Time being, under their Hands and Seals. And the said Contributors shall be, and

are hereby made a Body corporate in Law, to all Intents and Purposes, and shall Contributors have perpetual Succession, and may sue, or be sued, plead, or be impleaded, by made a the Name of The Contributors to the Pennsylvania Hospital, in all Courts of Corporation. Judicature within this Province; and by that Name shall and may receive and take any Lands, Tenements or Hereditaments, not exceeding the yearly Value of One Thousand Pounds, of the Gift, Alienation, Bequest, or Devise of any Person or Persons whomsoever; and of any Goods or Chattels whatsoever; and the said Contributors are hereby impowered to have and use one common Seal in their Affairs, and the same at their Pleasure to change and alter.

Limitation of

their Estate.

Capital Stock

not to be

PROVIDED nevertheless, That no General Meeting of the said Contributors, nor any Persons acting under them, shall employ any Money, or other Estate, expressly given or added to the capital Stock of the said Hospital, in any other Expended. Way, than by applying its annual Interest or Rent, towards the Entertainment and Care of the sick and distempered Poor, that shall be from Time to Time brought and placed therein, for the Cure of their Diseases, from any Part of this Province, without Partiality or Preference.

AND for the farther Encouragement of this beneficent Undertaking, BE IT ENACTED by the Authority aforesaid, That when the said Contributors

shall have met and chosen their Managers and Treasurer as aforesaid, and shall Two thouhave raised by their Contributions, a capital stock of Two Thousand Pounds sand pounds Value (the yearly Interest or Rent of which is to be applied to the accommodating conditionally of the sick Poor in the said Hospital, free of Charge for Diet, Attendance, Advice and given. Medicines) and shall make the same appear to the Satisfaction of the Speaker of the Assembly for the Time being; that then it shall and may be lawful for the said Speaker of the Assembly, and he is hereby required, to sign an Order or Orders on the Provincial Treasurer, or Trustees of the Loan-Office, for the Payment of Two Thousand Pounds, in two yearly Payments, to the Treasurer of the said Hospital, to be applied to the Founding, Building and Furnishing of the same.

AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, by the Authority aforesaid, That Accounts to the Accounts of the Disbursement of the said Two Thousand Pounds, so be published. ordered by the Speaker of the Assembly aforesaid, or any Part thereof that shall be hereafter expended, as the Case may be, and of the Rents, Products and Interests of any real or personal Estates or Sums of Money charitably given to the Use of the said Hospital, together with a List of such Donations, shall be fairly drawn out and published annually in the Gazette, or other News-Papers: And the Managers of the said Hospital, shall at all Times, when required, submit the Books, Accounts, Affairs and Economy thereof, to the Inspection and free Examination of such Visitors as may from Time to Time be appointed by the Assembly of this Province, to visit and inspect the same.

PROVIDED ALWAYS, and it is hereby further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That if at any Time hereafter, there should not be a constant Succession of Contributors to meet yearly and chuse Managers as aforesaid, then the said Hospital, and the Estate and Affairs thereof, shall be in the Management, and under the Direction of such Persons as shall be from Time to Time appointed by Act of General Assembly of this Province for that Purpose.

Signed by the order of the House.

ISAAC NORRIS, Speaker.

Approved by the Governor eleventh day of May, 1751.

The strenuous efforts made for the establishment of the Hospital had not been in vain. Its promoters in the meanwhile had not been

In failure of a succession of

Contributors.

This illustration is a photographic reproduction of the first page of the minute-book containing report of the first Contributors' meeting and election of Managers. It is in Franklin's handwriting.

idle; a subscription list was set on foot which in a short time amounted to over £2750, a sum much in excess of the figure required by the law to obtain the £2000 from the Provincial Treasurer or Trustees of the Loan Office.

On July 2d, the Managers met at the Widow Pratt's Royal Selection Standard Tavern. After some Discussion on the Choice of a Piece of a Site. of Ground on which to erect the Hospital, they adjourned and went in a body to view several places near "the Town" which were thought suitable for a location. They eventually agreed upon one particular lot belonging to Thomas and Richard Penn, the Proprietaries, on the South side of Mulberry (now Arch) Street, from Ninth to Tenth Streets, and extending 360 feet in depth southward from Mulberry Street.

The Managers again met on July 6th, when it was "voted nemine contradicente, that Joshua Crosby be the President of this Board until the next election, and that Benjamin Franklin officiate as Clerk until another shall be appointed."

found.

This particular piece of ground having been selected, the Man- Favorable agers drafted the following address, and forwarded it to Thomas Hyam location and Sylvanus Bevan, their agents at London, to be by them presented to the Proprietaries. What was done in this matter, and the answers the Managers received, and the other documents relating to the same, it is believed are of sufficient interest to be here placed on record. The Managers before appealing to the Proprietaries in England, Appeal to sought to enlist the interest of Lieut. Gov. Hamilton, who at that time represented the Penns. It will be seen by the following correspondence that in this they were less successful than in other directions. The following is a confidential letter sent by Governor Hamilton2 to Thomas Penn, in England:

PHILADELPHIA, July 5, 1751.

Hon'd Sir: I had the honour to write You a few days agoe by Captain Styles and as every thing remains in the same situation as was therein mentioned, I have nothing new to add at present.

We have heard by the publick Papers of the unfortunate Accident that befell You, in your journey to Bath, and should have been kept in a very cruel suspence with respect to the consequence, But that Mr. Paris was so kind as to inform me by way of Boston, of your being out of all danger from the Wound so that we were at the same time made acquainted, with the Peril you had been in, & your happy recovery from it. Upon which, I begg leave most sincerely to congratulate You, and hope you do me the Justice to believe, that, no man more heartily rejoices at your escape from so imminent a Disaster.

1 By the Charter of October 25, 1701, the City was incorporated under the name of "The Mayor and Commonality of the City of Philadelphia," previous to this it had been called a "town."

James Hamilton, son of Andrew Hamilton, was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania in 1741. He was the first native Governor. In 1754 he resigned his commission, but in 1759, when in England, he again accepted the same office, which in 1763, he yielded to John Penn.

Governor
Hamilton.

Letter from
Governor to
Proprietors.

Another letter

from Gov.

Young Mr. Pemberton and Others of the Managers of the Intended Hospital, (of which I gave you some Account in my last,) waited upon me this Morning, and acquainted me, they were about to address You for a Benefaction to it, which they were desiring should be, of a piece of Ground, to erect their Building upon; and desired me to back their request.—I told them plainly I should not concern myself in any Application of that kind; neither did I believe you would grant it in the way they desired, but that, if you chose to make them a present, it would be of a sum of Money, in like manner as others had done. They nevertheless persist in making the application, and will put it into the hands of some of the principal Friends at London, who are to sollicit it with You.-You will please to be informed that, the Project of this Hospital took its rise principally among Friends, who as they say, are desirous of shewing the World, that, where, they are not restrained by principle, they can be as liberal as others; and indeed many of them have subscribed very largely; several of them One hundred pounds a-piece. I should likewise Observe that, the design, is in general well thought of, and if rightly conducted will undoubtedly be of service in many Respects. I thought it my duty to apprise You as early as possible of the intended Application, previous to its being made, that you may have time to consider & resolve on what is proper for you to do on the Occasion; since I doubt not, but the Gentlemen who are to sollicit you in their behalf, will be very importunate.

I am with all possible Regard, Sir,

Your Most Obliged & Most humble Serv't.
JAMES HAMILTON.

The hon'ble Thomas Penn, Esq.

The following extract from another letter is of similar tenor: PHILADELPHIA, June 19th, 1752. Honored Sir.-The Managers of the Hospital, hearing from their Agents in Hamilton to London, that I had received your Orders to grant them a piece of Land to build on: Mr. Crosby and Mr. Charles Norris, in their behalf, waited on me, Proprietors. and requested to know the particulars, with which I immediately acquainted them, by reading Your instructions to me upon that head. They then asked, whether, as their memories might not be able to retain the whole contents, I would favor them with a copy of the Instrument? to which I agreed, and ordered one to be made out and deliver'd to them, at the same time letting them know, I should expect their answer, to be sent to you by the first opportunity.-Some time after Mr. Crosby and another Gentleman came to me again and acquainted me, that the Managers &c had held several Meetings on the subject, but had not then come to any determination, whether they could accept of your donation upon the proposed Terms: particularly they could not engage that the Assembly would repeal the Acts. But that, when they should come to a final resolution thereupon, they would direct their Agents in England to wait on You and acquaint You with it. I easily perceived this was a piece of evasion to conceal their intentions from me, but I let it pass without taking any notice of it.-I think it however my Duty, as they are asking so considerable a Gift from You, to make You acquainted with my sentiments of this affair, after which, You will be pleased to do therein, as You shall think right.-It is my opinion then, that these people mean nothing less, than accepting of your Donation upon the Conditions offered them; but are desirous to delay giving a positive answer to your proposal till they are informed that the Act of Assembly has received the Royal assent, to which, some of the Chiefs of them are apprehensive You will put a stop, and being once secure in that point, they will in the next place, by many smooth Words and Compliments to You, and encomiums on Your Ancestors, endeavour to prevail on You to grant

them the Land free from the condition of reversion &c. which is an Objection to it, a very leading man among them made to me; And when they have obtained all they have to expect from you; I am persuaded they will think a very small share either of the Honour or of the direction ought to be lodged with You, or with any in Authority under You.

I would not for any consideration have said thus much, had it not been my real Opinion. But there is a possibility of my being mistaken, or of my having judged too uncharitably of these Gentlemen; I would desire that nothing of what is above said may transpire, so as to reach them, as it would be to do me a very great prejudice without answering any good purpose that I know of; and a little time will satisfy You, whether or no my surmises are well founded.

As for myself, I have not contributed any thing to the Hospital, as it appears clear to me, One particular Society, by making it a point with their people to subscribe small sums, will have the entire management of it, and are desirous, by the contributions of others, to build a reputation to themselves, without ever having done any thing of this kind in conjunction with people of other persuasions. That, however, shall not be an Objection sufficient to prevent my subscribing to so useful a design, if upon further experience, I find things are fairly and impartially conducted, and the necessities of the Province call for such an Establishment, which I believe upon Tryal are found to be much less than was expected.

These letters were found in a package of old papers relating to the Hospital, which had probably been brought over, among other correspondence referring to this matter, by Thomas Penn, Esq., and being left here by him, were afterwards given to the Managers as possibly being the most interested in them. It is not to be supposed that Gov. Hamilton could have ever contemplated the possibility of these letters ultimately finding their way into the archives of the Pennsylvania Hospital.

TO THE HONOURABLE THOMAS PENN AND RICHARD PENN, ESQRS., PROPRIE-
TORS OF THE PROVINCE OF PENSILVANIA, &C.

May it please the Proprietors

The Address of the Mana

gers to the It hath been long observed, that this your Province, remarkable for the Good- Proprietors. ness of its Constitution, Laws and Government, and many other Advantages, is yet deficient of a common Hospital or Infirmary for the Relief of such Poor as are afflicted with curable Diseases.

Your good People here, to supply this Defect, and out of a tender charitable Regard to their Fellow-Creatures, have voluntarily subscribed and are still Subscribing large Sums towards a Stock for the Support of such an Hospital and the General Assembly, being petitioned by a Number of the Inhabitants of all Ranks and Denominations, have passed an Act to Encourage the same, and granted Two thousand pounds for the Founding, Building & Furnishing thereof.

In Pursuance of that Act, we the Subscribers were on the first of this Instant chosen by the Contributors to be managers of the said Hospital, and think it our Duty to take this first Opportunity of laying the Affair before our Proprietors, in humble Confidence that so good & Pious an Undertaking will not fail of their Approbation. Hopeing withal from the accustomed Bounty of the Proprietary Family, in encouraging former Designs of Publick Utility to the People of their Province, the present will also receive their kind Assistance; and