You may think that I have deferred, a long while, to comply with my agreement; after having promised you, last Session, in a sort of indirect manner, though not positively, that I would write to you. But I have been under the impression that you promised to write to me first: and hence, expecting a letter from you by almost every mail, I have postponed till this late period 'expressing my ideas to you through medium of a letter.'

It would appear, (for I very seldom hear from you), that you have fallen in with so many of the noble sons of Old Virginia, that you have almost entirely forgotten your old acquaintances at this University. But probably some of the circumstances herein mentioned may serve to arouse your memory, and, by bringing to your recollection many past scenes, render more perfect those pleasures which I hope you now enjoy.

It may be somewhat cheering to you to learn, by the Catalogue, of the flourishing and still more promising condition of our University at present. The number of Students is 142;3 and, if every "Fresh" Class continue to have as many members as the present one, by the time that my Class graduates, the whole number of Students will amount to 200 or more.4 And I know that it is still more pleasing to you to learn that the number of members of the Dialectic Society has increased so much: but all our rooms are completely filled up. And some5 of our members (as you will see by the Catalogue) have taken rooms in the village. So that every new member, on coming to College, (unless he have a particular friend in the Dialectic Society or unless he be situated in some other peculiar circumstances), is left entirely in the hands of the Phis, none of our members being willing to "screw" him, since they would have no room in which to put him. Hence it is almost certain that the Phis will increase in number.

But so soon as our University rises in one respect, it appears to decline in another; for while the number of Students has been increasing, it seems that other Colleges have been attempting, by offering larger salaries (I suppose) to deprive us of our Professors. Professor W. Hooper has resigned, to become President of a College in South Carolina, (which you may have seen published in the "Raleigh Register", together with a farewell address to him by our Poet, George Horton.)6 Also the Professorship of Mathematics has been offered to Pro. Phillips by a College in Mississippi. But I believe that he takes interest enough in our University not to accept of it.

The Faculty, not long since, granted us Friday night and Saturday morning, for the purpose of the meeting of the two Societies; and still, on account of the increase of members, we are obliged to sit up, every Friday night, until about 12 o'clock. We also continue in Session on Saturday util 12 o'clock or after. The Phis came very near refusing, at the first of the Session, to petition with us, although they had agreed to do so last Session, when the number of members of both Societies was then less than it is at present; and I suppose they would not have petitioned with us at all, had it not been to avoid such a palpable inconsistency as they would have inevitably fallen into by refusing. If I could see you I could tell you of a number of their actions such as those we were frequently criticising last Session. But I suppose it useless to mention them in a letter.

The present "Fresh" Class, is the most pugnacious and wild set that I have seen in some time. They have had no less than three fights in it this Session; and a few mornings ago there was a half-grown steer in the bull-pen in the old chapel,7 at prayers, which I suppose was placed there by the "Fresh". It happened, that he was placed there in the absence of our President, Gov. Swain, or I suppose we would have had a speech from him on the subject.

I have sent you by the same mail with this letter an Address of Judge Strange (4,000 copies of which the Society had printed) and a Catalogue of the University. You may be surprised at finding so many regulars (as the Catalogue would give you to understand), in the Junior Class. But all of those whose names are marked with an (n) are irregulars; also those marke with an (a) are Dies; of course the rest are Phis; it were useless to distinguish any except "newies", however, I have distinguished all. John R. Wilson told me to send you his respects. Accept the same from me.