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 JUDGE PITMAN'S 
 
 ADDRESS 
 
 THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 
 
 BROWN UNIVERSITY, 
 
 DELIVERED IN PROVIDENCE, 
 
 ON THEIR FIRST ANNIVERSARY, 
 
 SEPTEMBER 5, 1843. 
 
$ " & 
 
 /, 
 
638 
 7 
 
 ADDRESS 
 
 THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 
 
 OP 
 
 BROWN UNIVERSITY, 
 
 DELIVERED IN PROVIDENCE, 
 
 ON THEIR FIRST ANNIVERSARY, 
 
 SEPTEMBER 5, 1843. 
 
 By JOHN PITMAN. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY REQUEST. 
 
 <> PROVIDENCE: 
 B. CRANSTON AND COMPANY. 
 1843. 
 
 *», 
 

ADDRESS. 
 
 Alumni of Brown University : 
 
 It is good for us to be here. Laying aside the 
 cares of business, the anxieties of professional life, 
 the strife for power and office, and those rivalries 
 and contentions which embitter so much of the 
 brief period of our fleeting lives, it will be good for 
 us, once in every year, to come up to our Alma Ma- 
 ter, with sentiments of love and gratitude, to renew 
 the recollections of our better days, and to cultivate 
 that sympathy for each other that will bind us in the 
 bond of brotherhood, and encourage us in the pur- 
 suit of " whatsoever things are lovely and of good 
 report." 
 
 This is a holy work : — the chain of love which 
 binds man to man, binds him also to his Creator. 
 " He that loveth not his brother, whom he hath 
 seen," "how," asks the beloved disciple, " how can 
 he love God whom he hath not seen." 
 
 We come hither to honor our Alma Mater, and to 
 acknowledge the honor we have received from 
 her. We come to improve our heads and our 
 hearts by literary and social communion. Some of 
 us have come, after a long sojourn, and a weary 
 pilgrimage, in a land of good and evil, with much 
 
4 
 
 to tell our younger brethren of the perils of the way 
 to wealth, and usefulness, and honor, of much to 
 warn, and of much to encourage. A few of us, who 
 are left, come from another century, and whilst we 
 rejoice in the prosperity of our Alma Mater, and de- 
 light to view the new halls which have arisen, and 
 become the abodes of science and literature, we look 
 with peculiar emotions upon that one which once 
 stood alone, whose walls bring back such vivid re- 
 collections of our collegiate hours. 
 
 On this first anniversary of our Association, it 
 seemed to me most proper that I should enter some- 
 what into the history of the College, and speak of 
 some of the early graduates. Happy should I be, 
 could I have had time and materials for a more satis- 
 factory notice of the Alumni than it is in my power 
 to give. For any failure, in this respect, I feel that 
 I should have had no right to offer you an apology, 
 if, after an expression of unfeigned reluctance to un- 
 dertake the task I am now endeavoring to perform, 
 it had not been urged upon me as a matter of duty 
 and conscience. Such therefore as I have 1 freely 
 give unto you, and only regret that it is not more 
 worthy your acceptance. 
 
 In July, 1763, there landed at Newport, Rhode- 
 Island, a young gentleman whose appearance, de- 
 portment, and address, were peculiarly fitted to gain 
 respect, esteem, and affection. He was a native of 
 New- Jersey, recently a graduate at Princeton. He 
 came on an errand of science and religion. A 
 preacher of the gospel, of the denomination called 
 Baptists, he had found from happy experience that 
 
learning and piety were not incompatible with eacli 
 other, and he was desirous, with others of his denom- 
 ination, that his brethren might be blessed with a 
 learned ministry. He came hither, says the Rev. 
 Morgan Edwards, in his history of the College, " be- 
 cause the legislature was chiefly in the hands of the 
 Baptists, and therefore the likeliest place to have a 
 Baptist College established by law." This young 
 gentleman was the Rev. James Manning. He wrote 
 a narrative of his mission and success, from which 
 the following extract may not be uninteresting. 
 
 "In the month of July, 1763, we arrived at New- 
 port, and made a motion to several gentlemen of 
 the Baptist denomination, whereof Col. Gardner, the 
 deputy Governor, was one, relative to a seminary of 
 polite literature, subject to the government of the 
 Baptists. The motion was properly attended to, 
 which brought together about fifteen gentlemen, of 
 the same denomination, at the deputy's house, who 
 requested that I would draw a sketch of the design, 
 against the day following. That day came, and the 
 same gentlemen, with other Baptists, met in the same 
 place, when a rough draught was produced and read ; 
 the tenor of which was, that the institution was to be 
 a Baptist one, but that as many of other denomina- 
 tions should be taken in as was consistent with the 
 said design." 
 
 The narrative of Mr. Manning gives a further ac- 
 count of the steps which were taken to accomplish 
 his design, and of the manner in which a Reverend 
 gentleman, of another denomination, who agreed to 
 draw the Charter in conformity with the original 
 
design, attempted, by the insertion of artful provisions, 
 to secure the government of the College to his own 
 denomination, and, in the absence of Mr. Manning, 
 nearly succeeded in his attempt. This was defeated 
 by the vigilance of Daniel Jenckes, Esq., a member 
 of the General Assembly from Providence, who also 
 has left us his account of the matter. But I forbear 
 to dwell on this unpleasant part of the narrative, in- 
 structive though it may be, as showing that the dan- 
 gers from what has been termed pious frauds have 
 not been confined to the school of the Jesuits, and 
 how necessary it is that we should guard ourselves 
 from the influence of that pernicious sophism, which 
 has misled so many in Church and State, that " it is 
 lawful to do evil that good may come." Suffice it to 
 say, that after a sufficient display of legislative and 
 extra-legislative tactics, by friends and opponents, 
 the Charter, which is now the Constitution of Brown 
 University, was carried by a great majority, at the 
 session of the legislature in February, 1764. 
 
 This Charter secured to the Baptists the govern- 
 ment of the College ; but that they sought this j for 
 their own security, and with the view of holding out 
 greater inducements to their own denomination to 
 educate their candidates for the ministry, and not 
 with any view of imposing their creed upon others, 
 is evident from the provisions of the Charter. Thus 
 the Charter declares, " That into this liberal and 
 catholic institution shall never be admitted any re- 
 ligious tests : But on the contrary all the members 
 hereof shall forever enjoy full, free, absolute and un- 
 interrupted liberty of conscience : And that the 
 
places of Professors, Tutors, and all other officers, 
 the President alone excepted, shall be free and open 
 for all denominations of Protestants : And that youth 
 of all religious denominations shall and maybe freely 
 admitted to the equal advantages, emoluments, and 
 honors of the College or University ; and shall re- 
 ceive a like fair, generous, and equal treatment dur- 
 ing their residence therein, they conducting them- 
 selves peaceably, and conforming to the laws and 
 statutes thereof. And that the public teaching shall 
 in general, respect the sciences ; and that the sec- 
 tarian differences of opinion shall not make any 
 part of the public and classical instruction. Although 
 all religious controversies may be studied freely, ex- 
 amined and explained, by the President, Professors 
 and Tutors, in a personal, separate and distinct 
 manner, to the youth of any or each denomination. 
 And above all, a constant regard be paid to, and 
 effectual care taken of the morals of the College." 
 
 In conformity with this, the laws of the University, 
 which regulate the attendance on devotional exer- 
 cises, thus provide : " The right of Christians of 
 every denomination, to enjoy without molestation 
 their religious sentiments, is fully allowed ; neverthe- 
 less, as the public observance of the Sabbath is a 
 moral duty, at the beginning of each term, every stu- 
 dent shall designate to the President, or other offi- 
 cer named by him, some place of public worship 
 which he chooses to attend, and he shall attend such 
 place of worship on the forenoon and afternoon of 
 every first day of the week." 
 
 By the Charter, the Corporation for the regula- 
 
8 
 
 tion and government of the University, consists of 
 two branches : " that of the Trustees and that of the 
 Fellowship." There are thirty-six Trustees, and 
 twelve of the Fellowship, including the President. 
 Of the Trustees twenty-two, by the Charter, are to 
 be Baptists, five of the denomination called Friends, 
 or Quakers, four Congregationalists, and five Episco- 
 palians. Of the Fellows eight are to be Baptists, "and 
 the rest indifferently of any or all denominations.' 5 
 The President must be a Baptist. " The instruction 
 and immediate government of the College," says the 
 Charter, " shall forever be and rest in the President 
 and Fellows, or Fellowship." The laws made by the 
 Fellowship, and repeals thereof are to be laid before 
 the Trustees, and with their approbation shall be of 
 force and validity, but not otherwise. The Fellow- 
 ship is constituted " a learned faculty, with power 
 to confer the learned degrees, or such other degrees 
 of literary honor as they shall devise, upon such can- 
 didates and persons as the President and Fellows 
 shall judge worthy of the academical honors." 
 
 By a wise and fortunate provision in the Charter, 
 no particular name was given to the College, but the 
 persons therein named, who should accept of the 
 trust, and qualify themselves as therein provided, 
 within twelve months from the date of the Charter, 
 and their successors, were created, in the words of 
 the Charter, " one body corporate and politic, in 
 fact and name, to be known in law by the name of 
 Trustees and Fellows of the College or 
 University in the English Colony of Rhode- 
 Island and Providence Plantations in New- 
 
England, in America; the 'Trustees and Fellows, 
 at any time hereafter giving such more particular 
 name to the College, in honor of the greatest and 
 most distinguished benefactor, or otherwise, as they 
 shall think proper." 
 
 Mr. Edwards, who was one of the Fellowship from 
 1764, to 1739, says: "This Charter lay dormant 
 for about two years, except that some, nominated in 
 it, did qualify themselves in order to become a Cor- 
 poration, and did open a subscription among them- 
 selves, and choose Rev. James Manning to be 
 President. But in September, 1766, the tuition 
 part of it was begun at Warren, by said President, 
 who soon had eight or twelve scholars, which brought 
 on the first commencement, September 7th, 1769. 
 Before this, in 1767, the Rev. Morgan Edwards, of 
 Philadelphia, set out for Europe to solicit money 
 toward the paying the salary of the President, and 
 Assistant, for hitherto we had no fund, and succeeded 
 pretty well, considering how angry the mother coun- 
 try was with the colonies for opposing the Stamp 
 Act. Afterwards the Rev. Hezekiah Smith, and 
 others, gathered small sums, in America, for the 
 same purpose, but, after all, the endowment is so 
 scanty that the College is in arrears to the President 
 to this day, who has suffered considerably by it." 
 
 Mr. Edwards continues : " To the year 1769, this 
 seminary was for the most part friendless and mon- 
 eyless, and therefore forlorn, inasmuch that a Col- 
 lege edifice was hardly thought of. But Mr. Ed- 
 wards, making frequent remittances from England, 
 some began to hope, and many to fear that the in- 
 2 
 
10 
 
 stitution would come to something and stand. Then 
 a building and the place of it were talked of, which 
 opened a new scene of troubles and contentions that 
 had well nigh ruined all." 
 
 Dr. Manning, in the close of the year 1763, be- 
 came pastor of the Baptist Church in Warren. The 
 vote, of the Corporation, appointing him President 
 of the College, in September, 1765, as the College 
 had as yet no location, was so drawn that he was 
 empowered to act " at Warren or elsewhere." 
 
 Professor Goddard, in his excellent memoir of 
 Dr. Manning, says, that " soon after his ordination 
 over the Church in Warren, he opened a Latin 
 school in that town." He therefore had already pre- 
 pared the way for the College before its Charter was 
 granted, and some of those whom he instructed were 
 probably fitted to enter the College when he was 
 elected President, in 1765. From this time to Sep- 
 tember 1769, when the first Commencement was 
 holden at Warren, was four years, the time required 
 to complete the collegiate course. So that the first 
 graduating class most probably commenced their 
 collegiate course in September 1765, instead of Sep- 
 tember 1766, as stated by Mr. Edwards. And this 
 is confirmed by the fact that the late Hon. David 
 Howell, a graduate of Princeton, was appointed 
 the first tutor in the College in 1766. In the first 
 year of the College, with only the freshman class, 
 President Manning had no need of an assistant, but 
 in the second year an assistant became necessary, 
 and he could not have procured a more able one 
 from the Alumni of his own Alma Mater, 
 
11 
 
 The first graduating class, in 1769, were seven in 
 number. Among them was James Mitchell Varnum, 
 who has been celebrated for his eloquence.* Anoth- 
 er of his class, Charles Thompson, received its high- 
 est honors. He was the immediate successor of 
 Dr. Manning, in the pastoral care of the Warren 
 Church, and for several years was settled as a Bap- 
 tist Minister in Svvanzey, Massachusetts, where he 
 opened a classical school. Two more of this class 
 Were Baptist Ministers, and successful instructors of 
 youth : Dr. William Rogers, for several years a pro- 
 fessor of Oratory and Belles Lettres in the Universi- 
 ty of Pennsylvania, and the Rev. William Williams, 
 who was elected to the Fellowship in 1789, and for 
 many years was pastor of the Baptist Church, in 
 Wrentham, Massachusetts. My studies, preparatory 
 for College, were begun in the school of Mr. Thomp- 
 son, and ended in the school of Mr. Williams. An 
 aged alumnus, now present,! has informed me that 
 Dr. William Rogers stated to him that he was the 
 first scholar admitted to the College, and, for one day 
 after his admission, was the only scholar in College. 
 
 11 The first Commencement, (says Mr. Edwards,) 
 was celebrated at Warren, September 7th, 1769, 
 whereat was a great concourse of people, who openly 
 professed their admiration of the performances of 
 the young gentlemen, and the regularity and deco- 
 rum of the whole business of the day."t 
 
 * See the Memoir of James Mitchell Varnum, among the " Memoirs 
 of the Rhode Island Bar," published in 1342, by Wilkins Updike, Esq. 
 
 t Mr. William Wilkinson. 
 
 + For a particular account of this, the first Commencement, see Ap 
 pendix, Note A. 
 
12 
 
 We can readily imagine how the beautiful and 
 benevolent face of President Manning was radiant 
 with smiles on this occasion ; with what joy he be- 
 held the first fruits of his anxieties, and labors, and 
 prayers ; with what glowing eloquence he poured 
 forth, at the throne of grace, the pious effusions of a 
 grateful heart, invoking the blessing of God upon 
 the future efforts of the friends of the infant institu- 
 tion, and filling every heart with emotion, if not 
 every eye with tears, as, with the affection of a friend, 
 and the solicitude of a father, he commended to the 
 care of Heaven, those who were about to depart 
 from him, and, at a period of no ordinary moment, 
 to enter a world of temptation and trial. 
 
 An important question remained to be settled. 
 Our Alma Mater had as yet no local habitation. It 
 was deemed of so much importance to that part of 
 the State where it might be located, that the counties 
 of Providence, Newport, and Kent, contended with 
 Bristol for the benefit and the honor. This created 
 the contention to which Mr. Edwards referred. — 
 " Warren, he says, was at first agreed on as a pro- 
 per situation, where a small wing was to be erected 
 in the spring of 1770, and about £800 raised towards 
 effecting it. But soon afterwards, some who were 
 unwilling it should be there, and some who were 
 unwilling it should be any where, did so far agree as 
 to lay aside the said location, and propose that the 
 county which should raise the most money should 
 have the College." 
 
 In this contest, Providence obtained the prize. 
 After a full hearing given to the competitors, the 
 
13 
 
 Corporation, on the 7th of February, 1770, decided, 
 by a vote of twenty-one to fourteen,* "that the edifice 
 be built in the town of Providence, and there be 
 continued forever." This decision, the friends of 
 the College have had no reason to regret. 
 
 The Corporation appointed a Committee to re- 
 quest President Manning to remain in the Presi- 
 dency, and remove, with the College, to Providence, 
 and to request the consent of his church and con- 
 gregation to his removal. This was attended with 
 some difficulty. Dr. Manning was much attached 
 to his people, and proposed to resign the Presidency 
 rather than leave them. His most influential friends 
 succeeded in persuading him that this was not the 
 path of duty, and, in May, 1770, he removed with 
 the under-graduates to Providence. 
 
 Mr. Edwards says : " By the adventurous and 
 resolute spirit of the Browns, and some other men 
 of Providence, the edifice was begun in May, 1770, 
 and roofed by the fall of that year. The next sum- 
 mer it ;was so far finished as to be fit for the recep- 
 tion of scholars." 
 
 In the " Annals of Providence," recently published 
 by Judge Staples, it is said : The Corporation "broke 
 ground for the building, now known as University 
 Hall, on the 26th day of March, 1770, and the cor- 
 ner stone of that building was laid by John Brown, 
 on the 14th day of May following, "f 
 
 * Staples' Annals of Providence, page 528. 
 
 tSee Judge Staples' Annals of Providence, where will also be found 
 the history of the College, by Rev. Morgan Edwards, and the narrative 
 of Dr. Manning, and of Daniel Jenckes, Esq. — Pages 518, 530. 
 
 Mr. John Brown gave £300 towards the erection of University Hall, 
 and subscribed liberally towards a Library for the College. He died 
 Sept. 20, 1803, in his 68th year. 
 
14 
 
 We quote again from Morgan Edwards, whose 
 zeal and early efforts in behalf of the College, re- 
 commend him to our notice. After minutely describ- 
 ing, with much satisfaction, the building since named 
 University Hall, he shows us that he had a taste for 
 the beautiful in nature, and felt how much it is in 
 unison with literature. He says : "The situation of 
 the College is remarkably airy, healthful and pleas- 
 ant, being the summit of a hill pretty easy of ascent, 
 and commanding a prospect of the town of Provi- 
 dence below, of the Narragansett Bay, and the is- 
 lands, and of an extensive country, variegated with 
 hills and dales, woods and plains, &c. Surely, this 
 spot was made for a seat of the Muses" 
 
 The College no longer looks down upon the town, 
 which is pressing it on every side ; but though some 
 of the prospect may have been thus obstructed, 
 yet much of it remains, and the increase of beauti- 
 ful buildings, and the taste which has been displayed 
 in laying out and ornamenting the grounds, will, it is 
 to be hoped, retain the Muses in this their chosen seat. 
 
 In 1770, the first Commencement, at Providence* 
 was holden in the meeting house of the Rev. Joseph 
 Snow, where the subsequent Commencements were 
 holden, until the completion of the house in which 
 we are now assembled.! Theodore Foster gradu- 
 ated in the class of 1780. He represented the State 
 of Rhode Island, for thirteen years, in the Senate of 
 the United States, and left many fruits of antiqua- 
 rian research connected with Rhode-Island history. 
 
 * See Appendix, Note B. 
 
 t The First Baptist Meeting House, 
 
15 
 
 In the class of 1771, graduated Thomas Arnold, 
 of Providence, with the first honors of his class ;* he 
 was elected to the Fellowship in 1774, and Secretary 
 of the Corporation in 1776. He possessed a strong 
 mind, well adapted to the profession of the law, to 
 which he for sometime devoted himself. He was 
 appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of Rhode 
 Island, which office he declined. He became after- 
 wards a distinguished member of the Society of 
 Friends. 
 
 In the class of 1771 was also Samuel Ward, son 
 of Governor Ward, of Rhode-Island. He gradua- 
 ted at the early age of fifteen, and, at the age of 
 eighteen, commanded a company, under Arnold, in 
 the celebrated march, through the wilderness of 
 Maine, to Quebec. He served with reputation in 
 the army of the United States, during the war of the 
 Revolution, in which he rose to the rank of Lieut. 
 Colonel. He was distinguished for his scholarship 
 as well as for his military talents and services. 
 
 In the class of 1773, graduated Solomon Drown. 
 He was elected to the Fellowship in 1783, and a 
 professor of Materia Medica and Botany in 1811. 
 Dr. Drown's favorite science was Botany, connect- 
 ed with Medicine. He also delighted in Greek lit- 
 erature. The oration which he delivered, in this 
 house, in February, 1824, at the age of seventy-one, 
 in behalf of the Greeks, aroused in himself all the 
 enthusiasm of youth.f 
 
 The Commencement of 1774, was distinguished 
 
 * See Appendix, Note C, for an account of this Commencement. 
 tSee Providenco American. February 20—24, 1824 
 
16 
 
 by the eloquence of Barnabas Binney, who received 
 the first honors of his class. One of the Alumni,* 
 now among us, who was present at this Commence- 
 ment, in a communication tome says: "the vale- 
 dictory oration, by Barnabas Binney, was a splen- 
 did production. After the usual addresses, it went 
 fully into the politics of that eventful period, and 
 was listened to with more profound attention than 
 any other that the writer of this ever heard." This 
 oration was so much approved, that it was immedi- 
 ately published. Mr. Binney became a distinguish- 
 ed physician of Philadelphia. 
 
 This Commencement was also distinguished by the 
 presence of Governor Wanton, of Newport in a full 
 court dress. His wig was of formidable dimensions, 
 his hat carried under his arm, and a person in at- 
 tendance held an umbrella over his head, to the 
 great astonishment of the burghers of Providence, 
 says my informant, who was himself blessed and 
 astonished with the sight. But alas ! Sic transit glo- 
 ria mundi ! Governor Wanton was more ready to 
 wear a wig of courtly cut than to adopt the whig- 
 gism then current in Rhode-Island, and he was su- 
 perseded, by a resolution of the General Assembly, 
 in May 1775. 
 
 In the class of 1774 was also John Dorrance, who 
 was appointed Tutor in that year, the late Judge 
 Dorrance of Providence.f In this class also was 
 Dwight Foster, afterwards a Senator in Congress 
 
 * Mr. Wilkinson. 
 
 fFor an account of the Commencements of 1772, 1773, and 1774, see 
 Appendix, Note D. 
 
17 
 
 from Massachusetts, the brother of Theodore Foster. 
 
 In 1774, fifteen entered the freshman class ; eight 
 of them were from the Latin school in Providence 
 under the tuition of the Rev. Ebenezer David, of the 
 class of 1772, "one of the best instructors," says my 
 informant, who was one of the eight, " I have ever 
 known," 
 
 In 1775, the graduating class consisted often, but 
 there was no Commencement. The state of the 
 public mind at this period was such that it was sup- 
 posed but little attention would be given to literary 
 performances. In the class of '75 was Pardon Bow- 
 en, who became one of the most distinguished and 
 beloved physicians of Providence, and President 
 of the Medical Society of Rhode -Island. He was 
 also one of the Trustees of the College. 
 
 In this class was also Robert Rogers, who was elect- 
 ed to the Fellowship in 1788, and attended nearly 
 every Commencement until his death in 1 835. He 
 kept for many years a classical school in Newport, 
 one of the nurseries of the College. 
 
 The Commencement was holden, for the first time 
 in this house, in September 1776. In the class of 
 '76 was Daniel Gano, second son of the Rev. John 
 Gano, and elder brother of the Rev. Stephen Gano, 
 who was so long a preacher in this house. He is 
 believed to be the oldest alumnus living. John Pres- 
 ton Mann, late a highly respectable physician of New- 
 port, was in this class. 
 
 In December 1776, the British took possesssion 
 of the island of Rhode-Island, and the students of 
 the College were immediately dismissed. The seat 
 3 
 
18 
 
 of the Muses became the habitation of Mars. The 
 Militia, summoned to defend the State, occupied the 
 College edifice, which was afterwards used by the 
 French army as an hospital. 
 
 In 1777, degrees were conferred upon the senior 
 class, but there was no Commencement. No studies 
 were pursued in College from the close of '76 until 
 September 1782. Many of the young men who be- 
 longed to the College when the students were dis- 
 missed, in '76, entered the army ; some went to other 
 Colleges, and those who received degrees here did 
 so at irregular periods, after an interval of several 
 years. 
 
 The story of the class of fifteen, which entered in 
 1774, shows how sadly the times were out of joint 
 in reference to College studies, and College honors. 
 In December, 1776, they were juniors; four en- 
 tered Yale, and three at Harvard, and there received 
 degrees ; four never graduated any where ; and four 
 graduated here, viz : John Morley Greene, Samuel 
 Snow, Levi Wheaton, and William Wilkinson. — 
 Greene, Snow and Wilkinson, entered the army in 
 1777 ; Greene, Snow and Wheaton, received their 
 degrees in 1782, and Wilkinson, in 1783. Of this 
 class two only survive : Dr. Levi Wlieaton, and Mr. 
 William Wilkinson, of Providence. Dr. Wheaton 
 is one of the Trustees of the University, and, in 
 1815, was appointed Professor of the Theory and 
 Practice of Medicine. Dr. Wheaton has long been 
 distinguished for his learning and skill as a physi- 
 cian, and for his taste and varied attainments in litera- 
 ture. Mr. Wilkinson commenced a Latin School, in 
 
19 
 
 Providence, in 1783, which he continued until 1793, 
 and fitted for College, during that period, many of 
 the most distinguished Alumni. He was appointed 
 Librarian of the College in 1785. At the advanced 
 age of eighty-three, he enjoys good health, and a 
 vivid and minute recollection of events and persons 
 connected with the early annals of the College, and 
 of those glorious days, of American history, which 
 were so full of peril and patriotism. 
 
 The catalogue of the Alumni of the University 
 exhibits an hiatus from 1777 to 1782, which has 
 been already explained; and another from 1783, to 
 1786, which is thus explained : In September, 1782, 
 a freshman class entered, the old stock of students 
 became exhausted in 1783, and it was not until 1786 
 that the class which entered in 1782, were qualified 
 to graduate. From 1786, there has been a regular 
 uninterrupted succession of graduates. 
 
 The year 1786 is distinguished, in the annals of 
 the College, by the choice of President Manning to 
 represent Rhode Island in the Congress of the United 
 States. His appointment, which was spontaneously 
 and unanimously conferred upon him by the General 
 Assembly, upon his casual appearance among them, 
 was as honorable to themselves as to him. The story 
 of the appointment is told by Dr. Robbins, in a let- 
 ter to Mr. Goddard, upon the authority of Commo- 
 dore Hopkins, who nominated him. I take the lib- 
 erty to recite it from the memoir to which I have 
 referred. 
 
 "Though he had (says Dr. Robbins) other mer- 
 its and ample for this appointment of delegate, I 
 
20 
 
 have no doubt, the dignity and grace for which he 
 was so remarkable, smoothed the way to it. It took 
 place in this wise : There was a vacancy in the del- 
 egation, and the General Assembly, who were to fill 
 it, were sitting in Providence. No one in particu- 
 lar had been proposed or talked of. One afternoon, 
 Dr. Manning went to the State House to look in 
 upon the Assembly and see what was doing. His 
 motive was curiosity merely. On his appearance 
 there, he was introduced on the floor, and accom- 
 modated with a seat. Shortly after, Commodore 
 Hopkins, who was then a member, rose and nomi- 
 nated President Manning as a delegate to Congress, 
 and thereupon he was appointed, and, according to 
 my recollection, unanimously. I recollect to have 
 heard Commodore Hopkins say, (it was at the house 
 of his brother, Governor Hopkins, where I shortly 
 after met with him,) that the idea never entered his 
 head till he saw the President enter, and take his 
 seat on the floor of the Assembly; and that the 
 thought immediately struck him, that he would make 
 a very fit member for that august body, the continen- 
 tal congress." 
 
 This was one of those happy thoughts which need- 
 ed no " sober second thought" to improve. The 
 State of Rhode-Island, has certainly never been rep- 
 resented in Congress with more dignity, talent and 
 patriotism. 
 
 Dr. Manning obtained leave of absence from his 
 collegiate duties, to attend Congress, from March, 
 till September. The Rev. Perez Fobes, a Congre- 
 
21 
 
 gational clergyman, of Raynham, Massachusetts, 
 was appointed Vice-President, during this period. 
 
 These were stirring times. Matters of deep in- 
 terest to the peace and prosperity of the United 
 States, agitated the country. The defects of the 
 Confederation had fully appeared, but their remedy 
 was not so apparent to all. In the Congress of 1786, 
 Dr. Manning could not fail to learn the full bearing 
 of those great questions which led to a more perfect 
 union of the States ; and that he duly appreciated 
 them is evident from the great interest which he felt, 
 and the efforts which he made to secure the adop- 
 tion of the Constitution of the United States. 
 
 The graduating class of 1786, consisted of fifteen. 
 Among them was Nicholas Broivn, who entered, in 
 1782, when the College again began to live ; and 
 his munificence has given it that life and being which 
 has made it such an honor to his memory, and by 
 which he has so well deserved that it should bear 
 his name. 
 
 In this class was also Benjamin Woods, a native of 
 New-England, a young man of distinguished talents, 
 who removed to North- Carolina, and soon became 
 Attorney General of the State. His career of use- 
 fulness was short ; he died in the prime of his days, 
 and in the midst of his honors. 
 
 The class of 1787, is distinguished by the names 
 of Samuel Eddy, and Jonathan Maxcy ; — the class 
 of 1788,* by the name of James Burrill ; — the class 
 of 1789, by the name of James Fenner ;f — the class 
 
 * Amos Maine Atwell, of Providence, had the first honors of the class 
 of 1788. 
 
 t James Fenner had the first honors of his class. 
 
22 
 
 of 1 790, by the name of Asa Messer ; — and the class 
 of 1791, by the names of William Hunter, and Jon- 
 athan Russell. These names are familiar, as house- 
 hold words, to the Alumni of Brown University. — 
 They need no illumination from any reflected light 
 which it would be in my power to throw upon them 
 on this occasion. Biographical notices of them, 
 and others, have been given by Mr. Goddard, to use 
 his own words, " by way of appendix to the life of 
 their venerated preceptor." 
 
 With the class of 1791, concludes the first era in 
 the history of our Alma Mater, the presidency of 
 Dr. Manning. He died July 24, 1791, in the fifty- 
 third year of his age. In his death the College, 
 the church and the community suffered a loss which 
 was deeply felt and lamented. And well might the 
 death of such a man have been lamented ! Few men 
 of such varied usefulness, combining such excellen- 
 cies of person, mind and heart, such beauty, dignity 
 and grace, learning, eloquence, benevolence and 
 piety, few such men appear, in this world of im- 
 perfection, to delight and bless mankind. He was, 
 in truth, the founder of our Alma Mater, and well 
 may the savor of such virtues descend from genera- 
 tion to generation. Well may we understand how 
 such a character would impress itself upon the hearts 
 of his pupils, and give to one so benevolent and lib- 
 eral as our departed patron, a desire to build up an 
 institution founded by a master so well beloved. — 
 The names of Manning and Brown are thus associ- 
 ated, and will be held in remembrance and honor 
 by generations to come who may repair to this foun- 
 
23 
 
 tain of literature and science. Such is the fruit of 
 that goodness which lives after death, and is not "in- 
 terred with our bones /" 
 
 The class of 1791, had completed their studies at 
 the death of President Manning, but had not gradu- 
 ated. They received their collegiate honors amidst 
 the gloom occasioned by his so recent death. The 
 Honorable David Howell, the first tutor in the Col- 
 lege, and an active professor from 1769 to December 
 1776, which places he filled with much reputation to 
 himself and the College, presided, at the request of 
 the Corporation, at the Commencement of 1791. 
 Jonathan Russell delivered the valedictory oration. 
 Those who have heard him, or been familiar with 
 his composition, will readily believe that on this oc- 
 casion there was no want of eloquence. I have 
 recently seen an account of this Commencement, in 
 the Boston " Columbian Centinel," of September 
 14th, 1791 ; and as I do not find that this paper was 
 in the habit of noticing our performances, in those 
 days, 1 infer that in point of merit they must have 
 been deemed extraordinary, at least for Rhode-Island. 
 The account is introduced under the head of" Rhode- 
 Island — Providence, September 10th, "and is as 
 follows :* 
 
 " Last Wednesday was celebrated in this town, the 
 Anniversary Commencement of Rhode-Island Col- 
 lege. The procession, at half past 10 o'clock A. M. 
 
 * Since this discourse was delivered, the writer has discovered that this 
 account in the Centinel, was abridged from the account of the Com- 
 mencement, in the Providence Gazette. For an account of the order of 
 exercises, and the portions omitted in the Centinel, see Appendix. 
 
24 
 
 moved in the usual order (preceded by the Indepen- 
 dent Artillery Company, commanded by Col. Tilling- 
 hast, in uniform,) from the College Hall to the Bap- 
 tist meeting-house, where, after an introductory 
 prayer by the Rev. Doctor Stillman, the exer- 
 cises of the day began, which, being finished, the 
 degree of Bachelor in the Arts was conferred on 
 the following young gentlemen, viz: (mentioning 
 their names) and the degree of Master in the Arts 
 on the following young gentlemen, viz ; Mr. Tutor 
 Doggett, Amos Maine Atwell, William Barton, 
 Jabez Bowen, James Burrill, Samuel Eddy, George 
 Jackson, Harding Harris, Eli King, Benjamin 
 Whitman, and Jonas Reed." 
 
 " Josias Lyndon Arnold, an Alumnus of Dart- 
 mouth College, was admitted to the degree of A. M. 
 also Apollos Leonard Esq., Samuel Leonard, Esq. 
 of Taunton, and Joseph Holbrook." 
 
 " The degree of Master of Arts was also conferred 
 on the Sieur Joseph De Letombe, Consul of France, 
 resident in Boston." 
 
 " The President then gave a charge to the Bach- 
 elors of Arts." 
 
 " Then followed the valedictory oration by Jona- 
 than Russell." 
 
 "A prayer by the Rev. Dr. Stillman concluded. 
 
 " The exercises of the day were enlivened and 
 enriched by some excellent pieces of music per- 
 formed by the Boston Band* which the young gen- 
 tlemen who graduated had procured -for this occa- 
 sion." 
 
 * In Italics in the Centinel. 
 
25 
 
 " The Hon. David Howell, Esq. was appointed 
 President for the day, and did himself honor by the 
 judicious manner in which he executed that impor- 
 tant trust." 
 
 " The young gentlemen performed their several 
 parts to the universal applause of crowded audi- 
 ences in both parts of the day. And although it was 
 wet and rather disagreeable weather, it did not pre- 
 vent a brilliant assemblage of the fair daughters of 
 America from enlivening, by their presence, the ex- 
 ercises of the day. The order and decorum on this 
 occasion were remarkable." 
 
 " The Rev. Jonathan Maxcy was elected Pro- 
 fessor of Divinity in the College."* 
 
 To the honors of this class have been added the 
 appointments of Mr. Hunter, and Mr. Russell, as 
 Ministers of the United States to foreign courts. 
 
 I cannot close this period in our College history 
 without some notice of those who were associated 
 with Dr. Manning in the work of instruction. 
 
 The " Assistant" spoken of by Morgan Edwards, 
 in 1767, was the late Judge Howell, who was ap- 
 pointed Tutor in 1766, and a Professor in 1769, as 
 already mentioned. He was a most accurate and 
 excellent instructor. He claimed, says Mr. Wilkin- 
 son, the honor of having instructed the Rev. Eben- 
 ezer David, of whose excellence, as a Latin teacher, 
 Mr. Wilkinson is the witness. Dr. Howell found 
 the walls of a College too circumscribed for his 
 
 * At this Commencement, Mr. Simeon Doggett, of the class of 1738, 
 and then a Tutor in the College, and a candidate for the Master's degree, 
 delivered " An Oration on the death of Rev. President Manning." 
 
 4 
 
26 
 
 genius, and in after life was distinguished as a mem- 
 ber of Congress, under the Confederation, and a 
 Judge of the Supreme Court of Rhode-Island. At 
 the age of forty, as he himself informed me, he began 
 the practice and the study of the law, in which he 
 rose to the first eminence at the Rhode- Island bar. 
 
 In 1812, he was appointed District Judge of the 
 United States, for the Rhode-Island District, in 
 which office he continued till his death, July 29th, 
 1824, in his seventy-eighth year. Some of the most 
 distinguished members of the Rhode-Island bar, 
 were educated in his office. I have known many 
 men of the first distinction, in point of talent, in va- 
 rious parts of the United States, but I have met with 
 none whose conversation was more entertaining 
 and instructive, than Judge Howell's, in his palmy 
 days. 
 
 Mr. Joseph Brown of Providence was Professor of 
 Natural Philosophy, from 1784 till his death, in 
 December, 1785. He was brother of John Brown, 
 who laid the corner stone of University Hall, and 
 uncle of Nicholas Brown, whose munificence gave to 
 the College the name of Brown University. Mr. Jo- 
 seph Brown was distinguished for his genius for 
 mechanics, and for his acquirements in mathematics 
 and philosophy. 
 
 Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse, was appointed a Pro- 
 fessor of Natural History, 1784. He was born in 
 Newport, Rhode-Island, and is still living, in Cam- 
 bridge, Massachusetts. He has given some inter- 
 esting recollections of President Manning, and is 
 
27 
 
 noticed by Mr. Goddard in a note to his memoir. — 
 He has been styled " the American Jenner." 
 
 Dr. Benjamin West was appointed Professor of 
 Mathematics and Astronomy, in 1786, and of Math- 
 ematics and of Natural Philosophy, in 1798. He 
 was an excellent instructor to those who were desir- 
 ous of learning, and especially to those in whom he 
 discovered a taste for mathematics. Dr. West pub- 
 lished a tract upon the transit of Venus, in 1769. 
 
 The Rev. Perez Fobes, LL. D., was a Professor 
 of Natural Philosophy from 1786 to 1798. 
 
 Mr. John Dorrance, the late Judge Dorrance of 
 Providence, was Tutor in 1774 '5. 
 
 Mr. Asher Robbins, a graduate of Yale, in 1782, 
 was appointed a Tutor in the College, in 1783, and 
 continued until 1790. The eminence which this gen- 
 tleman attained, in subsequent life, at the Rhode- 
 Island bar, and in the Senate of the United States, 
 and his high reputation for scholarship, are sufficient 
 evidence, had we no other, that it was most fortu- 
 nate for the College that his services as an instructor 
 were secured at this early period. Dr. Robbins is 
 yet living, and still enjoys all the pleasures of liter- 
 ature. 
 
 Robert Scott, a graduate of Edinburgh, was Tutor 
 in 1785 '6. He was a learned man, but profoundly 
 ignorant of the world. 
 
 Abel Flint, a graduate of Yale, was Tutor from 
 1786 to '90. 
 
 Jonathan Maxcy, was Tutor from 1787 to '91. 
 
 Josias Lyndon Arnold, a graduate of Dartmouth, 
 was Tutor from 1790 to '92, He was a good instruc- 
 
28 
 
 tor, but more celebrated in his time for his poetical 
 talent. A volume of his poems, with a prefatory- 
 notice of his life, by his friend and brother in law, 
 the late Hon. James Burrill, was published, after his 
 death, in 1797. 
 
 Mr., now the Rev. Simeon Doggett, of the class 
 of 1788, was appointed Tutor during the last year 
 of the presidency of Dr. Manning. He continued 
 in this office until 1796, when he resigned and 
 opened an Academy in Taunton, Mass., where he 
 taught with much success. 
 
 The first Chancellor of the College, was the Hon. 
 Stephen Hopkins, who was chosen in 1764. He 
 was one of the signers of the declaration of Ameri- 
 can Independence, a man of talents and learning,, 
 and distinguished in Congress, and in the political 
 annals of Rhode-Island. He died in 1785, aged 
 79. 
 
 The Hon. Jabez Bowen was Chancellor from 
 1785, till his death in 1815. He was a graduate 
 of Yale College, was chosen a Fellow of Rhode-Is- 
 land College, in 1768, and was Lieutenant-Governor 
 of the State from May, 1778, until May, 1786, with 
 the exception of one year. He was one of the lead- 
 ers, among the whigs of Rhode-Island, in 1776. 
 
 After the death of Dr. Manning no President of 
 the College was chosen until September, 1792. In 
 September, 1791, the Rev. Jonathcm Maxcy, was 
 appointed a Professor of theology. This professor- 
 ship lasted but for one year, and it has been ques- 
 tioned whether such a professorship is consistent 
 with the College charter. It was probably devised as 
 
29 
 
 a temporary expedient, as a probation for the presi- 
 dency, for after the election of Mr. Maxcy to the 
 presidency, it was silently abolished. 
 
 The Hon. David Howell, at the request of the 
 Corporation, presided at the Commencement of 
 1792, immediately after which Mr. Maxcy was cho- 
 sen President. 
 
 Dr. Maxcy was a most acceptable President. He 
 did not possess such a commanding person as Dr. 
 Manning, but he was a man of great dignity and 
 grace in his manner and deportment, and his coun- 
 tenance was full of intellectual beauty. His musi- 
 cal voice, graceful action, and harmonious periods 
 will not soon be forgotten by those of us who belong 
 to that era of the College which is connected with 
 his presidency. 
 
 To the period of the interregnum, belongs the class 
 of 1792. In this class was the late Benjamin Haz- 
 ard, of Newport. He was distinguished at the 
 Rhode-Island bar, and for thirty-one successive 
 years, represented the town of Newport in the Gen- 
 eral Assembly of Rhode-Island ; his ability, tact and 
 long experience, gave him a great influence in that 
 body. 
 
 In the class of 1793, was Paul Allen, of Provi- 
 dence, of poetical memory, and of considerable 
 celebrity in his day as a man of literature. In this 
 class was Wilkes Wood, now one of the Fellowship, 
 and a Judge of Probate for the County of Ply- 
 mouth, Massachusetts.* 
 
 * The Hon, Wilkes Wood was present at the Commencement on the 
 day after the address, apparently in as good health as usual. He died 
 October 1st., 1843, in the 74th year of his age. 
 
The class of 1794 presents us with the names of 
 Samuel Willard Bridgham, and Nathaniel Searle ; 
 the latter, well remembered at the Rhode-Island bar 
 for his rapid eloquence, ready wit, and legal acute- 
 ness ; the former for that suavity and kindness which 
 won all hearts, and for that learning, perseverance 
 and integrity which secured him the confidence of 
 his clients, and of the community. Mr. Bridgham 
 was chosen Chancellor of the Corporation in 1828, 
 upon the resignation of the late Bishop Griswold. 
 He was the first Mayor of the City of Providence, 
 to which office he was annually elected until his 
 
 In the class of 1795 was Samuel Greene Arnold, 
 long a highly respectable merchant of Providence, 
 and a Trustee of the University ; William Baylies, 
 a distinguished lawyer and member of Congress 
 from Massachusetts ; and Ezekiel Whitman, a mem- 
 ber of Congress from Maine, and now Chief Justice 
 of the Supreme Court of that State, 
 
 The names of Tristam Surges and John Holmes 
 distinguish the class of 1796 ; the last was formerly 
 a Senator in Congress from the state of Maine, and 
 at one time a conspicuous New-England politician; 
 he has very recently deceased ; the former still lives, 
 and reposes upon his laurels won by his eloquence 
 in College halls, and in many a well contested field 
 of forensic and Congressional debate. 
 
 To the class of 1796, also belonged Asa Aldis, 
 formerly Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ver- 
 mont ; the late Abraham Blanding, LL. D. a native 
 of Massachusetts, but for many years a distinguished 
 
31 
 
 lawyer, and eminent citizen of South-Carolina ; the 
 late Dr. David King, a respectable physician of 
 Newport, and President of the Rhode-Island Medi- 
 cal Society ; Benjamin SJiurtleff, of Boston, M. D. 
 at Harvard ; and Benjamin-Benneau Simons, of 
 Charleston S. C. M. D. at Edinburgh. 
 
 At the head of the class of 1797, stands Benjamin 
 Allen, a native of Rhode-Island, a name familiar 
 to some of my earliest classical recollections. We 
 were together at the school of the Rev. Mr. Wil- 
 liams, of Wrentham, Mass., and entered College the 
 same year, he as junior, myself as freshman. He 
 received the first honors of his class, and was dis- 
 tinguished for his mathematical genius. At various 
 colleges, and, at last, at his beautiful residence, on 
 the banks of the Hudson, he spent his days, in what 
 he most delighted, the instruction of youth. 
 
 But now I approach dangerous ground ; I can- 
 not trust myself in the selection of names where so 
 many appear, to the eye of friendship, equally de- 
 serving of notice. 
 
 In the class of 1798, the names of Nathaniel Bul- 
 lock, and James Tallmadge are distinguished ; the 
 former, as having been Lieutenant Governor of 
 Rhode-Island ; the latter, as member of Congress, 
 and Lieutenant Governor of New York. One from 
 the Empire State, the other from a State of humble 
 dimensions, but which as well deserves to be an Em- 
 pire State for her repeated triumphs in the cause of 
 liberty and/«w, the great cause of Constitutional 
 
 FREEDOM. 
 
 I have now reached my own class, the class of 
 
32 
 
 1799. Here my recollections are of a sort which 
 belong rather to a class meeting, than a mass meet- 
 ing ; yet we have been distinguished by academical 
 and senatorial honors, and the names of Jeremiah 
 Chaplin, and Nathan F. Dixon, are worthy of pub- 
 lic remembrance.* But here I propose to stop in 
 my notices of distinguished graduates. I have ar- 
 rived nearly at the close of the last century, and 
 must leave something for the future orators of our 
 association. 
 
 I am, however, sadly tempted to make a foray 
 into the nineteenth century, upon the class of 1802, 
 for there 1 behold : 
 
 One Henricus Bowen, formerly Attorney General, 
 and now Secretary of the State of Rhode-Island : 
 
 One Henricus Wheaton, Minister at the Court of 
 Prussia, and formerly at Denmark, who, when a 
 boy, was as " sure of being found in the bookseller's 
 shop" as was the learned Dr. Gill : 
 
 And one Johannes Whipple, at the head of the 
 Rhode-Island bar ; if he had loved to fish in the 
 troubled waters of democracy as much as he has de- 
 lighted in the beautiful waters of Narragansett Bay, 
 there is no knowing what he might have been — a 
 Governor, or a Congress man, at least. 
 
 But I leave these, and others, to our future ora- 
 
 * The Rev. Jeremiah Chaplin, D. D., and LL D., was chosen President 
 of Waterville College, in the State of Maine, in 1821, which office he 
 held for several years, and until he resigned. He died at Hamilton, in 
 the State of New York, 1841, in the sixty-sixth year of his age. 
 
 The Hon. Nathan F. Dixon was chosen Senator in Congress by the 
 Legislature of Rhode Island, November 3d, 1838. He died at Washing- 
 ton, January 29th, 1842. 
 
S3 
 
 tors, knowing that the names of William Ward 
 Bmoen, and Milton Maxcy, of the same class, will 
 not be forgotten. 
 
 The class of 1 802, was the largest class which had 
 then graduated, and the last at whose Commence- 
 ment Dr. Maxcy presided. In this year, he resigned 
 the presidency of Rhode-Island College, to the great 
 regret of the Corporation and the students. He 
 removed to Schenectady, New York, having accept- 
 ed of the presidency of Union College. In 1804, 
 he removed to Columbia, South Carolina, having 
 been chosen the first President of South Carolina 
 College ; here he died in 1820, aged fifty-two years. 
 He was President of Rhode-Island College ten years, 
 during which time the number of students much in- 
 creased. 
 
 The Rev. Asa Messer was elected President of 
 the College on the resignation of Dr. Maxcy, in 
 September 1802. He was President twenty-four 
 years. This was a period of much prosperity to the 
 College. 
 
 At the accession of Dr. Messer to the presidency, 
 the finances of the College were not in a prosperous 
 state, but his wisdom and prudence greatly improved 
 their condition. He was remarkable for common 
 sense, which, if not the most admired, is more valu- 
 able than all other sense. He knew human nature 
 well, was a good scholar and instructor, a sound rea- 
 soner, and more fond of science than literature. In 
 his government of the College, he commanded the 
 respect and the affection of the students ; few Pre- 
 sidents have been more beloved. Dr. Messer was 
 5 
 
34 
 
 long connected with the College ; he graduated in 
 1790, was chosen Tutor in '91, to several Professor- 
 ships in '96, and '99, and as Tutor, Professor, and 
 President, was in office thirty-five years. 
 
 During the presidency of Dr. Messer, Rhode-Is- 
 land College became Brown University. On the sixth 
 of September, 1804, the Hon. Nicholas Brown gave 
 to the Corporation the sum of five thousand dollars 
 for the purpose of founding a professorship of Ora- 
 tory and Belles Lettres. Mr. Brown, in his letter to 
 the Corporation, spoke of his warm attachment to 
 the College as the place of his education, and that 
 of his brother,* and from the recollection that his 
 late honored fatherf was among its earliest and most 
 zealous patrons. In consequence of this donation, 
 it was voted, at a meeting of the Corporation on the 
 same sixth day of September, " that this College be 
 known and called by the name of Brown Univer- 
 sity." 
 
 The presidency of Dr. Messer was also distin- 
 guished by the erection of Hope College, in 1821-2, 
 at the sole expense of the Hon. Nicholas Brown, 
 and by him presented to the Corporation. By this 
 liberal donation the means for the accommodation 
 of students were more than doubled. The Corpo- 
 ration gave this building the name of " Hope Col- 
 lege," at the suggestion of the donor, whose only 
 sisterf bears the name of Hope. 
 
 "Moses Broivn, Jr., of the class of 1790. He died February 28th, 1791, 
 aged sixteen. 
 
 t Nicholas Brown, an eminent merchant and highly respected citizen of 
 Providence. He died May 20, 1791, aged 62. 
 
 JMrs. Hope Ives, relict of the late Thomas P. Ives, Esq. 
 
35 
 
 Six hundred and ninety-three students were ad- 
 ded to the Alumni of the University during the pres- 
 idency of Dr. Messer ; one hundred and twenty- 
 seven, during the presidency of Dr. Maxcy ; and 
 one hundred and sixty-five during the presidency of 
 Dr. Manning. Since the presidency of Dr. Messer, 
 there have been added to the Alumni, four hundred 
 and eleven. The average number of graduates for 
 each year, during the presidency of Dr. Messer, was 
 greater than at any other period, before or since. 
 
 Dr. Messer resigned the presidency in 1826, and 
 for the residue of his life enjoyed the repose and 
 pleasures of the country, with the advantages of 
 social life, upon a small farm on which was an ele- 
 gant mansion, purchased by him, within the limits 
 of the city of Providence. Here he continued to 
 enjoy the respect and esteem of his fellow citizens, 
 and for several years, and until he declined a fur- 
 ther election, was chosen, and faithfully served as an 
 Alderman of the city. By a wise economy, without 
 neglecting the duties of hospitality, he was enabled 
 to fulfil what he justly deemed one of the most im- 
 perative duties of a husband and a father, leaving 
 his family, at his death, amply endowed with the 
 fruits of his many years service in the University. 
 He died October 11, 1836, at the age of sixty-seven, 
 after a short illness, regretted by numerous friends, 
 and deeply mourned by an afflicted and most affec- 
 tionate family. 
 
 We have arrived at the fourth period in the an- 
 nals of our Alma Mater, the presidency of Dr. Way- 
 land, which begun in 1 827, and long may it continue. 
 
Since the accession of Dr. Wayland, to the presi- 
 dency, much successful effort has been made to im- 
 prove the course of collegiate study, and to raise 
 the standard of scholarship.* Exertions have also 
 been made, and crowned with success, to increase 
 the means of instruction, and to make the Library 
 commensurate with the wants of the present and 
 succeeding generations. The movements of the 
 standing committee of the Corporation, were sec- 
 onded, in 1831, by the friends of the University. A 
 fund of twenty-five thousand dollars was raised by 
 subscription, for the purchase of books for the Li- 
 brary, and philosophical and chemical apparatus for 
 the University. This fund has been invested, and 
 the interest thereof pledged to these purposes. The 
 first dividend became due in July, 1839. Towards 
 this fund, the Hon. Nicholas Brown subscribed the 
 sum of ten thousand dollars ; the residue was sub- 
 scribed by the friends of the University in Rhode-Is- 
 land, Massachusetts and New-York.\ 
 
 The prospect of an increased Library, suggested 
 to Mr. Brown that another library-room would be 
 needed, and he erected, in 1833, '4, at his own ex- 
 pense, the beautiful building to which he gave the 
 name of Manning Hall, and presented it to the Uni- 
 versity for a library-room, and a chapel. This build- 
 
 "lt may not be amiss here to remark that, although the average num 
 ber of graduates has not been so large, yet, it is believed, the number of 
 yearly entrances has been larger than during any former presidency. 
 
 f See the preface to the Catalogue of the Library of Brown University, 
 by Mr. Charles C. Jewett, Librarian, published in 1S43, in which is a very 
 interesting history of the Library, and in pages 12 to 16, an account of 
 the " Library Fund, 1 ' and the subscribers to the same. 
 
37 
 
 ing was dedicated to these purposes, and a discourse 
 delivered on the occasion, by President Wayland, 
 February 4th, 1835. 
 
 During the presidency of Dr. Wayland " Rhode- 
 Island Hall," and the new mansion for the Presi- 
 dent, have been erected. These were the fruits of 
 the continued liberality of Mr. Brown, aided by the 
 contributions, with one exception, of Rhode-Island 
 men and Rhode-Island ivomen."* Rhode-Island Hall 
 was opened, with an address by Professor Goddard, 
 September 4th, 1840. 
 
 The hand of modern improvement has, indeed, 
 swept away the mansion which was so intimately 
 connected with the recollections of Manning, and 
 Maxcy, and Messer, but we, of the olden time, must 
 admit that the new mansion is in much better keep- 
 ing with the other architectural improvements ; and 
 we become reconciled to the removal of the old 
 mansion when we consider how necessary it was to 
 the perfection of that beauty which the grounds now 
 exhibit, and which promise so much for the future. 
 
 The liberality, which has as added so much to the 
 resources of our University, has stimulated its offi- 
 cers to renewed exertions, that the education to be 
 acquired may be commensurate with such advanta- 
 ges. They are most desirous that Brown University 
 may not be a tardy follower in the improvement of 
 
 *Mr. Goddard, in his address, on the opening of Rhode-Island Hall, 
 having said " that, with one exception, all the contributors to the object 
 are Ukodc-Island men, either native citizens, or citizens by adoption," 
 adds, " Rhode-Island men, did I say, in the language of no formal cour- 
 tesy, I add, that this good work was not accomplished without aid, sub- 
 stantial and disinterested aid from Rhode-Island women." 
 
38 
 
 collegiate education, but one of the pioneers in 
 this great work.* 
 
 On the 27th of September, 1841, died the Hon- 
 orable Nicholas Brown, in the 73d year of his 
 age. I purpose not here to speak his eulogy, it has 
 been pronounced.! He has left memorials which 
 speak his praise more eloquently than words. He 
 did not forget his favorite institution in his last will 
 and testament. His donations to the University, at 
 different times, with those in his will, amount to not 
 less than one hundred thousand dollars. Mr. Brown 
 was also the poor man's friend, and no man's ene- 
 my. He received liberally from his Creator, and he 
 gave liberally ; living as a steward of God's bounty, 
 and in daily recollection of the injunction of his mas- 
 ter, — " Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of 
 unrighteousness ; that when ye fail, they may receive 
 you into everlasting habitations." 
 
 In the death of such a man, we mourn not for him ; 
 for him " to die was gain." He had lived beyond 
 that period when life loses most of its charms, and 
 most of our best friends are beckoning us to a better 
 world. But let us honor his memory, as it deserves 
 to be honored, by making such a use of his bounty 
 as will best promote his liberal, pious and benevolent 
 intentions. And, in the view of his example, we 
 we would say, to the rich men of of our land : Be- 
 hold what a noble use he made of riches ! " Go ye 
 and do likewise." 
 
 *See the valuable " Thoughts on the present Collegiate System in the 
 United States," by Dr. Wayland, published in 1842. 
 
 tBy President Wayland, in the Chapel of Brown University, Nov. 3, 
 1841. 
 
39 
 
 We have thus, my friends, indulged in some re- 
 collections of the past, and attempted to present you 
 a passing view of our Alma Mater, from her humble 
 beginning, at Warren, to the palmy state in which, 
 with pride and pleasure, we now behold her. 
 
 My first duty has been to address you as the Alum- 
 ni of Brown University ; but I cannot forget that 
 we are citizens of a common country, whose destiny, 
 for weal or for woe, depends greatly upon educated 
 men. Upon this topic I could say much, but I am 
 compelled to be brief; I should not feel, however, 
 that I had performed my duty, on this occasion, if, 
 on such a subject, 1 said nothing. 
 
 When we perceive the vast influence of mind on 
 mind, how does the spiritual world assert its pre-em- 
 inence, and the material sink into a subserviency to 
 the moral and intellectual ! 
 
 That a republic cannot long exist without know- 
 ledge, and virtue, is a truth which has been so often 
 repeated that it falls upon the ear as an old saw, and 
 makes little or no impression, yet it is as true now 
 as at the beginning. Knowledge and virtue ! how 
 sad it is that they should not have been always in- 
 separable ! And how strange it seems, when our 
 passions and our selfishness are asleep, that knowledge 
 should not always ensure virtue ! We act as if 
 knowledge would ensure virtue, and indulge the 
 Utopian expectation, that when we have provided 
 for the intellectual education of the people, we shall 
 then have secured the happiness and prosperity of our 
 republic. Would to God that this was a reasonable 
 expectation, then our duty would be a plain one, and, 
 
comparatively, very easy of performance. But many 
 
 of us have seen the time when ignorance would have 
 been bliss, in comparison with that knowledge which 
 let loose upon France the furies of hell ! 
 
 Knowledge increases the will, and the passions, 
 and if this will be not directed to good objects, by in- 
 creasing its power we unchain a whirlwind, which 
 God alone can quelh If we increase the impulsive 
 principle, without increasing the restraining princi- 
 ple, we might expect [harmony and good govern- 
 ment, in society, with as much reason as we might 
 expect that the planets would revolve, in their orbits, 
 when we had destroyed one of the forces which 
 regulate their motion— they would dash against 
 each other, or " flame like comets lawless through 
 the void." 
 
 The great enemy of God and man knows, be- 
 lieves and trembles." Knowledge fills a seraph with 
 love and adoration. 
 
 If, therefore, we increase the intellectual power of 
 the community, without a corresponding increase of 
 the moral and restraining power, we produce mis- 
 chief instead of good. 
 
 But how is this moral and restraining power to 
 be increased ? I know of but one way, and I do 
 not think that this transcendental age will ever dis- 
 cover a better, and that is discipline, or, in other 
 words good government. Discipline must begin, and 
 that very early, in the family ; it must continue in 
 the school and college; and, if it has not then ac- 
 complished all its work, there must be laws in socie- 
 ty for the lawless, and disobedeint. Not laws enacted 
 
41 
 
 merely, but laws enforced, and by penalties, sufficient 
 to protect the good, and punish the evil. 
 
 Discipline has been considered a virtue in other 
 lands, and in other days, a theme upon which poets 
 have descanted. One of England,* in the last cen- 
 tury, in a poem on Education, in the manner of 
 Spenser, begins by an invocation to Discipline. 
 
 'O goodly Discipline ! from Heaven ysprung, 
 Parent of Science, Queen of arts refined ! " 
 
 And in an address to his mother, in the 4th stanza 
 of the introduction, he says : 
 
 And thus, I ween, thus shall I best repay 
 
 The valu'd gifts thy careful love bestow'd, 
 
 If imitating thee well as I may 
 
 I labor to diffuse th'important good, 
 
 Till this great truth by all be understood — 
 
 " That all the pious duties which we owe 
 
 " Our parents, friends, and country, and our God, 
 
 " The seeds of ev'ry virtue here below, 
 
 " From discipline alone and early culture grow." 
 
 Another poet, of our father land, thus closes an 
 ode on " Classic Education " : 
 
 Thus with early culture blest, 
 Thus, to early rule inur'd, 
 Infancy's expanding breast 
 Glows with sense and povv'rs matur'd, 
 Whence, if future merit raise 
 Private love or public praise, 
 Thine is all the work — be thine 
 The glory — Classic Discipline. ,, 
 
 Cowper, in " The Task,"f speaking of the neglect 
 of discipline, in the English Universities, which he 
 
 "West. tBook II. 
 
42 
 
 considers as unfavorable to literature and science, as 
 to virtue, says : 
 
 "In colleges and halls, in ancient days, 
 When learning, virtue, piety, and truth 
 Were precious, and inculcated with care, 
 There dwelt a sage, called Discipline." 
 
 After a description of this sage, he adds : 
 
 "But Discipline, a faithful servant long, 
 
 Declin'd at length into the vale of years : 
 
 A palsy struck his arm ; his sparkling eye 
 
 Was quench' d in rheums of age ; his voice, unstrung, 
 
 Grew tremulous, and moved derision, more 
 
 Than rev'rence, in perverse rebellious youth. 
 
 So colleges and halls neglected much 
 
 Their good old friend ; and Discipline, at length, 
 
 O'erlook'd and unemploy'd, fell sick, and died. 
 
 Then study languish'd, emulation slept, 
 
 And virtue fled." 
 
 But such sentiments, and such poetry savor quite 
 too much of common sense to meet with favor in 
 these days of transcendental genius. We are for 
 the " largest liberty" Our children, we have been 
 taught, have the divinity within them, and are too 
 perfect to be governed ; to attempt it would be to 
 extinguish the light of heaven ! The glorious per- 
 fectibility of man is now the favored topic ; and 
 this is to brought about, not by wise laws and good 
 government, but by lecturing and sympathy. And 
 the very hair of the head must be suffered to grow 
 wild and undisciplined, as an emblem of the freedom 
 from all restraint, and the perfectibility which reigns 
 within ! We might laugh at and ridicule such folly, 
 did it not strike a blow at the root of all social or- 
 
43 
 
 der, and destroy the intellect, for all useful purposes, 
 of some of our most talented young men. 
 
 And where does public sympathy dwell ? With 
 violated law, and dishonored government ? No, alas ! 
 but with the criminal, whom it would protect from 
 justice. It reverses the laws of God, and the wis- 
 dom of inspiration, and for the sake of a murderer, 
 puts the lives of a community in jeopardy. Public 
 sympathy dwells with treason, which it calls patriot- 
 ism, and educated men, and magistrates who are 
 sworn to support the laws, are found to afford pro- 
 tection and countenance to the guilty.* 
 
 Are these the evidences of that virtue which is 
 to support our republic, or of those vices which are 
 the forerunners of our destruction ? It is the relax- 
 ation and destruction of discipline, both private and 
 public, which has filled our land with such monstrous 
 crimes, and promises nothing but anarchy and ruin.f 
 
 *See Appendix, Note F. 
 
 tThe following extract is from the fifth Lecture "on Modern History," 
 by the profound Dr. Arnold, late Regius Professor of History in the 
 University of Oxford, whose death has been so much lamented by the 
 wise and learned. 
 
 " This inattention to altered circumstances, which would make us be 
 Guclfs, in the sixteenth or seventeenth centuries, because the Guelf cause 
 had been right in the eleventh or twelfth, is a fault of most universal ap- 
 plication in all political questions, and is often most seriously mischiev- 
 ous. It is deeply seated in human nature, being in fact no other than 
 an exemplification of the force of habit. It is like the case of a set- 
 tler, landing in a country overrun with wood and undrained, and visit- 
 ed therefore by excessive falls of rain. The evil of wet, and damp, and 
 closeness is besetting him on every side ; he clears away the woods, and 
 drains his land, and he by doing so, mends both his climate and his own 
 condition. Encouraged by his success he perseveres in his system ; clear- 
 ing a country is, with him, synonymous with making it fertile and hab- 
 itable ; and he levels or rather sets fire to his forests without mercy. — 
 Meanwhile, the tide is turned without his observing it ; he has already 
 
44 
 
 If good men, and educated men, do not speedily 
 awake to a sense of our dangers, we have no reason 
 to hope that God will save us, for we shall have 
 proved ourselves unworthy of his favor ; having 
 abused, as a nation, his choicest gifts, we must expect 
 to suffer the penalty which he invariably inflicts up- 
 on such transgression. 
 
 1 would also speak, to educated men, of the im- 
 portance of that independence of character, which 
 shall lead them to think, and speak, and act for 
 themselves. It is said, by some who come from 
 lands which we are accustomed to consider as less 
 free than our own, that we are very deficient in this 
 respect, and are extremely cautious how we, pub- 
 licly, express an opinion which may differ from the 
 opinion of the majority, for the time being. Shame ! 
 shame ! that this should be so, if it be so, in a land 
 where we so loudly boast of our independence and 
 freedom ! 
 
 cleared enough, and every additional clearance is a mischief ; damp and 
 wet are no longer the evils most to be dreaded, but excessive drought. 
 The rains do not fall in sufficient quantity ; the springs become low, the 
 rivers become less and less fitted for navigation. Yet habit blinds him for 
 a long while to the real state of the case ; and he continues to encourage 
 a coming mischief in his dread of one that is become ohsolete. We have 
 been long making progress upon our present tack, yet if we do not go 
 about now, we shall run ashore. Consider the popular feeling at this 
 moment against capital punishments, what is it but continuing to burn 
 the woods, when the country actually wants shade and moisture ! Year 
 after year, men talked of the severity of the penal code, and struggled 
 against it in vain. The feeling became stronger and stfonger, and at last 
 effected all, and more than all, which it at first vainly demanded ; yet 
 still, from mere habit, it pursues its course, no longer to the restraining 
 of legal cruelty, but to the injury of innocence, and the encouragement 
 of crime, and encouraging that worse evil, a sympathy icith wickedness 
 justly punished, rather than with the law, whether of God, or man, unjustly 
 violated. " 
 
45 
 
 To men of liberal education, this is doubly dis- 
 graceful; they are . required to enlighten the igno- 
 rant, and those who are out of the way, and not 
 " follow the multitude to do evil" What is the use 
 of their knowledge, if their candle is "put under a 
 bushel" and they will not, or dare not, speak the 
 truth, when the truth is most needed ? How can 
 we respect ourselves, or expect that others will re- 
 spect us, if we submit to be led by the bold and un- 
 principled demagogue, or to be brow-beaten into 
 silence ? 
 
 There was a time when those, who were the most 
 likely to possess the confidence of the community, 
 were men who scorned to run after public opinion, 
 and who did not hesitate to form and express their 
 own, without waiting to enquire what opinion was 
 likely to be the most popular. They felt the respon- 
 sibility of their stations, and their talents, and that it 
 was their duty to guide and instruct their fellow cit- 
 izens. Such was Washington, and Adams, and Mad- 
 ison, and Jay, and Hamilton, and Marshall. These 
 were men who would not have " flattered Neptune 
 for his trident," much less would they have sought 
 for power by deceiving the people, or suffering them 
 to be deceived. 
 
 Men of education must not submit to be in bon- 
 dage to the lowest demagogue, who can command 
 the greatest number of votes. It is a bondage too 
 vile and servile to be endured, by men who have 
 drank at the pure fountains of science, and have 
 freely communed with the illustrious living, and the 
 
illustrious dead. When such men become dema- 
 gogues 
 
 They dive to sink, and sink to rise no more. 
 
 They may eat of the loaves and the fishes, but they 
 no longer eat of the bread of life ; they no longer 
 hold communion with the wise, and the good. 
 
 The great duty of educated men, is to speak the 
 truth to the people, the whole truth, and nothing but 
 the truth. Mr. Jefferson said, " Error of opinion 
 may be tolerated where truth is left free to combat 
 it." But where the truth is not left free to combat 
 error, or what is the same thing, when a people are 
 more ready to reward their deceivers, than to listen 
 to those who would tell them the truth, and when 
 men, who know the truth, are unwilling to combat 
 error, what must be the conditon of such a people ! 
 
 Think not, my friends, that it can be well with 
 us, if we dwell in the midst of such a people ; or 
 that we can long be safe, if we fold our hands, and 
 hold our peace, when deception, servility, and cor- 
 ruption, are polluting the fountains of truth, free- 
 dom, and virtue. 
 
 There is no discharge from the warfare of the 
 good against the evil, so long as evil exists, until we 
 reach that world, where, if we have done our duty 
 here, we may hope to be received as good and faith- 
 ful servants. 
 
 May we be wise for ourselves, and wise for our 
 country ; and may generations to come have reason 
 to " rise up, and call us blessed." 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 [Note A.— Page 11.] 
 
 An account of the first Commencement of Rhode-Island Col- 
 lege at Warren, September 7th, 1769, from " The Providence 
 Gazette and Country Journal," " printed by John Carter," Sep- 
 tember 9, 1769. 
 
 Providence, September 9. 
 
 On Thursday, the 7th of this instant, was celebrated at War- 
 ren, the first Commencement in the College of this Colony ; 
 when the following young gentlemen commenced Bachelors of 
 Arts, viz : Joseph Belton, Joseph Eaton, William Rogers, 
 Richard Stites, Charles Thompson, James Mitchel Varnum, and 
 William Williams. 
 
 About ten o'clock, A. M., the gentlemen concerned in con- 
 ducting the affairs of the College, together with the Candidates, 
 went in procession to the Meeting House. 
 
 After they had taken their seats respectively, and the audi- 
 ence were composed, the President introduced the business of 
 the day with prayer ; then followed a salutatory oration in 
 Latin, pronounced with much spirit, by Mr. Stites, which pro- 
 cured him great applause from the learned part of the assembly. 
 He spoke upon the advantages of Liberty and Learning, and 
 their mutual dependence upon each other; concluding with 
 proper salutations to the Chancellor of the College, Governor of 
 the Colony, &c, particularly expressing the gratitude of all the 
 friends of the College to the Rev. 31organ Edwards, who has 
 encountered many difficulties in going to Europe, to collect 
 donations for the Institution, and has lately returned. 
 
 To which succeeded a forensic dispute, in English, on the 
 following Thesis, viz : " The Americans, in their present cir- 
 
48 
 
 cumstances, cannot, consistent with good policy, affect to become 
 an Independent State.'" Mr. Varnum ingeniously defended it 
 by cogent arguments, handsomely dressed ; though he was sub- 
 tilly, but delicately opposed by Mr. Williams ; both of whom 
 spoke with emphasis and propriety. 
 
 As a conclusion to the exercises of the forenoon, the audience 
 were agreeably entertained with an oration on Benevolence, by 
 Mr. Rogers; in which, among many other pertinent observa- 
 tions, he particularly noticed the necessity which that infant 
 seminary stands in, of the salutary effects of that truly Christian 
 virtue. 
 
 At three o'clock, P. M., the audience being convened., a syl- 
 logistic dispute was introduced on this Thesis "Materia cogitate 
 non potest." Mr. Williams the respondent; Messieurs Helton, 
 Eaton, Rogers and Varnum the opponents. In the course of 
 which dispute, the principal arguments on both sides were pro- 
 duced towards settling that critical point. 
 
 The degree of Bachelor of Arts was then conferred on the 
 candidates. Then the following gentlemen (graduated in other 
 Colleges) at their own request received the honorary degree of 
 Master in the Arts, viz : Rev. Edward Upham, Rev. Morgan 
 Edwards, Rev. Samuel Stillman, Rev. Hezekiah Smith, Hon Jo- 
 seph Wanton, Jun. Esq., Mr. Jabez Bowen, and Mr. David How- 
 ell, Professor of Philosophy in said College. 
 
 The following gentlemen, being well recommended by the 
 Faculty, for literary merit, had conferred on them the honorary 
 degree of Master in the Arts, viz : Rev. Abel Morgan, Rev 
 Oliver Hart, Rev. David Thomas, Rev. Samuel Jones, Mr 
 John Davis, Mr. Robert Strettle Jones, Mr. John Stites, Rev 
 James Bryson, Rev. James Edwards, Rev. William Boulton 
 Rev. John Ryland, Rev. William Clark, Rev. Joshua Toulmin 
 and Rev. Caleb Evans. 
 
 A concise pertinent and solemn charge was then given to the 
 Bachelors by the President, concluding with his last paternal 
 benediction, which naturally introduced the valedictory orator, 
 Mr. Thompson, who, after some remarks upon the excellencies 
 of the oratorial art, and expressions of gratitude to the patrons 
 and officers of the College, together with a valediction to them,. 
 
49 
 
 and all present, took a most affectionate leave of his classmates. 
 The scene was tender — the subject felt — and the audience af- 
 fected. 
 
 " The President concluded the exercises with prayer. The 
 whole was conducted with a propriety and solemnity suitable to 
 the occasion. The audience (consisting of the principal o-entle- 
 men and ladies of this Colony and many from the neighboring 
 governments) though large and crowded, behaved with the ut- 
 most decorum. 
 
 " Not only the candidates, but even the President, were dressed 
 in American manufactures. Finally be it observed, that this 
 class are the first sons of that College which has existed for more 
 than four years; during all which time it labored under great 
 disadvantages, notwithstanding the warm patronage and en- 
 couragement of many worthy men, of fortune and benevolence ; 
 and it is hoped, from the disposition which many discovered on 
 that day, and other favorable circumstances, that these disadvan- 
 tages will soon, in part, be happily removed." 
 
 [Note B.— Page 14.] 
 
 The following account of the Commencement of 1770, is 
 also taken from the files of the "Providence Gazette and Country 
 Journal." 
 
 " Providence, Sept. 8. 
 "On Wednesday, was celebrated here the second Commence- 
 ment in Rhode-Island College. The parties concerned met at the 
 Court House about ten o'clock, from whence they proceeded to 
 the Rev. Joseph Snow's Meeting-house, in the following order : 
 First, the Grammar Scholars, then the under classes, the can- 
 didates for degrees, the Bachelors, the Trustees of the College, 
 the Fellows, the Chancellor and Governor of the Colony, and 
 lastly, the President. When they were seated, the President in- 
 troduced the business of the day by prayer ; then followed the 
 Salutatory Oration in Latin, by Mr. Dennis ; and a forensic dis- 
 pute, with which ended the exercises of the forenoon. 
 7 
 
50 
 
 " Those of the afternoon began with an intermediate Oration 
 on Catholicism, pronounced by Mr. Foster ; then followed a 
 syllogistic disputation, in Latin, wherein Mr. Foster was respon- 
 dent, and Messieurs Nash, Read, and Dennis, opponents. Af- 
 ter this, the degree of Bachelor of Arts was conferred on Mes- 
 sieurs John Dennis, Theodore Foster, Samuel Nash, and Seth 
 Read ; and the degree of Master on the Rev. Isaac Eaton, Mes- 
 sieurs William Bowen, Benjamin West, David Williams, Joseph 
 Brown, and Abel Evans ; also on the Rev. Messieurs Hugh 
 Evans, Daniel Turner, Samuel James, Benjamin Beddome, 
 Benjamin Wallin, John Reynolds, and Isaac Woodman. To 
 which succeeded a valedictory Oration by Mr. Read ; and then 
 a charge to the graduates. 
 
 "The business of the day being concluded, and before the as- 
 sembly broke up, a piece from Homer was pronounced by Mas- 
 ter Billy Edwards, one of the Grammar School boys, not nine 
 years old. This, as well as the other performances, gained ap- 
 plause from a polite and crowded audience, and afforded pleas- 
 ure to the friends of the Institution. But what greatly added to 
 their satisfaction, was an opportunity of observing the forward- 
 ness of the College Edifice, the first stone of which was laid not 
 longer since than the latter end of May last, and 'tis expected 
 the roof will be on next month. It is a neat brick building, 150 
 feet by 46, four stories high, with a projection, in the middle, of 
 10 feet on each side, containing an area of 63 feet by 30 for a 
 Hall and other public uses. The building will accommodate up- 
 wards of a hundred students. Its situation is exceeding pleas- 
 ant and healthy, being on the summit of a hill, the ascent easy 
 and gradual, commanding an extensive prospect of hills, dales, 
 plains, woods, water, islands, &c. Who hath despised the day 
 of small things ? " 
 
 [Note C— Page 15.] 
 An account of the Commencement of 1771, from the " Provi- 
 dence Gazette," of that year : 
 
 "Providence, Sept. 7th. 
 " On Wednesday, the 4th instant, was celebrated the anniver- 
 sary Commencement in this town. At ten o'clock A. M., the 
 
51 
 
 procession was made, in the usual manner, from the College Hall 
 to the Reverend Mr. Snow's Meeting-house. The business of 
 the day was begun by a prayer suitable to the occasion, by the 
 President. An elegant Salutatory Latin Oration, was then 
 pronounced by Mr. Samuel Ward, which justly procured him the 
 applause of the learned part of the assembly : After judiciously 
 pointing out the various causes both of the rise and fall of em- 
 pires, he made a pathetic application to America, and conclud- 
 ed with the customary salutations. An English Dialogue, de- 
 livered with great propriety, by Messieurs Arnold and Brown, 
 and containing some very just and pertinent reflections on the 
 necessity of perpetuating the union betwixt Great Britain and 
 her colonies, was the next entertainment : And an intermediate 
 Oration pronounced with much spirit by Mr. Ustick, on the ad- 
 vantages of peace, which he observed are greater to a power- 
 ful nation, than even a successful war, concluded the exercises 
 of the forenoon. 
 
 " In the afternoon, was litigated syllogistically this Thesis in 
 Latin, "Justitia punitiva Dei est attributum." Mr. Arnold was 
 the respondent, and Messieurs Brown, Cossit, Farnham and 
 Ustick, the opponents. The principal arguments on both sides 
 of this interesting dispute, were judiciously managed. After 
 which, Mr. Ward vindicated human literature from the false as- 
 persions of those by whom it hath been calumniated, as having 
 a tendency to vitiate the morals of mankind, and disserve the in- 
 terest of religion ; whose arguments on that subject, were retort- 
 ed with much ingenuity and sarcastic wit, by Mr. Cossit ; both 
 of whose observations were accurately examined by Mr. Farn- 
 ham, who spoke on the subject with precision, and demonstrat- 
 ed the great advantages derived to the cause of religion and 
 virtue, from a suitable education in the liberal arts and sciences. 
 
 "The following young gentlemen were admitted to the degree 
 of A. B., Thomas Arnold, Micah Brown, Ranna Cossit, Benja- 
 min Farnham, Thomas Ustick and Samuel Ward. 
 
 " Mr. Daniel Hitchcock, of Yale College, received the degree 
 of A. M. 
 
 "The honorary degree of A. M., was conferred on the Rever° 
 end Francis Pelotts and William Nelson. 
 
52 
 
 "A concise, pertinent charge was then delivered to the gradu- 
 ates, by the President ; in which,besides many useful instructions 
 and cautions, he remarked that this Institution, though liberal 
 and catholic in its foundation and government, despising the 
 contracted views of a party, aiming at the good of mankind in 
 general, and always studious to maintain a good agreement and 
 harmony with others of the like nature, had not been so happy 
 as to pass altogether without censure ; and that, not only from 
 the ignorant and pedantic, but even from some of those whose 
 friendship it has sought, and would highly esteem, could it con- 
 sistently be obtained. He concluded by requesting their friend- 
 ship and kind offices to that seminary of learning in which they 
 had received their education ; and with great energy exhorted 
 them, that if they could not, by their joint testimony of the gen- 
 erous, free and impartial manner in which they had been treated 
 in the course of their studies, silence the unreasonable clamors 
 of ignorance and enmity, to give the world the same kind of 
 proof of the usefulness of the Institution, which some of its first 
 sons now do, who fill public stations with honor to themselves, 
 and advantage to mankind. 
 
 " A Valedictory Oration, on the antiquity and usefulness of 
 Civil Law, was pronounced by Mr. Arnold, who, in a very 
 agreeable manner, and with great strength of argument, shewed 
 that to render a State prosperous and happy, it was necessary it 
 should be governed by laws founded upon mutual compact. 
 
 " The President concluded the exercises with prayer. The 
 whole solemnity was conducted with a decency and decorum 
 that did honor to the Institution, and gave great satisfaction to a 
 polite and crowded audience. 
 
 "In the evening, a sermon was preached by the Rev. Mr. Gano, 
 from Col. 1, 28, to the general acceptance of a numerous as- 
 sembly. 
 
 "On the following day, the Corporation met, and among other 
 things, ordered their thanks to be given to the committee for 
 erecting the College Edifice, which will be fitted for the recep- 
 tion of students this fall, as also the library and apparatus rooms, 
 for books, &c." 
 
63 
 [Note D.— Page 16.] 
 
 An account of the Commencement of 1772, from the "Provi- 
 dence Gazette : " 
 
 "Providence, Sept. 5th. 
 
 " On Wednesday, the 2d instant, was celebrated the anniver- 
 sary Commencement of the College, in this town. The gen- 
 tlemen concerned in the business of the day, walked in proces- 
 sion, from the College Hall to the Rev. Joseph Snow's Meeting- 
 house. After prayer by the President, a Salutatory Oration was 
 pronounced, in Latin, by Mr. Russell ; next the intermediate Ora- 
 tion, by Mr. Hoell, upon History, and then a soliloquy by Mr. 
 Appleton, on Solitude ; which was succeeded by an Oration on 
 Agriculture, and the pleasures of a Country Life, by Mr. Harris; 
 and an Oration, the subject, Pride, by Mr. Greene, concluded 
 the exercises of the forenoon. 
 
 " Mr. Varnum, one of the candidates for a master's degree, 
 first spoke, in the afternoon, upon the Origin, Nature and De- 
 sign of Civil Government. Then followed a Latin Exegesis, by 
 Mr. Hoell, in support of this Thesis, " Miracula extitisse hu- 
 mano testimonio probari potest ;" which was opposed by Mes- 
 sieurs Appleton, Greene, and David. Next, Mr. Stites, another 
 candidate for a master's degree, spoke an Oration, the topic, Fe- 
 male Education : After which the following young gentlemen 
 were admitted to the degree of A. B. : Joseph Appleton, Ebene- 
 zer David, Benjamin Greene, Joseph Harris, Elias Hoell, and 
 Joseph Dolbeare Russell. 
 
 " Ad eundem, Jonathan Williams, of Harvard College. To 
 the degree of A. M., were admitted Joseph Eaton, William Rog- 
 ers, Richard Stites, Charles Thompson, James Mitchel Varnum, 
 and William Williams : Ad Eundem, the Rev. Erasmus Kelly, 
 of Philadelphia College; and the Rev. John Ryland, Jun., of 
 Northampton, in England, to the honorary degree of A. M. 
 
 "After the degrees were conferred, Mr. David pronounced the 
 Valedictory Oration, upon the incomparable advantages of Re- 
 ligion. The President, then gave the Bachelors a charge, with 
 great solemnity, and concluded with prayer. 
 
 " During the exercises, a profound attention was given by a 
 sensible, crowded and polite assembly. The candor and satis- 
 
54 
 
 faction which appeared in every countenance, animated the 
 young performers emulously to contend for that universal ap- 
 plause, which they had the honor to receive." 
 
 An account of the Commencement of 1773, from " the Provi* 
 dence Gazette," of Sept. 4th, of that year. 
 
 " Wednesday last being the anniversary Commencement of 
 the College in this town, at ten o'clock in the forenoon, the 
 Corporation, together with a numerous and polite audience, as- 
 sembled at the Rev. Mr. Snow's Meeting-house, when the Presi- 
 dent introduced the business of the day by prayer ; after which 
 the assembly were addressed in a Latin Salutatory Oration, by 
 Mr. Nash ; then followed an English Oration, pronounced by 
 Mr. Foster, upon the discovery, progressive settlement, present 
 state, and future greatness of the American Colonies ; which 
 was succeeded by a syllogistic Disputation in Latin, "An volun- 
 tati competit Libertas ? " wherein Mr. Litchfield was the respon- 
 dent, and Messieurs Drown, Padelford and Tillinghast, the op„ 
 ponents ; after this, Mr. Tillinghast delivered an English Oration 
 on Politeness, which finished the exercises of the forenoon. — 
 Those of the afternoon, began with an English Oration upon 
 Civil Liberty, by Mr. Dennis. The degree of Bachelor of Arts 
 was then conferred on the following young gentlemen, viz : Mes- 
 sieurs Solomon Drown, Joseph Litchfield, Jacob Nash, Philip 
 Padelford, and Henry H. Tillinghast; and the degree of Mas- 
 ter of Arts, on Messieurs John Dennis, Theodore Foster, Sam- 
 uel Nash, and Seth Read; also on Doctor Thomas Eyres, Secre- 
 tary of the College, and late of Yale College : To which suc- 
 ceeded a Valedictory Oration, pronounced by Mr. Drown, and 
 then a most solemn and pathetic Charge, by the President, to 
 the Graduates. 
 
 "The young gentlemen performed their respective parts with 
 great propriety, which justly procured them the universal ap- 
 plause of a judicious and candid audience. 
 
 " Afterwards the honorary degree of Master of Arts was con- 
 ferred on several gentlemen in England." 
 
55 
 
 An account of the Commencement of 1774, from the " Provi- 
 dence Gazette," of that year : 
 
 "Providence, Sept 10. 
 
 " Wednesday last being the anniversary Commencement of 
 the College in this town, the Honourable the Governor of the 
 Colony, escorted by the Company of Cadets, under the com- 
 mand of Col. Nightingale, preceded the usual Procession, from 
 the College Hall to the Rev. Mr. Snow's Meeting-house. After 
 the President had introduced the business of the day by prayer, 
 Mr. Jones pronounced the Salutatory Oration in Latin, upon the 
 superior advantages which the moderns enjoy above the ancients, 
 for good public speaking ; after which Mr. Foster spoke in sup- 
 port of this Thesis, " Theatrical exhibitions corrupt the morals 
 of mankind, and are prejudicial to the State;" which was op- 
 posed by Mr. Penniman. To this disputation, succeeded an 
 Oration, exposing the vulgar notions of Apparitions, &c, spoken 
 by Mr. 31ann. An Oration upon the necessity and great advan- 
 tages of cultivating our own Language, spoken by Mr. Dorrance, 
 concluded the exercises of the forenoon. A Syllogistic dispute, 
 " An dictamina Conscienlim sunt semper obtemperanda V intro- 
 duced the exercises of the afternoon. The Thesis, was defended 
 by Mr. Dorrance ; the opponents were Messieurs Binney, Foster, 
 Jones, and Penniman ; after which Mr. Ward, one of the candi- 
 dates for Master's degree,pronounced an oration upon Patriotism, 
 in which were contained many judicious observations upon the 
 present political circumstances of the American Colonies. The 
 degree of Bachelor in Arts, was then conferred upon Messieurs 
 Barnabas Binney, John Dorrance, Dwight Foster, Timothy 
 Jones, Jacob Mann and Elias Penniman. The degree of Mas- 
 ter in Arts was conferred on Messieurs Thomas Arnold, Uan- 
 na Cosset, Benjamin Farnham, Thomas Ustick, and Samuel 
 Ward, Alumni of the College. The Hon. Joshua Babcock, of 
 Yale College, the Rev. Isaac Skillman, Mr. Benjamin Steele, 
 of Nassau Hall College, and Mr. John Wliite, Jun., of Harvard 
 College, were also admitted to the degree of Master in Arts in 
 this College. The Rev. David Jones, Rev. William Vanhorn, 
 and Mr. William Tillinghast, were admitted to the honorary de- 
 gree of Master in Arts. The President then addressed the 
 
56 
 
 Bachelors with a concise and pertinent Charge, to which suc- 
 ceeded the Valedictory Oration, by Mr. Binney, being a plea for 
 Religious Liberty, corroborated by ecclesiastical History; after 
 which, the President concluded the exercises of the day, by 
 prayer. 
 
 "The various subjects were managed with great precision, and 
 the young gentlemen delivered their respective parts with that 
 dignity and propriety, which acquired them the applause of a 
 very numerous, judicious and polite assembly, who gave their 
 attention with the greatest candor and decorum. The Com- 
 pany of Cadets, in uniforms, made an elegant and truly military 
 appearance, and both in the procession and manoeuvres, which 
 they performed on the College Green, procured universal appro- 
 bation, and convinced the spectators, that Americans are no less 
 capable of military discipline, than Europeans. Thomas Ar- 
 nold, Esq., was elected a member of the Faculty, [the Fellow- 
 ship,] and Messieurs John Brown and John Jenckes, were chosen 
 Trustees of the College." 
 
 We add to this Note, an account, taken from the files of the 
 " Providence Gazette," of the Commencement of 1776, which 
 was the first Commencement held in the First Baptist Meeting- 
 house ; and also an account of the Commencements of 1782, 
 '83 and 1786. There was no Commencement in 1775, '77, 
 '78, '79, '80, nor in 1781, and none from 1783, until 1786. 
 The Commencement of 1786, was the first after the College 
 had again begun to live and recover from the desolations of the 
 Revolutionary War. At this Commencement, graduated Nich- 
 olas Brown, then Junior, to whose subsequent munificence, the 
 University is so much indebted. 
 
 An account of the Commencement of 1776. 
 
 " Providence, Sept. 7. 
 
 " On Wednesday last, was celebrated the public anniversary 
 Commencement of the College, in this town ; the usual proces- 
 sion was from the College to the new Baptist Meeting-house. 
 The exercises of the day, being introduced by a prayer by the 
 
51 
 
 President, were the following, viz : in the forenoon a Latin Salu- 
 tatory Oration, by Mr. Mann, upon the calamities of war ; an 
 English Oration, by Mr. Thayer, upon the advantages of Liter- 
 ature ; and another English Oration by Mr. Cummings, satiris- 
 ing Toryism and Negro Slavery. 
 
 " In the afternoon, a Syllogistic Dispute by Messieurs Thayer 
 and Cummings , " An leges divincc aliquid ultra vires humanas 
 ah hominibus ezigunt ?" An English Oration by Mr. Coe, upon 
 the great importance and advantages resulting to the State, as 
 well as individuals, from a good education of youth of both sex- 
 es ; an Oration attempted in Hebrew, according to the modern 
 pronunciation, without the vowel points, upon the advantages 
 of the study of the languages, by Mr. Cummings; after which 
 the following young Gentlemen were admitted to the degree of 
 Bachelor of Arts, viz : Curtis Coe, Amasa Cooke, Abraham 
 Cummings, Ebenezer Dutch, William Edwards, Daniel Gano, 
 John Hart, John Preston Mann, and Jabez Thayer. 
 
 " The Rev. Joseph Applelon, of Brookfield, and Mr. Joseph 
 Russell, Jun., of this Town, Alumni of the College, were admit- 
 ted to the degree of Master of Arts , also Major John Parke, 
 Master of Arts, of the College in Philadelphia, was admitted 
 " ad eundem." The degree of Master of Arts was also confer- 
 red upon the Honorable Nathaniel Greene, Major General in 
 the Continental Army. 
 
 " After a pertinent and solemn Charge, delivered to the Bach- 
 elors by the President, the Valedictory Oration was spoken by 
 Mr. Dutch, upon Liberty, with some anecdotes from the pres- 
 ent times. 
 
 " The young Gentlemen performed their respective parts 
 with much propriety, and to the entertainment and satisfaction 
 of a numerous and polite assembly, who attended with the ut- 
 most decorum through the whole. 
 
 "The Honorable Corporation, on the next day, it being their 
 triennial election, chose the following officers, viz : The Honor- 
 able Stephen Hopkins, Esq., Chancellor, John Brown, Esq., 
 Treasurer, Thomas Arnold, Esq., Secretary, in the room of Dr. 
 Thomas Eyres, who declined serving, any longer, in that office ; 
 and Joseph Clarke, Esq., John Cole, Esq., Col. Joseph Night in- 
 8 
 
58 
 
 gale, Col. William Russell and Mr. Daniel Cahoone, were chosen 
 Trustees of the College." 
 
 An account of the Commencement of 1782, from the " Provi- 
 dence Gazette." 
 
 " Providence, Sept. 7. 
 
 " It is with pleasure we inform the public that the affairs of 
 the College in this town, which have been greatly interrupted 
 by our public difficulties, were happily revived on Wednesday 
 last, the day of our anniversary Commencement, in a full meet- 
 ing of the gentlemen of the Corporation. 
 
 ,f Early in the morning of that day, the gentlemen of the Fel- 
 lowship met in the College Hall, to examine the candidates for 
 the first Degree, who, it appeared, had prosecuted their course 
 of education, amidst all the embarrassments under which the 
 College had labored, and therefore were entitled to its honors. 
 
 "At ten o'clock, the Corporation entered upon the business 
 of the Institution at large. During their session, Dr. Benjamin 
 Waterhouse, was elected a Fellow; and John Innes Clark, John 
 Smith, Esek Hopkins, Rufus Hopkins, Ehenezer Thompson, 
 Esquires, the Rev. Enos Hitchcock, and Capt. Thomas Jenkins, 
 Trustees ; as many of whom as could be properly notified of their 
 election appeared, qualified, and took their places. 
 
 " The deplorable situation of the Seminary was particularly 
 taken into consideration ; whereupon, it was resolved, that the 
 edifice, which had been long occupied as a barrack and hospital 
 by the American and French troops, should be directly repair- 
 ed ; and ample provision was made for the immediate instruc- 
 tion of youth in all the branches of polite and useful Literature. 
 
 " The Reverend President conferred the degree of Bachelor 
 in the Arts, on the following young gentlemen, viz : Obadiah 
 Brown, Joseph Jenckes, Alexander Jones, and William Mc 
 Clellan. 
 
 " John Morley Greene, Samuel Snoto, and Levi Wheaton, 
 students in the Junior Class, at the time College exercises were 
 stopped, by the peculiar calamities of our country, upon their 
 solicitation, and due enquiry into their characters and present 
 standing, were admitted to the like honor. 
 
59 
 
 " The following gentlemen, Alumni of the College, upon 
 their application, were admitted to the degree of Master in the 
 Arts, viz : Pardon Bowcn, Andrew Law, and Robert Rogers, 
 of 1775, — Curtis Coe, Thomas G air, John Preston 3Iann, and 
 Enoch Pond, of 1776." 
 
 An account of the Commencement of 1783. 
 
 " Providence, Sept. 6. 
 
 " Wednesday last, being the anniversaay Commencement of 
 the College in this town, the gentlemen of«,the Corporation met 
 at nine o'clock, A. M., in the College Hall ; from whence they 
 walked in procession to the Meeting House, preceded by the 
 students in the College, and the candidates for their first de- 
 gree. As soon as the Corporation had taken their seats, the 
 audience were entertained with an anthem ; after which, the 
 President made a prayer, well adapted to the occasion. The 
 candidates then proceeded to perform their respective parts, 
 which consisted of several Orations on different subjects, and a 
 forensic disputation. An Oration was likewise delivered by Dr. 
 Jamrs Mann, of Harvard College. The young gentlemen ac- 
 quitted themselves with great honor, while they commanded the 
 attention, and received the approbation, of a numerous, polite, 
 and most brilliant assembly. 
 
 " The degree of Bachelor in the Arts, was conferred on Jacob 
 Campbell, George Tillinghast, John Tillinghast, Othnid Tyler 
 and William Wilkinson ; and an honorary degree on Luther 
 Harris. Francis Quarlcs, Alumnus of the College, was admitted 
 to the degree of Master in the Arts. Benjamin Bourne, Esq., 
 Mr. Thomas Fitch Oliver, and Dr. James Mann, Alumni of 
 Harvard College, were admitted ad cundem. 
 
 " The music, at proper intervals through the day, was a great 
 addition to the entertainment, and reflected much credit on the 
 performers. 
 
 " The Consul-General of France, and the Count dal Vermc 
 honored the Corporation with their company on this occasion. 
 
 " In the evening, an animating Sermon was preached by the 
 Rev. Samuel Stillman, of Boston, from St. Luke, xv. 32 : — 
 " It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad ; for this 
 
60 
 
 thy brother was dead and is alive again ; and was lost, and is 
 found. 
 
 " We are happy to inform the public, that the Honorable the 
 Corporation of the College, have raised a considerable sum of 
 money, in order to procure, without delay, a complete philo- 
 sophical apparatus, and a large addition to their Library. 
 
 " It cannot but be pleasing to the friends of Literature in 
 genera], and to the inhabitants of this State in particular, to see 
 this young Seminary thus emerging from its ruins, into respec- 
 tability and importance." 
 
 An account of the Commencement of 1786 : 
 
 Providence, Sept. 9. 
 
 "Wednesday last being the anniversary Commencement of the 
 College in this Town, the gentlemen of the Corporation, &,c., 
 met at the College Hall, at nine o'clock, A, M. At ten o'clock, 
 they went in procession to the Baptist Meeting House, in the 
 following order, viz : 
 
 " The United Company of the Train of Artillery, under arms, 
 in complete uniform, commanded by Col Tillinghast, with mu- 
 sic ; the Students in College, and candidates for their second 
 degree ; Literary Gentlemen ; the Corporation, closed by the 
 President and Vice President. 
 
 "After a well adapted prayer, by the Rev. President Man- 
 ning, an anthem was performed by a choir of singers, from all 
 the societies in Town. The performances of the young gentle- 
 men were introduced by a Salutatory Oration, in Latin, by Mr. 
 James Manning ; then followed an Oration, upon the Study of 
 History, by Mr. Oliver Bowen : To which succeeded a dialogue 
 upon the four Elements, between Messieurs JSenjamin Bowen 
 Carter, Joseph JYason, Jairus Hall, and Robert Annan. An 
 Oration on the advantages of Commerce, by Mr. Nicholas Broum, 
 Jr., closed the exercises of the forenoon. 
 
 "In the afternoon, the Exercises were opened by an Oration 
 upon the Rise and Progress of Science, by Othniel Tyler, A. 
 M. ; then followed a dispute, upon this question, " Whether it 
 tcould not have been better for America to have remained depen- 
 dent on Great Britain ?" between Messieurs Benjamin Woods, 
 
61 
 
 Edmund Freeman, Jonathan Gould, and Timothy Green ; to 
 which succeeded an Oration, consisting of Reflections upon 
 Governments, and a tribute to the memory of our late departed 
 friend, General Greene, by George Tilliyighast, A. M. 
 
 "The degree of Bachelor of Arts was conferred on the follow- 
 ing young gentlemen, viz : 
 
 " Robert Annan, William Annan, Oliver Bowen, Nicholas 
 Brown, inn., Benjamin Bowen Carter, Edmund Freeman, Jona- 
 than Gould, Timothy Green, Jairus Hall, Lemuel Kollock, 
 James Manning, Joseph Mason, Preserved Smith, Benjamin 
 Woods, and Amos Wood. 
 
 " And the Degree of Master of Arts was conferred on the 
 following young gentlemen, viz : 
 
 " George Tillinghast, Othniel Tyler, John Tillinghast, 
 Timothy Jones, Joseph Jenckes, Samuel Snow, Samuel Sampson, 
 and William Wilkinson. 
 
 " The honorary degree of Master of Arts, was conferred on 
 the following gentlemen, viz : 
 
 " Rev. Benjamin Foster, of Newport, Rhode-Island ; Rev. 
 James Ncicton, of Bristol, Great Britain ; Rev. Joseph Thomas, 
 of Wales, Great Britain; Rev. Burgess Alison, of New Jersey ; 
 Rev. Peter Wilson, of New Jersey ; Dr. Enoch Edioards, of 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 " The degree of Doctor of Laws, was conferred on the Hon. 
 Granville Sharpe, Esq., of London ; and of Doctor of Divinity, 
 on the Rev. Samuel Jones, of Pennsylvania. 
 
 " After which was delivered the Valedictory Oration, by Mr. 
 Lemuel Kollock. 
 
 " N. B. A syllogistic dispute between Messieurs Amos Wood, 
 Preserved Smith and William Annan,\x&s omitted for want of time. 
 
 " The several young gentlemen performed their parts to very 
 general satisfaction, and in such a manner, as, while it reflected 
 honor on their instructors, convinced all present that they had 
 attended to their studies, aud affords a happy presage of their 
 future usefulness. 
 
 " A very numerous and respectable audience attended the 
 exercises, and the greatest possible order was conspicuous 
 through the whole," 
 
62 
 
 [Note £.— Page 23.] 
 
 An account of so much of the Commencement of 179!, from 
 the "Providence Gazette," as was omitted in the "Boston 
 Centinel :" 
 
 " The following exercises were performed, after an introduc- 
 tory prayer by the Rev. Dr. Stillman: 
 
 1. Salutatory Oration — The History of Eloquence — by Wil- 
 liam Hunter. 
 
 2. A Dissertation — Comparison of Ancient and Modern Lit- 
 erature — by Samuel White Baylies. 
 
 3. An English Oration — On the causes of the difference of 
 the moral faculty — by George Raicson Burrill. 
 
 4. A Dissertation on Civil Liberty — by James Ellis. 
 
 5. A Disputation, on the following Question : " Is Fashion, 
 every thing considered, beneficial to Mankind?" — by Elisha 
 Fairbanks and John Morse. 
 
 6. An Oration on Villany, considered as the source of Em- 
 pire — by James Brown Mason. 
 
 7. A Greek Oration — A comparison of Demosthenes and 
 Cicero — by Chiron Penniman. 
 
 8. An Oration— On the influence of the fine Arts on Society 
 — by Samuel King. 
 
 " This concluded the exercises of the forenoon. The pro- 
 cession then returned to the Chancellor's house. At 3 o'clock; 
 P. M., they returned to the Meeting-house. 
 
 " In the afternoon, were the following exhibitions, by candi- 
 dates for the Master's Degree. 
 
 1. An Oration, on the difference between Law and Constitu- 
 tion — by James Burrill. 
 
 2. An Oration, on the Death of the Rev. President Manning 
 — by Simeon Doggctt. 
 
 3. An Oration — past, present, and future prospects of Ameri- 
 ca— by Jabez B oio en. 
 
 4. An Oration, on the rights of Brutes — by Herman Daggett. 
 
 5. An Oration, on the difference in the spirit of heroism, in 
 the different periods of Society— by Josias Lyndon Arnold. 
 
 "At the late meeting of the Corporation of Rhode-Island 
 Colleo-e, Mr. Nicholas Brown, was elected a Trustee, in the 
 place of Nicholas Brown, Esq., deceased: Mr. John Francis, 
 was elected a Trustee, in the place of John Jenckes, Esq., de- 
 ceased ; and Mr. John Mason, was elected a Trustee, in the 
 place of Col. Sylvester Child, resigned. 
 
 " Mr. Asa Messer, of Haverhill, a Graduate of the College.. 
 was elected a Tutor. 
 
63 
 [Note F.— Page 43.] 
 
 Treason, or, as it is sometimes called, High Treason, to dis- 
 tinguish it from Petit Treason, is the greatest crime known to 
 the laws, or which can be committed against society. This 
 crime is a concentration of all crimes which affect the rights 
 of persons and property — Murder, Rape, Robbery, Arson, &c. 
 The levying war against the State, is an attack upon the lives, 
 persons, and property of all, directly or indirectly ; these can- 
 not be safe but under the guardianship of law, and government, 
 which it is the object of Treason to prostrate and destroy. A 
 crime, so heinous in its nature, is punishable by the laws of the 
 United States, and most of the States, with death. By the laws 
 of Rhode-Island, murder is punishable with death; treason, by 
 imprisonment in the State Prison for life. 
 
 The Constitution of the United States, for the security of the 
 States, and to secure the punishment of those who may be 
 " charged in any State with treason, felony, or other crime," 
 and who shall flee from justice, contains the following provision : 
 Article, 4. sec. 2. " A person charged in any State with treason, 
 felony, or other crime, who shall flee from justice, and be found 
 in another State, shall, on demand of the executive authority of 
 the Slate from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to 
 the State having jurisdiction of the crime," 
 
 By the 6th Article, of the Constitution of the United States, 
 it is provided, " that all executive and judicial officers, both of 
 the United States, and of the several States, shall be bound by 
 oath or affirmation to support this Constitution." 
 
 But what are Oaths, or Constitutions , when they seek to ob- 
 struct the madness of party, or to set bounds to the all-absorb- 
 ing selfishness of unprincipled ambition 1 
 
 This is the downward road which has led so many Republics 
 to anarchy and despotism. Civil wars are, proverbially, fero- 
 cious and destructive. From the horrors and desolations of 
 anarchy, despotism itself has often been hailed as a deliverer. 
 
 The voice of Washington, is even now calling to us, as from the 
 grave, in the language of warning and entreaty. Every page of 
 his farewell address is full of wisdom and instruction ; it can- 
 not be too often read or referred to, " to moderate the fury of 
 
64 
 
 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 029 919 130 8 
 
 party spirit, and guard againsLthe impostures of pretended pat- 
 riotism." 
 
 " Liberty, (said he,) is indeed little else than a name where 
 the government is too feeble to withstand the enterprises of fac- 
 tion, to confine each member of the society within the limits 
 prescribed by the laws, and to maintain all in the secure and 
 tranquil enjoyment of the rights of person and property " 
 
 FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF 
 BROWN UNIVERSITY. 
 
 This Anniversary was celebrated on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 1843. 
 The Association convened at the new Chapel, (Manning Hall,) 
 whence they marched, in procession, to the First Baptist Meeting 
 house, where the exercises, on the occasion, were performed in 
 the following order, viz : 1. Music. 2. Prayer, by the Rev. James 
 Thompson, of the Class of 1799.* 3. Address by John Pitman. 
 4. Ancient version of the One Hundreth Psalm. 5. Benediction. 
 
 After the Exercises at the Meeting-house were concluded, the 
 Association repaired to Common's Hall, where they partook of 
 a dinner prepared by the Steward, Lemuel H. Elliott, Esq. The 
 Hon. Tristam Burges, the President of the Association, pre- 
 sided over the festivities of the occasion. At the table, various 
 appropriate sentiments were given ; a spirited song, written by 
 a member of the Class of 1832, and embodying various remin- 
 iscences of college life was sung; and addresses were made by 
 the Hon. Tristam Burges, President Wayland, Hon. Asher 
 Robbins, William Wilkinson, Esq., William L. Stone, Esq., 
 Hon. Joseph L. Tillinghast, Thomas M. Burgess, Esq., the 
 Mayor of the city of Providence, Timothy G. Coffin, Esq., and 
 others. 
 
 * The Rev. Elisha Fisk was, in the first instance, invited to perform 
 the duty of Chaplain, but owing to some parochial engagements, he was 
 unable to accept the invitation with which he was honored. Mr. Fisk 
 graduated in the year 1795, and was a Tutor in College three years, from 
 1796 to 1799. He is now, and for many years has been, a highly respec- 
 table Congregational clergyman in Wrentham, Massachusetts.