INSPECTION OF THE BUILDINGS.

Many demands having been made upon Governor Davis, he appointed a special board to inspect the work. A committee of about twenty citizens, together with Col. J. Larmour, of Austin, was appointed to make an inspection. After visiting College Station, and upon investigation and report thereon, all work executed was condemned and Colonel Larmour was then appointed to prepare plans and specifications and supervise the erection of the required buildings, a new commission having been appointed to supervise the work. On this commission were appointed Judge Spencer Ford of Bryan, Judge Broadus, Dr. Taylor, and James H. Raymond of Austin. With $37,000, the balance of the $75,000 appropriation, Colonel Larmour had the main building erected upon a new site and foundation, ready for the roof. Colonel Larmour was reappointed architect by Governor Coke, and made the estimates for the amount required to finish the main building and cistern. An appropriation of $40,000, approved April 2, 1874, was made for that purpose. The next appropriation, $32,000, approved February 8, 1875, was made to erect the mess hall.

CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS.

In 1876, Hon. B. H. Davis, of Bryan, being a member of the constitutional convention and also a zealous member of the board of directors of the college, succeeded in having engrafted into the constitution the provisions of Article III, section 48, the right of the legislature to levy taxes for the support of public schools in which shall be included colleges and universities established by the State, and the maintenance and support of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. Article VII, section 13, constituted the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, established by act of the legislature passed April 17, 1871, and located in the county of Brazos, a branch of the University of Texas for instruction in agriculture, the mechanic arts, and the natural sciences connected therewith. And it was also provided that the legislature should, at its next session, make an appropriation not to exceed $40,000 for the construction and completion of the buildings and improvements and for providing the furniture necessary to put said college in immediate and successful operation. At the special session to ratify the constitution the sum of $40,000 called for under the new constitution was appropriated for the construction of professors' residences, furnishing the buildings, etc. Colonel Larmour also made out specifications for and purchased the necessary furniture and equipment. Under his supervision everything was made ready for the opening of the college. After he had shown the members of the first

faculty their quarters and the college had been opened, his services terminated. No architect succeeded Colonel Larmour. The college being in such straits for money had to dispense with his services, since which time all building has been done under competitive plans and specifications by competent architects. At the time of opening the college, October 2, 1875, interest had accrued from the Federal endowment to the amount of about $45,280, and by legislative act, approved August 21, 1876, the State board of education was authorized to collect all interest due to date and invest the same (except $12,000). As nothing was said as to the kind of investment, it was held by article 3697, Revised Civil Statutes, page 529, that such investment is declared to "constitute a part of the perpetual fund until the legislature shall otherwise provide." Hence, should it see fit to do so, any legislature could authorize the use of any part or all of this $35,000 for the support and maintenance of the college, but it is prohibited by a part of section 5, act of Congress approved July 3, 1862, from using any part of it, "directly or indirectly, under any pretext whatever, for the purchase, erection, preservation, or repair of any building or buildings." It will thus be seen that the permanent annual income from this endowment is as follows:

Interest on $174,000 frontier defense bonds, 7 per cent.
Interest on $35,000 State 6 per cent bonds...

Total.

$12, 180

2,100

14, 280

FIRST BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

In accordance with an act approved March 9, 1875, the first board of directors of the college was constituted as follows: Governor Richard Coke, Lieut. Governor R. B. Hubbard, Hon. T. R. Bonner, speaker of the house of representatives, and Messrs. E. B. Pickett, Charles de Morse, B. F. Graves, B. H. Davis, C. S. West, and F. S. Stockdale, respectively, in the order named, from the several Congressional districts of the State. Governor Coke was ex-officio president and Lieutenant-Governor Hubbard vice-president of the board. William Falconer, of Bryan, was appointed secretary. Of this board C. S. West resigned, and A. J. Peeler, of Austin, was appointed November 13, 1876; B. F. Graves resigned, and T. M. Scott was appointed November 29, 1876. The next election took place by the legislature, March 10, 1879, at which time Hon. E. S. Pickett was reelected from the First district; A. J. Peeler reelected from the Fifth district; also H. W. Lyday, elected from the Second district; J. N. Dickson, Third; J. W. Durant, Fourth, and George Pfeuffer, Sixth. Of this board H. W. Lyday resigned November 24, 1880. The first meeting of the board was held at Bryan, June 1, 1875, for the purpose of effecting an organization of the college. There were present Gov

ernor Coke, Lieut. Governor Hubbard, and Speaker Guy M. Bryan, with Directors Davis and West. It was deemed impracticable at that time to effect further organization, but it was decided at this meeting that the faculty should consist of a president and five professors, to be elected at the next meeting. Governor Coke, C. S. West, and B. H. Davis were constituted a committee to "define and regulate a course of instruction to be taught in each professorship, and to decide upon the salaries to be paid to the separate members of the faculty." Governor Coke, as president of the board, was instructed to write to the ex-president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, and tender him the presidency of this college. The board next met in Austin, July 15 following, when the committee appointed at the first meeting reported:

The faculty shall consist of a president and five professors, as follows: First, president and professor of moral and mental philosophy; second, professor of pure mathematics; third, professor of ancient languages and belles lettres, English literature, and history; fourth, professor of modern languages; fifth, professor of chemistry, the natural sciences, and agriculture.

The committee further recommended that the salary of the president be fixed at $3,000, and the salaries of each of the professors be fixed at $2,250, with residences furnished them.

SELECTION OF THE COLLEGE FACULTY.

The Hon. Jefferson Davis having declined the presidency, and stating that he could send them a better man than himself, Prof. Thomas S. Gathright, of Monroe County, Ga., was, upon his cordial recommendation, elected to that responsible position. Prof. Gathright was largely a self-made man. Having lost his father at an early age, by his own unaided efforts he completed a course of study under that distinguished educator, Henry Tutwiler, LL.D., at Green Springs, Ala. He taught for a short time, then went to Somerville, Miss., where he established a high school for the preparation of boys for college. This school took high rank at once, which was maintained until its close. In 1875 he was nominated for superintendent of education in Mississippi by Governor Stone and unanimously confirmed by the Senate. He resigned that position to accept the presidency of this college in September, 1876, which position he held with credit until in the fall of 1879 the dissensions among the faculty led to a reorganization of the entire faculty, a blow from which he never recovered, dying within a year after his dismissal. With him were elected Prof. Alexander Hogg, now superintendent of public schools at Fort Worth, professor of pure mathematics; Prof. John T. Hand, now superintendent of city schools, Corsicana, professor of ancient languages, belles lettres, etc.; Prof. William A. Banks, now assistant professor of languages and English in this college, professor of modern languages; Prof. R. P. W. Morris, applied mathematics and mili

tary tactics; Gen. H. P. Bee was elected steward and superintendent of farm; Dr. D. Port Smythe, of Bryan, was elected college physician. Such of these gentlemen as were at that time in Austin were called together and a pamphlet was prepared for circulation, setting forth the outline of courses of study, announcements, etc.

OPENING OF THE COLLEGE.

This circular of 32 pages announced that the college would be formally opened on the 2d of October, 1876, and that provision had been made for the admission of a number of students free of tuition. From an address delivered in 1879 by Professor Hogg I learn that the board had determined to admit free of all tuition fees as large a number as possible of "meritorious young men of limited means." They decided finally to admit three from each senatorial district-appointments to be made on competitive examination to be conducted at such place and in such manner as the senator from the district may determine; also one from each Congressional district and two from the State at large, to be appointed by the United States Senators from Texas. There being 31 senatorial and 6 Congressional districts in the State at that time, there were admitted in this way 101 State students. Each student would be required to stand a satisfactory entrance examination, must be of good moral character, and must be not less than 15 years of age. The total expense for State students would be $2,000 per session, which included an allowance for uniform. They further decided that the inaugural addresses would be delivered by the governor of the State and president of the college; that there would be four threeyear courses of study offered-first, a course in agriculture; second, a course in mechanics and engineering; third, a course in languages and literature; and fourth, a course in military tactics. In pursuance of this circular the board of directors met at Bryan, November 4, 1876. Gov. Richard Coke delivered the inaugural address, and was followed by President Gathright, in which he set forth briefly the aims, operations, purposes, and advantages of the college. The first catalogue shows the following courses of study offered: First, pure and applied mathematics, natural philosophy, and astronomy; second, English language and literature, embracing a thorough and extended course in grammar, rhetoric, criticism, essay writing, and study of the English classics; third, analytical chemistry as applied to the arts, laboratory practice, and a full course to fit students to become druggists, chemists, and pharmaceutists; fourth, natural history, botany, zoology, geology, and physical geograhy; fifth, history and social science; sixth, mental and moral philosophy and logic; seventh, modern and ancient languages: French, German, Spanish, Latin, Greek; eighth, drawing-architectural, free hand, and projective.