COLONEL TRUMBULL AND HIS PAINTINGS. 69 



painful remarks, made in the confidential interview, of 

 which I am now writing. He then lamented his poverty in 

 manly, but energetic and eloquent language, which pain 

 fully touched my feelings. The very expressions which he 

 used, and his energetic action, are still with me, vivid as at 

 that moment. It was a painful onte, and was ended, for the 

 time, by a question from me, and an answer from him. Re 

 ferring to the paintings around us, which he stated were his 

 chief resource, I said : " And what, sir, do you intend to do 

 with them ? " He instantly replied, " I will give them to 

 Yale College to be exhibited forever for the benefit of poor 

 students, provided the College will pay me a competent 

 annuity for the remainder of my life." " Are you in earn 

 est, sir ? " " Certainly I am." " Am I then at liberty to go 

 home and act upon this suggestion ? " " You are at liberty, 

 and I authorize you to say so for me." " The proposition, 

 sir, is as grateful to me as it is surprising ; I will return 

 then, forthwith, to New Haven." I came back resolving, 

 like Colonel Miller, at Lundy's Lane, that I would try. 



Our President, the Rev. Jeremiah Day, and my immedi 

 ate colleagues among the older members of the College 

 Faculty, as well as the officers of the fiscal department, 

 were men of liberal minds, and I found no difficulty in ex 

 citing in them a lively interest and a strong desire to ob 

 tain the prize that was thus remarkably offered to us. It 

 was true that, being as yet without authority from the 

 College Senate, the Corporation of the Institution, we had 

 no power to make a binding contract ; but we did not hesi 

 tate to proceed in preparing the case, not doubting that we 

 should be sustained. 



We pass over the circumstances which attended 

 the purchase of the paintings and the establishment 

 of the Trumbull Gallery in connection with Yale Col 

 lege. Professor Silliman led the way in the efforts 

 which secured this result. His comments upon the 



