of the states. of a majority other point, except for adjourning from day to day, be determined, unless by the votes of a majority of the United States in congress assembled. Regulations concerning the adjourn ment, and other proceed ings, of congress. ers. The congress of the United States shall have power to adjourn to any time within the year, and to any place within the United States, so that no period of adjournment be for a longer duration than the space of six months; and shall publish the journal of their proceedings monthly, except such parts thereof relating to treaties, alliances, or military operations, as in their judgment require secrecy; and the yeas and nays of the delegates of each state on any question shall be entered on the journal, when it is desired by any delegate; and the delegates of a state, or any of them, at his or their request, shall be furnished with a transcript of the said journal, except such parts as are above excepted, to lay before the legislatures of the several states. Committee of ART. 10. The committee of the states, or any nine of them, the states may be vested with shall be authorized to execute, in the recess of congress, such certain Low- of the powers of congress as the United States in congress assembled, by the consent of nine states, shall, from time to time, think expedient to vest them with; provided that no power be. delegated to the said committee, for the exercise of which, by the articles of confederation, the voice of nine states in the congress of the United States assembled is requisite. Canada may be admitted into the confederacy. Payment of debts assum ed. Obligations imposed by tion. ART. 11. Canada, acceding to this confederation, and joining in the measures of the United States, shall be admitted into, and entitled to, all the advantages of this union: but no other colony shall be admitted into the same unless such admission be agreed to by nine states. ART. 12. All bills of credit emitted, moneys borrowed, and debts contracted, by or under the authority of congress, before the assembling of the United States, in pursuance of the present confederation, shall be deemed and considered as a charge against the United States, for payment and satisfaction whereof the said United States and the public faith are hereby solemnly pledged. ART. 13. Every state shall abide by the determination of the the confedera- United States in congress assembled, on all questions which, by this confederation, are submitted to them. And the articles of this confederation shall be inviolably observed by every state, and the union shall be perpetual; nor shall any alteration at any time hereafter be made in any of them, unless such alteration be agreed to in a congress of the United States, and be afterwards confirmed by the legislature of every state. Union per petual, &c. Ratification. And whereas it has pleased the Great Governor of the world to incline the hearts of the legislatures we respectively represent in congress, to approve of and to authorize us to ratify the said articles of confederation and perpetual union: KNOW YE, That we, the undersigned delegates, by virtue of the power and authority to us given for that purpose, do, by these presents, in the name and in behalf of our respective constituents, fully and entirely ratify and confirm each and every of the said articles of confederation and perpetual union, and all and sin gular the matters and things therein contained; and we do further solemnly plight and engage the faith of our respective constituents, that they shall abide by the determinations of the United States in congress assembled, on all questions which, by the said confederation, are submitted to them; and that the articles thereof shall be inviolably observed by the states we respectively represent; and that the union shall be perpetual. Signed, &c. DEFINITIVE TREATY OF PEACE BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND IN THE NAME OF THE MOST HOLY AND UNDIVIDED TRINITY. Definitive United States and Great neficial inter between the two countries, Ir having pleased the Divine Providence to dispose the hearts treaty of peace of the most serene and most potent prince, George the third, between the by the grace of God king of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith, duke of Brunswick and Luneburg, Britain. arch treasurer and prince elector of the holy Roman empire, &c. and of the United States of America, to forget all past misunderstandings and differences that have unhappily interrupted the good correspondence and friendship which they mutually wish to restore; and to establish such a beneficial The object of this treaty is to and satisfactory intercourse between the two countries, upon establish a bethe ground of reciprocal advantages and mutual convenience, course, peace, as may promote and secure to both perpetual peace and har- and harmony, mony And having, for this desirable end, already laid the foundation of peace and reconciliation, by the provisional articles, signed at Paris, on the thirtieth of November, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-two, by the commissioners empowered on each part, which articles were agreed to be in- Reference to the provisional serted in, and to constitute the treaty of peace proposed to be articles of concluded between the crown of Great Britain and the said peace, &c. United States, but which treaty was not to be concluded until terms of peace should be agreed upon between Great Britain and France, and his Britannic majesty should be ready to conclude such treaty accordingly; and the treaty between Great Britain and France having since been concluded, his Britannic majesty and the United States of America, in order to carry into full effect the provisional articles above mentioned, according to the tenor thereof, have constituted and appointed, that is to say his Britannic majesty on his part, David Hartley, esquire, member of the parliament of Great Britain; and the said United States on their part, John Adams, esquire, lute a commissioner of the United States of America at the court of Versailles, late delegate in congress from the state of MasVOL. III. 242 Great Britain the independ sachusetts, and chief justice of the said state, and minister plenipotentiary of the said United States to their high mightinesses the states general of the United Netherlands; Benjamin Franklin, esquire, late delegate in congress from the state of Pennsylvania, president of the convention of the said state, and minister plenipotentiary from the United States of America at the court of Versailles; John Jay, esquire, late president of congress, and chief justice of the state of New York, and minister plenipotentiary from the said United States at the court of Madrid, to be the plenipotentiaries for the concluding and signing the present definitive treaty; who, after having reciprocally communicated their respective full powers, have agreed upon and confirmed the following articles: ART. 1. His Britannic majesty acknowledges the said United acknowledges States, viz. New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island ence of the and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New U. States, &c. Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, to be free, sovereign, and independent states; that he treats with them as such; and for himself, his heirs and successors, relinquishes all claims to the government, propriety, and territorial rights of the same, and every part thereof. The boundaries of the U. ed. ART. 2. And that all disputes which might arise in future, States defined on the subject of the boundaries of the said United States may and establish- be prevented, it is hereby agreed and declared, that the following are and shall be their boundaries, viz. from the northwest angle of Nova Scotia, viz. that angle which is formed by a line drawn due north from the source of Saint Croix river to the highlands; along the said highlands which divide those rivers that empty themselves into the river St. Lawrence from those which fall into the Atlantic ocean, to the northwesternmost head of Connecticut river, thence down along the middle of that river, to the forty-fifth degree of north latitude; from thence, by a line due west on said latitude, until it strikes the river Iroquois or Cataraquy; thence along the middle of said river into lake Ontario, through the middle of said lake until it strikes the communication by water between that lake and lake Erie; thence along the middle of said communication into lake Erie, through the middle of said lake until it arrives at the water communication between that lake and lake Huron ; thence along the middle of said water communication into the lake Huron; thence through the middle of said lake to the water communication between that lake and lake Superior; thence through lake Superior northward of the Isles Royal and Philipeaux, to the Long Lake; thence through the middle of the said Long Lake, and the water communication between it and the lake of the Woods, to the said lake of the Woods; thence through the said lake to the most northwestern point thereof, and from thence on a due west course to the river Mississippi; thence by a line to be drawn along the middle of the said river Mississippi until it shall intersect the northernmost part of the thirty-first degree of north latitude. South, by a line to be drawn due east from the determination of the ries of the U. ed. line last mentioned, in the latitude of thirty-one degrees north The bounda of the equator, to the middle of the river Appalachicola or States defined Catahouche; thence along the middle thereof to its junction and establishwith the Flint river; thence straight to the head of St. Mary's river; and thence down along the middle of St. Mary's river to the Atlantic ocean. East, by a line to be drawn along the middle of the river St. Croix, from its mouth, in the bay of Fundy, to its source, and from its source, directly north, to the aforesaid highlands, which divide the rivers that fall into the Atlantic ocean from those which fall into the river St. Lawrence comprehending all islands within twenty leagues of any part of the shores of the United States, and lying between lines to be drawn due east from the points where the aforesaid boundaries between Nova Scotia on the one part, and East Florida on the other, shall respectively touch the bay of Fundy, and the Atlantic ocean; excepting such islands as now are, or heretofore have been, within the limits of the said province of Nova Scotia. of the U. of fishing on the &c. ART. 3. It is agreed that the people of the United States The citizens shall continue to enjoy unmolested the right to take fish of States to conevery kind on the Grand Bank, and on all the other banks of tinue to enjoy Newfoundland; also, in the gulf of St. Lawrence, and at all the right other places in the sea, where the inhabitants of both coun- banks of Newfoundland, in tries used at any time heretofore to fish; and also, that the in- the gulf of St. habitants of the United States shall have liberty to take fish of Lawrence, every kind on such part of the coast of Newfoundland as British fishermen shall use; (but not to dry or cure the same on that island ;) and also on the coasts, bays, and creeks, of all other of his Britannic majesty's dominions in America; and that the American fishermen shall have liberty to dry and cure Liberty alfish in any of the unsettled bays, harbors, and creeks of Nova lowed to dry Scotia, Magdalen islands, and Labrador, so long as the same in the unsetshall remain unsettled; but so soon as the same or either of tled bays, &c. them shall be settled, it shall not be lawful for the said fisher- tia, &c. men to dry or cure fish at such settlement, without a previous agreement for that purpose with the inhabitants, proprietors, or possessors of the ground. and cure fish of Nova Sco meet with no ART. 4. It is agreed that creditors on either side shall meet Creditors to with no lawful impediment to the recovery of the full value in lawful impedisterling money, of all bona fide debts heretofore contracted. ments to the recovery of bo recommend to confiscated ART. 5. It is agreed that the congress shall earnestly re- na fide debts. commend to the legislatures of the respective states, to pro- Congress to vide for the restitution of all estates, rights, and properties, the states to which have been confiscated, belonging to real British sub- provide for the jects, and also of the estates, rights, and properties of persons restitution-of resident in districts in the possession of his majesty's arms, and estates, &c. who have not borne arms against the said United States. And Twelve that persons of any other description shall have free liberty to ed to certain go to any part or parts of any of the thirteen United States, devors to re and therein to remain twelve months, unmolested in their en- cover their esdeavors to obtain the restitution of such of their estates, rights, Congress to and properties, as may have been confiscated; and that con- recommend to gress shall also earnestly recommend to the several states, a reconsidera months allow persons to en tates, &c. the states a tion of their laws concerning confiscations, &c. reconsideration and revision of all acts or laws regarding the premises, so as to render the said laws or acts perfectly consistent, not only with justice and equity, but with that spirit of conciliation, which, on the return of the blessings of peace, should universally prevail. And that congress shall also earnestly recommend to the several states, that the estates, rights, and properties of such last mentioned persons, shall be restored to them, they refunding to any persons who may be now in possession, the bona fide price (where any has been given) ing an interest which such persons may have paid on purchasing any of the in confiscated said lands, rights, or properties, since the confiscation. And with no lawfui it is agreed, that all persons, who have any interest in confisimpediment in cated lands, either by debts, marriage settlements, or othertion of their wise, shall meet with no lawful impediment in the prosecujust rights. tion of their just rights. Persons hav lands, to meet the prosecu Confiscations &c. ART. 6. That there shall be no future confiscations made, and prosecu nor any prosecutions commenced against any person or pertions to cease, sons for, or by reason of, the part which he or they may have taken in the present war; and that no person shall, on that account, suffer any future loss or damage, either in his person, lib- ́ erty, or property; and that those who may be in confinement on such charges, at the time of the ratification of the treaty in America, shall be immediately set at liberty, and the prosecutions so commenced be discontinued. Firm and per negroes not to be carried and fleets to cords, &c. to be restored, &c. ART. 7. There shall be a firm and perpetual peace between petual peace; his Britannic majesty and the said states, and between the subprisoners to be released; jects of the one and the citizens of the other, wherefore all hostilities, both by sea and land, shall from henceforth cease: all away; armies prisoners on both sides shall be set at liberty; and his Britanbe withdrawn; nic majesty shall, with all convenient speed, and without causing archives, re any destruction, or carrying away any negroes, or other property of the American inhabitants, withdraw all his armies, garrisons, and fleets, from the said United States, and from every post, place, and harbor within the same; leaving in all fortifications the American artillery that may be therein; and shall also order and cause all archives, records, deeds, and papers, belonging to any of the said states, or their citizens, which, in the course of the war, may have fallen into the hands of his officers, to be forthwith restored and delivered to the proper states and persons to whom they belong. The navigation of the nations. ART. 8. The navigation of the river Mississippi, from its Mississippi to source to the ocean, shall for ever remain free and open to the be free to both subjects of Great Britain, and the citizens of the United States. ART. 9. In case it should so happen that any place or terrimade before tory belonging to Great Britain or to the United States, should the arrival of have been conquered by the arms of either from the other, bethe provisioni fore the arrival of the said provisional articles in America, it is Conquests America, to be restored. Ratifications to be exchanged in six months. agreed, that the same shall be restored without difficulty, and without requiring any compensation. ART. 10. The solemn ratifications of the present treaty, expedited in good and due form, shall be exchanged between the contracting parties, in the space of six months, or sooner if possible, to be computed from the day of the signature of the pre |