to this conftitution, or, on the application of the legiflatures of twothirds of the feveral states, fhall call a Convention for propofing amendments, which, in either cafe, fhall be valid to all intents and purpofes, as part of this conftitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the feveral itates, or by Conventions in three-fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be propofed by the congrefs; provided that no amendment, which may be made prior to the year one thoufand eight hundred and eight, fhall in any manner affect the first and fourth claufes in the ninth fection of the firft article; and that no ftate without its confent fhall be deprived of its equal fuffrage in the fenate. ARTICLE VI. All debts contracted, and engagemen ments entered into, before the adoption of this conftitution, fhall be as valid against the United States under this conftitution, as under the confederation. This conftitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, or which fhall be made, under the authority of the United States, fhall be the fupreme law of the land; and the judges in every ftate fhall be bound thereby, any thing in the conftitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding. The fenators and reprefentatives before mentioned, and the members ARTICLE VII. The ratification of the Conventions of Nine States fhall be fuffi cient for the establishment of this conftitution between the states fo ratifying the fame. Done in Convention, by the una nimous confent of the ftates prefent, the feventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord one thoufand feven hundred and eighty-feven, and of the independence of the United States of America the twelfth. In witness whereof we have hereunto fubfcribed our names. GEORGE WASHINGTON, Prefident; and Deputy from Virginia. Langdon, New Hampth.{Nicholas Gilman. Maffachusetts. Nath. Gorham, Connecticut. New York. New Jersey. Pennsylvania. of the feveral state legiflatures, and Delaware. Virginia. Roger Sherman. Alexr. Hamilton. Jonathan Dayton. George Clymer, Thos. Fitzfimons, Sth. Carolina. Georgia. William Blount, Pinckney, Abrm. Baldwin. Nth. Carolina. R. Dobbs Spaight, prefentatives elected: that the eappointed, and the fenators and reHugh Williamfon. lectors fhould meet on the day fixed John Rutledge, CharlesCotefworth fhould tranfmit their, votes, certifor the election of the prefident, and the conititution requires, to the fe fied, figned, fealed, and directed, as cretary of the United States in congrefs affembled; that the fenavene at the time and place affigned; tors and reprefentatives fhould conprefident of the fenate, for the fole that the fenators fhould appoint a purpofe of receiving, opening, and and that, after he shall be chofen, counting the votes for prefident; the congrefs together with the prefident, fhould, without delay, proceed to execute this conftitution. Atteft. WILLIAM JACKSON, fec. In Convention, Monday, Sept. 17, 1787, PRESENT, The ftates of New Hampshire, Maffachufett's, Connecticut, Mr. Hamilton from New York, New Jerfey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Geor. gia: Refolved, That the preceding conftitution be laid before the United States in congrefs affembled; and that it is the opinion of this convention, that it fhould afterwards be fubmitted to a convention of delegates, chofen in each state by the people thereof, under the recommendation of its legiflature, for their affent and rati fication; and that each convention affenting to, and ratifying, the fame, fhould give notice thereof to the United States in congrefs affembled. Refolved, that it is the opinion of this Convention, that, as foon as the Conventions of nine ftates fhall have ratified this conflitution, the United States in congrefs affembled fhould fix on a day on which electors fhould be appointed by the ftates which fhall have ratified the fame, and a day on which the electors fhould affemble to vote for the prefident, and the time and place for commencing proceedings under this conflitution: that, after fuch publication, the electors fhould be Convention, GEORGE WASHINGTON, prefident. Memorial of a Society, inftituted in Pennsylvania, for promoting the Abolition of Slavery, addreed to the Convention of the United States of Amer ca, affembled at Philadel phia. To the honourable the Convention of the United States of America, now affembled in the city of Philadelphia, the memorial of the Pennfylvania fociety for promot ing the abolition of flavery, and the relief of free negroes unlawfully held in bondage. moting the abolition of flavery, and The Pennsylvania fociety for pro the relief of free negroes unlawfully held in bondage, rejoice with their fellow-citizens, in beholding a convention of the ftates affembled for the purpofe of amending the fœderal conftitution. that, among the first acts of the il They recollect, with pleasure, luftrious Juftrious congrefs of the year 1774, was a refolution for prohibiting the importation of African flaves. It is with deep ditrefs they are forced to observe, that the peace was fcarcely concluded before the African trade was revived, and American veffels employed in tranfporting the inhabitants of Africa to cultivate, as flaves, the foil of America, before it had drank-in all the blood which had been thed in her ftruggle for liberty. To the revival of this trade, the fociety afcribe part of the obliquy with which foreign nations have branded our infant ftates. In vain will be their pretenfions to a love of liberty, or a regard for national character, while they fhare in the profits of a commerce, that can only be conducted upon rivers of human tears and blood. men, which would only infult the majesty of Heaven, if offered up in behalf of our country, while the iniquity we deplore continues among us-by the fanctity of the chriftian name-by the pleafures of domeftic connexions, and the pangs which attend their diffolution-by the captivity and fufferings of our American brethren in Algiers, which feem to be intended by divine providence to awaken us to a fense of the injustice and cruelty of dooming our African brethren to perpetual flavery and mifery-by a regard to the confiftency of principle and conduct which should mark the citizens of republics-by the magnitude and intenfity of our defires to promote the happiness of thofe millions of intelligent beings, who will probably cover this immenfe continent with rational life-and by every other confideration that religion, reafon, policy, and huma nity, can fuggeft-the fociety implore the preient Convention to make the fuppreflion of the African trade in the United States, a part of their important deliberations. By all the attributes therefore of the Deity, which are offended by this inhuman traffic-by the union of our whole fpecies in a common anceflor, and by all the obligations which refult from it-by the apprehenfions and terror of the righteous vengeance of God in national judgments by the certainty of the great and awful day of retribution-by the efficacy of the prayers of good 6 Month 2d, 1787. Signed, by order of the fociety, Abftra of the Overfeers Returns to Parliament of the feveral Parishes in England and Wales. Money raifed by Neat expences for ENGL A N D. affeffment, for the the poor in 1776, Names of Counties. Bedford Berks year 1785 (being taken from the rethe last return made turns then made to to parliament.) £. 5. d. 22,165 8 8 6 50,164 1 4 The Thirteenth Report of the Commiffioners appointed to examine, take, and ftate, the Public Accounts of the Kingdom. "In our inquiries into the manner in which the public accounts are audited in the office of the auditors of his majesty's impreft, thofe which have as yet come under our confideration, are accounts of the expenditure of money iffued, the greatest part of it, from the exchequer; but there are likewife, upon the certificate of accounts depending in the auditor's office, accounts of receipts of money levied upon the fubject and paid into the exche quer, which are equally objects of his jurifdiction. "Of thefe receipts, the customs being the most confiderable, we directed our attention to that branch of the public revenue. "We required from the auditors of the impreft the last declared accounts of the customs, with the books of accounts, and other materials from whence they were formed. Two accounts were tranfmitted to us purfuant to this requifition; the one the account of William Mellifh, efq. receiver general and cahier of his majesty's cuttoms, new and additional impofitions, for one year, ending the 5th of January 1782; the other the account of Hugh Valence Jones, efq. comptroller general of his majefty's customs for the fame year; and both declared upon the 18th of December 1783. These accounts were made up from various books and other materia's; as many of which as were neceffary for our information, were fent to us from the auditor's office: and from the infpection of them, and the examinations of Charles Harris, efq. one of the deputy auditors of the impreft, Mr. John Mills affiftant to the receiver general of the customs, Mr. Joshua Powell, first clerk to the comptroller general, and Mr. John Dalley, deputy fupervifor of the receiver general's receipts and payments, we have been made acquainted with the manner in which thefe accounts are prepared by the officers of the customs, and examined by the auditors of the imprest. "The |