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 was determined upon, and an appropriation made for its establishment; and two years after, an endowment was

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

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

When those great men-great in the truest sense-the Pilgrims of the Mayflower, emancipated themselves from spiritual dominion, and established "a Church without a Bishop," they probably had some conception of what this land would some day become. But for its present greatness, they would probably have assigned a growth of at least a thousand years; not dreaming then of the wonders of railways, telegraphs or steam. Hardly less did those later heroes who carried the country through the revolution, and established "a State without a King," realize what this magnificent "north west," then the abode of savages, wonld become, even while some of them remained upon life's battle ground. But like the men of Plymouth, they saw something of what it would some day be, and they lost no time in commencing the foundations for temples of knowledge and virtue, upon which their posterity might build.

Appropriations of land for the support of Colleges in Ohio-then a Territory-were made in 1787 and 88. In 1804, by an act for the disposal of public lands in the Indiana Territory, of which this State was a part, three townships were reserved "for the use of seminaries of learning" -one of which was for that section now constituting the State of Michigan.

In 1817, Gen. Cass and Duncan McArthur negociated a treaty with several tribes of Indians at Fort Meigs, by which a grant of three sections was secured from Congress, under pretence of furnishing means for educating 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. Anue of Detroit," to which the lands were by the act confirmed.

The original Constitution, under which Michigan became a State, provided that "all lands that have been or may be granted by the United States to this State, for the support of a University, and the funds accruing from the rents or sales of such lands, or from any other source, for the purpose aforesaid, shall be and remain a permanent fund, for the support of said University."

Our present Constitution is similar, and declares that the interest and income of all lands granted for educational purposes, “shall be inviolably appropriated, and annually applied to the specific objects of the original gift, grant, or appropriation." The present Constitution did not repeat the blunder of the old one, in adding the receipts for rents, to the main fund, instead of using them as income.

Thus it will be seen that the University Fund, arising from these grants of lands, is inalienable, and cannot be diverted from the University without a gross breach of original faith, and a direct violation of the Constitution. Happily very few have ever entertained a wish for such a result. On the contrary, successive Legislatures have given additional aid by direct appropriations, to the amount of many thousand dollars.

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

Much ridicule-not to say odium-has been cast upon the early rulers of our State for their schemes-so extravagant for so young a State-of internal improvements. Twenty years only have passed away, and those plans, though from unfortunate circumstances and equally unfortunate management, a signal failure then, are now more