The History of the University of Pennsylvania/Chapter XIV

by George B. Wood

 

Chapter XIV.

 

State of the University in the Year 1827.

 

In order to complete the view which it is the object of this essay to lay before the public, it will be necessary to give an account of the arrangement and condition of the several departments of the university, as they exist at the present time.^[1] If in the execution of this task, some facts which are already familiar should be again brought into notice, it is hoped that the advantages to be derived from the integrity of the picture, will overbalance the irksomeness of the repetition.

The institution is under the control of a board of trustees, composed of twenty-four citizens of Pennsylvania, together with the governor of the state, who is ex officio president. This board is perpetual; and, in the exercise of its authority, is subject to no other limitations than such as are fixed by the several charters under which it acts. For the transaction of business a stated meeting is held every month, and special meetings are occasionally called when any important matter demands immediate attention; but, as in the management of so extensive an establishment, there are many objects which require a constant and vigilant superintendence, the board divides itself into standing committees, to each of which some particular province is ascribed for its especial charge. The duties of secretary and treasurer are performed by an officer appointed by the board, who is compensated by a regular salary and a small commission upon the revenues of the institution.^[2]

The university is nominally divided into five distinct departments, those, namely, of the Arts and sciences, of tural science, of general literature, of law, and of medicine.

1. Department of the Arts and Sciences.—This department consists of three parts, the college, the academy or grammar schools, and the charity schools.

The college is under the immediate government of a faculty, composed of four professors and a tutor, to whom, beside the business of instruction, are committed the duties of administering the general discipline of the seminary, and of representing to the trustees, in semi-annual reports, the exact condition both of the collegiate and academical classes.^[3] The offices of provost and vice-provost of the university are held respectively by two of these professors. It is the duty of the provost, and in his absence of the vice-provost, "to visit and superintend the various schools and departments; to see that the rules and statutes of the trustees are duly carried into effect; and to advise and suggest such alterations and improvements as he may deem best calculated to promote the welfare and usefulness of the institution."

The compensation of the professors, if not ample, is at least respectable. Beside a fixed salary, which to the provost is one thousand dollars, to the vice-provost nine hundred, and to each of the other professors about eight hundred and fifty, they severalty have the use of one of the houses belonging to the university, or an equivalent sum in money, and divide equally between them the proceeds of tuition. They are moreover entitled to a small sum from every graduate in the arts; and the provost and vice-provost derive a considerable addition to their income from the fees which they receive upon affixing their signatures to the medical diplomas.^[4]

The number of classes is four, distinguished by the usual titles of freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior. One year is appropriated to each class; so that the whole college term extends to four years. The requisites for admission into the lowest or freshman class are, that the applicant should not be under the age of fourteen; that he should have been taught arithmetic, and the rudiments of geography; and that he should have read, in the Latin language, Virgil, Sallust, and the Odes of Horace; in the Greek, the New Testament, Lucian's Dialogues, Xenophon's Cyropædia, and the Græca Minora of Dalzel. The course of study embraces the highest Greek and Latin classics, with Grecian and Roman antiquities; the mathematics from algebra to fluxions; natural philosophy, chemistry, and geography in all its branches; ancient and modern history, grammar, rhetoric, logic, moral philosophy, and metaphysics. The students are also exercised in writing Greek and Latin, in English composition, and in the art of speaking.^[5]

The pupils of each class are submitted to semi-annual examinations in the presence of a committee of the trustees; and those who do not acquit themselves satisfactorily, are not allowed to proceed.

Punishments are confined to private or public admonition or reproof, degradation, suspension, dismission, and expulsion. All but the two last may be inflicted by order of a majority of the faculty:—these, as they are the most serious, and are liable to affect injuriously the character and future prospects of the young man, require the sanction of the board. Between the punishments of dismission and expulsion there is this difference, that after the former a student may be reinstated by a vote of the trustees, while the latter totally disqualifies him for readmission into the institution, and for receiving any of its honours. The board, however, do not call upon other schools to exclude the students who may have been expelled from their own; nor, though more than once invited to come into an agreement to this effect, do they consider themselves bound to refuse admittance to those who may have incurred expulsion elsewhere; but reserving to themselves the privilege of judging of the circumstances of each case, decide according to their own opinion of its merits. That disposition which would fix an indelible mark of disgrace upon the forehead of a young man, however guilty, and would shut up against him the path of repentance and returning honour, savours rather of revenge and persecution, than of that spirit of beneficence which chastens only for good; and it is placing too much power in the hands of any set of men, other than the public tribunals of the country, to enable them, whether from a sense of justice, or from any worse motive, for ever to cut off from the youth who may have incurred their displeasure, all access to the fountains of instruction, and thus perhaps to blast prospects which may have opened upon him with the fullest and brightest promise.

The price of tuition in the collegiate classes is sixty dollars for one year, more than five times the amount demanded by the college before the revolution.^[6]

Two scholarships have been founded upon the funds of the institution, the right of nomination to which belongs to the heirs of Thomas Penn. This arrangement originated in the conditions of the grant, made by that gentleman to the late college and academy, of his fourth part of the manor of Perkasie. In the deed of conveyance, dated July 21st, 1759, it was provided that the trustees should never dispose of their interest in the estate, and that when the income from it should amount to two hundred pounds per annum, they should educate, maintain, and clothe two persons of the nomination of the grantors or his heirs; and it was also provided, that if these conditions should not be complied with, or in case of a dissolution of the corporation, the land should revert to the original owner or to those who might represent him. The number of acres was about two thousand five hundred, and the rent at the period of the conveyance was forty-three pounds. In the year 1813 the rent is stated at more than six hundred bushels of wheat; an increase which strikingly exemplifies the great nominal rise in the value of property. It appears from the minutes of the board of trustees, that they had always been desirous of selling this land, as the sum which it would command might be invested so as to produce an income far greater in amount than any rent which could be obtained. But as the sanction of the proprietor was necessary before a sale could be made, and upon application from the trustees he expressed his unwillingness to give the desired permission, the design was dropped for the time, and the lands remained as before. Several partial efforts were afterwards made, which either ended in the appointment of committees, or failed from a want of proper attention in the progress of the affair. At length, in the year 1816, the board determined to exert themselves for the attainment of the object; and, as a preliminary measure, passed a resolution pledging the income of the university for the education and maintenance of any two individuals at one time, and of an equal number for ever, whom the heirs of the late proprietor might nominate. Thus originated the "Penn foundation," the establishment of which was merely the transfer of an obligation before attached to the possession of the Perkasie lands, to the general funds of the university; and was very properly considered by the board as a necessary proceeding on their part, before permission to sell these lands could be decently requested. Application being now made to John Penn, the descendent and heir of Thomas Penn, a release of the condition annexed to the original grant was readily obtained; and in the year 1817 the whole estate was sold for the sum of sixty thousand five hundred dollars, a portion of which was paid in cash, and the remainder secured by bond and mortgage. It has been mentioned on a former occasion, that the purchasers were unable to meet their engagements; and that much of the property has in consequence reverted to the university.

Connected with the collegiate department of the university is a library, which, though not very extensive, contains many rare and highly valuable works. The donation of the king of France, and the bequest of Dr. McDowell have already been alluded to. Presents for the library have been received from other sources: among them may be mentioned a number of Bengalee books from the Rev. Wm. Carey, baptist missionary in India. Appropriations are occasionally made by the trustees for its increase; and a standing committee, in whose charge it has been placed, are directed to purchase, as occasion may offer, such works as they may think suitable, "particularly all publications connected with the past and present condition of the United States."

There is also connected with the same department a philosophical apparatus, which has been gradually increasing since the foundation of the school, and is at present one of the most valuable and extensive collections of this kind, existing in America.^[7]

With all these recommendations, it might be reasonably expected that the college would be crowded with students; but the new regulations, by which it has been placed on its present footing, are too recent to have produced any of those good effects which may be ultimately expected from them; and the number of students, therefore, differs little from the average of the last ten or fifteen years, which may be stated at about fifty.^[8]

Of the academy, which is the second division of the department of arts, it is necessary to say but little. Under this title are included two grammar schools—one in the charge of the Rev. James Wiltbank, located in the old Fourth Street academy; the other, a seminary situated in the western part of the city, which has long been conducted by Messrs. Wiley and Engles, and has recently come into connexion with the university. Over these schools a general superintendence is exercised by the faculty of arts, assisted by a committee of the board; and a course of instruction is pursued calculated to prepare the scholars for admission into the collegiate classes. The teachers are compensated by the proceeds of tuition, and receive from the university no other advantage than the influence of its name, and, in the instance of the first mentioned school, the use of a suitable room free from rent. The price of tuition is twelve dollars a quarter; and the number of scholars generally exceeds one hundred.^[9]

The charity schools are a highly interesting branch of the seminary. The circumstances of their origin, and the obligations which bind the trustees to their continued support, have been already detailed. From the foundation of the academy to the present time, two schools, one for boys, the other for girls, have been constantly maintained out of the general funds of the institution; and the average number of scholars receiving instruction in them has been about one hundred. In the year 1823, a third school was established under the following circumstances. A citizen of Philadelphia, by the name of John Keble, upon his death in 1807, left the residue of a considerable estate to be applied to such charitable objects as might be appointed by the Right Rev. Bishop White, and other persons designated in the will. Conceiving that the promotion of education among the poor was the most effectual charity, and having full confidence in the stability of the university, and the uprightness of those who had the direction of its affairs; these gentlemen were convinced that they should best acquit themselves of their charge, by appropriating the property to this institution, in trust that it should be kept a distinct fund for the extension of the boys' charity school. The appropriation was made in March, 1809, at which time the estimated value of the property was nearly ten thousand dollars. Most of it, however, being real estate, and not very productive, the income was deemed too small for immediate and advantageous application. The fund was therefore allowed to accumulate for several years, till, in 1823, it had become sufficiently ample to authorize the establishment of a new school, to be maintained exclusively out of its annual proceeds. Thus originated the Keble Charity School, which is now in a flourishing condition, containing about fifty scholars. The income of the whole Keble fund is at present estimated at one thousand dollars. That portion of it which is not applied to the support of the school, is added to the principal, and thus made productive.

All the charity schools are "subject to the inspection, superintendence, and control of the professors of the collegiate department and a committee of the board." The children who attend them, to the number of about one-hundred and fifty, are taught reading, writing, and arithmetic; and the whole expense of their instruction, including the salaries of teachers, the rent of rooms, the cost of books, and other incidental charges, is little, if at all short of two thousand dollars per annum.

2. Department of Natural Science.—The present condition of this department is by no means flattering. There are nominally five professorships—those of natural philosophy, of botany, of natural history, of mineralogy and chemistry applied to agriculture and the arts, and of comparative anatomy. A regulation of the department requires that annual courses of lectures should be publicly delivered by each of the professors; but it has been only partially complied with. We have been favoured with highly valuable courses, from Dr. Patterson upon natural philosophy, from Dr. William P. C. Barton upon botany, and from William H. Keating upon chemistry and mineralogy; but the last of these gentlemen is now absent from the country, Dr. Barton has attached himself to another institution, and the professor of natural philosophy is at present the only efficient member of the faculty. It would be a source of great regret, should an establishment which promised so much honour to the university, and so much good to the community, be allowed to fail. The public patronage, however, affords an insufficient compensation for the labour and talents which are requisite for a proper performance of the duties of the several professorships; and it is hardly probable that this department will ever prosper, unless the trustees should be able, from their own funds, to supply the deficiency of public support, by salaries adequate to the services required.^[10] In connexion with the subject of natural science, it may be proper to mention, that by act of assembly, in the year 1807, a grant of three thousand dollars was made to the trustees of the university, out of the money due by them to the state, "for the purpose of enabling them to establish a garden for the improvement of the science of botany, and for instituting a series of experiments to ascertain the cheapest and best food for plants, and their medical properties and virtues." A lot of ground suitable for such a purpose has been purchased, the care of which, and of the means necessary for its improvement has been entrusted to a standing committee of the board. But the appropriation of the legislature was too small to be efficiently applied without the addition of a much larger sum; and, as the income of the university, absorbed in the support of its existing establishment, will admit of no further expenditure, the enterprise, though not altogether abandoned, is necessarily suffered to languish. At present, the public resources are so deeply involved in the prosecution of measures vast in their extent, and rich in their promise of future prosperity to the state, that objects of less importance are perhaps wisely overlooked. But when the promise of these measures shall have been fulfilled, we may reasonably hope that the overflowings of the public treasury will be largely directed into the fields of science, and that the botanic garden of the university will be among the first to feel their reviving and invigorating influence.

3 and 4. The Department of General Literature and the Department of Law, are at present altogether nominal. Each of them contains a single professorship: but that of law is vacant by the recent death of Charles W. Hare; and that of general literature, though occupied by a gentleman whose qualifications for the office might safely challenge a comparison with those of any other man in the country, does not afford sufficient inducements to call off his attention from more pleasing or more profitable pursuits.^[11]

5. The Medical Department.—In this department the business of instruction is committed to six professors, occasionally assisted by adjuncts, who, like their principals, are appointed by the trustees. These professors constitute a faculty, to which, subject to the rules and statutes of the board, belongs the government of the medical school, and the arrangement of all the affairs of the department. One of their number, with the title of dean, is appointed to perform the duties of secretary to the faculty, and to act as their organ of communication with the students. The medical professors receive no salary; but the profits of their lectures render their office highly productive. The following is a list of the several professors, with the chairs which they respectively occupy:—

• Philip Syng Physick, M. D., Professor of Anatomy;
• Nathaniel Chapman, M. D., Professor of the Institutes and Practice of Physic, and of Clinical Medicine;
• William Gibson, M. D., Professor of Surgery;
• John Redman Coxe, M. D., Professor of Materia Medica, and of Pharmacy;
• Robert Hare, M. D., Professor of Chemistry;
• Thomas C. James, M. D., Professor of Midwifery;
• William E. Horner, M. D., Adjunct Professor of Anatomy; and
• William P. Dewees, M. D., Adjunct Professor of Midwifery.

Full courses of lectures, about four months in duration, are annually delivered upon each of these branches, with the single exception of the institutes of medicine, which being attached to the subject of the practice, of itself the most copious in the whole round of the science, forms a burden too heavy for the powers of one individual, however expanded may be his intellect, and vigorous his application. It is to be hoped, however, that means will be provided to supply this deficiency, either by the appointment of an adjunct, or by the creation of a new professorship. It is indeed impossible, that in a system of instruction, in all other respects so perfect, one of the chief pillars upon which the science of medicine rests, should be long allowed to be wanting.^[12]

The degrees conferred in the medical department are those of Doctor of Medicine, and Master of Pharmacy. To be admitted to the former of these honours, it is required that the candidate should have attained the age of twenty-one years; should have been three years engaged in the study of medicine, and at least two years of this period under some respectable practitioner; should have attended two full courses of lectures in the university,^[13] and one course of clinical instruction in the Pennsylvania Hospital or city Alms-house; should have written a dissertation on some medical subject, to be approved by the faculty; and, finally, have undergone a satisfactory examination by the professors, as to the extent of his acquirements, and his fitness for the practice of the profession.

Every medical student, upon entering the university, is obliged to pay five dollars as a matriculating fee. The price of admittance to the course of each profession is twenty dollars; and the aggregate cost of tuition for two years is two hundred and forty dollars.^[14] The expenses of graduation amount to forty dollars, of which each of the principal medical professors receives five, the provost three, the vice-provost two, and five dollars are paid to the secretary of the board of trustees, which, after defraying the cost of the diploma, is appropriated to the increase and preservation of the anatomical museum.

As young men of high natural endowments, and strong inclination to the medical profession, are often deterred from entering into it by their inability to bear the necessary charges, a proposition was very generously made by the faculty to the board of trustees, that a permanent provision should be made for the gratuitous education of six: students, to be selected from among those who might appear most deserving, and most in need of assistance. A regulation to this effect was accordingly adopted, and has now been several years in force. A committee is annually appointed by the board, who give public notice that they will receive applications for gratuitous tickets of admission to the lectures; and at a suitable time previously to the commencement of the regular courses, the several applications which have been handed in are examined and decided on. In every instance, testimonials are required, that the applicant is of good moral character, and of studious habits; that his literary attainments are respectable; and that his circumstances are such as to render him a suitable object of the gratuity.

The number of students attending the medical lectures in the university averages about four hundred and fifty; and the annual number of graduates has for the last five years varied from ninety-six to one hundred and thirty-one.^[15]

The degree of Master of Pharmacy was instituted, a few years since, with the very laudable view of improving the profession of the apothecary, which in this city has assumed an importance far beyond what it possesses in other parts of the United States. Any person is entitled to the degree, who shall have served an apprenticeship of at least three years with a respectable apothecary, and attended two courses of lectures on chemistry and materia medica in the university. Advantages would no doubt have accrued from this accession to the original plan of the medical department, had it not been superseded by the establishment by the apothecaries themselves of a distinct school, which, being under their own management, and directed to the one object of advancing the usefulness and respectability of the profession, is naturally more popular, and at least equally efficient.

Reference has been made, on a previous occasion, to the existence of an anatomical museum, connected with the department of medicine. It is generally known among medical men, that the late Dr. Wistar was indefatigable in collecting together specimens and preparations both in healthy and morbid anatomy, with models and other representations of parts of the human frame, calculated to illustrate his course of anatomical lectures; and they who have had the pleasure of listening to his instruction well remember, how delightfully plain and lucid the most intricate and obscure parts of his subject were rendered by his sedulous efforts to demonstrate to the eye, what could not be well understood from description alone. After his death, his family presented to the university this extensive and highly valuable collection, which was thankfully received by the trustees, and in honour of its distinguished author, as well as in commemoration of the liberality of the gift, was styled the Wistar museum. A suitable apartment was provided for its reception; and appropriations of money were from time to time made for its preservation and increase. In the year 1824 it was greatly enlarged by the addition of the anatomical collection of the Pennsylvania Hospital, which the managers of that institution, with an honourable liberality, transferred to the charge of the trustees of the university, under the impression, that, in the medical school, it might be applied to more useful purposes than it could be, if retained in their own possession. The whole museum is placed under the immediate care of the professor of anatomy, who finds, in its diversified contents, the means of giving greater interest and increased efficiency to his lectures.

In this account of the university, it is believed that all the facts, worthy of notice have been embraced. The reader will have perceived, that in the composition of the whole memoir, nothing higher has been aimed at than simple and perspicuous narration: he will therefore be guided in forming a judgment of its merits, less by the manner in which it has been executed, than by the value of the matter it contains. Judged even upon this principle, it may be thought by some undeserving of the space which it occupies: but it pretends only to local interest; and if it excite among the inhabitants of Philadelphia increased attention to the claims of an institution which is intimately connected with the honour and welfare of the city, it will have accomplished the chief object for which it was written.

FINIS.

1. It will be recollected by the reader, that the period here alluded to was the year 1827, when this account of the university was prepared. In any instance in which material alterations have been made since that period, the fact will be stated in a note, with the present date.—January, 1834.
2. The names of all those who filled the office of trustee, from the origin of the school to the period at which the college and university were united, have been mentioned in previous notes. Those elected since that period, whose places have been vacated by death or resignation, are the following:—
   Alexander James Dallas, Joseph B. McKean, Joseph Ball, Samuel M. Fox, Thomas M. Willing, Moses Levy, John T. Mifflin, John H. Brinton, John R. Coxe, Anthony Morris, Thomas M. Francis, William Tilghman late chief justice of Pennsylvania, Rev. James P. Wilson, George Fox, Zaccheus Collins, Thomas Duncan, Rev. Jacob J. Janeway, Robert Walsh jr., Rev. Thomas H. Skinner, and Rev. Thomas McAuley.
   The following gentlemen, exclusive of the governor of the state, compose the board, at the date of this note:—
   1. Right Rev. William White, D. D.,
   2. William Rawle, LL. D.,
   3. Benjamin R. Morgan,
   4. James Gibson,
   5. Horace Binney, LL. D.,
   6. William Meredith,
   7. Benjamin Chew,
   8. Robert Waln,
   9. John Sergeant, LL. D.,
   10. Thomas Cadwalader,
   11. Peter S. Duponceau, LL. D.,
   12. Nicholas Biddle.

   13. Charles Chauncey, LL. D.,
   14. Joseph Hopkinson, LL. D.,
   15. Joseph R. Ingersoll,
   16. Rev. Philip F. Mayer, D. D.,
   17. Philip H. Nicklin,
   18. Rt. Rev. H. U. Onderdonk, D. D.,
   19. John C. Lowber,
   20. James S. Smith,
   21. Edward S. Burd,
   22. John Keating,
   23. George Vaux,
   24. Rev. William H. De Lancey, D. D.

   The reader acquainted with the general history of the Union, and the particular history of this state, will have observed, that, at every period of the existence of the school, the board of trustees has been remarkable for the number of its members distinguished in politics, literature, science, and the liberal professions; and a glance at the list of its present members will satisfy him that it has not degenerated. We may, indeed, be proud as Philadelphians, that our city has been able to afford so many distinguished names as are to be found in the catalogue of those who have at different times directed the affairs of the college and university. The office of treasurer and secretary is now occupied by James C. Biddle, who succeeded Joseph Reed, late recorder of the city.—January, 1834.

3. Some alterations have been made in the arrangement of the faculty of arts since the year 1827. The four professorships remain as before; but an assistant professorship has been added. The office of tutor, referred to in the text, was also made an assistant professorship, which has, however, been recently abolished. In 1827, when this memoir was written, the members of the faculty were Rev. Frederick Beasley, D. D., provost and professor of natural philosophy; Robert M. Patterson, M. vice-provost and professor of natural philosophy; James G. Thompson, professor of languages; and Garret Van Gelder, tutor. The professorship of mathematics, which was then vacant, was soon afterwards supplied by the election of Robert Adrain, LL. D. It is well known that, since the period above mentioned, great changes have taken place in the faculty, so that not one of those who then occupied chairs is now connected with the institution. The faculty of arts at present consists of the following members:—
   • Rev. William H. De Lancey, D. D., acting Professor of Moral Philosophy, and acting Provost of the University;
   • Robert Adrain, LL. D., Professor of Mathematics and Vice-provost of the University;
   • Rev. Samuel B. Wylie, D. D., Professor of the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin Languages;
   • Alexander Dallas Bache, Professor of Natural Philosophy and Chemistry;
   • Henry Reed, Assistant Professor of Moral Philosophy.
   With the exception of Mr. Reed, these gentlemen immediately succeeded those above mentioned, as filling the same offices. The predecessor of Mr. Reed, and the first assistant professor of moral philosophy was the late Rev. Edward Rutledge. Thomas McKinley and the Rev. Christian F. Cruse, successively alter M. Van Gelder, held the place of tutor or assistant professor, now abolished.

Dr. De Lancey has resigned his station in the university, but continues to occupy it temporarily, till a successor can be provided. The Rev. Philip Lindaley, D. D. has been elected, but has not yet signified his acceptance of the office.—January, 1834.

4. The mode of compensating the professors has undergone some alteration since this was written. They now receive a fixed salary without any share of the tuition money.—January, 1834.
5. Since the year 1827, considerable changes have been made in the course of instruction, which is believed at present to be as comprehensive as that pursued in any similar institution in the United States. The following regulations are extracted from the Catalogue of the University, published by order of the trustees in January, 1834.
   "To be admitted into the Freshman Class, a student must be at least fourteen years of age. He must be qualified for examination on the following subjects and authors:—Latin. Cæsar, Virgil, Sallust, Odes of Horace.—Greek. New Testament, the Four Gospels, Acts, and the Epistles of Peter. Xenophon, first three books. Græca Minora, or Jacob's Greek Reader.— Quantity and scanning in each language.—English. The elements of English grammar and of modern geography.—Arithmetic, including fractions and the extraction of roots.
   "No student is admitted to advanced standing without the fullest preparation for the class into which he applies for admission.

   "COURSE OF INSTRUCTION IN THE COLLEGE.

   "Freshman Class.—Mathematics. Algebra, including simple and quadratic equations, surds, cubic, and biquadratic equations. Approximations. Converging series, &c.—Classics. Five books of Livy. Horace's Satires. The Epistle to the Hebrews. Selections from Herodotus. Latin and Greek exercises. Roman and Grecian Antiquities.—English. English Grammar, (Lowth's English Grammar) and Geography reviewed. Ancient History, (Lardner's Outlines of History.) Readings in Prose and Poetry. Written Translations from ancient authors. Declamation.
   "Sophomore Class.—Mathematics. Elements of Geometry, (Legendre's Geometry.) Logarithms. Plane Trigonometry. Surveying, Mensuration, &c.—Classics. Cicero de Oratore. Terence. Cicero's Orations. Horace's Epistles. Selections from Thucydides, Xenophon, Demosthenes, Lysias, Isocrates, Plato and Ælian, Homer's Iliad, Latin and Greek exercises.—Nat. Philosophy. Elements of Mechanics, (Library of Useful Knowledge, or Lardner's Mechanics and Hydrostatics.)—English. History, (Mackintosh's History of England.) Rhetoric, (Whately's Rhetoric.) English composition. Declamation.
   "Junior Class.—Mathematics. Spherical Geometry and Trigonometry. Perspective Geography, including the Use of the Globes and Construction of Maps and Charts. Analytical Geometry, including conic sections, (Young's Analytical Geometry.) Elements of the Differential Calculus, with applications, (Young's Differential Calculus.)—Classics. Art of Poetry. Juvenal. Quintilian's Institute. Review of Selected Odes of Horace. Cicero de Officiis. Selections from the Odyssey, Hesiod, Apollonius Rhodius, Sophocles, Euripides, Theocritus, Pindar, &c.—Nat. Philosophy and Chemistry. General doctrines of equilibrium and motion. Equilibrium and motion of solids and fluids, (Cambridge Mechanics.) Theory and Construction of Machines, (Application of Descriptive Geometry.)—Heat, (Turner's Chemistry.) Electricity, including Galvinism. Magnetism. Electro-magnetism, (Roget in Library of Useful Knowledge.) Philosophy of Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry commenced. (Turner's Chemistry.)—English. History continued. Moral Philosophy. Logic, (Whatley's Logic.) English compositions. Written discussions.
   "Senior Class.—Mathematics. Elements of the Integral Calculus, with applications. Variations of Lagrange. Analytical Mechanics, (Young's Analytical Mechanics, and Lectures.)—Classics. Former authors reviewed or completed. Longinus. Tacitus.—Nat. Philosophy and Chemistry. Astronomy, (Gummere's Astronomy.) Optics, (Brewster's Optics.) Steam-engine, (Lardner on the Steam-engine and lectures.) Inorganic Chemistry completed. Organic Chemistry, (Turner's Chemistry.)—English. Evidences of Natural and Revealed Religion. Intellectual Philosophy. Law of Nations and Political Law, (Kent's Commentaries.) English composition. Forensic discussions.
   "On every Saturday members of the Senior Class deliver original essays in the chapel.
   "French, Spanish, and German, may be pursued, if required by parents.
   "On each day of the week, except Saturday, there are not more than four nor less than three recitations of one hour each for every class. On Saturday each class recites once.
   "All the classes, except the Senior class, recite both in the morning and afternoon.
   "The instructions of the college are conveyed in part by lectures, but principally by the study of the most approved text books, aided by the explanations of the professors. The diligence of the student is tested by rigid daily examinations. The character of each recitation is recorded, and the results communicated to parents or guardians in the middle or at the end of each term. At the end of each term, public examinations of the classes are held by the faculty; and the students are classed in the order of merit.
   "Defective students are not allowed to proceed to a higher class, and incompetent students are dismissed from the institution.
   "Negligent and indolent students are transferred to a lower class when unable to proceed with the studies of their own class."
   Instruction in the French, Spanish, and German languages, is given to those students who may desire it, by teachers appointed by the trustees.—January, 1834.
6. The price is now twenty-five dollars for each term, or seventy-five dollars a year.—January, 1834.
7. The apparatus has been considerably augmented since the period alluded to in the text. I have been assured that it is now at least equal to that of any collegiate establishment in the United States.—January, 1834.
8. Under the influence of the new spirit which has been infused into this department of the university within the last few years, the number of pupils has greatly augmented. According to the catalogue published in 1832, the members of the four college classes amounted to one hundred and twenty-six. The number at present is ninety-four.—January, 1834.
9. The academical department at present embraces a classical and English school, under the charge of a principal, who teaches the classics, an English teacher, and three assistants. The present principal is the Rev. Samuel W. Crawford, who is assisted by Theophilus A. Wylie and William Alexander. The English teacher is Thomas McAdam, and his assistant Thomas McAdam jr. The number of pupils at present in the academy is one hundred and eighty-four.—January, 1834.
10. This department of the university, which the establishment of the Franklin Institute has rendered unnecessary, has been abolished.—January, 1834.
11. Both these departments have been abolished.—January, 1834.
12. Since this account was written, Dr. Physick has retired from the school with the title of "Emeritus Professor of Surgery and Anatomy;" and has been succeeded by his former adjunct, Dr. Horner. The deficiency noticed in the text in relation to the institutes of medicine, has been supplied by the appointment of Samuel Jackson, M. D., as assistant to the professor of the institutes and practice of physic and clinical medicine.—January, 1834.
13. With regard to this requisite, an exception is made in favour of those who have attended one or more courses in any respectable medical school in which the same subjects are taught as in the university of Pennsylvania. Of these it is only required that they should attend one full course of the medical lectures.
14. After attending two courses of each professor, the student has the privilege of being admitted to the lectures without charge.
15. In the winter of 1824-5, there were four hundred and eighty-four students in the medical class. For the last seven years they have averaged about four hundred. The number attending the present course is four hundred and thirty-one.—January, 1834.