each boy and girl admitted into it, which is the general rule, at least twelve hundred children have reccived in it the chief part of their education, who might otherwife, in a great measure, have been left without the means of inftruction. And many of those who have been thus educated, are now to be found among the most useful and reputable citizens of this ftate. The inftitution, thus fuccefsfully begun, continued daily to flourish, to the great fatisfaction of Dr. Franklin; who notwithstanding the multipli city of his other engagements and purfuits at that buly ftage of his life, was a conflant attendant at the monthly vifitations and examinations of the fchools, and made it his particular study, by means of his extenfive correfpondence abroad, to advance the reputation of the feminary, and to draw ftudents and fcholars to it from different parts of A merica and the Weft Indies. Through the interpofition of his benevolent and learned friend, Peter Collinfon, of London, upon the application of the trustees, a charter of incorporation, dated Ju ly 13, 1753, was obtained from the honourable proprietors of Pennfylvania, Thomas Penn and Richard Penn Efqrs. accompanied with a liberal benefaction of five hundred pounds fterling; and Dr. Franklin now began in good carneft to pleale himself with the hopes of a speedy accomplish ment of his original defign, viz. the establishment of a perfect inflitution, upon the plan of the Eu ropean colleges and univerfities; for which his a cademy was intended as a nursery or foundation To elucidate, this fact, is a matter of confiderable importance in refpect to the memory and charac ter of Dr. Franklin, as a philofopher, and as the friend and patron of learning and fcience; for, notwithstanding what is expressly declared by him in the preamble to the conftitutions, viz. that the academy was begun for "teaching the Latin and Greek languages, with all ufeful branches of the arts and fciences, fuitable to the ftate of an infan country, and laying a foundation for pofterity to erect a feminary of learning more extenfive, and fuitable to their future circumftances;" yet it has been fuggefted of late, as upon Dr. Franklin's authority, that the Latin and Greek, or the dead languages, are an incumbrance upon a scheme of liberal education, and that the ingrafting or founding a college, or more extenfive feminary, upon his academy, was without his approbation or agency,. and gave him difcontent. If the reverse of this does not already appear, from what has been quoted above, the following letters will put the matter beyond difpute. They were written by him to a gentleman, who had at that time published the idea of a college, fuited to the circumftances of a young country, (meaning New-York) a copy of which having been fent to Dr. Franklin for his opinion, gave rife to that correfpondence which terminated about a year afterwards, in e ecting the college upon the foundation of the academy, and eftabthing that gentleman as the head of both, where he ftill continues, after a period of thirty-fix years, to prefide with diftinguished reputation. From these letters alfo, the ftate of the academy, at that time, will be feen. SIR, Philad. April 19, 1753. I received your favour of the 11th inftant, with not when I have read a piece that has more affected me-fo noble and juft are the fentiments, fo warm and animated the language; yet as cenfure from your friends may be of more ufe, as well as more agreeable to you than praife, I ought to mention, that I wish you had omitted not only the quotation from the Review, which you are now juftly dif fatisfied with, but thofe expreflions of refentment against your adverfaries, in pages 65 and 79. fuch cafes, the nobleft victory is obtained by neglect, and by fhining on. In Mr. Allen has been out of town thefe ten days; but before he went he directed me to procure him fix copies of your piece. Mr. Peters has taken ten He purpofed to have written to you; but omits it, as he expects fo foon to have the pleasure of feeing you here. He defires me to prefent his affection ate compliments to you, and to affure you that you will be very welcome to him. I fhall only fay, that you may depend on my doing all in my pow er to make your vifit to Philadelphia agreeable to Dear Sir, B. FRANKLIN Philad. Nov. 27th, 1753 Having written you fully, via Bristol, I have now little to add. Matters relating to the acade my remain in ftatu quo. The trustees would be *The quotation alluded to (from the London Monthy Review for 1749,) was judged to reflect too feverely on the difcipline and government of the English univerfaries of Oxford and Cambridge, and was expunged from the fo lowing editions of this work. glad to fee a rector established there, but they dread entering into new engagements till they are got out of debt; and I have not yet got them wholly over to my opinion, that a good profeffor, or teacher of the higher branches of learning would draw fo many scholars as to pay great part, if not the whole cf his falary. Thus, unless the proprietors (of the province) fhall think fit to put the finifhing hand to our inftitution, it must, I fear, wait fome few years longer before it can arrive at that ftate of perfection, which to me it seems now capable of; and all the pleafure I promised myself in feeing you fettled among us, vanishes into fmoke. But good Mr. Collinfon writes me word, that no endeavours of his fhall be wanting; and he hopes, with the archbishop's affiftance, to be able to prevail with our proprietors*. I pray God grant them fuccefs. My fon prefents his affectionate regards, with, dear fir, Yours, &c. B. FRANKLIN. from Dear Sir, I have had but one letter from you fince your arrival in England, which was a fhort one, via, * Upon the application of archbishop Herring and P. Collinfon, cfq. at Dr. Franklin's requeft, (aided by the letters of Mr. Allen and Mr. Peters) the Hon. Thomas Penn, efq. fubscribed an annual fum, and afterwards gave at leaft, 5000l to the founding or engrafting the college upon the academy. Bofton, dated October 18th, acquainting me that you had written largely by Capt. Davis-Davis was loft, and with him your letters, to my great difappointment.--Mefnard and Gibbon have fince arrived here, and I hear nothing from you. ---My comfort is, an imagination that you only omit wiiting because you are coming, and purpose to tell me every thing viva voce. So not knowing whether this letter will reach you, and hoping ei ther to fee or hear from you by the Myrtilla, capt Buddon's fhip, which is daily expected, I only add, that I am, with great cfteem and affection, Yours, &c. Mr. Smith. B. FRANKLIN. About a month after the date of this laft letter the gentleman to whom it was addreffed arrived in Philadelphia, and was immediately placed at the head of the fe ninary; whereby Dr. Franklin and the other trustees were enabled to profecu their plan, for perfecting the inftitution, and o pening the college upon the large and liberal foundation on which it now ftands; for which pur pose they obtained their additional charter, dated May 27th, 1755. Thus far we thought it proper to exhibit in one view Dr. Franklin's fervices in the foundation and eftablishment of this feminary. He foon afterward embarked for England, in the public fervice of hi country; and having been generally employed a broad in the like fervice, for the greateft part the remainder of his life (as will appear in ou fubfequent account of the fame) he had but fe opportunities of taking any further active part the affairs of the feminary, until his final returni |