THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN,

AND ITS FUNDS.

The men whose history immortalized the names of the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock, were by no means ignorant fanatics, to be led away by the impostures of stronger minds. They were men of strong and cultivated minds, no more to be led astray by sophistry, than were their hearts by the blandishments of a court Religion. Their love for purity of heart was scarcely less than their regard for intellectual excellence; for they esteemed intelligence the best basis upon which to build a religious character. Consequently we find, that from considerations of religious responsibility, even more than from their love of knowledge in itself, they began at once, upon their advent in the new world, to provide measures for the education of their young. Nor were they satisfied with merely making provision for a common education for the masses; but they felt that, while all could not be, some must be scholars of a high order: able to understand the Scriptures in their original language, and to cope with error upon whatever ground it might come, and with whatever weapons it might choose.

The country was a wild, inhabited by wild tribes of men;. but those heroes of 1620, as though comprehending their mighty mission to this new world, immediately began to lay the foundations upon which our present institutions are based. But sixteen years elapsed before a College

made by John Harvard; and thus, two hundred and t years ago, was founded Harvard College-the pr Massachusetts, and of the nation.

From that time to the present, a similar spirit ha mated the leading minds which in all our history given shape to our institutions. The several States always fostered the highest, no less than the lower in tions of learning.

When those great men-great in the truest sense Pilgrims of the Mayflower, emancipated themselves spiritual dominion, and established "a Church with Bishop," they probably had some conception of wha land would some day become. But for its present ness, they would probably have assigned a growth least a thousand years; not dreaming then of the wo of railways, telegraphs or steam. Hardly less did later heroes who carried the country through the re tion, and established "a State without a King," r what this magnificent "north west," then the abode o ages, wonld become, even while some of them rem upon life's battle ground. But like the men of Plym they saw something of what it would some day be they lost no time in commencing the foundations for ter of knowledge and virtue, upon which their posterity n build.

Appropriations of land for the support of Colleg Ohio-then a Territory-were made in 1787 and 88. 1804, by an act for the disposal of public lands in th diana Territory, of which this State was a part, three t ships were reserved "for the use of seminaries of learn -one of which was for that section now constituting State of Michigan.

In 1817, Gen. Cass and Duncan McArthur negociat treaty with several tribes of Indians at Fort Meigs which a grant of three sections was secured from Cong under pretence of furnishing means for educating Indi

ndred and twenty ge-the pride of

ar spirit has ani our history have eral States have the lower institu

ruest sense-the themselves from Church without a tion of what this Es present great. a growth of at n of the wonders ly less did those ough the revolu a King," realize the abode of sarf them remained nen of Plymouth, ome day be, and ations for temples r posterity might

-t of Colleges in 1787 and 88. In lands in the Inpart, three townaries of learning" constituting the

hur negociated a Fort Meigs, by from Congress, ucating Indians,

"to the rector of the Catholic church at Detroit," (to the rector-not to the church,) and also three sections to the

College of Detroit." It is a singular thing that these six sections were granted in common, to be divided as the parties should agree; but so it was. Part of this grant was located on the river Macon, a branch of the Raisin, and the remainder on the Detroit river and in Livingston county. The three sections for the College of Detroit, nominally became a part of the University lands. The other three accrued to the Catholic Church, and is believed to be the only grant ever made by Congress to any Church in this State.*

The Government lands in the Territory were brought into market in 1818. The University township had not been located, up to 1824, and it was thought that a township of good land of which none had been sold, could not be found; and through the exertions of Governor Woodbridge and others, and Hon. Austin E. Wing, delegate to Congress, an act was passed by which permission was given to select the land in detached sections; and at the same time, another township or its equivalent, was granted.

Thus was constituted the basis of the University Fund, consisting of the seventy-two sections granted for a University, and the three sections to the College of Detroit.

In 1821, a University was organized by the Governor and Judges of the Territory, and the control of the University lands, with all the franchises of the College of Detroit, given to its Trustees.

The ordinance of Congress, admitting the State of Michigan into the Union, declared that "the seventy-two sections of land set apart and reserved for the use and support of a University," by the act of Congress of 1826, "are hereby granted and conveyed to the State, to be appropriated solely to the use and support of such University."

*After the death of the "Rector," the title of this property became a question of doubt, and an act was passed by the Legislature in 1841, incorporating "The Catholic Apostolic and Roman Church of St. Anne of Detroit," to which the lands were by the act confirmed.

The original Constitution, under which Michigan b a State, provided that "all lands that have been or m granted by the United States to this State, for the st of a University, and the funds accruing from the re sales of such lands, or from any other source, for th pose aforesaid, shall be and remain a permanent fur the support of said University."

Our present Constitution is similar, and declare the interest and income of all lands granted for tional purposes, "shall be inviolably appropriated, a nually applied to the specific objects of the original gift, or appropriation." The present Constitution did n peat the blunder of the old one, in adding the receip rents, to the main fund, instead of using them as inco

Thus it will be seen that the University Fund, at from these grants of lands, is inalienable, and cann diverted from the University without a gross brea original faith, and a direct violation of the Constit Happily very few have ever entertained a wish for s result. On the contrary, successive Legislatures given additional aid by direct appropriations, to the ar of many thousand dollars.

The present University of Michigan was establish an act of the Legislature in 1837, and located in the v (now city) of Ann Arbor. The situation is one of beauty, comprising forty acres of land, donated by the zens of that vicinity. The same law provided for the ation of "Branches," as intermediate and prepar schools, to be located in various sections of the State

Much ridicule-not to say odium-has been cast the early rulers of our State for their schemes-so ext gant for so young a State-of internal improvem Twenty years only have passed away, and those though from unfortunate circumstances and equally u tunate management, a signal failure then, are now

and declares that ranted for educaropriated, and anoriginal gift, grant, cution did not reg the receipts for them as income. sity Fund, arising le, and cannot be a gross breach of the Constitution. a wish for such a Legislatures have ons, to the amount