HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY BOUGHT FROM DUPLICATE MONEY JUN 23 1941 At a meeting of the Trustees of Dartmouth College, on the 28th day of September, A. D. 1815, being an adjourned session of the Annual meeting of the said Trustees, holden at said College on the fourth Wednesday of September, A. D. 1815 VOTED That Tho's W. Thompson, Sec'ry pro tem. of this board, be requested to cause a correct copy of the Charter of the College to be prepared for the press; and that he carefully compare the said copy with the original, and annex his official certificate to the same. A true copy. THO, W. THOMPSON, Sec'y pro tem. CHARTER OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE. GEORGE the THIRD by the grace of GOD of Great-Britain France and Ireland KING Defender of the Faith and so forth. To all to whom these Presents shall come. GREETING. WHEREAS it hath been represented to our trusty and wellbeloved JOHN WENTWORTH Esq Governor and Commander in Chief in and over our province of New Hampshire in New England in America, that the Reverend ELEAZER WHEE LOCK of Lebanon in the colony of Connecticut in New England aforesaid, now Doctor in divinity, did on or about the year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Fifty four at his own expence, on his own estate and plantation set on foot an INDIAN CHARITY SHCOOL and for several years through the assistance of well disposed persons in America, cloathed, maintained and educated a number of the Children of the Indian Natives with a view to their carrying the Gospel in their own Language and spreading the Knowledge of the great REDEEMER among their Savage Tribes, and hath actually employ'd a number of them as Missionaries and School Masters in the Wilderness for that purpose: And by the blessing of GOD upon the endeav ours of said WHEELOCK the design became reputable amoung the Indians insomuch that a larger number desired the Education of their Children in said SCHOOL, and were also disposed to receive Missionaries and School Masters in the Wilderness more than could be supported by the charitable Contributions in these American colonies. WHEREUPON the said ELEAZAR WHEELOCK thought it expedient that endeavours should be used to raise Contributions from well disposed Persons in England for the carrying on and extending said undertaking, And for that purpose said ELEAZAR WHEELOCK requested the Rev NATHANIEL WHITAKER now Doctor in Divinity to go over to England for that purpose, and sent over with him the Rev. SAMSON OCCOM an Indian Minister whe had been educated by the said WHEELOCK, and to enable the said WHITAKER to the more successful performance of said Work on which he was sent, said WHEELOCK gave him a full Power of Attorney by which said WHITAKER solicited those worthy and generous Contributors to the Charity viz. The Right Honorable WILLIAM Earl of DARTMOUTH, the Honorable Sir SIDNEY STAFFORD SMYTHE Knight, one of the Barons of his Majestys Court of Exchequer, JOHN THORNTON of Clapham in the County of Surrey Esquire, SAMUEL ROFFEY of Lincoln's inn-fields, in the County of Middlesex Esquires, CHARLES HARDY of the parish of Saint Mary-le-bonne in said County Esquire, DANIEL WEST of Christ's Church Spitalfields in the County aforesaid Esq're, SAMUEL SAVAGE of the same place Gentleman, JOSIAH ROBERTS of the Parish of Saint Edmund the King Lombard Street London Gentleman, and ROBERT KEEN of the Parish of Saint Batolph Aldgate London, Gentleman, to receive the several Sums of Money which should be contributed, and to be TRUSTEES for the Contributors to such Charity, which they chearfully agreed toWHEREUPON the said WHITAKER did by virtue of said. Power of Attorney constitute and appoint the said Earl of DARTMOUTH, Sir SIDNEY SAFFORD SMYTH, JOHN THORNTON, SAMUEL ROFFEY, CHARLES HARDEY and DANIEL WEST Esquires, and SAMUEL SAVAGE JOSIAH ROBERTS and ROBERT KEEN Gentlemen to be TRUSTEES of the Money which had then been contributed, and which should by his means be contributed for said Purpose; which Trust they have accepted as by their engrossed Declarations of the same under their Hands and Seals well executed fully appears, and the same has also been ratihed by a deed of Trust well executed by the said WHEELOCK, AND the said WHEELOCK further represents that he has by power of Attorney for many weighty reasons, given full power to the said TRUSTEES to fix upon and determine the place for said SCHOOL most subservient to the great end in view; and to enable them understandingly to give the preference, the said WHEELOCK has laid before the said TRUSTEES the several Offers which have been generously made in the several Governments in America to encourage and invite the settlement of said SCHOOL among them for their own private emolument and the increase of Learning in their respective places as well as for the furtherance of the general de 5 sign in view. And whereas a large number of the Proprietors of Lands in the western part of this our Province of New Hampshire, animated and excited thereto by the generous example of his Excellency their Governor and by the liberal Contributions of many Noblemen and Gentlemen in England; and especially by the consideration that such a situation would be as convenient as any for carrying on the great design among the Indians; and also considering that without the least impedement to the said design the same School may be enlarged and improved to promote Learning among the English, and be a means to supply a great number of Churches and Congregations which are likely soon to be formed in that new Country with a learned and orthodox Ministry; they the said Proprietors have promised large Tracts of Land for the uses aforesaid, provided the School shall be settled in the western part of our said Province. And they the said Right Honorable, Honorable and worthy TRUSTEES before mentioned having maturely consider'd the reasons and arguments in favor of the several Places proposed, have given the preference to the western part of our said Province lying on Connecticut River, as a situation most convenient for said School; and the said WHEELOCK has further represented a necessity of a legal Incorporation in order to the safety and well being of said Seminary, and its being capable of the tenure and disposal of Lands and bequests for the use of the same. And the said WHEELOCK has also represented that for many weighty reasons it will be expedient at least in the infancy of said Institution or till it can be accommodated in that new Country and he and his Friends be able to remove and settle by and round about it, that the Gentlemen whom he has already nominated in his last Will (which he has transmitted to the aforesaid Gentlemen of the Trust in England) to be TRUSTEES in America should be of the Corporation now proposed and also as there are already large Collections for said School in the hands of the aforesaid Gentlemen of the Trust in England and all reason to believe from their singular wisdom, piety and Zeal to promote the REDEEMER's cause (which has already procured for them the utmost confidence of the Kingdom) we may expect they will appoint Successors in time to come who will be men of the same Spirit whereby great good may and will accrue many ways to the institution and much be done by their example and influence to encourage and facilitate the whole design in view for which reason said WHEELOCK desires that the TRUSTEES aforesaid may be vested with all that power there. |
