of trustees of the "_New York
African Free School_":

Melancthon Smith, Jno. Bleeker, James Cogswell, Lawrence Embree,
Thomas Burling, Willett Leaman, Jno. Lawrence, Jacob Leaman, White
Mattock, Mathew Clarkson, Nathaniel Lawrence, Jno. Murray, Jr.

Their school, located in Cliff Street, between Beekman and Ferry, was
opened in 1786, taught by Cornelius Davis, attended by about forty
pupils of both sexes, and appears, from their book of minutes, to have
been satisfactorily conducted. In the year 1791 a female teacher was
added to instruct the girls in needle-work, the expected advantages of
which measure were soon realized and highly gratifying to the society.
In 1808 the society was incorporated, and in the preamble it is
recorded that "a free school for the education of such persons as have
been liberated from bondage, that they may hereafter become useful
members of the community," has been established. It may be proper here
to remark that the good cause in which the friends of this school were
engaged, was far from being a popular one. The prejudices of a large
portion of the community were against it; the means in the hands of
the trustees were often very inadequate, and many seasons of
discouragement were witnessed; but they were met by men who, trusting
in the Divine support, were resolved neither to relax their exertions
nor to retire from the field.

Through the space of about twenty years they struggled on; the number
of scholars varying from forty to sixty, until the year 1809, when the
Lancasterian, or monitorial, system of instruction was introduced
(this being the second school in the United States to adopt the plan),
under a new teacher, E. J. Cox, and a very favorable change was
produced, the number of pupils, and the efficiency of their
instruction being largely increased.

Soon after this, however, in January, 1814, their school-house was
destroyed by fire, which checked the progress of the school for a
time, as no room could be obtained large enough to accommodate the
whole number of pupils. A small room in Doyer Street was temporarily
hired, to keep the school together till further arrangements could be
made, and an appeal was made to the liberality of the citizens and to
the corporation of the city, which resulted in obtaining from the
latter a grant of two lots of ground in William. Street, on which to
build a new school-house; and in January, 1815, a commodious brick
building, to accommodate