III.

Each State referves to themfelves alone, the exclufive right of regulating their internal government, and of framing laws in all matters that are not included in the articles of the present Confederation, and which cannot any way prejudice the fame.

IV.

No State in particular fhall either fend or receive embaffies, begin any negociations, contract any engagements, form any alliances, conclude any treaties with any king, prince, or power whatsoever, without the confent of the United States, affembled in General Congrefs.

No perfon, invefted with any poft whatever under the authority of the United States, or of any of them, whether he has appointments belonging to his employ. ment, or whether it be a commiffion purely confidential, fhall be al lowed to accept any prefents, gratuities, emoluments, nor any offices or titles of any kind whatever, from any kings, princes, or foreign

powers.

V.

VI.

No State fhall lay on any impofts, nor establish any duties whatever, the effect of which might alter, directly or indirectly, the claufes of the treaties to be concluded hereafter by the Affembly of the United States with any kings, princes, or power whatsoever.

VII.

There fhall not be kept, by any of the faid States in particular, any veffels or fhips of war above the number judged neceffary by the Affembly of the United States,

for the defence of that State and

its commerce; and there fhall not be kept on foot in time of peace, by any of the faid States, any troops above the number determined by the affembly of the United States, to guard the strong places or forts neceffary for the defence of that State; but each State fhall always keep up a welldifciplined militia, fufficiently armed and equipped, and fhall be careful to procure, and keep in conftant readiness, in the public magazines, a fufficient number of field pieces and tents, with a proper quantity of ammunition and implements of war.

of colonel, and under, fhall be appointed by the legislative body of the State that fhall have raised the troops, or in fuch manner as that State fhall have judged proper to regulate the nominations; and when any vacancy happens in thefe pofts, they fhall be filled up by the faid State.

IX.

All the expences of war, and all other difbursements, that fhall be made for the common defence or the general weal, and that shall be ordered by the Affembly of the United States, fhall be paid out of the funds of a common treasury.

That common treasury fhall be formed by the contribution of each of the aforefaid States, in proportion to the number of inhabitants of every age, fex, or quality, except the Indians exempt from taxes in each State; and in order to fix the quota of the contribution, every three years the inhabitants fhall be numbered, in which enumeration the number of white people fhall be diftinguished; and that enumeration fhall be fent to the Affembly of the United States.

The taxes appropriated to pay this quota, fhall be laid and levied in the extent of each State by the authority and orders of its legiflative body, within the time fixed by the affembly of the United States.

X.

Each of the faid States fhall fubmit to the decifions of the Affembly of the United States, in all matters or questions referved to that Affembly by the prefent act of Confederation.

XI.

No State fhall engage in war without the confent of the United States affembled in Congrefs, except in cafe of actual invafion of fome enemy, or from a certain knowledge of a refolution taken by fome Indian nation to attack them, and in that cafe only, in which the danger is too urgent to allow them time to confult the other States.

No particular State fhall give any commiffion to veffels, or other fhips of war, nor any letters of marque or reprisal, till after a declaration of war made by the Affembly of the United States; and even in that cafe they fhall be granted only against the kingdom or the power, or against the fubjects of the kingdom, or of the power against which war fhall have been fo declared; and shall conform, refpecting thefe objects, to the regulations made by the Afsembly of the United States.

XII.

ge

In order to watch over the neral intereft of the United States, and direct the general affairs, there fhall be nominated every year, according to the form fettled by the legislative body of each ftate, a certain number of delegates, who fhall fit at Philadelphia until the General Affembly of the United States fhall have ordered other wife; and the first Monday in November of each year, fhall be the æra fixed for their meeting.

Each of the above-mentioned States fhall preserve the right and power to recall, at any time whatever of the year, their delegates,

or any one of them, and to fend others in the room of them for the remainder of the year; and each of the faid States fhall maintain their delegates during the time of the General Affembly, and alfo during the time they fhall be members of the Council of State, of which mention fhall be made hereafter.

XIII.

Each state fhall have a vote for the decifion of queftions in the General Affembly.

XIV.

The General Affembly of the United States, fhall alone and exclufively have the right and power to decide of peace and war, except in the cafe mentioned in article XI. -to establish rules for judging in all cafes the legitimacy of the prizes taken by fea or land, and to determine the manner in which the prizes taken by the land or fea forces, in the fervice of the United States, fhall be divided or employed;-to grant letters of marque or reprisal in time of peace; to appoint tribunals to take cognizance of piracies, and all other capital crimes committed on the high feas; to establish tribunals to receive appeals, and judge finally in all cafes of prizes;-to fend and receive ambaffadors;-to negociate and conclude treaties or alliances; to decide all differences actually fubfifting, and that may arife hereafter between two or feveral of the aforementioned States, about limits, jurifdiction, or any other caufe whatfoever; to coin money, and fix its value and ftandard;-to fix the weights and

meafures throughout the whole extent of the United States;—to regulate commerce and treat of all affairs with the Indians who are not members of any of the States; -to establish and regulate the pofts from one ftate to another, in the whole extent of the United States, and to receive on the letters and packets fent by post the neceffary tax to defray the expence of that establishment; to appoint the general officers of the land. forces in the fervice of the United States; to give commiffions to the other officers of the faid troops, who fhall have been appointed by virtue of article VIII;-to appoint a'l the officers of marine in the fervice of the United States;to frame all the ordinances neceffary for the government and difcipline of the faid land and fea forces; and to direct their operations.

"

The General Atiembly of the United States fhall be authorized to appoint a Council of Sare, and fuch committees and civil officers as they fhall judge neceflary for guiding and difpatching the general affairs, under their authority, whilft they remain fitting; and after their feparation, under the authority of the Council of State.

They hall chufe for prefident one of their members, and for fecretary the person whom they fhall judge fit for that place; and they may adjourn at what time of the year, and to what place in the United States, they hall think proper-They fhall have the right and power to determine and fix the fums neceffary to be raifed, and the difburfements neceffary to be made;-to borrow money, and to create bills on the credit of the United States ;-to build and fit

out

out fleets; to determine the number of troops to be raised or kept in pay; and to require of each of the aforefaid States, to compofe the army, a contingent proportioned to the number of its white inhabitants.-Thefe requifitions of the General Affembly fhall be binding, and in confequence the legiflative body of each State fhall nominate the particular officers, levy the men, arm and equip them properly; and thefe officers and foldiers, thus armed and equipped, fhall proceed to the place, and within the time fixed by the Gemeral Affembly.

But if the General Affembly, from fome particular circumftances, fhould think proper to exempt one or feveral of the States from raifing troops, or to demand of them lefs than their contingent, and should on the contrary judge it convenient that one or feveral others should raise more than their contingent; the number extraordinary demanded fhall be raised, provided with officers, armed and equipped in the fame manner as the contingent, unless the legislative body of that, or of thofe of the States to whom the requifition fhall have been made, fhould deem it dangerous for themselves to be drained of that number extraordinary, and in that cafe they shall furnish no more than what they think compatible with their fafety; and the officers and foldiers, fo raised and equipped, fhall go to the place, and within the time fixed by the General Affembly.

The General Affembly fhall never engage in any war, nor grant letters of marque or reprifal in time of peace, nor contract any treaties of alliance or other con

ventions, except to make peace, nor coin money or regulate its value, nor determine or fix the fums neceffary to be raised, or the difbursements neceffary to be made for the defence or advantage of the United States, or of fome of them, nor create bills, nor borrow money on the credit of the United States, nor difpofe of any fums of money, nor refolve on the number of fhips of war to be built or purchafed, or on the number of troops to be raised for land or fea fervice, nor appoint a commander or chief of the land or fea forces, but by the united confent of nine of the States: and no queftion on any point whatfoever, except for adjourning from one day to another, thall be decided but by a majority of the United States.

No delegate fhall be chofen for more than three years out of fix.

No perfon invested with any employment whatever in the extent of the United States, and receiving, by virtue of that employment, either by himfelf, or through the hands of any other for him, any falaries, wages, or emoluments whatever, fhall be chofen a delegate.

The General Affembly shall publish every month a journal of their feffions, except what fhall relate to treaties, alliances, or military operations, when it shall appear to them that thefe matters ought to be kept fecret. The opinions pro and con of the delegates of each State, fhall be entered in the journals as often as any one of the delegates fhall require it; and there fhall be delivered to the delegates of each State, on their demand, or even to any one of the delegates of each State, at his par

ticular

ticular requifition, a copy of the journal, except of the parts above mentioned, to be carried to the legislative body of his refpective State.

XV.

The Council of State fhall be compofed of one delegate of each of the States, nominated annually by the other delegates of his refpective State; and the cafe where thefe electors might not be able to agree, that delegate fhall be nominated by the General Affembly..

The Council of State fhall be authorised to receive and open all the letters addreffed to the United States, and answer them; but fhall not contract any engagements binding to the United States,-They hall correfpond with the legiflative bodies of each State, and with all perfons employed under the authority of the United States, or of feme of the particular legiflative bodies. They fhall addrefs themfelves to thefe legislative bodies, or to the officers to whom each State fhall have entrusted the executive power, for aid and affiftance of every kind, as occafion fhall require. They fhall give inftructions to the generals, and direct the military operations by land or by fea; but without making any alterations in the objects or expeditions determined by the General Affembly, unless a change of cir. cumftances intervening, and coming to their knowledge fince the breaking up of the Affembly, fhould render a change of meafures indifpenfably neceflary. They fall be careful of the defence and prefervation of the fortreffes or fortified ports. They fhall procure information of the fituation and designs

of the enemy.-They fhall put in execution the measures and plans that fhall have been refolved by the General Affembly, by virtue of the powers with which they are invefted by the prefent confederation. They shall draw upon the treasurers for the fums, the deftination of which shall have been fettled by the General Affembly, and for the payment of the contracts which they may have made by virtue of the powers that are granted to them. They fhall infpect and reprove, they shall even fufpend all officers civil or military acting under the authority of the United States. In the cafe of death or fufpenfion of any officer whofe nomination belongs to the General Affembly, they may replace him by what person they think proper until the next Affembly.

They may publish and difperfe authentic accounts of the military operations.-They may convene the General Affembly for a nearer term than that to which they had adjourned when they feparated, if any important and unexpected event fhould require it for the welfare or benefit of the United States, or of fome of them.They fhall prepare the matters that are to be fubmitted to the infpection of the General Affembly, and lay before them at the next fitting all the letters or advices by them received, and shall render an exact account of all that they have done in the interim.They fhall take for their fecretary a perfon fit for that employment, who before he enters on his function fhall take an oath of fecrecy and fidelity. The presence of feven members of the Council will empower them to act.-in cafe of

the