AS UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT-II 



of the chime, which had really aroused his interest; then 

 he said seriously: "Don't make yourself unhappy over 

 this matter; it will turn out to be a good thing for the 

 university. I have long foreseen that this attack must 

 come, but have feared that it would come after my death, 

 when the facts would be forgotten, and the transactions 

 little understood. I am glad that the charges are made 

 now, while I am here to answer them." We then discussed 

 the matter, and it was agreed that he should telegraph and 

 write Governor Dix, asking him to appoint an investigat- 

 ing committee, of which the majority should be from 

 the political party opposed to his own. This was done. 

 The committee was composed of Horatio Seymour, for- 

 merly governor of the State and Democratic candidate 

 for the Presidency of the United States; AVilliam A. 

 AVheeler, Vice-President of the United States ; and John 

 1). Van Buren, all three men of the highest standing, and 

 two of them politically opposed to Mr. Cornell. 



During the long investigation which ensued in Xew 

 York and at Ithaca, he never lost his patience, though at 

 times sorely tried. Various disappointed ''diemers, among 

 these one person who had not been allowed to make an 

 undue profit out of the university lauds, and another who 

 had been allowed to depart from a professorship on ac- 

 count of hopeless incompetently, were the main witnesses. 

 The onslaught was led by the person who made the attack 

 in the legislature, and he had raked together a mass of 

 half-truths and surmises; but the evidence on Mr. Cor- 

 nell's side consisted of a complete exhibition of all the 

 facts and documents. The unanimous report of the com- 

 mittee was all that his warmest friends could desire; and 

 its recommendations regarding the management of the 

 fund were such as Mr. Cornell had long wished, but which 

 he had hardly dared ask. The result was a complete tri- 

 umph for him. 



Yet the attacks continued. The same paper which had 

 been so prominent in sounding them through the western 

 part of the State continued them as before, and, almost 



