several young gentlemen desirous of entering on the study of Philosophy, and Lectures are to be opened this week. Mr. Alison undertakes Logic and Ethics, making your work his text to comment and lecture upon. Mr. Peters and some other gentlemen undertake the other branches, till we shall be provided with a Rector capable of the whole, who may attend wholly to the instructions of youth in the higher parts of learning as they come out fitted from the lower schools.
Francis Alison was born in the parish of Lac, County Donegal, in the year 1705. He received an excellent education at an academy under the particular inspection of the Bishop of Raphoe, and was subsequently a student for some years at the University of Glasgow. He came to America in 1735, and his first educational work was as tutor in the family of Samuel Dickinson of Talbot County, Maryland. Whether he remained there long enough to have any training of the young John Dickinson is doubtful. In 1737 he was ordained by the New Castle Presbytery, Delaware, and installed pastor of the New London congregation, Chester County, Pennsylvania, where he continued fifteen years. At this latter place he opened an Academy in 1743. Upon this school of his creation, the Synod of Philadelphia in 1744 engrafted the grammar school which they took measures to establish on a permanent foundation, with special reference to training young men for the ministry. Mr. Alison was made Principal, and it became a justly celebrated institution, and served not only the purposes of the Synod in preparing well qualified ministers, but furnished the State with trained civilians; among these were Charles Thomson, Dr. Ewing, Hugh Williamson, and James Latta, and of Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas McKean, George Read and James Smith. This Academy was eventually removed to Newark, Delaware, and became the foundation of Delaware College.[1] When Mr. Martin the Rector of the new Academy died, he was attracted to Philadelphia and was asked to take his place, but this caused the severance from his pastoral charge
- ↑ Wickersham, iii.
