Page:History of the University of Pennsylvania - Montgomery (1900).djvu/134

130 Albany." On Bishop Berkeley's visit to this country and his residence at Newport, Rhode Island, he visited him, and began a lifelong acquaintance, and was to some extent a sharer in his peculiar views. The Bishop's scheme for a great college in some part of the new world growing up under England, must have found a sympathiser in Johnson; and when a College was talked of in New York, and Johnson was conferred with on the matter, he at once sought the advice and counsel of Berkeley, with the result already noticed.

Franklin's visit to Stratford must have afforded him some hopes of success with his appeal to Johnson. He writes him, 9 August, 1750,

Mr Francis, our Attorney General, who was with me at your house, from the conversation then had with you, and reading some of your pieces, has conceived an esteem for you equal to mine. The character we have given of you to the other trustees, and the sight of your letters relating to the Academy, has made them very desirous of engaging you in that design, as a person whose experience and judgment would be of great use in forming rules and establishing good methods in the beginning, and whose name for learning would give it a reputation. We only lament that in the infant state of our funds we cannot make you an offer equal to your merit. But as the view of being useful has most weight with generous and benevolent minds, and in this affair you may do great service not only to the present but to future generations, I flatter myself sometimes that if you were here, and saw things as they are, and conversed a little with our people, you might be prevailed with to remove. I would therefore earnestly press you to make us a visit as soon as you conveniently can; and in the meantime let me represent to you some of the circumstances as they appear to be. It has long been observed, that our Church is not sufficient to accommodate near the number of people who would willingly have seats there. The buildings increase very fast towards the south end of the town, and many of the principal merchants now live there; which being at a considerable distance from the present church, people begin to talk much of building another, and ground has been offered as a gift for that purpose. The Trustees of the Academy are three fourths of them members of the Church of England, and the rest men of moderate principles. They have reserved in the building a large hall for occasional preaching, public lectures, orations, etc.; it is 70 feet by 60 feet, furnished with a handsome pulpit, seats, etc. In this Mr. Tennent collected his congregation, who