New-York. His last ordination was the admitting to the Priesthood the Rev. John Henry Hobart, D.D., in April, 1801, in Trinity Church, in said city.

"The first foundation or corner-stone laid by Bishop Provoost, was at the rebuilding of Trinity Church, in the city of New-York, on the 21st of August, 1788. The last time he performed this ceremony, was on the building of St. Mark's Church in said city, the 25th of April, 1795.

"These edifices, when ready for public worship, were the first and last by him consecrated to the service of Almighty God; the former on the 25th of March, 1790, the latter on the 9th of May, 1799.

"He suffered occasional attacks of an apopletic character, and died very suddenly of one of these fits, on the 6th of September, 1815, aged 73 years and six months.

"His funeral was numerously and respectably attended to Trinity Church, where the Psalms and lesson were read by the Rev. Thomas Y. How, Assistant Minister in that church; the sermon preached by the Rev. William Harris, Rector of St. Mark's Church; and the sentences and prayers at the place of interment, (the family vault in the church-yard,) read by the Rev. Cave Jones.

At the meeting of the Convention, Bishop Hobart, in his annual address, alluding to the departed Bishop, said: "To the benevolence and urbanity that marked all his intercourse with the clergy, and indeed every social relation, there is strong and universal testimony,” and then added the words of Bishop White in regard to his official and personal intimacy with the

deceased Bishop, calling it a sacred relation "between two persons, who under the appointment of a Christian Church had been successfully engaged together in obtaining for it succession to the apostolic office of the Episcopacy, who in the subsequent exercise of that Episcopacy had jointly laboured in all the ecclesiastical business which has occurred among us, and who through the whole of it never knew a word, or even a sensation, tending to personal dissatisfaction or disunion.

“The character of Bishop Provoost is one which the enlightened Christian will estimate at no ordinary standard. The generous sympathies of his nature created in him a cordial concern in whatever affected the interests of his fellow-creatures. Hence his beneficence was called into almost daily exercise, and his private charities were often beyond what was justified by his actual means. In the relations of husband and parent, he exhibited all the kindly and endearing affections which ennoble our species. As a patriot, he was exceeded by none. As a scholar, he was deeply versed in classical lore, and in the records of Ecclesiastical History and Church Polity. To a very accurate knowledge of the Hebrew, he added a profound acquaintance with the Greek, Latin, French, German, Italian, and other languages. He had made considerable progress also in the natural and physical sciences, of which botany was his favourite branch."

CHAPTER V.

On the resignation of Bishop Provoost, Mr. Watts was called to the chair, and the Rev. Benjamin Moore, D.D., was chosen in his place.*

"His election having been announced to him by a committee appointed for the purpose, and his acceptance of the Rectorship having been declared to the Board on whom he attended, he was duly inducted into the Church in the presence of Thomas Collister and William G. Forbes, by delivering to him the key of the Church.

At the next meeting of the Vestry, it having been thought expedient to call, without delay, another Assistant Minister, the Rector nominated the Rev. Cave Jones as a proper person for the office, which nomination was thereupon approved. The committee selected to inform him of his appointment, soon after submitted a letter from him, written at Accomack, his residence in Virginia, signifying his acceptance of the same. The treasurer was ordered to pay to Mr.

* Seventeen years after his appointment to the same office, which an unexpected change of circumstances had prevented him from filling.

Jones one hundred pounds, the same donation as that which was granted to Mr. Hobart, as a compensation for his expenses in removing to this city; and on a subsequent occasion, the sum of £220, in consideration of losses which he had sustained, but which are not particularly described in the minutes.

From the rapid growth of the city, as well as from a regard to the advantage of this corporation, the committee of leases was instructed, so early as 1792, to examine and report what part of the land belonging to it ought to be reserved for (another Church,) Parsonage, School House, Burial-ground, and other public purposes; and also to report a plan for widening the streets laid out in the Church Farm to the northward of Warren-street, and making such other improvements in that part of the Church estate as might conduce to the interest of this corporation and the ornament of the city.

So far as the building of a new Church was concerned, the further consideration of the subject seems to have slumbered for several years. In 1802, however, it was once more revived, for a resolution was passed by the Vestry that a room should be hired by the Rector for the assembling of persons to attend public worship, in the neighbourhood of Brannonstreet, and that benches be provided for such assembly. The many respectable applicants for pews, who could not be furnished with them in the existing churches, made it expedient that another one should be built, and a committee was therefore appointed in reference to it, and authorized to inquire and select a suitable site for the same.

The first situation proposed by the committee of leases, was on the square formed by Duane, Greenwich, Hudson and Jay streets. It was intended that the church should face on Duane-street, and it was ordered that a plan of the same should be prepared and reported at the meeting of the Vestry on the 7th of April, 1803, in order to commence the building of it immediately. At this meeting several plans were laid before the Board for their consideration, and the one recommended by the committee, drawn by John and Isaac McComb, was that which was approved of. It having been suggested, however, to the committee, that a part of the ground upon which it was intended to build the new church might require the driving of piles to render it safe, they were requested to examine it, and if they should find that the representation were correct, they were to desist froin the work until the sense of the Board should be taken. The examination having been made, and the result found unsatisfactory, the committee reported that it would be improper, from the nature of the ground, to erect a church on the spot contemplated. It was therefore finally resolved, that it should be built on the east side of Hudson Square, the site on which St. John's now stands, and that they should proceed forthwith to lay the foundation thereof.

This was on the very verge of a place as unsuitable as possible for a substantial edifice. It was probably in view of this difficulty that the Vestry made an order in the following year, that the committee of leases should have the pond filled up on the east side of Lispenard's garden, which was in the immediate neigh