Letter to Governor Wright, Letter 1 – Letter 2
LETTER TO His EXCELLENCY Governour WRIGHT, Giving an Account Of the Steps taken relative to The CONVERTING THE GEORGIA ORPHAN-HOUSE INTO A COLLEGE.
Together with The LITERARY CORRESPONDENCE that Paſſed upon that Subject, Between his GRACE the ARCHBISHOP of CANTERBURY and the Reverend Mr. WHITEFIELD.
By G. WHITEFIELD, A. M. Late of Pembroke College, Oxford, and Chaplain to the Counteſs of Huntingdon.
Provide Things honeſt in the Sight of all Men. Rom. xii. 14.
LONDON, Printed: CHARLESTOWN, Re-printed and Sold by ROBERT WELLS, at the Old Printing Houſe, Great Stationary and Book Shop.
MDCCLXVIII.
A LETTER TO His Excellency Governour WRIGHT, &c.
Honoured Sir,
AS your Excellency, together with the members of his Majeſty's honourable council, and houſe of repreſentatives, were pleaſed at my late viſit to the Orphan-houſe, not only highly to approve of, but alſo deeply to intereſt yourſelves in, the deſign of converting the preſent Georgia Orphan-houſe into a college; ſo I am perſuaded, you make no doubt, but that ever ſince my arrival in England, in July 1765, I have exerted my utmoſt efforts in endeavouring to bring this important affair to a deſirable iſſue. To mention all the various circumſtances which have occurred during that interval, to impede and retard its more ſpeedy proſecution, would be tedious and unneceſſary: I would therefore only inform your Excellency, that about fifteen months ago, a memorial was delivered into the hands of the late clerk of his Majeſty's moſt honourable privy council. That this memorial was by him tranſmitted to the Lord Preſident, and by his Lordſhip referred to the conſideration of his Grace the Archbiſhop of Canterbury; that by his Grace's permiſſion a literary correſpondence enſued; but as that correſpondence, and with that, the negotiation itſelf ſeems at an end, I think it my duty, not only to lay an account of the whole before your Excellency in particular; but, through your Excellency's hands; before his Majeſty's council and houſe of repreſentatives of the colony of Georgia, together with all the other American Coloniſts, and the publick in general, on both ſides the water, who have ſo liberally contributed to the promoting this deſign.
TO The KING's moſt Excellent MAJESTY, THE MEMORIAL of George Whitefield, Clerk,
Sheweth,
THAT about twenty-ſix years ago, your memorialiſt, aſſiſted by the voluntary contributions of charitable and well diſpoſed perſons, at a very great expence, and under many diſadvantages, did erect a very commodious houſe with neceſſary out-buildings, ſuitable for the reception of orphans and other poor and deſerted children; and that with the repair of the buildings, purchaſe of negroes, and ſupporting a large orphan family ſo many years, he hath expended upwards of twelve thouſand pounds ſterling, as appears by the accounts, which from time to time have been audited by the magiſtrates of Savannah, and which are humbly preſented with this memorial.
That your Memorialiſt, ſince the commencement of this inſtitution, hath had the ſatisfaction of finding, that by the money expended thereon, not only many poor families were aſſiſted and thereby kept from leaving the colony in its infant ſtate; but alſo that a conſiderable number of poor helpleſs children have been trained up, who have been, and are now uſeful ſettlers in that and the other neighbouring provinces; that in order to render the inſtitution aforeſaid more extenſively uſeful, your Memorialiſt, as he perceived the colony gradually riſing, hath for ſome years paſt deſigned, within himſelf, to improve the original plan, by making further proviſion for the education of perſons of ſuperiour rank, who thereby may be qualified to ſerve their king, their country, and their God, either in church or ſtate.
That in his late viſit to Georgia, he did with inexpreſſible pleaſure ſee the province in a very flouriſhing ſtate; but with concern perceived that ſeveral gentlemen had been obliged to ſend their ſons to the Northern Provinces, who would much rather have had them educated nearer home; and thereby prevent their affections being alienated from their native country, and alſo conſiderable ſums of money from being carried out of Georgia into other provinces.
Your Memorialiſt begs leave further to obſerve, that there is no Seminary for Academical Studies as yet founded ſouthward of Virginia; and conſequently if a college could be eſtabliſhed (eſpecially as the addition of the two Floridas renders Georgia more centrical for the ſouthern diſtrict) it would not only be highly ſerviceable to the riſing generation of the colony of Georgia, but would probably occaſion many youths to be ſent from the neighbouring ſouthern provinces for education. The many advantages accruing to Georgia thereby muſt neceſſarily be very conſiderable.
That in conſideration of the foregoing premiſes, your Memorialiſt in December 1764, preſented a memorial to his excellency the Governour and the honourable the council of the province of Georgia, praying that two thouſand acres of land might be granted in truſt towards carrying on the de…rable end of founding a college; which motion was not only immediately complied with, but the general aſſembly being then ſitting, an addreſs, a copy of which is herewith alſo ſent, was preſented from them to his Excellency, expreſſing their unanimous and higheſt approbation, with a deſire that his Excellency would uſe his endeavours to have this affair forwarded at home with all poſſible expedition. That upon the arrival of your Memorialiſt, he was informed that this addreſs was remitted to, and laid before the Lords Commiſſioners for trade and plantations; having received repeated advices that numbers both in Georgia and South-Carolina are waiting with impatience to have their ſons initiated in academical exerciſes, Your Memorialiſt therefore prays that a charter upon the plan of New-Jerſey College may be granted, upon which your Memorialiſt is ready to give up his preſent truſt and make a free gift of all lands, negroes, goods and chattels, which he now ſtands poſſeſſed of in the province of Georgia, for the preſent founding, and towards the future ſupport, of a college, to be called by the name of Betheſda College in the province of Georgia.