ftate fhall be deprived of territory for the benefit of the 1777. United States. All controverfies concerning the private right of foil, claimed under different grants of two or more flates, whofe jurifdictions as they may refpect fuch lands and the states which passed fuch grants are adjusted, the said grants or either of them being at the fame time claimed to have originated antecedent to fuch fettlement of jurif diction, fhall, on the petition of either party to the congrefs of the United States, be finally determined, as near as may be in the fame manner as is before prescribed for deciding difputes refpecting territorial jurifdiction between different ftates. The United States in congress assembled fhall also have the fole and exclufive right and power of regulating the alloy and value of coin ftruck by their own authority, or by that of the respective states-fixing the standard of weights and measures throughout the United Statesregulating the trade and managing all affairs with the Indians not members of any of the states; provided that the legislative right of any state within its own limits be not infringed or violated-establishing and regulating poft-offices from one state to another throughout all the United States, and exacting fuch postage on the papers paffing through the fame as may be requifite to defray the expences of the faid office-appointing all officers of the land forces in the fervice of the United States, excepting regimental officers-appointing all the officers of the naval forces, and commiffioning all officers whatever in the fervice of the United States-making rules for the government and regulation of the faid land and naval forces, and directing their operations. *777- The United States in congrefs affembled shall have att÷ thority to appoint a committee to fit in the recefs of congrefs, to be denominated'" a committee of the fates," and to confift of one delegate from each state, and to appoint fuch other committees and civil officers as may be neceffary for managing the general affairs of the United States, under their direction-to appoint one of their number to prefide, provided that no perfon be allowed to ferve in the office of prefident more than one year in any term of three years to ascertain the neceffary fums of money to be raised for the fervice of the United States, and to appropriate and apply the fame for defraying the public expences to borrow money or emit bills on the credit of the United States, tranfmitting every half year to the respective states an account of the fums of money fo borrowed or emitted-to build and equip a navy-to agree upon the number of land forces, and to make requifitions from each ftate for its quota, in proportion to the number of white inhabitants in fuch state; which requi fition fhall be binding, and thereupon the legiflature of each state shall appoint the regimental officers, raife the men, and clothe, arm and equip them in a foldier-like manner, at the expence of the United States; and the officers and men fo clothed, armed and equipped, fhall march to the place appointed and within the time agreed on by the United States in congrefs affembled: but if the United States in congrefs affembled fhall on confideration of circumstances, judge proper that any state should not raise men or fhould raise a fmaller number than its quota, and that any other ftate fhould raise a greater number of men than the quota thereof, fuch extra number fhall be raised, officered, clothed, armed and equip ped in the fame manner as the quota of fuch ftate, unless 1777 The United States in congrefs affembled fhall never engage in a war nor grant letters of marque and repri fal in time of peace, nor enter into any treaties or alliances, nor coin money, nor regulate the value thereof, nor ascertain the fums and expences neceffary for the defence and welfare of the United States or any of them; nor emit bills, nor borrow money on the credit of the United States, nor appropriate money, nor agree upon the number of veffels of war to be built or purchased, or the number of land or fea forces to be raised, nor appoint a commander in chief of the army or navy, unless nine ftates affent to the fame; nor fhall a question on any other point, except for adjourning from day to day, be determined, unless by the votes of a majority of the United States in congrefs affembled. The congrefs of the United States shall have power to adjourn to any time within the year, and to any place within the United States, fo that no period of adjournment be for a longer duration than the space of fix months, and shall publish the journal of their proceedings monthly, except fuch parts thereof relating to treaties, alliances or military operations, as in their judgment require fe crecy; and the yeas and nays of the delegates of each 1 1777. ftate on any queftion fhall be entered on the journal, when it is defired by any delegate; and the delegates of a ftate, or any of them, at his or their request, shall be furnished with a tranfcript of the faid journal, except fuch parts as are above excepted, to lay before the legiflatures of the feveral ftates. Article 10. The committee of the ftates, or any nine of them, fhall be authorised to execute, in the recefs of congrefs, fuch of the powers of congrefs as the United States in congrefs affembled by the confent of nine states fhall from time to time think expedient to veft them with; provided that no power be delegated to the faid committee, for the exercife of which, by the articles of confederation, the voice of nine ftates in the congrefs of the United States affembled is requifite. Article 11. Canada acceding to this confederation, and joining in the measures of the United States, fhall be admitted into and entitled to all the advantages of this union but no other colony fhall be admitted into the fame unless fuch admiffion be agreed to by nine ftates, Article 12. All bills of credit emitted, monies borrowed, and debts contracted by or under the authority of congrefs, before the affembling of the United States, in pursuance of the prefent confederation, fhall be deemed and confidered as a charge againft the United States, for payment and fatisfaction whereof the faid United States and the public faith are hereby folemnly pledged. Article 13. Every state fhall abide by the determinations of the United States in congrefs affembled on all queftions which by this confederation are fubmitted to them. And the articles of this confederation fhall be inviolably obferved by every ftate, and the union fhall be per petual; nor fhall any alteration at any time hereafter be 1777 made in any of them; unlefs fuch alteration be agreed to in a congrefs of the United States, and be afterwards confirmed by the legislatures of every state. These articles have been forwarded to the legiflatures of all the United States, to be confidered; and if approved of by them, the faid legiflatures are advised to authorize their delegates to ratify the fame in the congrefs, that fo they may become conclufive. They have been accompanied with a circular letter, recommending them to the immediate and difpaffionate attention of the legiflatures; and urging them to haften the conclufion of the plan for confederation. They will be fupported in this ftate by the influence of Mr. Samuel Adams and Mr. John Adams, who obtained leave of abfence to vifit their families a week before the finifhed copy was agreed to by congrefs. Thefe two gentlemen ftand in the relation of fecond coufins to each other. The fame day the copy was agreed to, a committee was appointed to collect and digeft fome late difcoveries for making molaffes and spirits from the juice of Indian corn stalks, and to report a plan for communicating fuch discoveries to the inhabitants of the feveral ftates. The fcarcity and dearness of molaffes and fpirits, and the difficulty of procuring a fupply from the Weft Indies, have induced fome ingenious enterprifing minds to grind the Indian corn ftalks, while in a certain ftate of verdure, and to obtain from the juice, by boiling it, a kind of molaffes. Several have followed the example; and the expectation of the public in many places is raifed; but the quantity of molaffes produced is too |