ing intelligence of their movement, put his army in motion in pur- 1787. suit of them, and made one of the most indefatigable marches that was ever performed in America. His troops commenced their Gen. Linmarch at eight in the evening, and by two in the morning reach- coln marched New Salem. Here a violent north wind rose; the cold was them; es against extreme; a snow storm at once heightened the inclemency of the weather, and filled the paths; the route lay over high land, where the exposure was great; the country was thinly settled, and for many miles afforded them no covering. Exposed to all these evils, they advanced, without scarcely halting, the distance of 30 miles; their front reaching Petersham by nine in the morning, and their rear being five miles distant. A pursuit surprises & through so many difficulties being totally unexpected, the insur- disperses gents were completely surprised; and, scarcely [firing a gun, quitted the town in great confusion. They were pursued about two miles, and 150 of them were taken prisoners. Many of the fugitives retired to their own houses; and the rest, including all their principal officers, fled into the states of New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. Some predatory incursions were afterward made by them from their lodgments in the neighbouring states; but such decisive measures were taken, as obliged them to seek refuge in Vermont, as their last resort.

66

them.

pointed.

On the 10th of March the general court appointed three com- Commismissioners,1 whose duty it was, on certain conditions, to promise sioners apindemnity to those who were concerned in the rebellion. Seven hundred and ninety persons took the benefit of the commission. Fourteen persons, who were tried at the supreme judicial court, received sentence of death; but they were successively pardoned. "Thus," says the historian of the Insurrection, was a Terminadangerous internal war finally suppressed by the spirited use of tion of the constitutional powers, without the shedding of blood by the hand insurrec of the civil magistrate; a circumstance which it is the duty of every citizen to ascribe to its real cause, the lenity of government, and not to their weakness; a circumstance, too, that must attach every man to a constitution, which, from a happy principle of mediocrity, governs its subjects without oppression, and reclaims them without severity."2

tion.

the national

A proposition for an amendment of the constitution of the Causes of a United States, brought forward this year, requires a retrospective change in view of the antecedent state of the Union. The articles of governConfederation, framed during the struggles against oppressions of ment the British government, cautiously withheld such a delegation of

1 Benjamin Lincoln, commander of the army; Samuel Phillips, jun. president of the Senate; and Samuel Allyne Otis, speaker of the House of Representatives.

2 Minot, History of the Insurrections in Massachusetts.

1787. power, as might endanger the rights of the people from rulers of their own election. This form of confederation, during the period of common danger, answered the general purposes of government; but no sooner had that period elapsed, than the total inefficiency of the federal government was perceived. An enormous debt had been contracted, yet public credit was in the lowest state of depreciation. Congress devised a system of revenue, an essential part of which was a continental impost for twenty five years, the neat proceeds of which were to be exclusively applied to the discharge of existing debts. This system was transmitted to the state legislatures, accompanied by an address strongly enforcing the expediency of its immediate adoption; but, from the various and interfering interests of the different states, it was but partially adopted, and never put in operation. The ordinances of congress were disregarded. Many states neglected, or refused, to furnish their quotas of the national expenditures. In some states, the treaties with foreign nations, particularly with Great Britain, were disregarded, or openly violated. Dangerous insurrections in some parts of the Union excited fearful apprehensions of the like evils in other parts. In this state of things, it was the opinion of the wisest citizens, that an energetic system of national government only could revive the ruined state of commerce; restore public and private credit; give a national character to the States; secure the faith of public treaties; and prevent the evils of anarchy and civil war.1 À proposition was made by Virginia to the other states to meet in convention, for the purpose of forming a constitution of government, which should be adequate to the national exigencies.3

Convention.

Federal

constitution agreed on.

Connecti

cut cedes

U. States.

Agreeably to this proposition, delegates from all the states, excepting Rhode Island, assembled at Philadelphia in May; chose general Washington for their president; and, on the 17th of September, unanimously agreed on a federal constitution. On the 4th of October, congress resolved unanimously, eleven states being present, that the new constitution be transmitted to the legislatures of the several states, in order to be submitted to conventions, chosen by the people, agreeably to the mode prescribed by the general convention.

Connecticut ceded to the United States all the lands within her chartered limits west of Pennsylvania, reserving to itself about lands to the four millions of acres. Of this reserve 500,000 acres were granted by the state to the inhabitants of New London, Fairfield, and Norwalk, whose property had been destroyed by the British troops in the revolutionary war.

1787.

tween Mas

settled.

The dispute between Massachusetts and New York, respecting a claim of the former state to a part of the territory west of Hudson river, was this year brought to an amicable termination. Dispute beCommissioners who had been appointed by the two states, met sachusetts at Hartford, and finally agreed, that Massachusetts should have and N.York the pre-emptive right to two large tracts of land within the bounds about lands it claimed, being in the whole about five millions of acres ; 230,000 of which were situated near the centre of the state of New York, and the other tract, in the more western part of the state, bordering on lake Erie. All the residue, claimed by Massachusetts, was ceded and relinquished to New York for ever, excepting the most western part of the original claim of Massachusetts, which had been previously ceded to congress, and formed a part of the northern and western territory of the United States, bordering on the British possessions.1

The pre-emptive title to this territory was claimed by the state of Massachusetts, under its colonial charter, which contemplated the whole region between its north and south boundaries, from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean. The charter of the state of New York interfering with this claim, the differences of the two states, after various unsuccessful attempts to adjust them under the old congress of the confederation, were thus settled by the commissioners; Massachusetts ceding to New York the sovereignty and jurisdiction of all the territory claimed by the former within the limits of the latter, and New York ceding to Massachusetts the property of the soil. The line commences in the 42d degree of north latitude, 82 miles west of the northeast corner of the state of Pennsylvania, and is called the "Pre-emption Line." It runs through the middle of the Seneca lake, at its north end, and about the middle of Geneva, and also through Sodus bay.2

A treaty was concluded in January between the United States

1 Bradford, Hist. Mass. ii. 283. The tracts ceded by New York to Massachusetts included "all the lands within their jurisdiction, west of a meridian that shall be drawn from a point in the north boundary line of Pennsylvania, 82 miles west from the Delaware (excepting one mile along the east side of Niagara river); and also 10 townships between the Chenango and Owegy rivers, reserving the jurisdiction to the state of New York." Morse. See A. D. 1773, in which year commissioners agreed to the principles on which the bounds should be settled, and the line was actually run, to the satisfaction of both parties; but the war commenced before the agreement received the sanction of the king. The present adjustment was, in a great measure, conformable to the agreement made fourteen years before.

2 Description and Memorandums of the County of Munroe (N. Y.) and its Environs. "It proves to be the meridian of the city of Washington." Spafford. It is also the west boundary line of the New York Military Lands, which contain 28 townships, each 10 miles square-" that splendid monument of the gratitude of New York to her Revolutionary heroes. She gave 550 acres of good land to every soldier."

1787. and the emperor of Morocco, by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, and ratified by congress on the 18th of July.

Ordinance

for the gov

ernment of the N. W. Territory.

Instructions

an Indian

treaty ;

Congress made an ordinance for the government of the territory of the United States northwest of the river Ohio. By the fourth article of this ordinance, slavery and involuntary servitude are prohibited, except in the punishment of crimes. On the 26th of October, congress prepared Instructions to the commisto commissioners for negotiating a Treaty with the tribes of Indians in the sioners for Southern department, for the purpose of establishing Peace between the United States and those tribes: Also, Instructions to the Governor of the Territory of the United States northwest of the governor of river Ohio, relative to an Indian Treaty in the Northern department. In the first of these Instructions, the present treaty is declared to have for its principal object the restoration of peace; in the second," the primary objects" are declared to be "the removing all causes of controversy, so that peace and harmony may continue between the United States and the Indian tribes; the regulating trade and settling boundaries."2

and to the

the N. W. Territory.

Western

territory of

The legislature of South Carolina passed an act for ceding the S. Carolina, Western territory of that state, toward the Mississippi, to the United States. The same legislature incorporated companies for opening the navigation of the Catawba and Wateree, and for improving the navigation of Edisto and Ashley rivers.3

Societies.

Publications.

Bishops

for Penn

The Society for propagating the Gospel among the Indians and others in North America was incorporated by the legislature of Massachusetts. The Pennsylvania Society for promoting the abolition of slavery and the relief of free Negroes unlawfully held in bondage, begun in 1774, was now enlarged. A Society was established at New York for promoting the manumission of slaves in that city, and to establish a free school for black children. The Pennsylvania Society for the encouragement of manufactures and useful arts was instituted.

A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America, by John Adams, then minister at the court of St. James, was printed at London.4 The Vision of Columbus, a Poem by Joel Barlow, was published at Hartford.

The royal assent was given to an act of parliament, passed the consecrated preceding year, empowering the English bishops to consecrate sylvania, to the office of bishops persons being subjects and citizens of foreign countries. By virtue of this act, the Rev. Drs. William White, rector of Christ church and St. Peter's in Philadelphia,

N. York,

1 Life of Richard H. Lee, i. 240.

2 Secret Journals of Congress, i. 274-276. Edit. 1821.

3 Drayton, S. Carolina, iv. 155-158. Grimké, Laws S. Car.

4 Two volumes were then printed; the third, in 1788.

and Samuel Prevost, rector of Trinity church in New York, 1787: were consecrated bishops at Lambeth palace; the one, for the superintendence of the episcopal churches in Pennsylvania, and the other, for the superintendence of those in the state of New York. The Rev. Dr. Charles Inglis, of New York, was also and Nova consecrated at Lambeth, bishop of the Province of Nova Scotia. Scotia.1

Franklin College was founded at Lancaster, in Pennsylvania, Franklin for the instruction of youth in the German, English, Latin and College. Greek, and other learned languages, in theology, and in the useful arts, sciences and literature. It was founded for the particular accommodation of the German inhabitants of that state, and received its name from a profound respect for the talents, virtues, and services of Benjamin Franklin, then president of the supreme executive council. Columbian College, in the city of New Columbia York, was incorporated. The College of Physicians at Phila- College. delphia was instituted.

Malden bridge, built across Mystic river in Massachusetts, was Malden opened on the 28th of September.

bridge.

A fire broke out in Beach street, at the south part of Boston, Fire in on the 24th of April, and consumed 100 houses.

Boston.

Baltimore contained 1959 houses, 9 churches, and 164 ware- Baltimore. houses and stores.3

Catawba, the only town of the Catawbas, the only nation of Catawbas. Indians in South Carolina, contained about 450 inhabitants; of which number about 150 were fighting men.

Thomas Gage, the last governor of Massachusetts appointed Deaths. by the crown, died in England; Ebenezer Gay, pastor of the church in Hingham, in the 91st year of his age, and 69th of his ministry; Charles Chauncy, pastor of the First Church in Boston, in the 83d year of his age, and 60th of his ministry;1 Henry Melchior Muhlenburg, senior minister of the German Lutheran congregation of Philadelphia, aged 77 years.5

1 Stiles, Literary Diary. This [Dr. Inglis] is the first English bishop in the English dominions in America, or foreign parts. Ib.

2 Report on the subject of Education, Senate of Pennsylvania, 1822.

3 About 1200 of the houses were in the town, and the rest at Fell's Point. Morse.

4 For the characters and publications of Dr. Gay and Dr. Chauncy, see Eliot and Allen, Biog. Dictionaries.-Dr. Chauncy was a great grandson of Charles Chauncy, president of Harvard College," and had much of the genius and spirit of his ancestor." Emerson, in his History of the First Church in Boston has given a particular account of his ministry and printed works.

5 He was born at Eimbeck, in the Electorate of Hanover in 1711; and was a faithful and zealous minister of the church of Christ 48 years, 45 of which were spent in America. "He may be considered as the patriarch of the Lutheran churches in America." Pres. Stiles, Literary Diary.