famous Town of New Haven, have Convened on our Academical Solemnities, where we have had the Honour done us of Seeing the names of the famous Books sent us from yr Hon" appearing in the Catalogue of the Books of the Noble Spirited Benefactors of our School, and of Knowing your most Generous Bounty of a Large Quantity of very agreeable Goods, together with a further Ornament of choice Books, his Majesties Picture and arms are safely Arived at Boston, and had the Happiness of the Honble Coll. Taylor, Representing y Honor, Gracing the Solemnities of our Commencem1. In whose presence a great number of Learned men and ye fautors of Learning attending, we the Trustees in the Large and Splendid Hall of our Building, Have done our School the Honour of naming it with your Illustrious name and have called it YaleColledge, and read off a Memorial of it in the Lattin Tongue, And also a Memorial of the Same in the English Tongue, answered with a Counterpart in Lattin, which Coll. Taylor was pleased to say was very agreeable to him representing yr Honor. From the Hall the Schollars in the way usual walked to the meeting house, where in the presence of the Honble Govt Saltonstall and his Generous Lady, the Honble Coll. Taylor representing your Person, the Honble Deputy Govern' Gold, with sundry worshipful Assistants, the Judges of the Circuit, a Great numb of Revd Ministers, and Learned men and of a great frequency, your Hon'rs bounty hath been opened with the great gratitude by the Saluting Orator, and after the Disputations were well performed, jn an oration managed by one of our Body, hath been proclaimed the wonderful Goodness of a most Bountiful God, and the Benefits of Liberal Donors, and in a Distinguishing Degree the admirable Munificence of your Hon' with warmest Prayers to the God of all grace to inrich your Honor more and more with all Spiritual Blessings; and that after the long Continuance of a publick blessing so rich in Good works, a multitude, who have been Satisfied with your beneficences, may receive their Generous Benefactor into Everlasting Tabernacles. Immediately after which ten Deserving proficients received their Degrees, which being given, our Honble Governor Saltonstall was pleased in a famous Latin Speech to do us the Hon of Crowning the Solemnities of the Day, Extolling with profound respect your Honble name. The Solemnities being perfected, in Colledge Order from the meeting-house we returned to Yale-Colledge Hall and Library, wherein were Generously entertained with a large Colledge Dinner a vast number, and in the Library yr Honble Representative the Honble Ingenuous and Generous Coll. Taylor, was pleased to seat himself at the Table of the Ladies. The Day hath with Divine countenance, been carried on in a Splendid manner. We rejoyce in the Goodness of Almighty God, who hath provided for our School so honourable a protection, and revived our Hopes that so great and Glorious a work, for the Hon" of Almighty God, for the Service of Religion and Learning, for the Ornament and Weal of our Colony, and in particular for the accomplishment of many your worthy Relations, may, under your great name, flourish and increase in Glory. As we offer humble and hearty Thanks to yr Hon' for your many bounties, so we are and shall be Constant Solicitors at the Throne of Grace, that your Abundant Charity and Liberality flowing from your Pious Breast may be found to the making very weighty your Crown of Glory to be received from the hands of adorably free grace in the Day of our Lord Jesus: and we humbly desire Leave to do our Selves the Hon' of Subscribing New-Haven, Sept. 12, 1718. The Honble ELIHU YALE. Honble Sir, Your Hon''s most obliged, Most Thankfull, And most obedient Servants, SAMUEL ANDREW, SAMUEL RUSSEL, JOSEPH WEBB, JOH. DAVENPort, THOMAS RUGGLES, STEPHEN BUCKINGHAM.* The place and date of Governor Yale's death it is difficult to fix with certainty. It has been generally supposed by those who have, at different perioda, made the record, that he died while on a visit to the seat of his ancestors in Wales, but it is now pretty well established that he died at London on the 8th, and was buried at Wrexham on the 22d of July, 1721.. The inscription on his tomb is usually given as follows: "Under this tomb lyes interr'd ELIHU YALE, of Place-Gronow, Esq.; born 5th April, 1648, and dyed the 8th of July, 1721, aged 73 years. "Born in America, in Europe bred, In Afric travell'd, and in Asia wed, Where long he liv'd and thriv'd; at London dead. And that his soul thro' Mercy's gone to Heaven. For only the Actions of the Just Smell sweet and blossom in the dust." From more recent investigation it appears that the monument of Governor Yale, having become worn and defaced by time, was repaired in the year 1820, and the original inscription re-cut, with modifications and additions. This monument, situated in the church-yard of St. * The obsequious deference which is manifest in affixing these signatures, requires in the manuscript little less than a page of foolscap, which, for want of room, is not here imitated. The last two lines of this epitaph will be recognized as a quotation from that noble dirge by Shirley, opening with "The glories of our blood and state Are shadows, not substantial things." Giles, Wrexham,* was visited in June, 1857, by Professor Edward E. Salisbury of New Haven, who copied the following inscriptions: Born in America, in Europe bred, In Afric travell'd, and in Asia wed, Where long he liv'd and thriv'd; in London dead. For this most certain exit to prepare, Where blest in peace the actions of the just Smell sweet and blossom in the silent dust. There is, at present, in the possession of Yale College, an original full length portrait of the Governor, which, on the application of Presi * Wrexham is one of the largest towns in North Wales, and its chief ornament is the fine old church, near the west end of which stands the tomb of Gov. Yale. A lithographic representation of Wrexham Church has been recently deposited in the Trumbull Gallery by Prof. Salisbury. A modern tourist in describing a visit to this locality, speaks of this as "an elegant gothic structure very richly ornamented, and having a most beautiful tower, at least one hundred and forty feet in height." Of Gov. Yale the same writer says, "He appears to have been much attached to Wrexham; for he has ornamented the church with a very fine altar-piece, which he purchased at Rome, and, although be died in London, he desired his remains might be deposited among the fair green hills of Denbighshire." "Miss Seward, who has eulogized many a beautiful scene in the Principality, has paid a passing tribute to the venerable towers of Wrexham Church: "Her hallowed temple there religion shews, That erst with beauteous majesty arose, Her fanes in airy elegance arrayed." dent Stiles, through Samuel Broome, Esq., of London, was presented to the College in 1789, by the grandson of Catharine Yale, Dudley North, Esq., member of Parliament for Great Grimsby, and at that time owner of the family seat of the Norths, at Glemham, in Suffolk, England. From a date on the canvas, the portrait appears to have been executed by E. Seeman, 1717, about four years before the Governor's death. The following correspondence, preserved among the literary reliques of President Stiles, in the College Library, invests this painting with a new interest, and it is hoped will tend to perpetuate the memory of that praiseworthy zeal which secured to the institution so valuable an acquisition. SIR: [Dudley North, Esq. to Samuel Broome, Esq.] I have the honour of your Letter inclosing the request of Yale College, and shall be very happy to have it in my power to comply therewith. I believe I might indeed promise it at present, as I recollect that I have more than one Portrait of the Governor, at Glemham, in Suffolk, I shall probably not be in Suffolk immediately, but will give orders (if you wish to send it by an early conveyance) to have a Portrait sent hither as soon as possible, which I will be obliged to you to present to Dr. Stiles and the College, with my compliments and thanks for the Honour which they confer upon my Ancestor and his family. I have the honor to remain, Sir, Hamilton St., May 16, 1789. Your most obedient Servt., DUDLEY NORTH. MR. BROOME, In a letter to Dr. Stiles, informing him of the success of his negotiations, Mr. Broome says: "When this Portrait has reached you, I wish, Sir, you would, if you think proper, acknowledge the receipt thereof by a line directed to the Honourable Dudley North, Esquire, at Glemham, in Suffolk, Great Britain. This will be pleasing to his Honour the Donor, and if it is signed in behalf of the Corporation it will no doubt be the more acceptable." This extract is under date of July 20, 1789. He announces the sending of the Painting as follows: DEAR AND REV'D SIR: LONDON, Aug. 5, 1789. On the 4th Instant your picture was shipped on board the ship New York, Captain Dominick, for New York. I wish the same safe to hand and to your satisfaction. I have not seen it, and if I had I am no Judge of painting, from its size I have no doubt it cost originally fifty or one hundred guineas; it was sent from Mr. North's seat free from expense. I have paid only the carriage, shipping, &c. In his reply to the letter of which the above is a fragment, Dr. Stiles says: Correspondent to your ideas and the feelings of our own hearts upon this occasion, I have written a letter of thanks to the honorable Donor which I enclose, and beg you would be kind as to present to him. We return you thanks for your persevering and successful application, and for the care and trouble you have taken in this matter." This "letter of thanks" is here introduced in full: SIR: [Dr. Stiles to Hon. Dudley North, M. P.] YALE COLLEGE, Nov. 2, 1789. The 15th ult we received in good preservation and deposited in the public Library of this College, the grand and elegant Pourtrait of Governor Yale which you have done us the honor of presenting as a donation to this University, which ever since the year 1718 has had the honor of bearing his name, as a memorial of its most distinguished benefactor. Twice before during my Presidency, I had attempted to obtain this very pleasing and acceptable acquisition, but without success, as for want of its intermediate connexions my address did not reach the benevolent possessor, until by the address and perseverance of our worthy friend Mr. Broome, we have at length obtained our wishes. The alacrity and cheerfulness with which you have most obligingly complied with our request, adds a double value to the gratuity, which will at the same time remain a monument of our very honorable benefactor, and of the beneficent liberality of his illustrious descendant, who has honored us with this original pourtrait of his dignified and venerable ancestor. I am now in the name of the Senatus Academicus, the President and Fellows of Yale College, to return you their thanks for this kind and generous donation, which you will be pleased to accept as coming from hearts full of sensibility for the favor, and replete with sincerity and gratitude. Would it be gratifying to yourself or to any branches of the family to receive an account of the state of the College, it shall be duly communicated, and give me leave to add that an History or Memoir of the Life of Gov. Yale would be peculiarly pleasing and acceptable to us, for altho' he was born here in New Haven, the town in which his College is situated, yet his early departure from hence to Europe, and his spending the most of life in the East Indies, leaves us destitute of the information we wish to be possessed of with respect to so distinguished a benefactor. May I humbly ask of you, Sir, that by yourself or some intelligent friend furnished with ample family documents, you will cause to be made a history or memoir of his life, to be deposited in the Archives of this University, and to be preserved with us as a perpetual Memorial of his? With every sentiment of gratitude and respect, I have the honor to be, Sir, Your most obliged, most obedient, |