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In 1796, General Washington, without his knowledge 

 or solicitation, nominated him to the Senate as Surveyor- 

 General to the United States, and the appointment was 

 cordially ratified. This event was often spoken of by 

 Mr. De Witt to his intimate friends, as the most gratify- 

 ing in his public life, and as age advanced, he appeared 

 to prize it more highly. Well might he do so— it is an 

 honor higher than a patent of nobility, to have attained 

 the confidence of Washington. Let all who can num- 

 ber it among their ancestral memorials, value it as a 

 jewel of great price. 



This appointment, however flattering to his feelings, 

 he was induced, from the force of circumstances, to de- 

 cline. In his letter to Col. Pickering, then Secretary of 

 State, he says, " I pray you to express to the President 

 how much I am impressed with the sense of being favored 

 with this mark of his confidence, and to assure him that 

 nothing but an apprehension of making too great a sac- 

 rifice could have prevailed on me not to accept the of- 



In 1798, he was elected a Regent of the University in 

 the room of the Hon. Lewis Morris, deceased. This 

 office he held until his death, and for many years was 

 the senior member of the board. In 1817, he was elect- 

 ed Vice-chancellor, and in 1829, on the death of Lieu- 

 tenant-Governor Tayler, a friend of his early and his 

 later days, he was chosen Chancellor of the University. 

 The present is not the time and, in some respects, it is 

 not the place to discuss the services of this board in the 

 cause of learning and education throughout our state. 

 What I have to remark, will be altogether historically- 



It was conceived, just half a century since, (1785,) 

 by our then legislature, that instead of leaving the sub- 

 ject of education to the frequently immature, as well as 

 discordant plans ftf a body of men coming together for 

 only a short time, and especially engaged in local affairs; 

 it would be well to select a number of intelligent and 

 enlightened individuals and commit this great cause to 



