The New Hampshire Gazette And Historical Chronicle

PRINCETOWN, (in New-Jersey) Sept. 24, 1766.

This day the Trustees of the College of New-Jersey, attended on the Commencement.

As the President's Chair was now vacant by the Death of the late Dr. Finley, the Rev. Mr. Elihu Spencer, presided agreeable to a Vote of the board at their last meeting: The young gentlemen in general performed the several parts assigned them in such a manner, as to do honour to themselves, and give pleasure to their audience--The exercises were diversified with disputations, in the syllogistic & forensic methods, succeeding each other alternately; as has been usual on these public occasions, in which the candidates, gave an agreeable specimen of their acquaintance with some of the most important and entertaining subjects in the circle of literature. In the course of the disputation, this thesis among others, was defended and opposed with great spirit & judgment, viz. Civil Liberty is necessary to give birth to the arts and sciences. This furnished the disputants with an opportunity of displaying the importance of Liberty in a new and striking light. The Orators also exerted themselves to the satisfaction & entertainment of the audience: Mr. Avery introduced the business of the day. with an elegant Latin Funeral Oration on the death of the late President: After the discussion of some questions, Mr. Jones in the forenoon pronounced a very animated harangue on Oratory, and beautifully exemplified his subject with all the graces of elocution and action, which very agreeably relaxed the attention of the assembly, which might otherwise have been fatigued by unmixed disputation alone. Mr. Mac Pheron began the exercises of the afternoon by very judiciously pointing out the difference between ancient and modern learning, in an elegant and well pronounced discourse on the subject; and Mr. Haley closed the exercises of the bachelors with a very spirited nervous harangue on Liberty, towards the close of which he also paid the just tribute of gratitude to the memory of our late worthy President: Just before the degrees were given, Mr. Jauncey entertained the audience with a discourse on the advantage of a liberal education, and the business of the day was finished by an excellent Oration, on Patriotism, pronounced by Mr. Patterson, in which elegance of composition, and grace the force of action were equally conspicuous. And we cannot but do the young gentlemen the justice to observe a circumstance, which is much to their honour; that tho' they must be supposed to have laboured under great disadvantages by the death of so eminent and learned an instructor as D. FINLEY, yet they have so well retrieved the loss sustained thereby, by superior application, that their appearance both at the public examination and commencement, was not inferior to that of their predecessors.