The General Affembly fhall publish every month a journal of their feffions, except what fhall relate to treaties, alliances, or military operations, when it fhall 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 of the delegates fhall require it; and there fhall be delivered to the delegates of each State, on their demand, or even of any one of the delegates of each State, on their demand, or even to any one of the delegates of each State, at his particular requifition, a copy of the journal, except of the parts abovementioned, 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 delegates fhall be nominated by the General Affembly.

The Council of State fhall be authorized to receive and open all the letters addreffed to the United States, and answer them; but shall not contract any engagements binding to the United States.They fhall correfpond with the legislative bodies of each ftate, and with all perfons employed under the authority of the United States, or of some of the particular legislative bodies.-They fhall addrefs themfelves to these 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

Leat

fea; but without making any alterations in the objects or expeditions determined by the general Affembly, unless a change of circumstances intervening and coming to their knowledge fince the breaking up of the Affembly, should render a change of measures indifpenfibly neceffary. They fhall be careful of the defence and prefervation of the fortreffes or fortified ports. They fhall procure information of the fituation and defigns of the enemy. -They fhall put in

execution the meafures 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 fhall draw upon the treasures for the fums, the deftination of which fhall 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 inspect and reprove, they fhall even fufpend all officers civil or military acting under the authority of the Uni ed States.In the cafe of death or fufpenfion of any officer, whofe nomination belongs to the General Affembly, they may replace him by what perfon they think proper, until the next Affembly.They may publish or 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 fome of them.- -They fhall prepare the matters that are to be submitted to the infpection of the General Affembly, and lay before them at the next fitting all the letters or advices by them received, and fhall render an exact account of all that they have done in the

interim.

interim.- -They fhall take for their fecretary a perfon fit for that employment, who before he enters on his function shall take an oath of fecrecy and fidelity. The prefence of feven members of the Council will empower them to act. In cafe of the death of one of their members, the Council fhall give notice of it to the colleagues of the deceased, that they may chufe one of themselves to replace him in the Council until the holding of the next general meeting ;and in cafe there fhould be but one of his colleagues living, the fame notice fhall be given to him, that he may come and take his feat until the next fitting.

XVI.

In cafe that Canada fhould be willing to accede ta the prefent confederation, and come into all the meafures of the United States, it fhall be admitted into the union, and participate in all its benefits. But no other colony fhall be admitted, without the confent of nine of the States.

The above articles fhall be propofed to the legiflative bodies of all the United States, to be examined by them; and if they approve of them, they are defired to authorise their delegates to ratify them in the general Affembly; after which all the articles which conftitute the prefent confederation, shall be inviolably obferved by all and every of the United States, and the union fhall be established for ever,

There fhall not be made hereafter any alteration in thefe articles, nor in any of them, unlefs that the alteration be previously determined in the General Affembly, and confirmed afterwards by the legiflative bodies of each of the United States,

Refolved

Refolved and figned at Philadelphia, in Congrefs, the 4th of October, 1776.

THIS fubject was largely debated at home by writers of different characters and capacities. ---------- The crimes of the colonists were painted in the ftrongest colours by feveral court writers. Their perjury in breaking their oath of allegiance to the King, their ingratitude to their mother country, which had nourifhed and brought them up like children, were ftrongly reprefented and infifted upon. The right of Britain to tax them in all cafes whatsoever was fet forth in the strongest light that the authors were able to reprefent it; and diftinctions were devised to fhew, that all colonists when they leave a country mufl be ruled by laws in many cafes different from thofe in the mother country. The lawyers found that the colonists poffefs no freeholds in the fame manner that the parent state poffeffes them, and upon this principle concluded, that as the colonists were not freeholders, they had no claim of a reprefentation more than those in Britain who have not freehold eftates.

The friends of the colonifts confidered this kind of reasoning as unjust, abfurd, and inconclutive. They infifted that the firft colonifts carried all the rights of Englishmen along with them, and were as much Eng→ lifhmen in New England as in Old Engiand. That they were not banished for any crimes they had committed in their own country, nor had they tranfgreffed any laws which they were bound to obey; that they had purchased lands of the original proprietors, and had received a charter of protection from the mo

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ther country at the expence of their trade and commerce; and that their obedience to government, and protection from it were reciprocal. It was added,

that no people are obliged to obey an authority which refufes to afford them protection when it is in its power to do it, but much lefs when it is exercifed to deprive them of their liberty, aud tends to enslave them. That there could be no arbitrary power lawful where the rulers are not abfolutely perfect; because the paffions and appetites of men in the poffeffion of power will always he ready to make them abuse it. That an abfolute and uncontroulable power of the parliament over America could never be founded in right or found policy, till once all the members of both Houfes were endowed with as much wisdom, prudence, and rectitude as would infallibly direct them to command what was moft conducible to the good of the whole upon plain and felf-evident principles.-And fuppofe they were poffcffed of thefe qualifications, they fill could have no authority over perfons equally free and wife, without their own confent freely given. The reafoners on this fide of the queftion confidered the metaphyfical quirks of court cafuifts and lawyers, as mean felfifh fubterfuges, calculated to throw mift upon reafon and common fenfe, and in all their argument confined themfelves to thofe topics. which were intelligible to the meanest capacities.

The principal objects of the war this campaign were the relief of Quebec, and the recovery of Canada, and attack upon the fouthern colonies, and the reduction of New York. Some of the execution of the first parts of this plan has been fhewn already, and the fuccefs which attended them fully fet forth. Great hopes were founded upon this laft part of the scheme.

The