Page:History of the University of Pennsylvania - Montgomery (1900).djvu/403

Rh return home until 5 November. 9 These instances of Dr. Franklin's continued personal concern in the College warrant the belief that far from doing aught either at home or abroad to retard its prosperity, he was on the contrary prepared to serve it with his counsel and his influence, although doubtless with- holding his confidence in a great measure from the Provost, whose political affiliations had placed him in such opposing influences, which in his opinion were detrimental to the best interests of the College. It may be that Dr. Smith refrained from incorporating in his letters to the Trustees any mention of his apprehensions of Dr. Franklin's unfriendliness, from the fact that the latter was now at home and in occasional attendance on the meetings of the Trustees. Had such suspicion on Dr. Smith's part reached Dr. Franklin's notice, some denial would have reached us to-day; there is certainly nothing on record leading us to suppose that his fellow Trustees ever doubted Dr. Franklin's fidelity to his Trust, however much Dr. Peters, Gov- ernor Hamilton and others of them might be less intimate with him than formerly, owing to the widening and separating influ- ences of provincial politics. But rumors soon reached Dr. Franklin's ears that Dr. Smith was at this time saying unkind things of him in England. His friend Miss Mary Stevenson wrote from London on 1 1 November, 1762, within two days of the date he had attended the first meeting of the Trustees after his return, one of her letters in which she must have narrated to him some unfriendly conduct of Dr. Smith. 10 He acknowl- edges this letter on 25 March, 1763, the day subsequent to his attendance upon the public examination of the students already noticed, and one paragraph refers to this unwelcome topic." I do not wonder at the behaviour you mention of Dr Smith towards me, for I have long since known him thoroughly. I made that man my 9 Bigelowiii. 244. He writes on 15 April, 1764, to Mrs. Catharine Greene, 44 Public business and our public confusions have so taken up my attention that I sus- pect I did not answer [her letter of 24 December] when I received it." Ibid iii. 247. 10 Doubtless the attempt in the preceding Spring of Dr. Smith to prevent the Oxford degree. 11 Bigelow iii, 232.