Page:History of the University of Pennsylvania - Montgomery (1900).djvu/352

348 President of the College of New Jersey ; the Reverend Mr Philip Reading, of Appoquinimink ; the Reverend Mr Thomas Barton at Lancaster ; the Reverend Mr Samuel Cooke at Shrewsbury ; the Reverend Mr Robert M'Kean at Brunswick ; the Reverend Mr Sampson Smith at Chestnut Level ; the Reverend Mr Matthew Wilson in Kent County. The opinion of the value of these degrees was not long maintained by the Trustees. When Dr. Alison, in 1762, in the Provost's absence, made sundry recommendations in line with the action of 1760, the Trustees at their meeting of n May that year, desired the President to acquaint Dr. Alison that it was the unanimous opinion of the Trustees present that the College must lose Reputation by conferring too many Honorary Degrees, and that for the future the Faculty would not proceed to the Recommendation of Persons for Honorary Degrees without first conferring with the Trustees. Only a few weeks after the Commencement Archdeacon Burnaby in his Travels through the Middle Settlements in North America passed through Philadelphia and among the institutions in the city he refers to is the " Academy or College originally built for a tabernacle for Mr. Whitefield ; " and adds "this institution is erected upon an admirable plan, and is by far the best school for learning throughout America." 1 The day before the Commencement of 1760, there assembled in Christ Church the first Convention of the Church of England Clergy, of which Dr. Smith was elected President ; and of the number were Messrs. Reading, Barton, Cooke and McKean, 1 Travels, London, 1798, p. 66. Dr. Burnaby's comments on the Pennsyl- vanian of the period are graphic if not flattering. "As to character, they are a frugal and industrious people; not remarkably courteous and hospitable to strangers, unless particularly recommended to them; but rather, like the denizens of most commercial cities, the reverse. They are great republicans, and have fallen into the same errors in their ideas of independency as most of the other colonies have. They are by far the most enterprising people upon the continent. As they consist of several nations, and talk several languages, they are aliens in some respect to Great Britain ; nor can it be expected that they should have the same filial attachment to her which her own immediate offspring have. However, they are quiet, and concern themselves but little, except about getting money." But as a flattering offset to this, the Arch- deacon adds: "The women are exceedingly handsome and polite; they are naturally sprightly and fond of pleasure; and, upon the whole, are much more agreeable and accomplished than the men. Since their intercourse with the English officers, they are greatly improved ; and, without flattery, many of them would not make bad figures in the first assemblies in Europe." p. 67.