he committed them immediately to the flames; not because there was any thing criminal in them; for he frequently assured Dr. Delany* and others of the contrary; but he observed a warmth in the lady's style, which delicacy required him to conceal from the public. Dr. Berkeley, it seems, was not apprised of a strong proof this exasperated female had just given how little regard she herself retained for the virtue of delicacy. On her death-bed, she delivered to Mr. Marshal a copy, in her own hand-writing, of the entire correspondence between herself and the Dean, with a strict injunction to publish it immediately after her decease. What prevented the execution of this request, cannot now be affirmed with certainty: possibly the executor did not care to draw on himself the lash of that pen, from which a particular friend of his+had lately smarted so severely. Some years after the Dean's death, Mr. Marshal had serious thoughts of fulfilling the intention of Vanessa. With this view he shewed the letters to several persons of his acquaintance, without any injunction of secrecy: which may account for the extracts of them that have lately got into print. The affair, however, was protracted, till the death of Judge Marshal put a stop to it entirely. The letters are still in being: and whenever curiosity or avarice shall draw them into public light, it is probable they will be found after all to be as trifling and as innocent as those which our Author saw and suppressed.

May 18, 1724, Dr. Berkeley resigned his fellowship, being promoted by his patron the Duke of Grafton to the deanery of Derry, worth 11007. per annum. In the interval between this removal and his return from abroad, his mind had been employed in conceiving that benevolent project, which alone entitles him to as much honour as all his learned labours have procured him, the Scheme for converting the savage Americans to Christianity, by a College to be erected in the Summer islands, otherwise called the isles of Bermuda. He published a proposal for this

See Delany's Observations on Orrery's Remarks.

† Mr. Bettesworth.

↑ A Proposal for converting the savage Americans.] With this proposal he carried a letter of recommendation from Dean Swift to Lord Carteret, lieutenant of Ireland, which deserves a place here, both because it contains a number of particulars of our Author's life, and is besides a proof, as well of the friendly temper of the writer, as of his politeness and address.

66

September 3, 1724.-There is a gentleman of this kingdom just gone for England: it is Dr. George Berkeley, dean of Derry, the best preferment among us, being worth about 11007. a year. He takes the Bath

purpose, London 1725, and offered to resign his own opulent preferment, and to dedicate the remainder of his life to the instructing the youth in America, on the moderate subsistence of 1007. yearly. Such was the force of this disinterested example, supported by the eloquence of an enthusiast for the good of mankind, that three junior fellows of Trinity-college, Dublin, the Reverend William Thompson, Jonathan Rogers, and James King, masters of arts, consented to take their fortunes with the author of the project, and to exchange for a settlement in the Atlantic ocean at 407. per annum, all their prospects at home; and that too at a time when a fellowship of Dublin-college was

in his way to London, and will of course attend your Excellency, and be presented, I suppose, by his friend my Lord Burlington: and, because I believe you will choose out some very idle minutes to read this letter, perhaps you may not be ill entertained with some account of the man and his errand. He was a fellow in the university here; and going to England very young, about thirteen years ago, he became the founder of a sect there called the Immaterialists, by the force of a very curious book on that subject: Dr. Smalridge and many other eminent persons were his proselytes. I sent him secretary and chaplain to Sicily with my Lord Peterborough; and upon his Lordship's return, Dr. Berkeley spent above seven years in travelling over most parts of Europe, but chiefly through every corner of Italy, Sicily, and other islands. When he came back to England, he found so many friends, that he was effectually recommended to the Duke of Grafton, by whom he was lately made dean of Derry. Your Excellency will be frighted when I tell you all this is but an introduction; for I am now to mention his errand. He is an absolute philosopher with regard to money, titles, and power; and for three years past hath been struck with a notion of founding a university at Bermuda, by a charter from the crown. He hath seduced several of the hopefullest young clergymen and others here, many of them well provided for, and all of them in the fairest way of preferment: but in England his conquests are greater, and I doubt will spread very far this winter. He shewed me a little tract which hè designs to publish, and there your Excellency will see his whole scheme of a life academico-philosophical (I shall make you remember what you were) of a college founded for Indian scholars and missionaries, where he most exorbitantly proposeth a whole hundred pounds a year for himself, forty pounds for a fellow, and ten for a student. His heart will break if his deanery be not taken from him, and left to your Excellency's disposal. I discourage him by the coldness of courts and ministers, who will interpret all this as impossible and a vision; but nothing will do. And therefore I do humbly entreat your Excellency, either to use such persuasions as will keep one of the first men in this kingdom for learning and virtue quite at home, or assist him by your credit to compass his romantic design, which however is very noble and generous, and directly proper for a great person of your excellent education to encourage,"

supposed to place the possessor in a very fair point of view for attracting the notice of his superiors both in the church and

state.

Dr. Berkeley, however, was not so ill acquainted with the world as to rest the success of his application to the ministry entirely on the hope his scheme afforded of promoting national honour and the cause of Christianity: his arguments were drawn from the more alluring topic of present advantage to the government. Having with much industry acquired an accurate knowledge of the value of certain lands* in the island of St. Christopher's, yielded by France to Great Britain at the treaty of Utrecht, which were then to be sold for the public use, he undertook to raise from them a much greater sum than was expected, and proposed that a part of the purchase money should be applied to the erecting of his college. He found means, by the assistance of a Venetian of distinction, the Abbé Gualteri (or Altieri), with whom he had formed an acquaintance in Italy, to carry this proposal directly to King George I.† who laid his commands on Sir Robert Walpole to introduce and conduct it through the House of Commons. His Majesty was further pleased to grant a charter for erecting a college, by the name of St. Paul's college, in Bermuda, to consist of a president and nine fellows, who were obliged to maintain and educate Indian

* Certain lands in St. Christopher's.] “The island of St. Christopher's," saith Anderson, History of Commerce, vol. ii. “ having been settled on the very same day and year by both England and France, A. D. 1625, was divided equally between the two nations. The English were twice driven out from thence by the French, and as often repossessed themselves of it. But at length, in the year 1702, General Coddrington, governor of the Leeward islands, upon advice received that war was declared by England against France, attacked the French part of the island, and mastered it with very little trouble; ever since which time that fine island has been solely possessed by Great Britain, having been formerly conceded to us by the treaty of Utrecht." The lands, therefore, which had belonged to the French planters, by this cession became the property of his Britannic Majesty. The first proposals for purchasing these lands were made to the Lords of Trade in 1717: see Journal of the British Commons. After which the affair seems to have been forgotten, till it was mentioned by Berkeley to Sir Robert Walpole in 1726.

+ To King George I.] It was the custom of this Prince to unbend his mind in the evening by collecting together a company of philosophical foreigners, who discoursed in an easy and familiar manner with each other, entirely unrestrained by the presence of his Majesty, who generally walked about, or sat in a retired part of the chamber. One of this select company was Altieri; and this gave him an opportunity of laying his friend's proposal before the King.

scholars at the rate of 107. per annum for each. The first president, Dr. George Berkeley, and first three fellows named in the charter (being the gentlemen abovementioned), were licensed to hold their preferments in these kingdoms till the expiration of one year and a half after their arrival in Bermuda. The Com

mons, May 11, 1726, voted, "That an humble address be presented to his Majesty, that out of the lands in St. Christopher's, yielded by France to Great Britain by the treaty of Utrecht, his Majesty would be graciously pleased to make such grant for the use of the president and fellows of the college of St. Paul, in Bermuda, as his Majesty shall think proper." The sum of 20,000l. was accordingly promised by the minister, and several private subscriptions were immediately raised for promoting 66 so pious an undertaking," as it is styled in the King's answer' to this address. Such a prospect of success in the favourite object of his heart drew from our author a beautiful copy of verses †, in which another age, perhaps, will acknowledge the old conjunction of the prophetic character with that of the poet to have again taken place.

In the mean time the Dean entered into a marriage, August 1, 1728, with Anne, the eldest daughter of the right honourable John Forster, speaker of the Irish House of Commons. This engagement, however, was so far from being any obstruction to his grand undertaking, that he actually set sail in the execution of it, for Rhode island, about the middle of September following. He carried with him his lady, a Miss Handcock, Mr. Smilert, an ingenious painter, two gentlemen of fortune, Mess. James and Dalton, a pretty large sum of money, of his own property, and a collection of books, for the use of his intended library. He directed his course to Rhode island, which lay nearest to Bermuda, with a view of purchasing lands on the adjoining continent, as estates for the support of his college; having a positive promise from those in power, that the parliamentary grant should be paid him as soon as ever such lands should be pitched upon and agreed for. The Dean took up his residence at Newport, in Rhode island, where his presence was a great relief to a clergyman of the church of England, established in those parts, as he preached every Sunday, and was indefatigable in pastoral labours during the whole time of his stay there, which was near two years.

&c.

Commons' Journal, May 16, 1726.

+ Sec Verses (vol. ii.) subjoined to Proposal for planting churches,

When estates had been agreed for, it was fully expected that the public money would, according to grant, be immediately paid as the purchase of them. But the minister had never heartily embraced the project, and parliamentary influence had by this time interposed, in order to divert the grant into another channel. The sale of the lands in St. Christopher's, it was found, would produce 90,000l. Of this sum 80,000l,* was destined to pay the marriage portion of the Princess Royal, on her nuptials with the Prince of Orange: the remainder General Oglethorpe + had interest enough in parliament to obtain for the purpose of carrying over and settling foreign and other protestants in his new colony of Georgia, in America. The project, indeed, of the trustees for establishing this colony appears to have been equally humane and disinterested; but it is much to be lamented, that it should interfere with another of more extensive and lasting utility; which, if it had taken effect by the education of the youth of // New England and other colonies, we may venture with great appearance of reason to affirm, would have planted such principles of religion and loyalty among them, as might have gone a good way towards preventing the present unhappy troubles in that part of the world. But to proceed:

After having received various excuses, Bishop Gibson, at that time bishop of London (in whose diocess all the West Indies are included), applying to Sir Robert Walpole, then at the head of the treasury, was favoured at length with the following very honest answer: "If you put this question to me," says Sir Robert, "as a minister, I must, and can assure you, 1 that the money shall most undoubtedly be paid as soon as suits with public convenience but if you ask me as a friend, whether Dean Berkeley should continue in America, expecting the payment of 20,000%. I advise him by all means to return home to Europe, and to give up his present expectations." The Dean being informed of this conference by his good friend the Bishop, and thereby fully convinced that the bad policy of one great man had rendered abortive a scheme whereon he had expended much of his private fortune, and more than seven years of the prime of his life, returned to Europe. Before he left Rhode island, he distributed what books he had brought with him among the clergy of that province; and immediately after his arrival in London, he returned

Commons' Journal, May 10, 1733.

+ Ibid. The General paid Dean B. the compliment of asking his consent to this application of the money before he moved for it in parliament.