and to all the acts and ordinances of the United States in Congress assembled, conformable thereto.

3. That they, in no case, shall interfere with the primary disposal of the soil by the United States in Congress assembled; nor with the ordinances and regulations which Congress may find necessary for securing the title in such soil to the bona fide purchasers.

4. That they shall be subject to pay a part of the federal debts contracted, or to be contracted; to be apportioned on them by Congress, according to the same common rule and measure by which apportionments thereof shall be made on the other States. 5. That no tax shall be imposed on lands the property of the United States.

6. That their respective governments shall be republican.

7. That the lands of non-resident proprietors shall in no case be taxed higher than those of residents within any new State, before the admission thereof to a vote by its delegates in Congress.

8. That whensoever any of the said States shall have of free inhabitants as many as shall be in any one of the least numerous of the thirteen original States, such State shall be admitted by its delegates into the Congress of the United States, on an equal footing with the said original States: Provided, The consent of so many States in Congress is first obtained as may, at that time, be competent to such admission. And in order to adapt the said Articles of Confederation to the state of Congress when its numbers shall be thus increased, it shall be proposed to the Legislatures of the States, originally parties thereto, to require the assent of two-thirds of the United States in Congress assembled, in all those cases wherein, by the said articles, the assent of nine States is now required, which being agreed to by them shall be binding on the new States. Until such admission by their delegates into Congress, any of the said States, after the establishment of their temporary government, shall have authority to keep a member in Congress, with a right of debating, but not of voting.

9. That measures, not inconsistent with the principles of confederation, and necessary for the preservation of peace and good order among the settlers in any of the said new States, until they shall assume a temporary government as aforesaid, may, from time to time, be taken by the United States in Congress assembled.

That the preceding articles shall be formed into a charter of compact; shall be duly executed by the President of the United States in Congress assembled, under his hand and the seal of the United States; shall be promulgated, and shall stand as funda

mental constitutions between the thirteen original States, and each of the several States now newly described, unalterable from and after the sale of any part of the territory of such State pursuant to this resolve, but by joint consent of the United States in Congress assembled, and of the particular State within which such alteration is proposed to be made. (This resolution was repealed on the 13th July, 1787.) [See Journals of Congress.]

Extracts from the Cession from the State of Massachusetts, April 19th, 1785.

And whereas the said General Court, on the 17th day of June, in the aforesaid year of our Lord 1784, did nominate and appoint the aforesaid Samuel Holton, and on the third day of November following, the aforesaid Rufus King, delegates to represent the said Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the Congress of the United States of America, for one year, from the first Monday in November, in the said year 1784, which appointment remains in full force. Now, therefore, know ye, that we, the said Samuel Holton and Rufus King, by virtue of the power and authority to us committed by the said acts of the General Government of Massachusetts before recited, in the name, and for and on behalf of the said Commonwealth of Massachusetts, do, by these presents, assign, transfer, quit-claim, cede, and convey to the United States of America, for their benefit, Massachusetts inclusive, all right, title, and estate, of and in as well the soil as the jurisdiction which the said Commonwealth hath to the Territory or Tract of Country within the limits of the said Massachusetts Bay, situate and lying within the following line; that is to say, a meridian line to be drawn from the 45th deg, of north latitude, through the westerly strait or inclination of Lake Ontario, thence by the said meridian line, to the most southerly side line of the territory contained in the Massachusetts charter: but if, on experiment, the above described meridian shall not comprehend twenty miles due west, from the most westerly bend or inclination of the river or straight of Niagara, then we do, by these presents, by virtue of the power and authority, in the name and on behalf of the said Commonwealth of Massachusetts, transfer, quit-claim, cede, and convey, to the United States of America, for their benefit, Massachusetts inclusive, all right, title and estate, of and in, as well the soil as the jurisdiction, which the said Commonwealth hath to the territory or tract of Country within the limits of the Massachusetts charter, situate and lying west of the following line; that is to say, a meridian line to be drawn from the 45th deg. of north latitude, through a point twenty miles due west, from the most westerly bend or inclination of the river

or strait of Niagara, thence by the same meridian line to the most southerly side line of the territory, contained in the Massachusetts charter aforesaid, for the purposes in the said recited acts declared, and to the uses in a resolve of Congress, of the 10th day of October, 1780. In testimony whereof, &c, &c. Extract from the Cession from the State of Connecticut, Septemtember 14th, 1786.

Whereas the General Assembly of the State of Connecticut, on the second Thursday of May, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-six, passed an act in the following words, viz: Be it enacted, By the Governor, Council, and Representatives, in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, that the delegates of this State, or any two of them, who shall be attending the Congress of the United States, be and they are hereby directed, authorized, and fully empowered, in the name and behalf of this State, to make, execute, and deliver under their hands and seals, an ample deed of release and cession, of all the right, title, interest, jurisdiction, and claim, of the State of Connecticut, to certain western lands, beginning at the completion of the forty-first degree of north latitude, one hundred and twenty miles west of the western boundary line of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, ás now claimed by said Commonwealth, and from thence by a line drawn north, parallel to, and one hundred and twenty miles west of the said west line of Pennsylvania, and to continue north until it comes to forty two degrees and two minutes north latitude. Whereby all the right, title, interest, jurisdiction, and claim, of the State of Connecticut, to the lands lying west of said line to be drawn as aforementioned, one hundred and twenty miles west of the western boundary line of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as now claimed by said Commonwealth, shall be included, released, and ceded to the United States in Congress assembled, for the common use and benefit of the said States, Connecticut inclusive. Now, therefore, know ye, that we, the said Samuel William Johnson, and Jonathan Sturges, by virtue of the power and authority to us committed by the said act of the General Assembly of Connecticut, before recited, in the name and for and on behalf of the said State of Connectitcut, do by these presents assign, transfer, quitc-laim, cede and convey to the United States of America, for their benefit, Connecticut inclusive, all the right, title, interest, jurisdiction, and claim, which the said State of Connecticut hath in and to the before mentioned and described territory or tract of country, as the same is bounded and described in the said act of Assembly, for the uses in the recited act of Assembly declared. In witness whereof, &c. &c.

Extract from the Ordinance for the government of the Territory of the U. States, northwest of the river Ohio.-July 13th, 1787.

Sec. 1st. Be it ordained by the United States in Congress assembled, That the said Territory, for the purposes of temporary government, be one district, subject, however, to be divided into two districts, as future circumstances may, in the opinion of Congress, make it expedient.

ART. 5. There shall be formed in the said territory, not less than three, nor more than five States; and the boundaries of the States, as soon as Virginia shall alter her act of cession and consent to the same, shall become fixed and established as follows, to wit: The western State in the said territory, shall be bound by the Mississippi, the Ohio, and Wabash rivers, a direct line drawn from the Wabash and Post Vincents, due north, to the territorial line between the U. States and Canada, and by the said territorial line to the Lake of the Woods, and Mississippi. The middle State shall be bounded by the said direct line, the Wabash, from Post Vincents to the Ohio, by the Ohio, by a direct line drawn due north from the mouth of the Great Miami to the said territorial line, and by the said territorial line. The eastern State shall be bounded by the last mentioned direct line, the Ohio, Pennsylvania, and the said territorial line: provided, however, and it is further understood and declared, that the boundaries of these three States shall be subject so far to be altered, that if Congress hereafter find it expedient, they shall have authority to form one or two States in that part of said territory which lies north of an east and west line drawn through the southerly bend or extreme of Lake Michigan. And whenever any of the said States shall have sixty thousand free inhabitants therein, such State shall be admitted, by its delegates, into the Congress of the United States, on an equal footing with the original States, in all respects whatever; and shall be at liberty to form permanent Constitution and State government: Provided, the Constitution and government, so to be formed, shall be republi can, and in conformity to the principles contained in these articles; and so far as it can be consistent with the general interest of the confederacy, such admission shall be allowed at an earlier period, and when there may be a less number of free inhabitants in the State than sixty thousand.

Sec. 2. Be it ordained by the authority aforesaid, that the resolutions of the 23d of April, 1784, relative to the subject of this ordinance, be, and the same are hereby repealed and declared null and void. Done, &c. &c.

Act of Virginia of 30th December, 1788.

WHEREAS, the U. States in Congress assembled, did, on the se

venth day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-six, state certain reasons, showing that a division of the territory which hath been ceded to the said United States, by this Commonwealth, into States, in conformity to the terms of cession, should the same be adhered to, would be attended with many inconveniences, and did recommend a revision of the act of cession, so far as to empower Congress to make such a division of the said territory into distinct and Republican States, not more than five nor less than three in number, as the situation of that country and future circumstances might require: And the said United States in Congress assembled, have, in an ordinance for the government of the territory northwest of the river Ohio, passed on the thirteenth of July, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven, declared the following as one of the articles of compact between the original States and the people and States in the said territory, viz: [See Art. 5, in the preceding page.]

And it is expedient that this Commonwealth do assent to the proposed alteration, so as to ratify and confirm the said article of compact between the original States and the people and States of the said Territory.

2. Be it enacted, therefore, by the General Assembly, That the afore recited article of compact, between the original States and the people and States in the Territory north-west of the Ohio river, be, and the same is hereby, ratified and confirmed; any thing to the contrary, in the deed of Cession of the said Territory by this Commonwealth to the United States, notwithstanding. An act to authorize the President of the United States to accept, for the United States, a cession of jurisdiction of the territory west of Pennsylvania, commonly called the Western Reserve of Connecticut.

Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President of the United States, be, and he hereby is, authorized to execute and deliver letters patent, in the name and behalf of the United States, to the Governor of the State of Connecticut, for the time being, for the use and benefit of all persons holding and claiming under the State of Connecticut, their heirs and assigns, forever, whereby all the right, title, interest and estate, of the United States, to the soil of that tract of land lying west of the west line of Pennsylvania, as claimed by the State of Pennsylvania; and as the same has been actually settled, ascertained and run in conformity to an agreement between the said State of Pennsylvania and the State of Virginia, and extending from said