Charles MACALESTER, of Pennsylvania;
George W. RIGGS, Esq., of Washington;
Samuel WETMORE, Esq., of New York;
Edward A. BRADFORD, Esq., of Louisiana;
George N. EATON, Esq., of Maryland;
and George PEABODY RUSSELL, Esq., of Massachusetts.

Gentlemen: I beg to address you on a subject which occupied my
mind long before I left England, and in regard to which one, at
least, of you (the Hon. Mr. Winthrop, the distinguished and
valued friend to whom I am so much indebted for cordial sympathy,
careful consideration, and wise counsel in this matter,) will
remember that I consulted him immediately upon my arrival in May
last.

I refer to the educational needs of those portions of our beloved
and common country which have suffered from the destructive
ravages, and the not less disastrous consequences of civil war.

With my advancing years my attachment to my native land has but
become more devoted. My hope and faith in its successful and
glorious future have grown brighter and stronger, and now, (p. 424)
looking forward beyond my stay on earth, as may be permitted
to one who has passed the limit of three score and ten years, I
see our country united and prosperous, emerging from the clouds
which still surround her, taking a higher rank among the nations,
and becoming richer and more powerful than ever before.

But to make her prosperity more than superficial, her moral and
intellectual development should keep pace with her material
growth, and in those portions of our nation to which I have
referred, the urgent and pressing physical needs of an almost
impoverished people must for some years preclude them from
making, by unaided effort, such advances in education, and such
progress in the diffusion of knowledge among all classes, as
every lover of his country must earnestly desire.

I feel most deeply, therefore, that it is the duty and privilege
of the more favored and wealthy portions of our nation to assist
those who are less fortunate, and, with the wish to discharge so
far as I may be able my own responsibility in this matter, as
well as to gratify my desire to aid those to whom I am bound by
so many ties of attachment and regard, I give to you, gentlemen,
most of whom have been my personal and especial friends,