world. It was finished, and was to 'Dr. Dwight had now arrived at the have been published about the com- forty-third year of his age. In the memencement of the American revolution. ridian of life-mature in experience A list of more than three thousand sub- and in reputation; long practised in scribers-(a subscription almost unpa- the difficult task of instructing and goralleled in this country for any book, verning youth; familiar with the courses and especially at that period) evinces of academic learning, and imbued in what estimation the author was with the principles of most branches held. The dangers of the country of human knowledge;-also possessing soon became, however, so imminent, powers of communication, almost unthat fear and patriotism absorbed every rivalled, and his whole character surother sentiment; and the promised rounded with great dignity and splenwork was kept back till the struggle dour, the public voice with unprecewas past. dented unanimity, designated to him to fill the presidential chair, in this seminary, which, in May, 1795, was vacated, by the death of the learned and venerable Dr. Stiles.

'The Conquest of Canaan was the first regular poem of magnitude which was written in this country, and exhibits the most indubitable proofs of a vigorous mind,-a rich and sublime imagination, and a pure and virtuous moral taste. Darwin pronounced it to contain fine versification-Cowper perused it with pleasure, and the British Critic bestowed upon it an honourable praise. A fair copy, fully written out, in the beautiful hand for which the author was, in early life, distinguished, is still in possession of his family, and will, doubtless, be preserved for the inspection of posterity.

'It does not come within the design of these remarks, to specify every production of a mind so remarkable for activity, fertility, and vigour; this may, hereafter, become the province of the professed biographer.

The last work of magnitude to which Greenfield Hill gave birth, is the poem, or collection of poems, bearing

its name.

'Both Greenfield Hill and the Conquest of Canaan, were republished in England in a handsome style.

The degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred upon the subject of these observations, A. D. 1787, by the college of Nassau-Hall, at Princeton, as that of Doctor of Laws was, in 1810, by Harvard University.

'Not long before Dr. Dwight left Greenfield he declined an advantageous proposal to remove to Albany.

The Corporation, at an early meeting after this event, elected him president; and he commenced the next collegiate year in the discharge of the duties of his high office.

"We are now to contemplate him in a new and most interesting situation.It seemed as if all the dispensations of providence towards him had been adapted to qualify him for the station in which, with the most distinguished reputation and usefulness, he was to pass the remainder of his days.

The public have been little aware of the extent and diversity of the labours of President Dwight, in this Institution. He has, in fact, discharged the duties of four offices, either of which is, ordinarily, considered as sufficient to engross the time and talents of one man.

His system of sermons, upon the composition of which he bestowed the most anxious care, and the completion of which he had very much at heart, is comprised in one hundred and seventy-three discourses, completely written out, and ready for the press. Providence permitted him to achieve this great labour, and to put the last finishing hand to it not long before his death.

"His ardent wish and endeavour was, to narrow the grounds of distinction be

tween different classes of Christians, thought nothing adequately done, till and to unite them all in the great work all was done that the case admitted of doing good to man, rendering honour of. to God, and seeking eternal life.

As a Governor of the College, the It would be superfluous to enter success of President Dwight has not been into a consideration of his system of less remarkable than his usefulness as sermons ;-multitudes, both members an instructor. In commending his sysof this institution, and others, have tem of discipline and government, no heard them, more or less extensively, censure is intended to be implied, with and, as they are left in a finished state, respect to the course which had been and will, we hope, not be long withheld pursued by his immediate predecessors. from the public, they will still speak It is but just, however, to say, that for themselves.

pecially to posterity. Every where, traces of age; his fine countenance as he travelled, he came into contact strongly marked with the lines of inwith the most intelligent portion of so- tellect and thought;-grave and colciety, and numerous sources of informa- lected in meditation and devotion, but tion were thus opened to him, which in private, beaming with kindness and are, in a great degree, inaccessible to benevolence ;-his clear melodious voice cominon travellers. easily filling the largest house, but gen• One of his principal objects was, tle and agreeable at the fire-side-and to exhibit the leading features of the his manners superior courtly, and adapstate of society existing in New-Eng- ted to the most finished ceremonial of land, which was, in his opinion, under good breeding, but attentive, gentle, providence, the source of all its pecu- and affectionate, especially to the humliar blessings, and to correct the mis- ble, the young, and the timid; and representations of European travellers, always marked by the most scrupulous which he considered as being, with moral delicacy. few exceptions, very gross.

'He was intimately acquainted with the early history of his country, and he took great pains to preserve interesting biographical and other historical accounts, from passing into oblivion.

In amassing the materials for this work, be travelled more than 12,000 miles, principally on horseback. As it is fully written out, and ready for the press, we hope it will soon be given to the world.

'President Dwight's powers of conversation are well known: thousands in his country, and not a few from other countries, have derived delight and instruction from his lips.

It is rare that a man so great and splendid in the public eye, is, in private, so desirable; for, to his particu. lar friends, his society was delightful, and the only effects of long and intimate acquaintance with him was to exalt towards him every sentiment of respect, admiration, and affection.

'He was the principal founder of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was, annually, elected its president during his life.

President Dwight was, eminently, a benevolent man. He was the common friend of those in distress. He was largely consulted in cases of ecclesiastical, personal, and other difficulties, and freely gave his time, his advice, and his influence, as a peace-maker.

His mind was so well furnished, on almost every topic, that, as Cicero 'As a relative, it could not be doubted says of the poet Archias, whatever he that he who, in early life, had devoted discoursed on, he seemed to have made himself with such disinterestedness, to it his peculiar study. He adapted his the support of his father's bereaved faconversation with great facility, to mily, would, in his own case, exhibit a every description of persons. The bright example of conjugal and parental learned and the ignorant-the aged and excellence. the young-the serious and the gay- In estimating the merit of President the polished and the unrefined-the Dwight's acquisitions, it must not be child and the adult were alike edified forgotten, that bis literary ardour led and pleased. him, when a young man, to so excessive He is gone from this sublunary a use of his eyes, by candle light, both scene, and the voice of praise or of in late and early study, that, from the censure can do him neither good nor age of twenty-two, his eyes became so harm. But we can never forget his weak, that most of his acquirements commanding dignified person, on which, in after life were made through the till disease began its ravages, there aid of others; he could rarely read a were scarcely to be found the usual book himself, except in the most tran

sient manner, and his own thoughts were of which, to the day of his death, he has conveyed to paper chiefly through an been confined to his house, and almost amanuensis. He dictated perfect sen- to his chair. Although often suffering tences, even in his family circle, often excruciating pain, with privation in a joining in conversation, on other topics, considerable degree of food, sleep, and while the sentences were written down, ease, his mind has seemed almost to and rarely wished any other aid in triumph over the decays of his body, preserving the connexion than the and he has, with little interruption, repetition of the last word. He has employed his amanuensis upon various been known to dictate to two persons subjects, but more especially upon a work which he had much at heart, upon "Through forty years, embracing the proofs of the divine origin of the nearly all the maturity of his life, he scriptures, as derived from the writings struggled with this difficulty. It is be- of St. Paul. The manuscript embraces lieved that few instances can be pointed also other important topics. out of acquisitions so numerous and This work, forming a volume of extensive, made under such embarrass- three or four hundred pages, he completed but three days before his de

at a time.

ments.

ed he could finish. He did so, and added emphatically;—although it is not supposed with any presentiment how prophetical his words would prove"there, I have done."

'His literary enterprise and his cha- cease, and but the very evening before racteristic energy did not diminish with the attack on his brain, which proveď the increase of years. In the latter part the immediate prelude to his death, and of his life, he projected various works incapacitated him for farther labour. in theology and in literature, and, This attack took place on Wednesday among other things, often conversed morning; and on Tuesday afternoon, at with his literary friends on the plan twilight, he with his own hand stitched of a periodical work, whose object the cover upon this manuscript, and should be, to elevate the moral and upon an original poem of 1500 lines,* literary taste of our country, to improve which also he had just completed.its manners, and, in various ways, to Although it was almost dark, he declinproduce a salutary influence. So late ed having a candle, and said he believas December 1815, but thirteen months before his death, although he had been more than a year labouring under his last malady, a considerable mitigation of his symptoms revived his interest in this project, and he offered to write. He had indeed done, for, except half the original matter, rather than signing an official paper relating to the that the thing should fail. Even within College, this was the last work which four weeks of his death, he actually his Maker had for him to do; it is rewrote six numbers of an original perio- markable that he was permitted to finish dical paper, by way of experiment, to his important manuscripts, even to their ascertain whether he could write two envelopes. in a week without injuring his health.— Finding, as he imagined, that he could, he proposed to continue it under the title of The Friend-a title under which he wrote, thirty years ago, in a literary newspaper in this town.

The industry-the zeal-the perseverance of President Dwight, have rarely been more conspicuous than during the present winter, through most

• Examination after death ascertained that his disease was an internal cancer,† and that his life was cut short merely. by the effect of long continued suffering, not in producing general disease for, except his local affection, his system

*It is entitled The Trial, and is a contest truth acts as umpire. between genius and common sense, in which

† A cancer around the neck of the bladder.

was perfectly sound, and might have his own request, the 8th chapter of endured to extreme old age; but he Romans was read to him a few hours was destroyed by the effect of mere before his death ;-on hearing the conpain, and that often agonizing, eventual- clusion, he said; O what a glorious ly overturning his nervous system. ⚫ apostrophe!

Upon rising from bed upon the The character and writings of St. morning of Wednesday, the 8th of Ja- Paul, it is well known, had always nuary, after a more comfortable night been with him a favourite subject of than common, he was seized with a examination and of eulogium. The violent nervous agitation-succeeded hearing of this chapter seemed to by a fever-a fulness of the blood bring back all his former associations vessels of the head, and a degree of of ideas; he remarked on an error in stupor, which proved to be the final tri- the translation-and on the views of umph of his terrible internal enemy. Clarke and Waterland, and other For two days, although he declined tak writers, and seemed to have his mind ing to his bed, he seemed indisposed to completely withdrawn from his sufferspeak, but always uttered himself with ings. propriety when he attempted it ;-he At his own request, as before, the prayed with his family on Thursday 17th chapter of John, and afterwards night; but, from the extremity of his the 14th, 15th, and 16th, were read to distress, was obliged to desist before he him; he listened attentively, and re had finished. marked to a considerable extent upon the contents of the chapters.

On Friday he was, in a degree, relieved from the stupor; but the man- 'He continued the conversation with ner in which his disease affected his brain, a friend who came, and entered with evidently veiled from him, in a consi- apparent interest into the subject of derable degree, the apprehension of his some recent travels up the Euphrates, danger. He perfectly knew every especially as they related to the site of friend who came in, and observed all ancient Babylon, the traditionary acthat was passing; but his respiration counts of the tomb of Daniel, and other had become very laborious, and grew subjects connected with sacred writ: more and more so till his death: the same interest was exhibited in the although be frequently spoke, his sen- subject of the translation and diffusion tences were so interrupted, that their of the scriptures, and especially the connexion could not always be traced translation of the scriptures into the at the moment, and they were sometimes Chinese language a beautiful copy thought to be incoherent, when circum- of which work, as far as executed, he stances afterwards showed, that there had a few days before received from was a real connexion in his own mind. Serampore, and directly from Mr. He often uttered himself with perfect Marshman himself. clearness for a time upón a particular 'When that verse of the 23d Psalm, subject, and then his mind would ap- "Yea, though I walk through the valley pear somewhat wandering. But the of the shadow of death, I will fear no entrance of a friend-a question put, or evil, for thou art with me; tby rod and any such mental stimulus, would imme- thy staff they comfort me"- -was rediately bring him back, and he would cited to him by a friend, and a hope exspeak with his characteristic elegance pressed that he could appropriate it to and fulness, and with his own peculiar himself,-he said, I hope I can. turns of expression. His politeness, his Still, the subject of his impending affability, his gratitude for favours done, death, although frequently mentioned were all conspicuous to the last. At to him, appeared to make no lasting