Charles Phillips Chipman

“ Five years more went by before the work of instruction actually commenced at Waterville. They were not years of inactivity, but were spent in securing from the State the township of land donated by the act of incorporation, in deciding upon a suitable location, and in endeavors to obtain further state aid. We cannot follow in detail all the steps taken, but must confine our attention solely to the documents which have a direct bearing on the character of the institution which the founders had in mind to set up. ”

“ It is our judgment, that it would be for the furtherance of the gospel, and the general good, that a seminary should be founded in which some of our religious young men might be educated under the particular inspection of able men of the same sentiments. ”

“ Your petitioners also beg leave to show farther, that there are, belonging to the regular Baptist Churches, at least between six and seven thousand members, in the district of Maine, and, large congregations, generally united with the Churches in the same sentiment, so that the Baptists are, undoubtedly, more numerous, in this district, than any other denominations, if not, than all others.
Notwithstanding our numbers are so large, and daily increasing, yet we have no seminary over which we have any control. ”

“ The Committee of Senate to whom was referred the Petition of Daniel Merrill and others praying that they may be incorporated into a Literary Seminary in the District of Maine with the usual powers & privileges, and for a Grant of Land to enable them to carry into effect the object of the Petition, have had the same under consideration—and ask leave to Report—That the prayer of the Petition be so far granted, that the Petitioners have leave to bring in a Rill for that purpose. ”

“ Smith discovered that there are in existence documents which have never been quoted in any published history of the college. These documents are the first petition (presented to the General Court in 1812) [3] and the charter which failed to pass in that legislature, together with the first draft of the charter of 1813, which was amended in its most important sections before its passage. ”

“ It being in contemplation to establish an institution in the District of Maine, for the purpose of promoting literary, and theological knowledge; brethren Blood, Boardman, Merrill, Titcomb and Tripp were appointed a committee to take into consideration the propriety of petitioning the General Court for incorporation. ”

“ But they did no such thing. When the new General Court met early in the summer of 1812, Daniel Merrill was present as a member of the lower house, and from this vantage point continued his fight. On the fifth of June he presented a second petition. This was identical with the first petition presented the previous January, with the exception of the signatures at the end. These were as follows:
Why the change in the arrangement of signatures was made we can only surmise. ”

“ This Bill having had three several reading passed to be engrossed in concurrence with the Hon. Senate with following amendments viz., at A insert 'and', at B dele 'and fellows', at C dele 'Fellows', at D dele the whole 3d Section; at E dele 'Fellows', at F dele 'or fellows', at G dele 'fellows or', at H dele 'and fellows', at I dele the whole seventh section. ”

“ Smith of W. S. Mr. Webb of B. Mr. Hovey of and Mr. Coburn of C. with such as the Senate may join Came up for Concurrence. Read and Concurred and the Hon. Mess King, Hastings & Hazard are joined."
Here we have it expressly stated that the petitioners desired the establishment of a college. Surely the men to whom the petition was submitted could not have been in error on so important a point.
The joint committee reported three days later. Their report is in the Archives as House 7196:
"Commonwealth of Massachusetts. ”

“ Voted that Rev. Dr. Baldwin, Rev. Jeremiah Chaplin, Calvin Stockbridge, Timothy Boutelle, & John Hovey Esq. be a committee to take into consideration & report at the present meeting the expediency of erecting one or more buildings, the present year, on the College land in Waterville, of what size & of what materials."
As the result of the above vote we have later in the session the following:
"10. ”