"My brother James is not com north, nor (tho' he sayes it) do I expect him this winter.

"I hear that Dr. Forbes at Elgin has a son who might be in my Semie class this winter: but I have not the fortun to be acquainted with the Doctor, and therfor must put you to the trouble to speak to him.

"If any you meet with have Latine enough, tho' they have but a small begining in the Greek, I shall see they can compleat theire courses, give them as much (and if they please mor) Greek than ever probably they may have use for, and that without any hindrance to theire other studies. For my schollars all this winter ar to have one lesson (viz., from the evening to the morning) each day in the Greek, and two each week through all the succeeding yeares."

66

KING'S COLLEGE, May ye 10th, 1708. "SIR,-I have yours of the 1st current and in answer therunto am concerned to acquaint you, that, by ane Act of the last Comission of parliament for visiteing our universities, and the practise of all the colleges in this kingdom (in each whereof one master is now fixed to the Greek class) any student is, and wil be permitted to enter Semie, without being obleidged to enter Bajan, if he understand the Latine tongue, and have a competencie of the Greek, i.e. (as it is everywhere now understood), can read the Greek, and

expound a litle of the Greek New Testament, and have allowance and approbation of the Greek Regent so to do which a small compliment for his consent does never and nowhere fail to procure.

"If therfore any of your acquaintance in your countrie about you, have a mind to save theire children's time and expense at colleges the first year, they may cause teach them a litle Greek at home, and so enter them Semies in any college within this kingdom, who will not (nor can legally) refuse them with the qualifications and conditions for said.

"And seing matters ar now caryed so in all the colleges of north as well as south Britan; pray take the paines to advise some of your acquaintance to, Sir, faithfull comerade and most obedient servant, "WIL. BLAK.

your

"The bearer has imployed his time to very good purpose at our college: and I have made him Master of Arts."

Dr. Thomas Reid, the eminent metaphysician, and author of the Inquiry into the Human Mind, Essays on the Intellectual Powers, etc., was educated at Marischal College, and in 1752 was elected Professor of Moral Philosophy at King's College, Aberdeen. The Professor gives an account of the admirable arrangements which he helped to introduce into the

latter university, and which ought never to have

been discontinued :-

"To ARCHIBALD DUNBAR, Esq.,

"of Newton, at Duffus.

"KING'S COLLEGE, Septr. 4th, 1755.

"SIR,-I did indeed intend, both last vacation and this, to have seen a little of the north country, and in that case should certainly have done myself the honour to wait of you at Duffus; but sometimes sickness in my family, and sometimes other accidents, have hindred me hitherto.

"Some ambiguity that has happened in a word of the letter you favour me with, makes me uncertain whether your intention is to put Bob to my class this session, which happens to be the Magistrand class; or whether you intend that both your sons should enter with the Greek Professor. Give me leave, therefore, to acquaint you what my class is to be employed in, that you may the better judge how it will answer your intention with regard to Bob, and the progress he has made. One hour in the day, for about two months, in the beginning of the session, will be employed upon Optics and some branches of Mathematicks, which I could not overtake last session. All the rest will be employed in the Philosophy of the Mind, Logic, Morals, and Politics. If this is what you intend for Bob, you may depend upon it that I shall faithfully and timeously acquaint you

what progress he makes. If you propose to put him in the Greek class with his brother, this is not at all an unusual thing at this college of late. You may please, in that event, to acquaint him that Charlie M'Ever, his class-fellow, being sensible that he was not well founded in Greek and Latin, and finding the Mathematicks a little too hard for his age, went back last session to the Humanity class, and enters the Greek class this session, and I believe will make a fine scholar; and Captain Fraser's son went back to the Bajan class last session.

"Your concern that the behaviour of your sons be narowly looked after is most natural, and what every one that knows the heart of a parent must approve of. I can assure you that in this society we have for some years past been using our best skill and application for this purpose. While the students were scattered over the town in private quarters, and might dispose of themselves as they pleased but at school hours, we found it impossible to keep them from low or bad company, if they were so disposed. But they are on a very different footing since they lived within the college we need but look out at our windows to see when they rise and when they go to bed. They are seen nine or ten times throughout the day statedly by one or other of the masters-at publick prayers, school hours, meals, and in their rooms; besides occasional visits, which we can make with little trouble to

ourselves. They are shut up within walls at nine at night. We charge those that are known to be trusty and diligent with the oversight of such as we suspect to be otherwise; and I verily believe there are few boys so narrowly lookt after, or so little exposed to temptations to vice, at home as with us at present. This discipline hath indeed taken some pains and resolution, as well as some expense to establish it. It makes our work laborious during the session, and must meet with the common prejudices that every new thing does. We behoved to be somewhat diffident of it ourselves till we tried it. But now, after the experience of two sessions, we are not only satisfied that it is practicable; but have already seen such effects of it, both upon the morals and proficiency of our students, as we hope will at last justify us to the world, in sticking so obstinately to it in opposition to such an union of the two colleges as behoved to have altogether undone it. You may rest assured that I will take a particular concern in your sons, and shall take it upon me to acquaint you of the opinion their masters have of them.

"The board at the first table is 50 merks per quarter; at the second 40 shillings. Some one of the masters dines always at the second table, as well as at the first. The rent of a room is from seven to twenty shillings in the session. There is no furniture in their rooms, but bedstead, tables, chimney grate,