William Smith, and Benjamin Chambers, the present visitors of Kent county
school, and their successors, shall have full power and authority to erect the said
school into a college or seminary of universal learning, and to increase the number
of visitors and governors thereof to twenty-four, in manner following, that is to 
say:  First, The said visitors of Kent county school, and their successors, for and
during the term of five years next after the passing of this act, are hereby empowered
and made capable to receive contributions and subscriptions, for the said intended
college or seminary of universal learning, of any person or persons who
may be willing to promote so good a design; and, in case any number or denomination
of contributors in any county of the eastern shore of this state, or of the
peninsula aforesaid in the neighbouring states, shall subscribe and engage to
pay towards the founding and supporting the said intended college, any sum not
less than five hundred pounds current money, payable in Spanish milled dollars,
or the value thereof, as the same may be at the times of payment, in good merchantable
wheat or tobacco, the said visitors, and their successors, may covenant
and agree with such subscribers and contributors, that there shall be one visitor
and governor of the said college chosen for ever out of such county, for every five
hundred pounds of specie so subscribed and paid, or secured to be paid, towards
founding and supporting the said college, and that the first election of every such
county visitor and governor of the said college shall be made by the subscribers
and contributors in the county, within three months after the sum of five hundred
pounds, or the value thereof, shall be subscribed and paid, or secured to be
paid, as aforesaid; and due notice of the time and place of election shall be given
to the subscribers and contributors in every county, in such sum and manner as
shall be agreed upon by the visitors of Kent county school, and set forth in the
preamble of the subscription papers, which the said visitors shall send into the
several counties for obtaining subscriptions towards founding and supporting the
said college.  Secondly, If the visitors of any county school in the said eastern
shore, for the more effectual advancement of useful knowledge, and the better
promoting the good purposes for which such county schools were originally
founded, shall be desirous to engraft and consolidate the funds and estate of such
county school, or any part or parts of the same, with the funds and estate
of the said intended college, the visitors of Kent county school, for and during
the term of five years next after passing this act (unless the said college is sooner
established agreeable to the tenor hereof) and the visitors or governors of the
college, at any time after the same shall be so established, shall have full power
and authority to treat and agree with the visitors of such county school, and to
allow one visitor and governor of the college to be for ever chosen from among
the inhabitants of such county, for every five hundred pounds which any such
county schools may contribute towards founding and supporting the said college,
the first choice to be in the visitors of such county school; or in consideration of
the said five hundred pounds contribution, or if any sum of estate of greater or
less value, that may be thus given by any county school towards the said college,
any other privileges and advantages, in respect to the education of the youth of
such county in the college, may be fixed and agreed upon, as shall be judged reasonable
between the visitors and governors of the college and the visitors of such
county school, instead of fixing any visitor and governor to be for ever chosen
from the said county; and all contracts and agreements, truly and fairly made
for founding and supporting the said college, as above set forth, shall be good
and effectual in law, according to the plain intent and the true and legal construction
of the same; provided always, that the whole number of visitors and
governors of the said college shall never be more than twenty-four at one time,
nor under seventeen, and that not less than seven of them shall have their usual
residence in Kent county, and within seven miles of the town of Chester aforesaid.
Thirdly, When any of the first visitors and governors of the said college,
chosen as aforesaid on the part of any county, or any of the visitors and governors
in general, shall die or remove out of the county for which he was chosen, or
absent himself from four succeeding quarterly meetings, without such excuse or
plea of necessary absence as shall be deemed reasonable by a legal and just quorum
of the said visitors and governors, duly assembled at a quarterly visitation of the
said college, such quorum, so assembled, shall proceed by a new election to fill