Randolph was sent to England to obtain a transfer of the College, and all the estate held for its use, to the following gentlemen, as trustees; viz. James Blair, Rector, the Hon. William Gooch, Governor of the Colony, Alexander Spotswood, late Lieut. Governor of the said Colony, Robert Carter, of Lancaster county, William Byrd, of Charles City county, Mann Page of Gloucester county, Col. Digges, of York county, Peter Beverley, of Gloucester county, John Robinson, of Spotsylvania county, John Carter, of Charles City, John Grymes, of Middlesex, William Randolph, of Henrico, (son of the first W. R.) members of his Majesty's Council; Emanuel Jones, of the parish of Petworth, in the county of Gloucester, Bartholomew Yates, of the parish of Christ Church, in the county of Middlesex, and John Staife, of the parish of Stratton Major, in the county of King and Queen, Clerks; John Claton, John Randolph, (brother of William,) William Robertson, Esq., of Williamsburg, and William Cole, Esq., of the county of Warwick. Sir John returned with the transfer, and delivered it in the College, on the 15th day of August 1729, to James Blair, Rector, and President of the College, in the presence of Francis Fontaine, William Dawson, and Alexander Irvine, Professors, and Joshua Fry, Master of the Grammar School. The establishment was now complete again, and at the meeting in November following, it appears that the Faculty present were the Rev. James Blair, President, the Rev. Bartholomew Yates, Professor of Divinity, the Rev. Wm. Dawson, Professor of Philosophy, the Rev. Francis Fontaine, Professor of Oriental Languages, Mr. Alexander Irvine, Professor of Mathematics, Mr. Joshua Fry, Master of the Grammar School, and Mr. John Fox, Master of the Indian School.

From this time the College went on enlarging itself by degrees, and extending its influence, from year to year,

with some success. President Blair, under whose auspices it had been founded, died in 1743, and was succeeded by the Rev. William Dawson, both as President of the College and Commissary of the Bishop of London. Mr. Dawson died in 1752, and was succeeded by the Rev. William Stith, (the Historian,) as President only. Mr. Stith died in 1755, and was succeeded by the Rev. Thomas Dawson. Mr. Dawson died in 1761, and was succeeded by the Rev. Wm. Yates. Mr. Yates died in 1764, and was succeeded by the Rev. James Horrocks. Mr. Horrocks died in 1771, and was succeeded by the Rev. John Camm. Mr. Camm died in 1777, and was succeeded by the Rev. James Madison, afterwards Bishop of Virginia.

The revolutionary war was ruinous to the College. The estates in England called Brafferton, and Doxhill, given by Sir Robert Boyle, were lost, and the school supported by them put down. The duty on tobacco, distilled spirits, and furs, and a moiety of surveyors fees given by the King were taken by the State of Virginia, and the rents of the College lands, heretofore applied to the education of a certain number of young men, were now used to aid in sustaining the institution which seemed about to expire. Three of the masters, Professors Innes, McClurg and Andrews, entered the army, and most of the students followed their example. Among these last were James Monroe, Joseph Egglestone, John, Robert, and William Nelson, Thomas Evans, Nathaniel Burwell, Granville Smith, William and Charles Cocke, John Francis Mercer, Langhorne Dade, Edmund, Robert, Richard, Peyton, and David Meade Randolph, Otway Byrd, Charles and George Carter, John Nicholas, Robert Nicholson, Edward Digges, Robert Bolling, Carter and Robert Page, Robert Saunders, James Lyons, Dandridge Claiborne, and Carter B. Harrison who entered the service of Virginia and the United States. From this

time to the close of the war, the College buildings were occasionally occupied as military barracks, and it was dif ficult to preserve the Library and Chemical Apparatus from ruin. In fact, as Williamsburg was alternately occupied by portions of the American and British armies, the exercises of the College were merely nominal; and the students were "few and far between," so that at the termination of the course in August, 1783, Ludwell Lee and Paul Carrington were the only orators on the occasion.

From the alumni of the College who were zealous and distinguished advocates for the cause of their country, we may select the names of Peyton Randolph, George Wythe, Thomas Jefferson, John Page of Rosewell, Edmund Pendleton, Archibald Cary, Mann Page, Edmund Randolph, Beverley Randolph, and Benjamin Harrison, of Berkeley, as worthy of special honor.

R. R.

COMMODORE SAMUEL BARRON.

Commodore Samuel Barron of the U. S. N. was born in the town of Hampton, in this State, on the 25th of September, 1765. His father was Commodore James Barron, of the Virginia Navy, during the revolutionary war, and his mother was Miss Jane Cowper, afterwards Mrs. Jane Bowling, the wife and subsequently the widow of Capt. Bowling who was lost at sea.

Young Samuel Barron, very early in life, discovered a strong fondness for letters, and made as good progress in learning as the circumstances of our country at that time, almost destitute of schools, would allow. At 14 years of age, he was sent to Petersburg, to a grammar school which was kept there by a very respectable teacher named Emo

ry, where he was fitted for college. He afterwards entered William and Mary, or rather perhaps the Grammar school of that institution, about the year 1779, but did not continue there more than a year, for falling under the discipline of an usher, by the name of Swinton, whose passion for the use of the rod was very decided, our young lad became disgusted with that seat of learning, and solicited his indulgent father for permission to enter the State navy, which was readily granted, and he went on board the Frigate Dragon, Capt. Markham, as a midshipman. Here he remained for some time; but the naval service of Virginia at that period was very unsteady, owing to the proximity of her waters to the cruising ground of the British Navy,― whose invasions of the Eastern part of the State were very frequent, and the destruction of our armed vessels, and others, the almost certain consequence of their venturing out. Of course, the service became of a two-fold character, and was sometimes shifted from the water to the land. The officers and men were thus formed at times into companies of infantry and artillery, and troops of horse; but their arms were of the most inferior quality, and of all sorts and sizes; not exactly such as they would choose, but only such as they could get.

In this state of things, sometime in the summer of 1781, Lord Cornwallis evacuated the town of Portsmouth, which he had occupied for some time, and took a position of observation and annoyance in Hampton Roads. During his stay there, he ravaged all the country round about for provisions for his army, which was then on board some vessels of war, and many transports, in a fleet. On one of these occasions, a Captain Brown, a marine officer, with about 40 men under him, landed on Newport's News Point, and proceeded up the river, along its banks, to Warwick county, on a foraging and plundering expedition, when the

look-out militia discovered the party very early in the morn ing, and gave the alarm. Immediately, a very dashing officer on our side, Captain Edward Mallory, assembled a company of mounted volunteers, and went off, with all speed, in pursuit of the enemy. Of this party our young naval officer was one, and the greater part of it were the young gentlemen of the town and country round about.

The volunteers found the enemy about 7 miles above Newport's News Point, just coming out from the farm of a Mr. Thomas, on the bank of James river, to the main road, half a mile off, when Capt. Brown, the British Marine officer, on perceiving the American party, immediately filed off to an open field on his right, or lower down the river, and then displayed his front to receive his gallant opponents as they came on; at the same time keeping the carts loaded with plunder on the river side of his men, in order to protect them. Capt. Mallory seeing this movement, ordered about one half of his troop who had the best guns to dismount, and the rest who had the best horses, armed with swords and pistols, to remain on horseback, thus forming them into two squads. In this order the attack was made by the Americans, the cavalry charging the British in front; and the foot firing on the British flank, who be gan to move down the river towards the Point. At the same time, apprehending that the American party which did not then exceed thirty men, might be reinforced, they quickened their march, and gained the main road, receiving the fire of the Americans from either side of the road, as the ground induced the latter to occupy it, and thus the action continued until both parties reached a large field, near the station where the British had left their boats. Here the gallant Capt. Brown received a ball, and was found too badly wounded to be moved. He, therefore, ordered his men to take him to the rear, and keep up their