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As it is unnecessary at this time, while every thing respecting our beloved Washington, is still fresh on the minds of his fellow citizens, to add to the chronological memoranda in the first part of this book, we shall only endeavour to account for his having done nothing further for the university till he founded the institution in his last will! In a conversation with the writer hereof, he stated his opinion, that till there were 4 or 5,000 inhabitants in the city of Washington, and until congress were comfortably accommodated, it might be premature to commence a seminary, at which our youth from other comfortable establishments were to receive an additional polish to their republican suavity of manners, as well as to their other mental and personal accomplishments. He did not wish to see the work commence till the city was prepared for it; but he added, that he hoped he had not omitted to take such measures as would at all events secure the entire object in time, even if its merits should not draw forth from every quarter the aid it would be found to deserve. He then talked again and again, on Mr. Turgot's and Dr. Price's calculations of the effect of compound interest, at which, as he was well versed in figures, he could acquit himself in a masterly manner. But to lose no more time, we now offer the extract from his will, to which unborn millions will be indebted for their ability to shine in the senate and the field, and thus to save their country, we hope, till time shall be

no more.

Extract from Washington's will.

"It has always been a source of serious regret with me to see thé youth of these United States sent to foreign countries for the purpose of education, often before their minds were formed, or they had imbibed any adequate ideas of the happiness of their own; contracting too frequently, not only habits of dissipation and extravagance, but principles unfriendly to republican government, and to the true and genuine liberties of mankind; which, thereafter, are rarely overcome. For these reasons, it has been my ardent wish, to see a plan devised on a liberal scale, which would have a tendency to spread systematic ideas through all the parts of this rising empire, thereby to do away local attachments and state prejudices, as far as the nature of things would, or indeed ought to admit, from our national councils. Looking anxiously forward to the accomplishment of so desirable an object as this is, (in my estimation) my mind has not been able to contemplate any plan more likely to effect the measure, than the establishment of a university in a central part of the United States, to which the youths of fortune and talents from all parts thereof might be sent for the completion of their education in all the branches of polite literature; in arts and sciences, in acquiring knowledge in the principles of politics and good government, and (as a matter of infinite importance, in my judgment) by associating with each other, and forming friendships in juvenile years, be enabled to free them

selves in a proper degree from those local prejudices and habitual jealousies which have just been mentioned; and which, when carried to excess, are never failing sources of disquietude to the public mind, and pregnant of mischievous consequences to this country: under these impressions, so fully dilated"....

"ITEM. I give and bequeath in perpetuity the 50 shares which I hold in the Potomac company, (under the aforesaid acts of the legis lature of Virginia) towards the endowment of a university, to be established within the limits of the district of Columbia, under the auspices of the general government, if that government should incline to extend a fostering hand towards it; and until such seminary is established, and the funds arising on these shares shall be required for its support, my further wILL and DESIRE is, that the profit accruing therefrom, shall, whenever the dividends are made, be laid out in purchasing stock in the bank of Columbia, or some other bank, at the discretion of my executors, or by the treasurer of the United States, for the time being, under the direction of congress; provided, that honourable body should patronise the measure, and the divi dends proceeding from the purchase of such stock is to be vested in more stock, and so on, until a sum adequate to the accomplishment of the object is obtained; of which I have not the smallest doubt, before many years pass away, even if no aid or encouragement is given by legislative authority, or from any other source."

"If no aid from congress, or any other source" had followed this noble challenge of Washington, his donation, at compound interest, would in 12 years, have given $ 50,000, and in 24 years, $ 100,000 ;' at this period, one of the colleges of the university might have been erected and endowed, and yet a part of the surplus might remain at compound interest, for the completion of the whole design.

The following extracts from a journal of the late supervisor of the city of Washington, while acting as secretary to the subscribers, for the university and monument to Washington, are descriptive of the origin and progress of this enterprise, and of the general impression in its favour.

MEMORANDUM.

On that day on which the first intelligence of the death of the beloved and universally respected MARTHA WASHINGTON, Consort to THE HERO AND FATHER OF HIS COUNTRY! was received at Boston, the following address was immediately penned to appear in the same gazette with the first publication of this melancholy event, on the 2d of June, 1803. See the Columbian Centinel of that date.

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To the citizens of the United States !

When your beloved WASHINGTON, the father of his country, died! you saw with increased sensibility the universe in tears! AMERICANS! How did your bosoms dilate and glow, when, at the first meeting of your political fathers, following the melancholy event, you saw the call for a MONUMENT, worthy of the sublime virtues you hoped to perpetuate, universally applauded!

How then, fellow countrymen, have ye permitted two whole years to pass since the noble and natural resolution was every where individually formed; and the traveller still to ask in vain, where is THE NATIONAL MONUMENT, sacred to the public and private virtues; to the manes of the illustrious WASHINGTON?

COLUMBIANS! you owe to the world, as well as to yourselves, an apology, or an explanation, for the mysterious delay of your acknowledged duty since nothing can be more true, than that a mere difference of opinion, respecting the form of the monument, or the mode of its elevation, is the sole cause. To prove this, let us agree at once to obviate all difficulty, by uniting in a simple plan to accord with the annexed, now in operation :....

TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION,

To a monument, sacred to public and private virtue, dedicated to GEORGE WASHINGTON, to be erected in the city bearing his name, by the voluntary contribution of citizens of the United States, only. The form and inscriptions, to be under the entire direction of three trustees.

I. These articles of subscription for a monument to WASHINGTON may be opened in any district or part of the United States, provided that none but citizens be allowed to subscribe, and that no individual be allowed to contribute in his own name more than one eagle, (or ten dollars) to the subscription fund.

II. The name of each subscriber shall be written in a book, and transmitted with the subscription monies to either branch of the bank of the United States.

III. To render the whole design as simple as may be, three trusty and well beloved friends, namely, BUSHROD WASHINGTON, and JOHN MARSHALL, judges in the supreme court of the United States, and BENJAMIN STODDERT, late secretary of the navy of the United States, or any two of them, are hereby empowered and requested to carry the whole design into effect, in such manner as in their wisdom may be deemed most honorable to the memory of WASHINGTON.

IV. Should the sum hereby collected be more than sufficient for a monument or university, whatever the object of our respect may be

called, the trustees are hereby requested to appropriate the surplus to increase the fund which WASHINGTON began, when in his last will and testament he virtually laid the cornerstone of a national university. V. The trustees are hereby empowered and requested to draw the subscription monies from the bank, in which they are deposited at discretion, and also to deposit the original subscription book, either with the remains of WASHINGTON, or in the library of the national university, founded by WASHINGTON. They are also requested to publish whenever they may think fit, statements of their progress in the important work, hereby consigned to their care.

Memorial presented to the congress of the United States.

MONDAY, January 10, 1803.

Mr. Van Ness presented a representation from Samuel Blodget, on the subject of a national university, as follows:

"The memorial of Samuel Blodget, late supervisor of the city of Washington, represents, that owing his appointment chiefly to his zeal in forming several probationary plans for a national university, he conceived it an indispensable duty after the death of Washington, to follow the commanding advice and noble example of the common father of his country, so irresistably pourtrayed in his farewell ad dress, and in the clause of his will annexed to his liberal donation therefor. In thus calling, most respectfully, the attention of your honorable body to this part of the will of Washington, he fulfils a promise made in behalf of more than one thousand subscribers to the same object, whose respectable names accompany this memorial, with a request that a committee may be appointed to consider what portion of the public lots, and of lands in the western territory of the United States, shall be appropriated by congress to this important institution, in addition to the contents of either of the sites already. contemplated therefor within the city of Washington, by Washington himself, and by the commissioners thereof. And further to consider the expediency, ( should it comport with the monumental plan to be adopted) of erecting the statue of 1783, or in lieu thereof, any appropriate and characteristic equestrian statue, of the original founder of the national university, as a beautiful centre piece for the entire plan, to be surrounded by halls and colleges as they may be built in succession, by the fund to which the whole people of America, are now so liberally and so honorably contributing by voluntary subscriptions, from Maine to Georgia inclusive. Thus virtually following an ancient custom of the original Americans, when men, women and children, all carried a stone to the monumental pile of a beloved chief.

It is humbly conceived that no further aid will be necessary for your honorable body to give, till in your wisdom it may be deemed proper to follow the sublime and prophetic advice of Washington,

and to assume the entire direction of the most important object ever contemplated in the united efforts of all parties, persuasions and classes of the American people, under a firm belief that the governmental plan, and synopsis thereof will be maturely considered and wisely adapted to promote the views of the sage and provident Washington, namely, "to do away local attachments and state prejudices, as far as the nature of things would or indeed ought to admit, from our national councils;" and, in short, to promote a true amor patriæ, as well as the advancement of new arts and universal science, in all useful knowledge, while "our youth by associating with each other for these purposes, and forming friendships in their juvenile years, will free themselves from those narrow local prejudices which, when carried to excess, are never failing sources of disquiet to the public mind, and pregnant of the most mischievous consequences to this country."

Such are the principles under which this sublime institution, founded by Washington, and indubitably the best monument to his memory, is now rapidly progressing to the inmortal honor of the American name, nor does it require uncommon inspiration to foretel, that as long as it shall continue true that parents are naturally attached to the most amiable of their offspring, so long will the founders throughout the Union, themselves and their posterity, delight to preserve a noble fabrick, which in itself will unite the most sublime points that can with reason interest a generous, industrious and an enlightened people, and equally endear them to their country and to each other. And so long as the divine principles that gave birth and strength to the infancy of the university may continue, so long by turning the tide of emigration in search of learning, shall the American character be the pride and boast of the liberal and learned of all nations, and the dread of every foe to human excellence.

A synopsis for the university uniting with it a plan for a free college, adopting and combining therewith the interests of the existing seminaries throughout the union, accompany this memorial, together with descriptions or duplicates of several monumental plans, which will remain before the present committee of subscribers till Congress may think proper to assume the entire direction of this object, in conformity with the ardent wishes and earnest advice so irresistably enforced by Washington."

1 he memorial was accompanied by a plan of the equestrian statue of Washington, surrounded by halls and colleges regularly arranged; the whole to be stiled Washingtonia, or the monument to Washington.

These articles were disseminated in all the news-papers, and always with an explanatory note, that the monument in contemplation was in imitation of the Timoleonteon of Syracuse, as it is described by Plutarch, to whose lives the reader is referred.

It was also stated, in handbills, that in conformity with the nomination and appointment at the first meeting of the subscribers, Samuel Blodget had accepted the office of secretary, and the cashier

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