_December 20, 1764._
A Letter to his Excellency Governor WRIGHT, giving an account
of the steps taken, relative to the converting the GEORGIA
ORPHAN-HOUSE into a COLLEGE: Together with the literary
correspondence that passed upon that subject, between his
Grace the Archbishop of _Canterbury_ and the Reverend Mr.
_Whitefield_.
_Provide things honest in the sight of all men._
Romans xii. 14.
_Honoured Sir_,
AS your Excellency, together with the members of his Majesty’s
honourable council, and house of representatives, were pleased at my
late visit to the Orphan-house, not only highly to approve of, but also
deeply to interest yourselves in the design of converting the present
_Georgia_ Orphan-house into a college; so I am persuaded, you make
no doubts but that ever since my arrival in _England_, _July 1765_, I
have exerted my utmost efforts in endeavouring to bring this important
affair to a desirable issue. To mention all the various circumstances
which have occurred during that interval, to impede and retard its more
speedy prosecution, would be tedious and unnecessary: I would therefore
only inform your Excellency, that about fifteen months ago, a memorial
was delivered into the hands of the late clerk of his Majesty’s most
honourable privy council. That this memorial was by him transmitted to
the Lord President, and by his Lordship referred to the consideration
of his Grace the Archbishop of _Canterbury_; that by his Grace’s
permission a literary correspondence ensued; but as that correspondence,
and with that, the negociation itself seems at an end, I think it my
duty, not only to lay an account of the whole before your Excellency in
particular; but, through your Excellency’s hands, before his Majesty’s
council and house of representatives of the colony of _Georgia_,
together with all the other _American_ colonists, and the public in
general, on both sides the water, who have so liberally contributed to
the promoting this design.
To the KING’s most Excellent MAJESTY.
_The_ MEMORIAL _of_ George Whitefield, _Clerk_,