The college has been under the care of a fucceffion of prefidents, eminent for piety and learning, and has furnished a number of civilians, divines and physicians, of the first rank in America.

The charter for Queen's College, at Brunswick, was granted juft before the war, in confequence of an application from a body of the Dutch church. Its funds, raifed wholly by free donations, amounted, foon after its establishment, to four thousand pounds, but they were confiderably diminithed by the war. The grammar-school, which is connected with the college, confifts of between thirty and forty students, under the care of the trustees. The college at prefent is not in a very flourishing ftate.

There are a number of good academies in this State; one at Freehold in the county of Monmouth; another at Trenton, in which are about eighty students in the different branches; it has a fund of about one hundred and fifty pounds per annum, arifing from the intereft on public fecurities; another in Hackinfack, in the county of Bergen, of upwards of an hundred scholars; inftruction and board are faid to be cheaper here than in any other part of the State. There is another flourishing academy at Orangedale, in the county of Effex, confifting of nearly as many scholars as any of the others, furnished with able inftructors and good accommodations. Another has lately been opened at Elizabeth town, and confifts of upwards of twenty ftudents in the languages, and is increasing. An academy, by the name of Burlington academy, has lately been established at Burlington, under the direction of feven trustees, and the instruction of two preceptors. The fyftem of education adopted in this academy is defigned to prepare the scholars for the ftudy of the more difficult claffics and the higher branches of fcience in a college or university. At Newark, an academy was founded in June 1792, and promifes to be a useful inftitution. Befides thefe, there are grammar schools at Springfield, Morristown, Bordentown, Amboy, &c. There are no regular establishments for common schools in the State. The usual mode of education is for the inhabitants of a village or neighbourhood to join in affording a temporary fupport for a schoolmaster, upon fuch terms as are mutually agreeable. But the encouragement which thefe occafional teachers meet with, is generally fuch, as that no perfon of abilities adequate to the business will undertake it; and of courfe, little advantage is derived from thefe fchools. The im provement in these common schools is generally in proportion to the pay of the teacher. It is therefore much to be regretted that the

legiflature

legiflature do not take up this fubject, and adopt such method of fupporting public fchools as has been practifed upon with visible good fuccefs in fome of the New-England States.

There is a medical fociety in this State, confifting of about thirty of their most respectable physicians, who meet twice a year. No perfon is admitted to the practice of phyfic without a licence from the fupreme court, founded on a certificate from this fociety, or at leaft two of its members, teftifying his skill and abilities. It is remarkable, that in the county of Cape May no regular physician has ever found fupport. Medicine has been administered by women, except in fome extraordinary cafes.

CONSTITUTION.

The following is the conftitution of this State :

Whereas all the conftitutional authority ever poffeffed by the kings of Great-Britain over these colonies, or their other dominions, was by compact derived from the people, and held of them for the common intereft of the whole fociety, allegiance and protection are, in the nature of things, reciprocal ties, each equally depending upon the other, and liable to be diffolved by the other's being refused or withdrawn. And whereas George the Third, King of Great-Britain, has refused protection to the good people of these colonies; and, by affenting to fundry acts of the British Parliament, attempted to fubject them to the abfolute dominion of that body; and has alfo made war upon them in the most cruel and unnatural manner, for no other caufe than afferting their juft rights; all civil authority under him is neceffarily at an end, and a diffolution of government in each colony has confequently taken place.

And whereas in the prefent deplorable fituation of these colonies, exposed to the fury of a cruel and relentless enemy, fome form of government is abfolutely neceffary, not only for the preservation of good order, but alfo the more effectually to unite the people, and enable them to exert their whole force in their own neceffary defence; and as the honourable the Continental Congress, the supreme council of the American colonies, has advised fuch of the colonies as have not yet gone into the measure, to adopt for themselves refpectively fuch government as fhall beft conduce to their own happiness and safety, and the well-being of America in general; we, the reprefentatives of the colony of New-Jerfey, having been elected by all the counties in the freeft manner, and in Congrefs affembled, VOL. II. have,

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have, after mature deliberations, agreed upon a set of charter rights, and the form of a conftitution, in manner following, viz.

I. That the government of this province fhall be vested in a Governor, Legiflative Council and General Affembly.

II. That the Legiflative Council and General Affembly shall be chofen, for the first time, on the fecond Tuesday in Auguft next; the members whereof fhall be the fame in number and qualifications as is herein after mentioned; and shall be and remain vested with all the powers and authority to be held by any future Legislative Council and Affembly of this colony, until the second Tuesday in O&ober which fhall be in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and feventy-feven.

III. That on the fecond Tuesday in October yearly, and every year for ever, (with the privilege of adjourning from day to day, as occafion may require) the counties fhall feverally chufe one perfon to be a member of the Legislative Council of this colony, who fhall be and have been for one whole year next before the election, an inhabitant and freeholder in the county in which he is chofen, and worth at least one thousand pounds, proclamation money, of real and perfonal estate within the faid county: that, at the same time, each county fhall also chufe three members of Affembly; provided, that no perfon fhall be entitled to a feat in the faid Affembly, unless he be and have been for one whole year next before the election an inhabitant of the county he is to reprefent, and worth five hundred pounds, proclamation money, in real and perfonal eftate, in the fame county that on the fecond Tuesday next after the day of election, the Council and Affembly fhall feparately meet; and that the confent of both Houfes fhall be neceffary to every law; provided, that feven fhall be a quorum of the Council for doing business, and that no law fhall pafs, unless there be a majority of all the representatives of each body perfonally present, and agreeing thereto. Provided always, that if a majority of the reprefentatives of this province, in Council and General Affembly convened, fhall, at any time or times hereafter, judge it equitable and proper to add to or diminish the number or proportion of the members of Affembly for any county or counties in this colony, then, and in fuch case, the fame may, on the principles of more equal representation, be lawfully done, any thing in this charter to the contrary notwithstanding, fo that the whole number of reprefentatives in Affembly shall not at any time be less than thirty-nine.

IV. That

IV. That all the inhabitants of this colony of full age, who are worth fifty pounds, proclamation money, clear eftate in the fame, and have refided within the county in which they claim a vote, for twelve months immediately preceding the election, shall be entitled to vote for reprefentatives in Council and Affembly and alio for all other public officers that shall be elected by the people of the county at large.

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V. That the Affembly, when met, fhall have power to choose a fpeaker, and other their officers; to be judges of the qualifications and elections of their own members; fit upon their own adjournments; prepare bills to be paffed into laws; and to empower their speaker to convene them, whenever any extraordinary occurrence shall render it neceffary.

VI. That the Council fhall have power to prepare bills to pafs into laws, and have other like powers as the Affembly, and in all respects to be a free and independent branch of the legislature of this colony; fave only, that they fhall not prepare or alter any money bill, which shall be the privilege of the Affembly. That the Council shall from time to time be convened by the governor or vice-prefident, but must be convened at all times when the Affembly fits; for which purpose the speaker of the House of Affembly shall always immediately after an adjournment give notice to the governor or vice-prefident of the time and place to which the House is adjourned.

VII. That the Council and Affembly jointly, at their first meeting after each annual election, fhall, by a majority of votes, elect some fit perfon within the colony to be governor for one year, who shall be conftant prefident of the council, and have a cafting vote in their proceedings, and the Council themselves shall choose a vice-prefident, who fhall act as fuch in the absence of the governor.

VIII. That the governor, or, in his abience, the vice-prefident of the council, fhall have the fupreme executive power, be chancellor of the colony, and act as captain-general and commander in chief of all the militia and other military force in this colony; and that any three or more of the council fhall, at all times be a privy-council to confult them; and that the governor be ordinary, or furrogate-general.

IX. That the governor and council, feven whereof fhall be a quorum, be the court of appeals in the last resort in all cases of law, as heretofore; and that they poffefs the power of granting pardons

to criminals after condemnation, in all cafes of treafon, felony, or other offences.

X. That captains, and all other inferior officers of the militia, fhall be chofen by the companies in the respective counties; but field and general officers by the Council and Assembly.

XI. That the Council and Affembly fhall have power to make the great feal of this colony, which shall be kept by the governor, or in his abfence, by the vice-prefident of the council, to be ufed by them as occafion may require; and it shall be called, the great feal of the colony of New-Jersey.

XII. That the judges of the fupreme court fhall continue in office for seven years; the judges of the inferior court of common pleas in the feveral counties, juftices of the peace, clerks of the supreme court, clerks of the inferior court of common pleas and quarter feffions, the attorney-general, and provincial fecretary, fhall continue in office for five years; and the provincial treasurer fhall continue in office for one year; and that they fhall be, feverally appointed by the Council and Affembly in manner aforefaid, and commiffioned by the governor, or in his absence the vice-president of the council. Provided always, that the faid officers severally, fhall be capable of being re-appointed at the end of the terms feverally before limited; and that any of the faid officers fhall be liable to be difmiffed, when adjudged guilty of misbehaviour, by the Council on an impeachment of the Affembly.

XIII. That the inhabitants of each county, qualified to vote as aforefaid, fhall, at the time and place of electing their reprefentatives, annually elect one fheriff, and one or more coroners; and that they may re-elect the fame perion to fuch offices until he shall have served three years, but no longer; after which three years must elapse before the fame perfon is capable of being elected again. When the election is certified to the governor or vice-prefident, under the hands of fix freeholders of the county for which they were elected, they fhall be immediately commiffioned to ferve in their refpective offices.

XIV. That the townships, at their annual town meetings for electing other officers, fhall chute conftables for the districts respectively; and alio three or more judicious freeholders of good character, to hear and finally determine all appeals relative to unjust affeffiments in cafes or public taxation; which commiffioners of appeal fhall, for that purpose, fit at fome fuitable time or times to be by

them