the interest thereof would be sufficient to support in said College a Professor of some particular science of public utility, and then to be regularly appropriated to that use; and whereas by reason of the late war, and the evils that attended it, this is not yet done, and there is no probability of such a capital being so raised during our lives:

"We do therefore now appropriate the said thirteen hundred and sixty-two pounds eight shillings and five pence, and the interest thereof in the said Treasury, to and for the support of a Professor of Natural Religion, Moral Philosophy, and Civil Polity, in the said College for ever, whose principal duty it shall be, by lectures and private instruction, to demonstrate the existence of a Deity or First Cause, to prove and illustrate his essential attributes, both natural and moral, to evince and explain his providence and government, together with the doctrine of a future state of rewards and punishments; also to deduce and enforce the obligations which man is under to his Maker, and the duties which he owes him, resulting from the perfections of the Deity, and from his own rational nature; together with the most important duties of social life; resulting from the several relations which men mutually bear to each other; and likewise the several duties which respect ourselves, founded not only in our own interest, but also in the will of God; interspersing the whole with remarks, showing the coincidence between the doctrines of Revelation and the dictates of reason, in these important points; and lastly, notwithstanding this coincidence, to state the absolute necessity and vast utility of a Divine Revelation.

"He shall also read a distinct course of lectures upon that branch of Moral Philosophy which respects the application of the Law of Nature to nations and their relative rights and duties; and also, on the absolute necessity of civil government in some form, and the reciprocal rights and duties of magistrates and of the people, resulting from the social compact; and also on the various forms of government which have existed or may exist in the world, pointing out their respective advantages and disadvantages, and what form of government is best adapted to promote the greatest happiness of mankind.

"And to the end that a regular and systematical division of the foregoing subjects, and of all the other branches of science, which come under this Institution, may be had and preserved, as well as a due proportion of time devoted to each, it is declared, that the

said Professor shall be under the control of the President, Fellows, and Overseers of the said College, who may from time to time give such directions relative thereto, as they shall judge fit and proper, and as shall be consistent with the rules and orders of this Institution.

"The said Professor shall read his lectures on Natural Religion to all the four classes of Undergraduates; those on Moral Philosophy to the two Junior Classes, and those on Civil Polity to the Senior Class only; provided nevertheless, that the Officers of the College, and resident Graduates, as likewise such other gentlemen as the Corporation shall permit, shall have a right to attend all or any of the lectures aforementioned.

"Such Professor shall be chosen by the President and Fellows, and approved by the Overseers of the said College, when there shall in their judgmert be a sufficient fund for his support, raised either in the manner aforesaid, or for the present with the assistance of the College or otherwise, until he can properly be supported in the manner first proposed. But notwithstanding such temporary assistance, the said John Alford, Esq., shall be deemed and considered as the Founder of this Professorship, and the Professor shall be called the Alford Professor of Natural Religion, Moral Philosophy, and Civil Polity.

"And we do hereby institute and appoint, that the said Professor shall, from time to time, as occasion may require, be elected by the President and Fellows, and approved by the Overseers of the said College; that he shall be a Master of Arts, and bear the character of a learned, pious, and honest man; that he shall be at all times under the care and inspection of the said President, Fellows, and Overseers, who shall order and appoint the times and places for reading his public and private lectures, and see that the Professor duly attend the business of his office, and faithfully discharge the trust aforesaid, reposed in him; and as a regular and faithful discharge thereof will be sufficient to employ his whole time and thoughts, he shall not, while he holds the said office, be a pastor or teacher of any church or congregation, or an instructer in any other science; that the said Professor shall hold his office during his good behaviour, and that he be removable from it by the said President, Fellows, and Overseers, for want of ability to execute the trust, or for misbehaviour in the office, or for immoral and scandalous behaviour out of it.

"That the Professor, on the day of his Inauguration, shall, in the presence of the President, Fellows, and Overseers of the said College, profess and declare himself to be of the Protestant Reformed Religion, and a member of a Protestant church, and shall promise to discharge with diligence and fidelity the sacred trust aforesaid reposed in him; that he will endeavour, as well by his example as otherwise, to encourage and promote virtue, true religion, and piety; and that he will religiously observe the aforesaid Institutes of the Founder of this Professorship.

"That upon the death or removal of a Professor, the vacancy shall be filled up by the President, Fellows, and Overseers (in the same manner as the former Professor was appointed) with a person in all respects qualified for the office, and prepared as aforesaid to execute it.

"Witness our hands and seals this eighteenth day of February, A. D. 1789.

In conformity to the foregoing Institution a Professor was first chosen, A. D., 1817.

No. XVII. (p. 153.)

ACCOUNT OF MR. HOLLIS.

[From the Boston Weekly News-Letter, Thursday, April 15-22, 1731.] "Boston, April 14, 1731.

"Whereas some of the good people of our country, piously disposed to honor the memory of our late great and generous benefactor, Thomas Hollis, Esq., of London, have earnestly desired to be informed what the benefactions of Mr. Hollis to the College have been, to what sum they amount, and how he came to show us the kindness of God as he has done. It is therefore thought fit to insert the following account (however imperfect) in this public paper.

"When the Rev. Dr. Increase Mather was agent for the Province in London, Anno 1690, he was known in his character of President or Rector of Harvard College to Mr. Hollis, who then told him that he purposed to remember said College in his will, which was no doubt gratefully accepted and encouraged by Mr. Mather.

"Accordingly Mr. Hollis put down in his will one hundred pounds sterling to the said College whenever he should die; and so it stood till about the year 1717, or 1718.

"At which time it pleased God to incline Mr. Hollis to be his own executor, and he sent over the said sum to the College, and Mr. Craddock paid three hundred pounds our money to Mr. Treasurer White.

"At the same time the good Providenee of God had ordered it that the Rev. Mr. Benjamin Colman of Boston, then one of the Reverend Corporation, had for about two years corresponded with Mr. John Hollis, a worthy gentleman in London, in behalf of two poor orphans, a minister's daughters, who named him to Mr. Colman as their father's friend.

"Mr. Colman being then to write to Mr. John Hollis just as the gift of Mr. Thomas Hollis came to hand, he naturally was led to observe to him how one of his name had surprised us with his goodness and bounty.

"It may be (added Mr. Colman) the gentleman may be known to you, or may be related to you; and if it should so happen, I would pray you to give him my thanks, being one of the present Governors of the College, and [let] him see the following account of it.'

"In this [letter] Mr. Colman was directed by God to inform our benefactor, of whom and his principles he was utterly ignorant, That the sons of parents, Episcopal in their judgment, or Baptists, were equally received, instructed, and graduated in our little Academy, as well as those of our own Profession, Congregational or Presbyterian.'

"This, and some other things in Mr. Colman's letter, happened to sute and please Mr. Hollis, who was in judgment against Infant Baptism; but so catholic in his temper and practice, that he was member in full communion at Pinners-Hall in London, an eminent church there of the Congregational denomination.

“Mr. John Hollis was own brother to Thomas, our benefactor; and when he received Mr. Colman's letter he gave it to his brother, who immediately began his correspondence with Mr. Colman, telling him, that the account he had given him of the College pleased him so much, that he had sent over two hundred pounds more for the College towards the support of poor Students in it.' And Mr. Treasurer that year (1719) received six hundred pounds more, in addition to the first three hundred.

"Mr. Colman could not but return a very grateful acknowledgment for so great a bounty as nine hundred pounds received. But in his letter he happened to say, that if he could have imagined so great a bounty from any gentleman to the College, he should have wished it might have been a foundation for a Professor of Divinity, which should have borne the benefactor's name to all posterity among us, by the will of God.

"Mr. Hollis answered 'with wonder, that we had not a Professor of Divinity before that day,' and prayed to be immediately informed what would be a meet stipend or salary for one?'

"But before the Corporation's answer could reach him he had shipped off more goods to the College Treasurer, which arrived safely, to the sum of fifteen hundred pounds of our money.

"He then informed Mr. President Leverett and the Corporation, that his purpose was, if God pleased, to have ten Students in the College who should yearly and for ever receive ten pounds each; and would allow eighty pounds per annum for a Professor of Divin