y consisting of near 4000 volumes of scarce and well chosen
books in various branches of literature and science, to any public
seminary of learning in the United States, which library, the said
Dr. Priestley was desirous of procuring as a gift to the
Northumberland Academy, provided that institution was likely to
receive substantial assistance from the legislature, so as to be
enabled to fulfil the purposes of its establishment,

That the Trustees would have no occasion to ask of the legislature
on behalf of that Academy, a subscription greater than a few
individuals had expended, and were still ready and desirous of
contributing thereto; and suggest it to your Committee, that if
out of the monies due from the County of Northumberland to the
State a sufficient sum was granted to exonerate the Academy from
debt, no more would be wanted in the future to effect the purposes
of that institution, than a sum equal in amount to the value of
the library proposed to be furnished by Dr. Priestley; such value
to be fixed by a person appointed for the purpose by the
legislature.

The Committee was of the opinion that it would be expedient for
the legislature to coincide with the suggestion of Thomas Cooper
and so recommended to the Legislature. Their report was adopted,
39 to 31. It was strongly advocated by Jesse Moore, Esq., General
Mitchell and N. Ferguson from the city. It was opposed by Jacob
Alter from Cumberland, who declared that although there were a
great many public schools and colleges and places of that kind
scattered over the State, he never knew any good they did, except
to breed up a set of idle and odious lawyers to plague the people!

At this particular time there still existed confiscated land from the
sale of which revenue was derived, and this income it had been agreed
upon should be devoted to the erection and support of academies
throughout the State. Later this scheme was discontinued. But, Dr.
Priestley was not so enthusiastic as formerly. He was occupied with the
Church History, three volumes of which were in print, and it was
expected that the fourth volume would follow shortly thereafter.
However, his health was precarious. He could not eat meats, and lived
chiefly on broths and soups, saying,--

The defect is in the stomach and liver, and of no co