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fuch foil to the bona fide purchafers. No tax fhall be imposed on lands the property of the United States; and in no cafe fhall non-refident proprietors be taxed higher than refidents. The navigable waters leading into the Miffifippi and St. Lawrence, and the carrying places between the fame, fhall be common highways, and forever free, as well to the inhabitants of the said territory, as to the citizens of the United States, and those of any other ftates that may be admitted into the confederacy, without any tax, impoft, or duty therefor. ARTICLE V.

There fhall be formed in the faid territory, not less than three, nor more than five ftates; and the boundaries of the states, as foon as Virginia fhall alter her act of ceffion, and confent to the fame, fhall become fixed and established as follows, to wit: The western ftate in the faid territory, fhall be bounded by the Miffifippi, the Ohio and Wabash rivers; a direct line drawn from the Wabash and Poft Vincents due north to the territorial line between the United States' and Canada; and by the faid territorial line to the lake of the Woods and Miffifippi. The middle ftate fhall be bounded by the faid direct line, the Wabafn from Poft Vincents to the Ohio; by the Ohio, by a direct line drawn due north from the mouth of the Great Miami, to the faid territorial line, and by the faid territorial line. The eastern state shall be bounded by the laft mentioned direct line, the Ohio, Pennsylvania, and the faid territorial line: Provided however, and it is further understood and declared, that the boundaries of these three ftates, fhall be fubject fo far to be altered, that if Congrefs fhall hereafter find it expedient, they fhall have authority to form one or two states in that part of the faid territory which lies north of an east and weft line drawn through the foutherly bend or extreme of lake Michigan. And whenever any of the faid ftates, fhall have fixty thousand free inhabitants therein, fuch ftate fhall be admitted, by its dele

gates, into the Congrefs of the United States, on an equal footing with the original ftates, in all respects whatever; and fhall be at liberty to form a permanent conftitution and ftate government: Provided the conftitution and government fo to be formed, fhall be republican, and in conformity to the principles contained in thefe articles; and fo far as it can be confiftent with the general intereft of the confederacy, fuch admiffion fhall be allowed at an earlier period, and when there may be a lefs number of free inhabitants in the ftate than fixty thousand.

ARTICLE VI.

There fhall be neither flavery nor involuntary fervitude in the faid territory, otherwife than in punishment of crimes, whereof the party fhall have been duly convicted: Provided always, that any perfon efcaping into the fame, from whom labour or fervice is lawfully claimed in any one of the original ftates, fuch fugitive may be lawfully reclaimed, and conveyed to the perfon claiming his or her labour or fervice as aforefaid.

DONE by the United States, in Congress affembled, the thirteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand feven hundred and eighty-feven, and of their fovereignty and independence the twelfth.

WILLM. GRAYSON, Chairman.

CHARLES THOMSON, Secretary.

Table of Contents.

Acts paffed at the First Seffion of the Second Congrefs.

CHAPTER

I. An act granting farther time for making
return of the enumeration of the inhabitants
in the district of South-Carolina,
II. An act for the relief of David Cook and
Thomas Campbell,
III. An act making appropriations for the fup-
port of government for the year one thou-
fand feven hundred and ninety-two,
IV. An Act for carrying into effect a contract
between the United States and the state of
Pennsylvania,

V. An act to extend the time limited for fet-
tling the accounts of the United States with
the individual states,

VI. An act concerning certain fisheries of the

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United States, and for the regulation and
government of the fishermen employed therein, 15
VII. An act to establish the post-office and post-
roads within the United States,
VIII. An act relative to the election of a Prefident
and Vice-Prefident of the United States,
and declaring the officer who fhall act as
Prefident in cafe of vacancies in the offices
both of Prefident and Vice-Prefident,
IX. An act for making farther and more ef-1
fectual provifion for the protection of the
frontiers of the United States,

X. An act declaring the confent of Congress to
a certain act of the State of Maryland, and

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CHAPTER,

to continue for a longer time, an act declar-
ing the affent of Congress to certain acts of
the ftates of Maryland, Georgia, and
Rhode-Ifland and Providence Plantations,
fo far as the fame respects the states of
Georgia, and Rhode-Island and Provi-
dence Plantations,
XI. An act to provide for the fettlement of the
claims of widows and orphans barred by
the limitations heretofore established, and
to regulate the claims to invalid penfions,
XII. An act providing for the fettlement of the
claims of perfons under particular circum-
ftances barred by the limitations heretofore
eftablished,

XIII. An act for the relief of certain widows,
orphans, invalids, and other perfons,
XIV. An act fupplemental to the act for making
farther and more effectual provifion for
the protection of the frontiers of the United

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States,
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XV. An act for finishing the light-boufe on
Bald-head, at the mouth of Cape-Fearriver,
in the State of North-Carolina,

XVI. An act establishing a mint, and regulating
the coins of the United States,

XVII. An act fupplementary to the act for the efta-
blishment and fupport of light-houses, bea-
cons, buoys, and public piers,

XVIII. An act to erect a light-house on Montok
Point, in the state of New-York,

XIX. An act for afcertaining the bounds of a tract
of land purchased by John Cleves Symmes,
XX. An act for fixing the compenfations of the
door-keepers of the Senate and Houfe of
Reprefentatives in Congress,

XXI. An act for altering the times of holding the

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CHAPTER

circuit courts, in certain diftricts of the
United States, and for other purposes,

XXII. An act to compenfate the corporation of
trustees of the public grammar-fchool and
academy of Wilmington, in the ftate of De-
laware, for the occupation of, and damages
done to the faid fchool, during the late war,
XXIII. An act for apportioning reprefentatives
among the feveral states, according to the
first enumeration,

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XXIV. An act concerning confuls and vice confuls, XXV. An act authorifing the grant and conveyance of certain lands to the Ohio company of afsociates,

XXVI. An act to indemnify the estate of the late Major General Nathaniel Green, for a certain bond entered into by him during the

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late war,

XXVII. An act for raifing a farther fum of money
for the protection of the frontiers, and for
other purposes therein mentioned,
XXVIII. An act to provide for calling forth the mi-
litia to execute the laws of the union, fup- ·
prefs infurrections and repel invafions,
XXIX. An act for the relief of perfons imprisoned
for debt,

XXX. An act anthorifing the grant and convey-
ance of certain lands to John Cleves Symmes
and his affociates,

XXXI. An act to alter the time for the next annual meeting of Congrefs,

XXXII. An act concerning the duties on fpirits diftilled within the United States,

XXXIII. An act more effectually to provide for the national defence, by establishing an uniform militia throughout the United States, XXXIV. An act relative to the compenfations to cer

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