THE EARLY TEACHING OF ECONOMICS IN THE UNITED STATES 295 
We find an interesting development in the views entertained 
from time to time by President Tyler. 
In 1890 he simply “thinks that political economy was added to 
the curriculum in 1784, when President James Madison instituted 
lectures on Adam Smith as part of the course given by the 
incumbent of the chair of moral philosophy.” * Jefferson became 
a member of the board of visitors and governors in 1779 and 
caused the enactment of a statute which reorganized the college. 
In lieu of the existing chairs of divinity there were now insti- 
tuted three professorships. George Wythe was made professor 
of law and police; Robert Anderson was made professor of moral 
philosophy, the laws of nature and of nations; and Bishop Madi- 
son was made professor of natural philosophy and mathematics. 
In 1784 President Madison was transferred to the chair pre- 
viously occupied by Mr. Anderson. 
Eight years later Mr. Tyler's opinion is strengthened. He now 
says: “There is reason to believe that Adam Smith was taught 
at William and Mary earlier than at any other college”; and he 
hazards the conjecture that “the use of the Wealth of Nations 
perhaps dates from 1784, when President Madison was made 
professor of moral philosophy, international law, ete.” As to the 
first part of this statement, he refers to an assertion of Bishop 
Meade, and writes: “We are told that President Madison was 
the first to introduce into the College a regular system of lectures 
on political economy.” As to the latter part of the statement the 
evidence which appears to President Tyler as conclusive is the 
fact that “in the library of Mr. Stanard is an old edition of Adam 
Smith, with the autograph of ‘Robert Stanard, William and 
Mary College, 1798,’ upon the flyleaf.” * 
In 1900 more confirmatory evidence is supposed to be found 
in the correspondence of Andrew Reid who refers to forty-three 
pages of questions on Smith's Wealth of Nations, propounded by 
Bishop Madison.® 
In the next year Mr. Tyler quotes a letter from R. A. Brock, 
referring to the three-volume edition of Smith's Wealth of 
'“A Few Facts from the Records of William and Mary College,” 
American Historical Association Papers, IV (1890), 455-469. ! 
* William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, vi (1898), 
181-182. 
* Op. cit., ix (1901), p. 213.