Account of the King’s College Commencement, 28 May 1767
Account of the King’s College Commencement
[New York, 28 May 1767]
On Tuesday (last Week) was held our Annual Commencement,1 at St. Paul’s-Chapel, in this City.2 His Excellency the Governor,3 the Members of his Majesty’s Council, the Clergy of the City and neighbouring Governments, and a very numerous and splendid Audience, honoured the Day with their presence.
The Procession was from the College to the Chapel.
The Business of the Day began with solemn Prayer to Almighty God, suitable to the Occasion; and an elegant Latin Oration succeeded, by the Rev. Doctor Cooper, President of the College.
The Salutatory Oration was delivered by Mr. Laight,4 whose graceful Action, and correct Manner of Expression, were justly admired by every Gentleman of Learning present.
To this succeeded an excellent Discourse, on the Usefulness of the Passions, by Mr. Jay, which for judicious Reasoning, and Elegance of Style, did great Honour to the Performer.
The next Performance was an English forensic Dispute, between Messrs. Jay and Harrison.5 Whether a Man ought to engage in War, without being persuaded of the Justness of his Cause? The masterly Sentiments that were exhibited on both Sides of the Question, entertained the Audience with particular Pleasure.
Next to this, Mr. Laight favoured the Assembly with a Discourse in Praise of a City Life, which for genteel Delivery, Argument, and Propriety of Language, gave much Satisfaction, to the polite Audience.
These Exercises being finished, the President conferred upon the following young Gentlemen, the Degree of Batchelor of Arts, viz. Messrs. Laight and Tyler. also the Degree of Master of Arts, upon Messrs Jay and Harrison; and upon Doctor Glentworth, the Rev. Messrs. Neill, Avery, and Ingliss. The Rev. Mr. Ogilvie, was admitted ad eundem,6 A. M. from Yale-College. And the Rev. Samuel Auchmuty, and Thomas Bradbury Chandler, ad eundem, viz. D. D. from Oxford.7
The Audience were now entertained with an English Valedictory Oration, by Mr. Harrison, whose graceful Appearance and judicious Performance did him great Honour, and justly entitled him to general Applause.
The whole Ceremony concluded with solemn Prayers.
It would be unpardonable not to observe, that the Audience went away very much pleased with their Entertainment; the whole being conducted in the most decent and regular Manner.
Printed, New-York Journal; or, The General Advertiser, 28 May 1767.
1. 19 May 1767. While King’s College did not provide formal legal training, it was customary to award a master’s degree to graduates who had fulfilled their clerkships.
2. St. Paul’s, the second “chapel of ease” of Trinity Parish, opened in October 1766 and was located at Broadway and Fulton Street.
3. Sir Henry Moore (c. 1700–1769), governor of New York, 1765–69.
4. William Laight (1751–1804).
5. Richard Harison.
6. Ad eundem: an honorary degree awarded by one college or university to alumni of another.
7. John Tyler (d. 1823) received an honorary B.A. Besides JJ and Harison, recipients of the M.A. degree in 1767 were George Glentworth (d. 1792), later surgeon general of Britain’s Colonial Hospitals; Hugh Neil; Ephraim Avery, the Episcopalian missionary at Rye; and Charles Inglis and John Ogilvie (1722–74), the assistant ministers of Trinity Parish. Samuel Auchmuty, the rector of Trinity, and Thomas Bradbury Chandler (1726–90), pastor of the Anglican church at Elizabeth, N.J., were granted D.D. degrees by Oxford in 1766. Thomas, Columbia U. Officers and Alumni, 280; , 2: 23–26, 685–86; Morgan Dix et al., eds., A History of the Parish of Trinity Church in the City of New York (6 vols.; New York, 1898–1962), 1: 246, 307, 310–11, 359–61, 405, 412, 446.