I received your letter in due time and intended to have answered it sometime ago, but have neglected it as yet. For this negligence I have no excuse, except that when one has studied all the week and and attended society meetings on Friday night and Saturday morning, he feels very little like writing a letter, in the evening.

The studies of the Freshman class are considerably lightened by carrying up the mathematics, and instead of five Algebra recitations a week we have only three. The Faculty have decided that the present course is to difficult for minds so young and untrained and on that account have transferred the study of Astronomy and Natural Philosophy to the Senior year. The present course is that. Prof. Pearce of Cambridge, which is incomparably suserior to other courses on account of its conciseness and brevity; this indeed is carried too far in some instances and his Astronomy consists merelyof Mathematics, without ever explaining a single cause or effect. I suppose you know, that Mr. Ralph Graves has been a tutor of Mathematics for some years past: he is very much liked and respected here by all and has repeatedly sent his respects to you and brother William ; I should have included Mr Owen also, who has since left for a professorship at Wake-Forestt. He used to be called Judge, when he was here and was famous for using large words and bombastic expressions; a great many copies of his speeches have been preserved in college, and afford some amusements.

Our society has been progressing and the Dialectic retrograding ever since 1837, last commencement, every Phi member of the Senior class obtained a distinction and of the the ten, who spoke on the stage, seven were Phi's. At this commencement, we are divided about equally, but one-half of our members have a distinction, while only one-third of the other society have, and of the five who take the first distinction, three are Phi's.

They have a large superiority in the Junior, which is the worst class, that has been here for some years. In the sophomore they have one first-distinction man to our three. In the Freshman they have none.

The graduating class is the most talented, that has been here for some years and is quite a large one, which fact, taken in con[unrecovered] with the address, which Bishop Ives will deliver before the historicalSociety, is expected to attract numerous visitors, and it is hoped that we will have a larger commencement than usual. Both societies, with the assistance of the trustees are making great efforts to build new halls, and I hope they will suc[cee]d, for, our present one is much smaller than the Di's; and being next to the campus is exposed to every who may attempt to listen.

The Bell is ringing for church now. Give my love to Pa and brother William and believe me to be