nit the ambassadors of France and Holland 

 and Gen. Washington himself were present at the com- 

 mencement in September, 1783, when Ashlx-1 Green, 

 the valedictorian, afterwards president of the college, 

 paid a handsome compliment in his address to the 

 Father of his Country. The trustees requested Wash- 

 ington to sit for his portrait, to which he consented. It 

 was painted by Charles W. Peale, and is an admirable 

 likeness of Washington as he looked at that time. In 

 the picture is also a portrait of Gen. Mercer, who was 

 mortally wounded at the battle of Princeton, which is 

 represented in the background. The picture occupies 

 the frame which formerly contained the portrait of 

 George I L Washington, through President Wither- 

 sjii.on. presented 50 guineas to the trustees as a "tes- 

 timony of his respect for the college." 



From Nassau Hall the Continental Congress sent 

 forth its Proclamation of Peace and Thanksgiving in 

 1783, and Washington dated his Farewell Address to 

 the Armv at Princeton. 



The college had suffered in a|l respects from the war; 

 its buildings were devastated, its funds impaired, and 

 its numbers reduced. In 1782 there were only 40 stu- 

 dents and 1 1 graduates, the average number of grad- 

 uates having been only six for the previous five years. 

 By dint of great effort the buildings were repaired and 

 funds were obtained to pay the salaries. Dr. Smith 

 had conducted the college while l>r. Witherspoon was 

 attending Congress, and was the vice-president during 

 the close of hi> administration, which was the longest 

 and most arduous in the history of the institution. 

 Dr. Witherspoon had done a great work despite the 

 ravages of war. yet at his death, in 1794, the number 

 of the students and the resources of the college were 

 no greater than they had l>cen at the Itcginning of his 

 administration in 176S. but it was gradually regaining 

 its old position. Under him 454 students were grad- 

 uated, 313 under his predecessors. 



