Thetrusteesoftheacademy, afterawhile, wereincorporatedbyacharterfromthegovernor; theirfundswereincreas'dbycontributionsinBritainandgrantsoflandfromtheproprietaries, towhichtheAssemblyhassincemadeconsiderableaddition; andthuswasestablishedthepresentUniversityofPhiladelphia.[87] Ihavebeencontinuedoneofitstrusteesfromthebeginning, nownearfortyyears, andhavehadtheverygreatpleasureofseeinganumberoftheyouthwhohavereceiv'dtheireducationinit, distinguish'dbytheirimprov'dabilities, serviceableinpublicstations, andornamentstotheircountry.
WhenIdisengagedmyself, asabovementioned, fromprivatebusiness, Iflatter'dmyselfthat, bythesufficienttho' moderatefortuneIhadacquir'd, 'sapparatus, whohadcomefromEnglandtolecturehere, andIproceededinmyelectricalexperimentswithgreatalacrity; butthepublick, nowconsideringmeasamanofleisure, laidholdofmefortheirpurposes, everypartofourcivilgovernment, andalmostatthesametime, ; thecorporationofthecitychosemeofthecommoncouncil, andsoonafteranalderman; , asIwasatlengthtiredwithsittingtheretoheardebates, inwhich, asclerk, Icouldtakenopart, andwhichwereoftensounentertainingthatIwasinduc'dtoamusemyselfwithmakingmagicsquaresorcircles, oranythingtoavoidweariness; andIconceiv', however, insinuatethatmyambitionwasnotflatter'dbyallthesepromotions; itcertainlywas; for, consideringmylowbeginning, theyweregreatthingstome; andtheywerestillmorepleasing, asbeingsomanyspontaneoustestimoniesofthepublicgoodopinion, andbymeentirelyunsolicited.
