1868.] OF THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES. 623

by a majority of that committee, respectfully ask leave to
make this their Report upon said bill:

The undersigned find, that, by the Act of 1784, chapter 37;
to which they beg to refer, this College was chartered and
founded, the said Act reciting, that in consideration of a
subscription of thirty two thousand dollars by private sub-
scribers, the State of Maryland, would grant this charter,
founding the College, and appropriate annually and forever,
the sum of 1750, ($4667,00,) as a donation by the public,
to the use of the College ; the said sum to be applied by the
Visitors and Governors in the payment of salaries to the
Principal, Professors and Tutors of the College. That under
an Act of 1805, chapter 85, the 19th section of the Act of
1784, was repealed, and from the date of the passage of which
Act. the said annual donation of 1750, was withheld by the
Treasurer until the 6th of January, 1812, when, under reso-
lution of 1811, No. 38, he was directed by the General As-
sembly of Maryland, to pay to the Visitors and Governors,
tho sum of $1000, annually, thereafter. This sum of one
thousand dollars, was annually paid to said Visitors and
Governors, until the 2d of March, 1832, when the additional
sum of $2000, was by resolution of 1832, No. 41, directed to
be paid, a proviso being annexed to said resolution, requiring
that, in order to receive the said sum of $2000, the same
should be accepted in full satisfaction of all legal and equita-
ble claims which the said Visitors and Governors may have,
or be supposed to have against the State.

By a resolution of the Legislature of 1858, No. 4 " His
Excellency, the Governor, was authorized and required to
cause such proceedings to be instituted as may be necessary
to obtain the opinion of the Judges of the Court of Appeals
of Maryland, whether the annual appropriation made by the
19th section of the Act of 1784, chapter 37, of the sum of
$1750, to be applied by the Visitors and Governors of Saint
John's College, to the payment of salaries, &c., constitutes
a contract on the part of the State under all circumstances of
the case, which could not be legally repealed by the Act of
1805, chapter 85, by the Legislature of this State ; whether
this latter Act is not in violation of the 10th section of the
let Article of the Constitution of the United States, which
declares 'that no State shall pass any law impairing the obli-
gation of contracts;' and whether the former Act, with the
circumstances of the case, constituted such a contract as
would, if entered into between individual citizens be legally
binding upon them ; and that the result of such proceedings
be reported to the Legislature at its next session ; provided,
that nothing in these resolutions, or any decision under the
same, shall in any manner compromise the State, or bind her
by the decision of said court, or commit her to the payment