1782] REV. WILLI A Af SMITH, D. D. 85 



The Visitors of Kent County School, to General Washington. 



Chester in Kent County, Maryland, July 8, 1782. 

 May it please your Excellency, 



By order and in behalf of the Visitors of Kent County school, I have 

 the honor to enclose to your Excellency, an act of the General Assem- 

 bly of Maryland, for erecting a College at Chester, for the benefit of 

 the Eastern Shore, or Peninsula between Chesapeak and Delaware Bays, 

 which they have dignified with the auspicious name of "Washington 

 College, in the State of Maryland, in honorable and perpetual memory 

 of his Excellency General Washington, the illustrious and virtuous 

 Commander in Chief of the armies of the United States." 



In every possible way, your country wishes to erect public monuments 

 to you, even while living, and posterity, without doubt, will greatly 

 increase the number; but none, it is believed, can be more acceptable 

 to you, than a seminary of universal learning expressly dedicated to 

 your name, with a view of instructing and animating the youth of many 

 future generations to admire and to imitate these public virtues and 

 patriot-labours, which have created a private monument for you in the 

 heart of every good citizen. 



As this College is to be instituted upon the foundation of Kent 

 county school, the Visitors of the said school are by law honored with 

 the great trust of carrying the design into execution. They have already 

 been favoured with very liberal subscriptions, under the auspices of your 

 name ; and have no doubt of speedily receiving such farther subscrip- 

 tions, payable in three equal yearly payments, as will amount to the 

 estimate in the law, and enable them, the next spring, to build the 

 necessary school rooms for lectures in the sciences, and to furnish them 

 with books and philosophical apparatus. 



The Visitors hope to obtain your Excellency's permission to place 

 your name at the head of the seven additional Visitors and Governors 

 of the College, which the law allows to be chosen from any of the 

 neighbouring States, to make up the number twenty-four, as you will 

 observe in the perusal thereof. They further hope, that the time is not 

 very remote, in which this infant seminary may salute you in person, 

 and, like a dutiful child, as one of its first works, present the olive 

 wreath and other emblems of peace to its father, guardian and protector. 



I have the honor to be, in behalf and by order of the Visitors of Kent 

 county school, your Excellency's most obedient and most humble 

 servant, William Smith. 



General Washington's Answer. 



Headquarters, Newburgh, i8th August, 1782. 

 I have had the honor to receive your favour of the Sth ult. by Colonel 

 Tilghman, who arrived here about ten days ago, and to whom I have 

 committed the charge of forwarding this answer. 



