suit in the injury of true religion. As this view was not supported by the Rev. Joseph Noyes, then pas- tor in New Haven, to whose church the officers and students of the college belonged, a professor- ship of divinity was instituted, and President Clap was requested by the corporation to preach in the college hall. This course was objected to, and legal measures were taken to suppress the so-called " irregular procedure." Subsequent controversies with l)r, B. Gale, of Killingworth, and with Jona- than Edwards, of Northampton, increased the spirit of opposition, and his opponents requested the assembly to appoint a commission of visitation to inquire into the affairs of the college. To this memorial President Clap made an elaborate writ- ten reply, in which he intimated if the project was persisted in, the president and fellows would ap- peal to the king. In 1705 this difficulty culmi- nated in the resignation of the tutors, and in July of that year President Clap signified his determi- nation to resign likewise. He continued, however, at the request of the corporation, to preside until the commencement in September, when he took his leave of the college. During his administra- tion many improvements were made, including the erection of a new college edifice in 1752 and a chapel, which was completed in 1762. His publi- cations include " A Sermon at the Ordination of the Rev. Ephraim Little " (1732) ; " An Introduc- tion to the Study of Philosophy " (1743) ; " Letter to a Friend in Boston" (1745); "A Letter to the Rev. Jonathan Edwards " (1745) ; " The Religious Constitution of Colleges, especially of Yale College " (1754) ; " History and Vindication of the Doctrines received and established in the Churches of New England" (1755); "Nature and Foundation of Moral Virtue and Obligation" (1765) ; "Annals, or History of Yale College " (1766) ; and " Nature and Motions of Meteors"" (1781).
CLAPP, Asa, merchant, b. in Mansfield, Mass.,
15 March, 1762 ; d. in Portland, Me.. 17 April, 1848.
He was the son of a farmer, who likewise was the
magistrate and commander of a military company
in Mansfield. Young Clapp received a common-
school education, and at the age of sixteen volun-
teered in the expedition under Gen. Sullivan for
the expulsion of the British from Rhode Island.
Subsequently he enlisted on an American priva-
teer, was soon promoted to be an officer, and toward
the end of the war obtained command of a ship,
when he had but just reached the age of twenty-
one. He was at Port au Prince when the attack
was made on that city by the negroes, and ren-
dered essential aid to the white population, who
were exposed to great sufferings during the insur-
rection. After the war he continued in command
of various ships trading between the United States
and England, and in 1793 was captured by Sir
Sydney Smith and carried to England. After a
detention of six months, he was released, and his
cargo paid for by the British government. In
1796 he established himself as a merchant in Port-
land, and in time became one of the wealthiest and
most distinguished merchants of Maine. He had
vessels employed in trade with Europe, the East
and West Indies, and South America. In 1811 he
was a member of the council of Massachusetts un-
der Gov. Elbridge Gerry. During the war of 1812
he was a firm supporter of the administration,
nearly all of his ships were driven from the ocean,
and he volunteered as a common soldier in the de-
fences of Portland, when that city was threatened
by the British fleet. In 1816 he was one of the
commission appointed to obtain subscriptions to
the capital stock of the bank of the United States,
and was the largest subscriber to that institution
in Maine. He was elected a delegate to the con-
vention held in October, 1819, for forming the
constitution, and for several years was a repre-
sentative from Portland to the legislature. At
the time of his death he was the oldest member of
the first church established in Portland.
CLAPP, Theodore, clergyman, b. in Easthampton, Mass., 29 March, 1792 ; d. in Louisville, Ky., 17 May, 1866. He was graduated at Yale in 18i4, studied theology at Andover during 1818-9, and was ordained in Easthampton, Mass., in 1822,
being called in that year to the pastorate of the 1st Presbyterian church in New Orleans, La. In 1834 he adopted Unitarian views, and organized, as the Church of the Messiah, a congregation largely made up of his former parishioners, with whom he continued until 1857. There were twenty epidemics during his residence in New Orleans, including yellow fever and cholera, and he was conspicuous for his laborious devotion to the sufferers. For many years the use of a large church in
New Orleans was given him by its owner, Judah
Touro, a wealthy Jew, free of expense. In 1857
he resigned his work, on account of failing health,
and settled in Louisville, Ky., where he wrote
" Autobiographical Sketches and Recollections of
a Thirty-five Years' Residence in New Orleans"
(Boston, 1857), besides other theological works.
CLARK, Abraham, signer of the Declaration
of Independence, b. in Elizabethtown, N. J., 15
Feb., 1726 : d. in Rahway, 15 Sept., 1794. He was
the only child of Thomas Clark, and was born on
his father's farm. He received a good English
education, and showed special fondness for the
study of mathematics and of civil law. He de-
voted himself to surveying and conveyancing.
His legal advice, given gratuitously, procured for
him the title of
" poor man's coun-
sellor." He be-
came high sheriff
of the county of
Essex and clerk of
the colonial assem-
bly of Amboy un-
der the royal do-
main. At the be-
ginning of the rev-
olution he distin-
guished himself as
an active member
of the committee of
public safety. On
21 June, 1776, with
Richard Stockton,
John Hart, Francis Hopkinson, and
Dr. John Witherspoon, he was elect-
ed by the provincial congress as a
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delegate to the Continental congress, and was instructed to join with the delegates of the other colonies, if necessary, in declaring the united colonies independent of Great Britain. Accordingly, he affixed his name to the Declaration of Independence. In November, 1776, he was elected to the Continental congress, and was continuously re-elected until 1783 with the exception of one year, 1779, and again served in 1787-'8. He was a member of the New Jersey legislature from 1782 till 1787, and while holding that office acquired great influence, and was held responsible by the people for all of the important measures passed during his term of service. An
