Letter from
Charles
Wilson Harris to
Joseph
Caldwell, July 24, 1796
University July 24th 1796.
Sir,
You will, without doubt, be expecting some account from me long
before the arrival of this but I delayed giving an answer to your letter until
the meeting of
the Board of Trustees which was on the 15th inst. that I might have it in my power to write to you more
fully. For as a teacher in
the University I had no authority to give you any
encouragement that could be relied upon—without the concurrence of
the Trustees.
In answer to the several queries which you proposed, I am to
inform you that the offices of
the University are President, who is professor of
Rhetoric & Belles-letters; Professor of Moral Philosophy; Professor of
Natural Philosophy; Professor of Mathematics; of Chemistry; & of
Languages—in all five Professorships.
Revd Ker
who has lately left this place was professor of languages & performed the
duties of President pro tempore.
Revd McCorkle, D. D. of this state was appointed to the
professorship of Moral Philosophy, but as he could not immediately accept of
the appointment and the trustees began to be very doubtful respecting his
qualificationfor that business the appointment has been retracted.
Revd.
Holmes is now Professor of Languages. I am the other professor who
besides the duties of my particular office, am obliged for the want of teachers
to attend to the Moral Philosophy class & perform the duties of President.
Besides there are two tutors of the lower classes. As to the classes, the Moral
Philosophy class is the first and consists of six young men. They will study
Paley,
Burlemagni,
Montesqueiu, &
Mallet's elements of
history. The mathematical class will consist of 15 who will study
Simson's
Euclid,
Simson's
Algebra, Trigonometry, Surveying, Navigation, and
if required, Conic Sections, Projection of the Sphere &
Nicholson's Nat. Philosophy &
Ferguson's Astronomy. The Geography & Arithmetic class will be
composed of 10 students, the Latin class of nearly as many, & there will be
five or six in Greek. The tutors each attend to near 30 scholars, so that the
whole number will be about 100. I have not been very particular, or accurate in
some of the statements of the classes because it is now vacation & the
young gentlemen when they meet, will commence their studies in new classes. We
immitate
Nassau Hall in the
conduct of our affairs as much as our circumstances will admit. The
Professorship of Mathematics & Natural Philosophy will not be more
burdensome nor laborious at this place than at
Princeton. I have been at
the University since the first commencement of business
& determined to devote myself during my stay entirely to its interests. For
this reason I have always been employed in duties
which were not annexed to my professorship & which I think it will not be
necessary for any future professor to perform. To me they were not oppressive.
I received my reward in finding myself useful to an institution which was
zealously patronized by the whole state. Our situation is without doubt
healthy—that was a circumstance which particularly recommended
Chapel
Hill for the seat of
the University. As our state is not favourably situated
for commerce, &
the University fixed in an interior part of the country
you must readily conceive that the expense of clothing will be something dearer
at this place than at
Princeton. But boarding is much cheaper, our diet at
Commons is preferable to yours and procured at the low rate of 40 Dollars a
year.
The Trustees will pay for your boarding if you
choose to diet at Commons. It has cost me nothing as yet. The buildings already
compleated are one wing 98 feet long & 40
broad two stories high containing 16 rooms; an elegant & large house for
the President, with out-houses; Steward's house, Kitchen &. The Buildings
which are to be erected are a large house 115 feet long 56 broad & three
stories; a wing exactly similar to the one above mentioned & placed
fronting it; a chapel 50 feet long & 40 broad. I have annexed a small paper
which will show you in what order these houses are to be arranged.
The
Chapel is already contracted for, & will cost near 3,000 Dollars.The
foundation will be laid within two weeks.
The trustees can at pleasure realize 15,000 Dollars
more with which they have determined to commence the large building as soon as
they can procure an undertaker. It would be difficult to give any correct
statement of the funds. I requested the Treasurer to make out a small account
of them, which I purposed to inclose for your satisfaction. This I have not yet
received but he assured me that they could not be stated at less than 30,000
Dollars, tho' some of the property was such as could not be immediately
productive. I have now given you a short but I
fear not satisfactory answer to your enquiries. From what I have said you will
easily perceive that
the University labours more at present for the want of
good teachers than anything else. Were the buildings compleated and more of the
professorships filled there would not be less than 200 students. The
professorship of Mathematics is at present worth 500 Dollars & will I am
certain in a short time be equal to 600. Yet I may inform you that the society
in the neighbourhood of
the University is very uncultivated & unenviting. I
have no communication with it. When there is a little leisure I ride 12 or 14
miles & there find very agreeable company, & the seminary is
occasionally visited by the most respectable gentlemen in the state. One who
resides here will generally be confined to the company of teachers students or
books.
Chapel
Hill is 25 miles from
Raleigh
the seat of government. From the newness of
the University every thing is rather in an unsettled state, but from present appearances I
expect a situation here will within a short time become as agreeable &
profitable as any of a like kind in
the
Union. You might here reasonably enquire why
Mr. Ker
has relinquished his business and why I intend to follow his example when
prospects are so flattering. As to
Mr. Ker he
went away much against his own will,7 and as to my self I never could think of
spending my life in teaching or I should not alter my situation. The law is my
aim, and it is now high time to make some effectual preparation in that way. I
gave the trustees warning of my intention six months ago. After all I hope you
will not rely too much on what I have said. I could not easily forgive myself
should I be, even the innocent cause of persuading you to a situation which
might on trial prove less agreeable than that which you at present hold.
Consult with your friends in that country & if they should approve of the
prospects which open to you from this state, accept of them.
You may calculate without diffidence on all the
assistance which I can give you. Your letter I handed to the trustees who gave
me liberty to inform you that you might be certain of the appointment should
you think proper to accept.
Gen. Davie of
Hallifax, a leading member of the board, promised to
write to you. We expect from
London a
small apparatus which will probably arrive before Christmas. Our education at
Princeton was shamefully & inexcusably deficient
in experimental Philosophy, a circumstance which I have often reflected upon
with concern. If you have never attended particularly to that subject, before
your commencement, you would undoubtedly find it a great advantage to see the
Apparatus in
Philadelphia & to learn the manner of using different
kinds of Electrical Machines, Air-pump, Telescope, Microscope, Camera-Obscura,
Magic Lantern, Quadrants, Sextants, & whatever else you may suppose useful
or entertaining. I should have appeared often very ridiculous in my own eyes
had I not gotten a smattering of experimental Philosophy by visiting
Williamsburg
College in
Virginia.
I would thank you to make my respects acceptable
to
Dr. Smith,
Dr. Minto, &
Mr.
Hobart, if it be not inconsistent with the subject of our
correspondence. I would willingly receive the degree of A. M. if I should be
thought worthy of it & it could be procured in my absence. I suppose there
is some expense attending it, which if you defray I will remit by some
opportunity, at any rate when our members return to congress. If upon the whole
you think of accepting our proposal you ought to arrive here between the end of
October and the middle of November about which time the classes will again meet
& you might at once enter upon your professorship. I am, sir,
with all possible respect your servant
Chas. W. Harris.
Mr. Joseph Caldwell