I have been favd. with your Letter of the 2d. Ult.1 respecting the “African free School” in the City of New York— it is in my opinion a charitable & useful Institution, & well entitled to Encouragement. & Support. From your Account of its present Embarrassments, I am induced to think that, in order to its being & remaining on a respectable ^& permanent^ Footing, some vigorous & well devised measures shd be taken to obtain adequate and durable Funds. The Uncertain Donations to be ^occasionally^ sollicited and expected from charitable but scattered & unconnected Individuals will probably prove ^on be always^ incompetent; and an ^must^ obviously ^be^ too precarious to afford Ground for whenever for ^seasonably^ calculating the prudence ^& Extent^ of Expenditures.

The existing Debts must ^shd.^ doubtless be paid— indeed they cannot be paid too soon, and it is desireable that new ones be not contracted For my part I am persuaded that it can very very seldom be discreet for charitable Institutions depending on charity to be in ^man contract^ Debt, and ^then^ apply to charity to pay them.

What should be done? is the Question— Two things occur to me which I will take the Liberty to suggest.

First. The Society of Friends especially those in New ^in general, & particular^ those in New York have given more patronage to the Objects connected with this School, than any other ^Society of Denomination^ in the State; and from Circumstances peculiar to their ^association & Discipline^, they are enabled to pursue and accomplish their objects with more ^than ordinary^ union and Effect ^than other Denominations locally^. Hence I am led to think ^believe^, that if those ^of your Society^ in New York would recommend this School to the notice and Liberality of their Brethren in the Country, and request ^desire^ them also to request the aid of ^all^ well disposed persons of other Denominations, in their respective neighbourhoods, a considerable Sum might be collected; especially considering the Prudence as well as Zeal with wh. your affairs are usually managed— on this or any other plan wh. would in some Degree be general throughout the County, I would readily be one of the Contributors

Secondly— I submit to your Consideration the Expediency of regularly putting at Interest one tenth part of the Annual Income of the School, whatever it may be & whencesoever it may origt; and with inflexible Decision ^invariably^ to reduce ^bring^ the Yearly Expences of the School to a level with the other ^remaining^ nine Tenths. On this plan both the principal of the durable ^stable^ Funds, and the Income of the School (so far as it comprized ^comprehended^ the Interest of those Funds) would encrease from Year to Year. In Time the Increased Interest alone would form an Income so considerable as to be productive of more good, than if the Institution had continued to ^depend &^ subsist on scanty and precarious Means ^Supplies^—

It may also be well to consider whether the benevolent objects of this Institution might not be promoted by an act of Incorporation, with such Provisions in it, as would conduce to its Stability and extend its usefulness—

Be pleased to inform me whether any particular attention is paid ^by the Superintendents^ to the Children after they have left the School ^it^, and whether it is part of the plan to lend them out ^endeavour to have them bound out^ to Trades or to Service in decent Families. To me it appears important that they be not left entirely either to their parents or to themselves—it being difficult to secure their having ^give them^ good morals manners or Habits in any other way than by placing them under the Care & Direction of persons better qualified for those purposes than their parents generally are.2 With Esteem & Regard I am Sir your obt Servt