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ing payment of the nation, for sums due to them. As soon as the war was fairly ended with England, the country northwest of the Ohio river became the subject of public discussion, for the reasons which we have assigned; hence the attention of the old congress to this country at so early a period. The very first thing to be done, was to acquire the country from. the Indians. This was attempted by congress, by appointing commissioners to treat with them. Such commissioners had already repeatedly been appointed and had met the Indians at Pittsburgh, Fort McIntosh, &c., and after this as we shall see, constant efforts were made by congress to treat with the Indians. It is hardly necessary to relate all the circumstances attending these treaties, so we will only mention the several times of holding them. Those who wish to see all these treaties, may consult the volume of Indian treaties, now lying before us, published by congress a few years since.

At a very early day, in our revolutionary war, Virginia had promised all her soldiers, who served in that war, lands, whether they were regulars, militia, or belonged to the navy. As soon as that contest was closed, the legislature convened at Richmond, on the twentieth day of October, 1783, and during that session passed "an Act for surveying the land given by law to the officers and soldiers on continental and state establishment, and for the navy." This act passed on the seventeenth day of December 1783. It authorised deputations from these lines continental, militia and navy to appoint a surveyor for each line. This act recognized the officers, deputed by those lines, by name, and authorized those officers or any three of them to appoint their surveyors. On the same day, on which the act passed, Richard C. Anderson, a Colonel in the army, was appointed principal surveyor for the continental line of the army, by the officers named in the act, as authorized to appoint the surveyor. On the 20th day of July, 1784, Colonel Anderson opened his office, for entries, at Louisville, Kentucky. The tract appropriated to these soldiers, in Ken tucky, lay between Green and Cumberland rivers. Having exhausted that tract, Colonel Anderson closed his office for

Kentucky, August 1st, 1787, and opened it for entries of land in Ohio. This land lay between the Scioto and Little Miami rivers. Colonel Anderson died, in October, 1826. The office was closed until ALLEN LATHAM, ESQUIRE, his son-in-law, received the appointment of principal surveyor, and opened his office at Chillicothe in July, 1829.

INDIAN TREATIES, BY WHICH THE LANDS IN OHIO WERE PURCHASED.

By the treaties with the Indians of 1785-6, congress acquired the lands watered by the Muskingum, Scioto, Little and Great Miami rivers. In 1788, another treaty was made, by which the country was purchased, from the mouth of the Cuyahoga river to the Wabash, lying south and east of a certain line, mentioned in the treaty. The Indians were dissatisfied with this treaty, and it was not relied on by our government. In 1795, twelve tribes attended on General Wayne and treated with him, for the sale of a considerable portion of the now territory, included within our limits. In 1805, seven tribes sold to the United States, all that part of New Connecticut, lying west of the Cuyahoga river. In this treaty the Connecticut people joined and paid four thousand dollars to the Indians, and agreed to pay them twelve thousand dollars more. In 1807, that part of Ohio which lies north of the Maumee, and east of a meridian line, passing through the mouth of the Auglaize rivers was purchased of the Indians. In 1808 a slip of territory two miles wide, was acquired by treaty, running from the western boundary of the Western Reserve to the Maumee river, at the rapids. And in the same treaty another slip one hundred and twenty feet in width, was acquired also, running along the bank of the Maumee. These cessions were intended for roads. By all these several treaties, the United States acquired four-fifths of this state. That portion of the ceded tracts above latidude 41° north, extending from Pennsylvania on the east, to the western limits of Sandusky and Seneca counties, was given by congress to Connecticut,

and is called, the Western Reserve, or New Connecticut. It extends one hundred and twenty miles from east to west, and on an average is fifty miles in width, from north to south. Its area contains about three million eight hundred thousand acres. Five hundred thousand acres of this tract, off the west end, the state of Connecticut gave to certain sufferers by fire, in the revolutionary war. A part of the ceded lands, lying along the Ohio river, including the mouths of the Muskingum and Hockhocking rivers, was sold by the old congress, to the Ohio Company. This was the first sale of lands before the present constitution of the United States was adopted. It was sold for one dollar an acre, payable in congress notes, at twenty shillings in a pound, whereas the interest on those notes made them worth twentyeight shillings and sixpence on the pound at that time. These securities were funded under the constitution of the United States, and became a part of the national debt, from that time forward until paid off within the few last years. So the Ohio company made a very bad bargain for themselves with congress. John Cleves Symmes, of New Jersey, was the next purchaser of land in Ohio-he bought of the old congress, the land lying between the mouths of the two Miamies, and extending northerly, so as to contain six hundred thousand acres. Symmes gave sixty-six cents an acre for his land.

On the 13th day of July, 1787, congress assumed the jurisdiction of this territory and passed an ordinance for its government, by the provisions of which ordinance, the territory was to be governed by a Governor, Secretary, and three Judges. The President appointed these officers. These persons were to make the laws and execute them. This form of defective government was to continue, until the North Western Territory contained five thousand free white male inhabitants over twenty-one years of age, when the people were authorized to elect a legislative house of assembly. The house of representatives of the United States' congress, were to nominate a legislative council, and this legislative council and the assembly were authorized to appoint a delegate, to congress.

This second grade of colonial government was to continue until the population of each part of the North Western Territory into which it was eventually to be divided, (not less than three nor more than five states) amounted to sixty thousand. Then this colonial government was to cease, and such territory was to become a state, and be admitted into the Union, on the same footing with the original thirteen states. This act of the old congress of 1787 contained other provisions of the greatest value. By that ordinance there was never to be either slavery or involuntary servitude in the territory northwest of the Ohio river. All the larger streams were declared forever to be highways, and remain free from all obstructions, to all who wished to navigate them. They were declared to be highways, and so to remain forever. These are the most material provisions of this ordinance of the old congress.

Virginia had reserved the land lying between the Scioto and Little Miami rivers, which she gave to her soldiers of the revolution, belonging to the continental army, as a reward for their services. This we call the Virginia military tract. And the United States had promised her soldiers who served during the war of the revolution, lands for their services; so congress laid off a tract for that purpose lying south of New Connecticut, cxtending from the Ohio river on the east, to the Scioto on the west. This is the United States military tract. There were some refugees, during the revolutionary war, from Nova Scotio, to whom congress gave a slip of land extending from the Muskingum opposite Zanesville to the Scioto, at Columbus; it is several miles in width. The remaining part of the state was surveyed by congress and is now mostly sold. That portion of our state, not until then purchased of the Indians, was ceded to us during Mr. Monroe's administration, except some small reservations. In the United States' lands, the Virginia military, and in part of Symmes' purchase, the original owner obtains his patent from the United States' land office. Lands ceded to Ohio, by congress, on condition of making certain canals, our Governor and Secretary of state give deeds to the purchasers of those lands.

FIRST SETTLEMENT OF OHIO,

PERIOD SECOND.

THIS PERIOD COMPRISES THE TIME DURING WHICH THE TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT EXISTED, COMMENCING APRIL 7TH, 1788, AND ENDING ON THE ADMISSION OF OHIO INTO THE UNION, AS A STATE, FEBRUARY 19TH, 1803.

THE Ohio company, and John Cleves Symmes, having purchased, the lands, as we have stated, the company having purchased the tract on the Ohio river, including the mouths of the Muskingum and Hockhocking rivers; and Symmes, the country between the Miamies-the Ohio company, early in April, 1788, took possession of their land at the mouth of the Muskingum, and Symmes, in the autumn of the same or next year, settled near the mouth of the Great Miami at the North Bend, where General Harrison, his son-in-law, now resides, on the same farm.

Under the act of congress of July 13th 1787, Arthur St. Clair was appointed Governor of the North Western Territory. Samuel H. Parsons, James M. Varnum and John Armstrong were appointed Judges. The latter not accepting the office, John Cleves Symmes was appointed in his place. Winthrop Sargeant was appointed Secretary.

The Governor and Secretary, and Messrs. Parsons and Varnum followed Rufus Putnam and associates, to the mouth of the Muskingum where they had settled on the 7th of April preceding. These officers landed at Marietta on the 9th of July 1788. Judge Symmes joined them soon after their arrival.

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