Williamsburg, the Old Colonial Capital. By Lyon Gardiner Tyler, LL.D.
(Whittet and Shepperson, Richmond, Va.)- Williamsburg, so called from the "Deliverer," was first known as the Middle Plantation. It received its present name in 1698; in 1790 it ceased to be the capital of the State, that dignity being transferred to Richmond. It was never a largo place, its popula- tion in the days of its dignity not exceeding two thousand. This dwindled to twelve hundred ; it now stands at two thousand five hundred. Dr. Tyler has collected a quantity of facts about the place and its people. And quite worth collecting they were, though, of course, tho interest is mainly local. A good example of the narrative is the story of the William and Mary College. Virginia has given seven Presidents to the States, and three of these were alumni of the College,— Jefferson, Monroe, and Tyler, a trio certainly above the average in distinction. As our author remarks, they largely increased the area of the United States. General Scott was another alumnus. In 1754, when the College was in a flourishing condition, there were a hundred and fifteen scholars and students, of whom seventy-five resided in the College. Eight of the number were Indians. Eight students had negro boys to wait on them. The sessional fee for board was .213. The stipend of the President was £150, which was raised in the following year to £200. The College is now, we are glad to see, fairly prosperous. No millionaire has looked that way ; but its endowment fund has reached £31,000 (increased from £5,000 in 1888), and its students double in number the roll of its most prosperous times. It receives a subsidy of £7,000 from the State.
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