red it, and
where God is pleased to dwell, under his influence your institution
(which we trust is of Him) may expect to live and thrive. We desire it
may be considered that this is its birth place, here it was kindly
received, and nourished when no other door was set open to it--here it
found friends when almost friendless, yea when despised and contemned
abroad--its friends are now increased here as well as elsewhere, and
although by reason of our poverty and the hardness of the times, our
subscriptions are small compared with what some others may boast,
being at present but about L810 lawful money, yet there are here some
other privileges which we think very valuable and serviceable to the
design, viz. 400 acres of very fertile and good land, about forty
acres of which are under improvement, and the remainder well set with
choice timber and fuel, and is suitably proportioned for the various
branches of Husbandry which will much accommodate the design as said
land is situated within about half a mile of our Meeting House, and
may be purchased for fifty shillings lawful money per acre. There is
also several other small parcels of land suitably situate for building
places for the use of the school to be sold at a reasonable rate. We
have also a beautiful building place for said school within a few rods
of said meeting house, adjacent to which is a large and pleasant
Green: and we are confident that wood, provisions, and clothing, etc.,
which will be necessary for the school, may be had here not only now,
but in future years, at as low a rate as in any place in the colony,
or in any other place where it has been proposed to settle your
school. These privileges, we think, are valuable and worthy your
consideration, and also of those honourable and worthy gentlemen in
England to whom you have committed the decision of the affair, and
from the friendly disposition which has so many years past and does
still reign in our breasts towards it, we think it may be presumed we
shall from time to time be ready to minister to its support as
occasion shall require and our circumstances permit. We take the
liberty further to observe that such has hitherto been the peace and
good order (greatly through your instrumentality), obtaining among us
that the members of your school have all along been as free from
temptations to any vicious courses or danger of fatal error as perhaps
might be expected they would be on any spot of this universa