The General Assembly [pp. 545-580]

The General Assembly.
nary, for the performance of the very same duties which I
attempt to do at Allegheny, no inducement could lead me to
entertain it for one moment. I could never consent to any act,
which would appear to disparage an institution with which I
have been identified so long, and whose patrons and Board of
Directors I love and honour.
But the chair is different. The duties are more in accordance with my taste; less onerous, by nearly one-half, and such
as would, so far as I can judge, comport better with my fragile
strength. For these reasons, not to mention others of minor
force, I have not felt it my duty to decline this nomination.
The Assembly, I hope, will appreciate my reasons for making
this intimation. It is to satisfy the wishes of friends, to save
misunderstanding, and to take a just share of responsibility,
where the providence of God seems to indicate the path of
duty. Very respectfully,
ALEXANDER T. MCGILL.
As this letter placed his acquiescence in the recommendation
of the Princeton Directors on the ground of his health, and of his
preference for the department which it was proposed he should
fill, it enabled the Assembly to vote for his appointment, without even the appearance of preferring one Seminary to
another.
The Report of the Board of Directors was therefore approved, and a day appointed to proceed to the election of a
Professor.
Western Theological Seminary.-The Committee reported
that the papers referred to them relating to this Seminary,
were the Annual Report of the Board of Directors and the
Annual Report of the Board of Trustees, which were approved
and ordered to be printed in the Minutes.
Union Theological Seminary.-The Committee recommended
that the Reports of this Seminary for 1853 and 1854 be
approved and printed in the Minutes, and that a special Com mittee be appointed to bring in a suitable minute in reference
to the death of the lamented F. S. Sampson, D. D., late Pro fessor in that Institution.
Mr. S. P. Anderson, chairman of this special committee,
subsequently presented the following minute, which was
adopted.
568
[JULY,