hundred years ago. He read law under the direction of David Ogden of Newark, whose reputation attracted to his office students from all parts of the Province. He was admitted to the Bar in the Term of August, 1754, and at once entered upon the duties of his profession at Princeton. His fine natural powers had been highly cultivated and improved by study and discipline, and his success was rapid and brilliant. His practice soon became coextensive with the Province, and he was often invited to conduct causes in the neighboring Colonies. Although as a lawyer, he might still have been willing to acknowledge David Ogden as his master, yet as an eloquent and accomplished advocate, he had no competitor.

He pursued his profession for twelve years with unremitting ardor. But in 1766, he relaxed from his toils, and made a visit to England, where he remained some fifteen months. He was received with much attention, and was frequently consulted by the Marquis of Rockingham, and other distinguished friends of America, upon the affairs of the Colonies. In conjunction with Dr. Franklin, he had several interviews with the merchants of London, trading to North America, upon the subject of a paper currency in the Colonies, and with a view to the repeal of the act of Parliament prohibiting future emissions.

While Mr. Stockton was in England, Dr. Finley, the President of the College of New Jersey, died, and the trustees unanimously elected the Rev. Dr. Witherspoon, of Paisley, in Scotland, as his successor. The letter to Dr. Witherspoon, informing him of his appointment, was transmitted to Mr. Stockton, who was a member of the Board, with a request, that he should make a personal application to Dr. Witherspoon, to solicit his acceptance. To do this, it became necessary that he should take a journey to Scotland. The result of his visit, and the agency which he had in securing to the College the services of Dr. Witherspoon, will best appear, from some extracts which I am enabled to make from letters, written by him about this time to his wife.

In a letter, dated February the 9th, 1767, he says: "I have at last concluded to go to Scotland. The friends of the College here, press the propriety of the step, as much as those on your side the water have done. The event will show, whether I take all this labor in vain." Upon his return from Scotland, in a letter dated London, March the 17th, 1767, he thus writes:-"It is a matter absolutely certain, that if I had not gone in person to Scotland, Dr. Witherspoon would not have had a serious thought of accepting the office-be

cause neither he, nor any of his friends with whom he would have consulted, had any tolerable idea of the place to which he was invited, had no adequate notions of the importance of the College of New Jersey, and more than all, would have been entirely discouraged from thinking of an acceptance, from an artful, plausible, yet wickedly contrived letter, sent from Philadelphia to a gentleman of Edinburgh. I have obtained a copy of it, but cannot take time to send you any extracts, nor would it be necessary if I had time, because the contents of it at present had better be unknown. I was so happy, as to have an entire confidence placed in me by Dr. Witherspoon, and thereby I was able to come fairly at him. I certainly have succeeded in removing all the objections which have originated in his own mind. Those of Mrs. Witherspoon I could not remove, because she would not give me an opportunity of conversing with her, although I went from Edinburgh to Paisley, fifty miles, on purpose. After I returned from Paisley to Edinburgh, letters passed between Dr. Witherspoon and me, whereby I have received some hopes that she may be brought over. This firmness is not peculiar to this case; for her own husband informed me, that she was as much averse to removing from an inconsiderable place to Paisley, where he was

then minister-from whence we should put a goodnatured construction, and suppose that it is only owing to a certain greatness of mind, averse to changing place. I wish we may have reason to think so finally. I have taken most effectual measures to make her refusal very troublesome to her. I have engaged all the eminent clergymen in Edinburgh and Glasgow, to attack her in her intrenchments, and they are determined to take her by storm, if nothing else will do. This has a favorable aspect, and is at the same time surprising; because they were upon my first coming, so unwilling to part with her husband; but the light in which I have set the affairs of the College, has made them perfect proselytes."

Soon after Mr. Stockton's return to New Jersey, he had the satisfaction of informing the board of trustees, that he had received letters from Scotland, informing him, that the difficulties which had prevented Dr. Witherspoon's acceptance of the Presidentship had been removed, and that upon a re-election, he would esteem it a duty to accept the appointment. It is due to Mrs. Witherspoon to say, that she became perfectly reconciled to her husband's removal, and cheerfully accompanied him to a distant clime, renouncing all hope of ever returning to the "land of her fathers' sepulchres."

Mr. Stockton's reception in Edinburgh was flattering to him. He was waited upon by the Lord Provost and Council, who invited him to a public dinner, after which the freedom of the city was conferred upon him. A similar honor was paid to him in the town of Paisley. He returned to America in September, 1767. The next year he was made a member of Council, and in 1774, he was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court, and took his seat upon the Bench alongside of his old and honored preceptor, David Ogden.

His subsequent career is too well known, to make it necessary that I should dwell upon it. On the twenty-first of June, 1776, he was elected a member of the general Congress, then sitting in Philadelphia. Among his colleagues, was Dr. Witherspoon, who from his first landing upon our shores, had proved himself to be in heart an American; who from the earliest stage of the contest, had warmly espoused the cause of the Colonies; and who shed lustre upon his adopted country, no less by his wisdom in council, than by his zeal for the promotion of science and learning. The delegates from New Jersey were instructed to unite with the representatives of the other Colonies, in the most vigorous measures for the support of the just rights and liberties of America; and if it