(seq. 259)

Nov 27. 1804.

To the Corporation of Harvard University
[Hon.d?] Sirs,

In the present afflicted state of the
University nothing but necessity could induce us to
address you in the language of complaint. Before, &
since the death of our venerable & beloved President,
we think our conduct has afforded honorable tes
timony of cheerful complaince with College regulations,
& of respectful obedience to our instructors. Of this
you cannot be ignorant. We have therefore reason to
suppose, we have indeed right to expect, that you will
not ascribe this address to a spirit of unreasonable
discontent. To avoid this imputation we have been
silent till forbearance has become criminal. We
have paid a painful submission to abuses, which
long since would have justified remonstrance.
We now expect to be heard because we assert the
truth; we expect redress because we are aggrieved.

We now state that sufficient attention is not
paid either to the purchase, or to the preparation
of food. The first article we will notice is the bread,
baked in the kitchen. The flour of which is has been
made for a long time, is intolerably offensive. But as
all flour is neither oil, nor musty we may have temporary
relief even from the inattention of the purchaser. The
manner of baking however is uniformly bad.