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Title: Letter from Joseph Caldwell to Charles Harris, [June 1796]: Electronic Edition.
Author: Caldwell, Joseph, 1773-1835
Funding from the University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill supported the electronic publication of this title.
Text transcribed by Brian Dietz
Images scanned by Bari Helms
Text encoded by Brian Dietz
First Edition, 2005
Size of electronic edition: ca. 11K
Publisher: The University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
2005

No Copyright in US

The electronic edition is a part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill digital library, Documenting the American South.
Languages used in the text: English
Revision history:
2005-08-08, Brian Dietz finished TEI/XML encoding.
Source(s):
Title of collection: University of North Carolina Papers (#40005), University Archives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Title of document: Letter from Joseph Caldwell to Charles Harris, [June 1796]
Author: [Joseph Caldwell]
Description: 3 pages, 4 page images
Note: Call number 40005 (University Archives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Editorial practices
The text has been encoded using the recommendations for Level 5 of the TEI in Libraries Guidelines.
Originals are in the University Archives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Original grammar, punctuation, and spelling have been preserved.
Page images can be viewed and compared in parallel with the text.
Any hyphens occurring in line breaks have been removed, and the trailing part of a word has been joined to the preceding line.
All quotation marks, em dashes and ampersand have been transcribed as entity references.
All double right and left quotation marks are encoded as ".
All single right and left quotation marks are encoded as '.
All em dashes are encoded as —.
Indentation in lines has not been preserved.

For more information about transcription and other editorial decisions, see the section Editorial Practices.
Letter from Joseph Caldwell to Charles Harris , [June 1796]
Caldwell, Joseph, 1773-1835



Page 1
Nassau Hall

Sir,

I have just received a letter from you by Mr Otto requesting information respecting my present employment and expectations. I am still unsettled in the world, tho' I have passed thro' most of the time I allotted for obtaining a profession. It has been my purpose for sometime past to apply for license in the ministry next spring. This, however, is an event perfectly at my own discretion. And I am unable yet to say how far your letter may influence my decision. I have been two years and an half studying divinity, and if I had chosen might have requested license some time ago. I am now employed in the business of tutor in this college. I commenced a year from the present date. I should feel myself so diffident with respect to the duties of a teacher of mathematics that I should scarcely know how to venture the responsibility of such an office, were it not that I had some time since an opportunity of becoming acquainted in some measure with my strength. And tho' I still apprehend that I do not possess the qualifications requisite to such an office, I believe I should be able to prepare myself with assiduity and attention. I wish to receive further information of the situation of affairs, before I form or express an opinion. To know the several offices [of the]

Page 2
University and the names of those who fill them, the buildings that belong to it, & the conditions of the funds, if there are any, the classes and number of students in each, under what regulations the students are at present and whether on the whole you think the labor of teaching, fatiguing and oppressive. I wish you to mention also the expenses and whether the country and situation is healthy. By being so particular in my enquiries, I would not have you imagine that I would expect to be accommodated in the best manner with everything that is agreeable and convenient. But as I am almost entirely ignorant on all the subjects, I have enumerated, that I may form any determination at all it will be necessary that I be able in some degree to estimate them. You know the advantages my present station possesses, and therefore will easily conceive that it would be by no means wise to barter them away for an uncertainty. Mr Hobart is my colleague, and tho' I have not the happiness of a personal or intimate acquaintance with him, yet I have the satisfaction of being assured that I may rely without reserve on every information you may offer, and that you or those with whom you are connected may not want the same advantages of information on your side, Dr Smith , Dr Minto or any of the people of Princeton in whom you are willing to confide, will no doubt give you every information you may ask. I ought now to mention that it will not by any means

Page 3
be convenient for me to leave this place till next fall after commencement. From your own knowledge of affairs here, you will be able to judge the reason of this.

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