Senatus Academicus Minutes, Part 2 (1812- 1819) (97) The Senatus Academicus then adjourned to meet at Athens on the first Monday in August next. Attest Duncan G. Campbell D.B. Mitchell Secretary of the University Govr & President Milledgeville, Senate Chamber November 9th 1812 Agreeably to an Act of the General Assembly passed the 16th day of December 1811, the following Members of the Senatus Academicus appeared and took their seats, to wit, The Honorable William Rabun, President of the Senate, & the honorable Benjamin Whitaker Speaker of the House of Representatives. Messrs Blair, Irwin, Stevens, Byne, Leigh, Talbot, Cook, Nisbet, Tharpe, Crane, Owens, Ware, Fort, Parks, Watkins; Hatcher, Pope, Hudspeth, Pray, Mr. President Brown, Messrs Early & Upson. There being a Board of Visitors but not of the Trustees, so as in terms of the law, to constitute a Senatus Academicus, the Members present adjourned to Meet tomorrow evening in this place at 3 oClock. (98) Milledgeville Senate Chamber November 10th 1812 Pursuant to adjournment the following members of the Board of Visitors attended to wit, the Honble Wm Rabun President of the Senate – Messrs Blair, Byne, Cook, Crane, fort, Hatcher, Irwin, Leigh, Nisbit, Owens, park, Pope, Pray, Stevens, Talbot, Tharpe, Ware & Watkins – And the following members of the Board of Trustees, To wit, Messrs Early, Paine, & Upson, together with Mr. President Brown – and there being a majority of both Board the Senatus Academicus was formed The Honble Wm Rabun President of Senate in the Chair. On Motion of Mr. Irwin the Board called upon the Board of trustees to lay before the Senatus Academicus in terms of the law passed by the General Assembly the 16th Decr 1811 a Statement of the receipts & expenditures, also the number of Students, their names, their different Studies & the amount of tuition money, which was accordingly done in a report from that body, together with a full account of all their proceedings during the last Collegiate year, which being read & examined by the (99) Senatus Academicus were ordered to be laid before the Legislature as the report of this Board in compliance with the before mentioned act. On Motion of Mr. Irwin the Board then adjourned Sine die. Attest A.S. Clayton Secy Milledgeville, Senate Chamber November 8th 1813 This being the day appointed by the law for the meeting of the Senatus Academicus – Present. His Excellency Governor early & Mr. President Brown. Of the Trustees, Messrs Abbot, Paine & Upson, Of the Visitors Messrs Rabun, Baker, Battel, Blair, Byne, Cook, Fort, Foster, Fulwood, Hardie, Irwin, Lumpkin, Nesbit, Piles, Pope, Powell, Scruggs, Spalding, Swain, Watkins & Winn – The Board of Trustees laid before the Senatus Academicus, a report consisting of a Statement of the proceedings of the Trustees since the 10th of November last, an account of the number of Studies of the Student College, & an abstract of the funds of the University a list of the debts to & from the University together with an exhibit of the receipts & expenditures of the last year, which being severally read & examined was on motion of Mr. Spalding ordered to be laid before the General (100) Assembly by the Secretary of the University. The Board then adjourned Sine die. Attest Peter Early A. S. Clayton Secy Governor & President Milledgeville, Senate Chamber November 14th 1814 This being the day appointed by law for the meeting of the Senatus Academicus a majority of Board Visitors attended in their places, but there not being a majority of the Board of Trustees of the University, the members present adjourned till to morrow evening half after 3 oClock. Tuesday Evening Novr 15th A majority of both Board being present, the Senatus Academicus was anounced (sic) as formed, when the President of the University laid before that body his annual Communication, containing an account of the Condition of the College, its number of students, their respective studies, & a Statement of the amount of tuition money – which was accompanied by a report of the Treasurer of the institution, exhibiting a Statement of the funds of (101) the University - & the same being read & examined Mr. Walker offered the following resolution, to wit, Resolved that it is expedient & essentially necessary to the furtherance and advancement of the Institution, that a library should be provided therefore; And it appearing from the report of the Treasurer that the funds of the Institution are not adequate to the attainment of this desirable object – be it further resolved that application be made to the Legislature now in session for a loan of two thousand dollars to be applied to that purpose – which resolution being received & read was agreed to Mr. Talbot laid on the table (a statement) of the funds & condition of the Academy of Wilkes County, communicated by the Trustees of said Academy. Mr. Walker offered the following Resolution, to wit, Resolved that a committee be appointed to enquire into the expediency of selling that lands belonging to the Trust & vesting the funds arising from such sale in Bank Stock, & that they report to this Board at their next meeting – And the Same being received & read was agreed to, the following Committee appointed, to wit, Messrs Walker, Rabun, Cook, Cuthbert, & Abbot. Mr. Foster offered the following resolution which was received & agreed to, to wit, Resolved that the Secretary of this Board lay before the General Assembly at this session, the proceeding of the present Senatus Academicus so soon as they have closed their deliberations. (102) The Board then adjourned till to morrow Evening 4 oClock. Wednesday Evening Novr 16th Mr. Walker from the Committee appointed made the following report which was received, read & agreed to by the Senatus Academicus, to wit, “The Committee to whom was referred the subject of enquiring into expediency of making sale of the lands belonging to the University of Georgia – Report, That they have enquired of persons acquainted with the situation of those lands & have received the information that they are at present under a lease which will expire on the 25th day of December 1817. That by being constantly leased, and, they have become very much impoverished by cultivation & the want of proper dare – The fences & plantations much out of order & the value of the property dayly & sensibly diminishing – That from such diminution of value, the difficulty of making collections & other circumstances connected with leasing, your Committee are of opinion that the fund arising from this source will not be commensurate with the necessities of the Institution, much less will (103) a sufficient fund be derived therefrom to enable the Trustees to place the Institution upon the high ground of respectability so ardently wished for by every friend of science & Literature. The therefore recommend that the lands be sold (under the Superintendence of the President of the University and any one or more of the Trustees, either at private sale or public outcry) to the highest bidder at such place as they or a majority of them shall select for that purpose in this State after six months notice in the public news papers of Milledgeville, Athens, Washington, Augusta & Savannah, upon a credit of one, two or three years – (The purchaser giving to the Trustees bond with approved security, together with a mortgage on the premises, for the payment of the purchase Money – If sold at public outcry the President and the attending Trustee or Trustees having the privelege of bidding in behalf of the University so that the said land may sell for its value & the money arising from said sale when collected shall after defraying the debts of the institution, be by the Trustees vested in Bank Stock of the Bank of Augusta or Planters Bank, or of the funds of the United States for the benefit of the University of Georgia – Resolved that application be made to the Legislature of Georgia to pass an act authorising the sale of the lands belonging to the University upon the terms & conditions herein expressed. The Board then adjourned Sine die Attest Peter Early A.S. Clayton Secy Governor & President (104) Milledgeville, Senate Chamber November 14th 1815 This day being the day for annual meeting of the Senatus Academicus, the following members of the Board of visitors attended to wit, his Excellency D.B. Mitchell – Messrs Blackman, Bird, Bracewell Charlton, Cleveland, Cook, Cuthbert, Daniel Foster, Hamilton, Hardee, Harden, Harris Hatcher, Hudson, Hudspeth, Knight, Milton Montgomery, Newsome, Nowlan, Pyles, Robertson, Swain, Talbot, Walker, ware Williams & Wimberly. Of the Trustees Messrs President Brown, Paine & Abbot – His Excellency the Governor declared the board of visitors to be formed – But the Board of trustees failing to attend, the Board of Visitors deemed themselves unauthorized to transact business without their cooperation, and On motion of Mr. Cuthbert The Board of Visitors adjourned Sine die Attest D.B. Mitchell A.S. Clayton Governor Secy pro-tem (105) Senate Chamber. Milledgeville Monday Novr 11. 1816 This being the day appointed by law for the meeting of the Senatus Academicus, the following members were present to wit, Of the Board of Visitors, His Excellency Governor Mitchell, the Honorable William Rabun President of the Senate, Messrs Beasley, Blackshear, Burke, Charlton, Cleveland, Cullens, Early Foster Griffin, Harden, Harris, Hatcher Henley Hogg, Hopkins, Hudspeth, Kell Lockhart, Nathl Mitchell, Montgomery, Newsome Nowlan, Pope, Pray, Reid, Sorrels, Swain, Talbot, Wade, Walker, & Wimberly – Of the Board of Trustees Mr. President of Brown, and Messrs Early, Paine, Abbot, Charlton, Wayne ,Ware, Clayton, Meriwether and Cobb. There being a majority of both Boards, the Senatus Academicus was announced as formed and ready for business. Whereupon the President of the University laid before the Board his annual communication, which was read by him. The Board then adjourned until tomorrow evening 4 o’clock – Tuesday Novr 12.