Memorial of the President and Fellows of Harvard College to the General Court for the enlargement of their power to hold real estate. Copy, [1797 July 15]

Four folio-sized leaves containing a handwritten copy of a petition to the Massachusetts General Court from the Harvard Corporation requesting the College's amount of tax exempt real estate be enlarged.

New Draught of a Bill, [1799]

One folio-sized leaf containing a handwritten draft of a bill section regarding the College's amount of tax-exempt real estate income, with the income values left blank.

Letter from Samuel Phillips to Eliphalet Pearson, 1799 June 5

Two octavo-sized leaves containing a one-page handwritten letter from Samuel Phillips, President of the Massachusetts Senate, to Professor Pearson informing him of a bill before the Senate for enlarging the power of the College to hold tax-exempt real estate.

C. Tax bills, 1785-1805

This subseries contains ten printed tax bills filled out in manuscript for William Croswell between 1785 and 1805.

Parish tax, 1797

Small printed leaf containing the Cambridge parish tax list for Eliphalet Pearson for June 1797.

Extract from legislation passed 1799 February 7

One fragment of a leaf containing a handwritten extract from unidentified legislation stipulating that a section of the bill "should not be so construed as to exempt" the real estate of the College or its officers from payment of local taxes beyond that exempted in the Charter of 1650 and the state Constitution. The text includes the note, "passed 7 Feb'y --99" and presumably refers to the bill referenced in President Willard's letter to Samuel Phillips that "passed the House, and is now before the Senate." The section did not become part of the tax law.