the taxes for paying their proportion shall be laid and levied by the authority and direction of the legislatures of the district or districts, or new States, as in the original States, within the time agreed upon by the United States, in Congress assembled. The legislatures of those districts, or new States, shall never interfere with the primary disposal of the soil by the United States, in Congress assembled, nor with any regulations Congress may find necessary, for securing the title in such soil, to the bona fide purchasers. No tax shall be imposed on lands, the property of the United States; and in no case shall non-resident proprietors be taxed higher than residents. The navigable waters leading into the Mississippi and St. Lawrence, and the carrying places between the same, shall be common highways, and for ever free, as well to the inhabitants of the said territory as to the citizens of the United States, and those of any other States that may be admitted into the Confederacy, without any tax, impost, or duty therefor.

ART. 5. There shall be formed in the said territory, not less than three, nor more than five States; and the boundaries of the States, as soon as Virginia shall alter her act of cession, and consent to the same, shall become fixed and established as follows, to wit: the western State n the said territory, shall be bounded by the Mississippi, the Ohio, and Wabash rivers; a direct line drawn from the Wabash and Post Vincents, due north, to the territorial line between the United States and Canada; and by the said territorial line to the Lake of the Woods and Mississippi. The middle States shall be bounded by the said direct line, the Wabash, from Post Vincents to the Ohio, by the Ohio, by a direct line drawn due north from the mouth of the Great Miami to the said territorial line, and by the said territorial line. The eastern State shall be bounded by the last-mentioned direct line, the Ohio, Pennsylvania, and the said territorial line: provided, however, and it is further understood and declared, that the boundaries of these three States shall be subject so far to be altered, that, if Congress shall hereafter find it expedient, they shall have authority to form one or two States in that part of the said territory which lies north of an east and west line drawn through the southerly bend or extreme of Lake Michigan. And whenever any of the said States shall have sixty thousand free inhabitants therein, such State shall be admitted, by its delegates, into the Congress of the United States, on an equal footing with the original States, in all respects whatever; and shall be at liberty to form a permanent constitution and State government; provided the constitution and government, so to be formed, shall be republican, and in conformity to the principles contained in these articles and, so far as can be consistent with the general interest

of the Confederacy, such admission shall be allowed at an earlier period, and when there may be a less number of free inhabitants in the State than sixty thousand.

ART. 6. There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said territory, otherwise than in the punishment of crimes, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted; provided, always, that any person escaping into the same, from whom labor or service is lawfully claimed in any one of the original States, such fugitive may be lawfully reclaimed, and conveyed to the person claiming his or her labor or ser. vice as aforesaid. "

Be it ordained by the authority aforesaid, That the resolutions of the 23d of April, 1784, relative to the subject of this ordinance, be, and the same are hereby, repealed, and declared null and void.

Done by the United States, in Congress assembled, the 13th day of July, in the year of our Lord 1787, and of their sovereignty and independence the 12th. CHARLES THOMSON, Sec'y. For a history of this ordinance by Peter Force, see Nat. Intelligencer, Aug. 26, 1847.

LOUISIANA,

Formed out of part of the territory ceded to the United States by France, by treaty of April 30, 1803.

On October 31, 1803, an act to enable the President of the United States to take possession of the territories ceded by France to the United States, by the treaty concluded at Paris on the 30th of April last, and for the temporary government thereof, was passed and approved.

Louisiana was erected into two territories by act of Congress, approved March 26, 1804; one called the Territory of Orleans, and the other called the District of Louisiana.

An act further providing for the government of the Orleans territory, was approved March 2, 1805, which authorized the people to form a constitution and State government when their number should amount to 60,000.

A memorial of the Legislature of the territory of Orleans on behalf of the inhabitants, (see folio State Papers, "Miscellaneous," vol. 2, p. 51,) was presented in Senate United States. (See Journal, March 12, 1810.)

An act to enable the people of the territory of Orleans to form a constitution and State government, &c., by which that State was allowed one Representative until the next census, was passed and approved February 20, 1811. The said people having, on January 22, 1812, formed a constitution and State government, and given the State the name of Louisiana, in pursuance of the said act, an act for the admission of the State of Louisiana into the Urion, and to extend the laws of the United States to the said State, was passed and approved, April 8, 1812. On May 22, 1812, an act supplemental to the act of April 8, 1912, was ap proved.

INDIANA,

Formed out of a part of the North-western Territory which was ceded to the United States by Virginia. (See remarks under "Ohio.”)

The territory established by act of May 7, 1800,

The territory divided into two separate governments, and that of Michigan created by act of January 11, 1805.

The territory again divided into two separate governments, and that of Illinois created by act of February 3, 1809.

The Legislature of the territory, on behalf of the people, applied to be enabled to form a constitution, &c. (See Journal of House of Representatives, December 28, 1-15, and January 5, 1816; also folio State Papers, "Miscellaneous,” vol. 2, p. 277.) An act to enable the people of the Indiana territory to form a constitution and State government, &c., by which that State was allowed one Representative, was passed April 19, 1816.

The said people having, on June 29, 1816, formed a constitution, &c., a joint resolution for admitting the State of Indiana into the Union was passed and approved, December 11, 1816.

The laws of the United States extended to the State of Indiana, by act of March 3, 1817.

MISSISSIPPI,

Formed out of a part of the territory ceded to the United States by the comm.ssioners of the State of South Carolina, on August 9, 1787, under the act of South Carolina of March 8, 1787, and by those of the State of Georgia, April 24, 1802, which was ratified by the Legislature of Georgia, on June 16, 1802. (For these cessions, &c., and for the convention between South Carolina and Georgia of April 28, 1787, see Bioren and Duane's edit. Laws, vol. 1, pp. 466, 467, 486 to 491.) The government of the territory established by act of Congress of April 7, 1798. Limits settled and government established by act of Congress of May 10, 1800. Territory on the north added to the Mississippi territory, by act of Congress of March 27, 1804.

The boundaries enlarged on the south, by act of Congress of May 14, 1812.

A joint resolution of Congress "requesting the State of Georgia to assent to the formation of two States of the Mississippi territory," was passed and approved, June 17, 1812.

A motion was made in House of Representatives of the United States to inquire into the expediency of admitting Mississippi into the Union, December 28, 1810. Reported on by committee, January 9, 1811. (Vide folio State Papers, "Miscellaneous," vol. 2, p. 129.)

A petition from the inhabitants of Mississippi, that it be made a State, &c., presented in House of Representatives, November 13, 1811. Reported on by committee of House of Representatives, December 17, 1811. (Vide folio State Papers, "Miscellaneous," vol. 2, p. 163.)

Bill passed House of Representatives. Report adverse in Senate, April 17, 1812, and bill postponed. (Vide same book, p. 182.)

A memorial presented in House of Representatives, January 21, 1815. Reported on February 23, 1815. (Vide same book, p. 274.)

A memorial presented in House of Representatives, December 6, 1815. Reported on December 29, 1815. (Vide same book, p. 276.)

A memorial presented in House of Representatives, December 9, 1816. Reported on December 23, 1816. (Vide same book, p. 407.) Reported on January 17, 1817. (Vide same book, p. 416.)

An act to enable the people of the western part of the Mississippi territory to form a constitution and State government, &c., was passed and approved on March 1, 1817, by which the State was to have one Representative until the next

census.

The said people having, on August 15, 1817, formed a constitution, &c., a joint resolution for the admission of the State of Mississippi into the Union was passed and approved, December 10, 1817.

On April 3, 1818, an act to provide for the due execution of the laws of the United States within the State of Mississippi, was approved.

ILLINOIS,

Formed out of a part of the North-western Territory which was ceded to the United States by the State of Virginia. (See remarks under "Ohio.") (For proclamation of General Gage respecting the country of Illinois, made December 30, 1764, see Bioren and Duane's edit. Laws, vol. 1, p. 506.)

An act for dividing the Indiana territory into two separate governments, and organizing the Illinois territory, was passed and approved February 3, 1809.

An act to amend the act of April 16, 1814, extending the western boundary of Illinois to the middle of the Mississippi, to include the islands between the middle and eastern margin of that river, was passed and approved, February 27, 1815. A memorial of the legislative council, to be allowed to form a State government, &c., presented in House of Representatives, January 16, 1818.

An act to enable the people of the Illinois territory to form a constitution and State government, and authorizing one Representative in Congress, &c., was passed and approved April 18, 1818. (By this act a part of the territory of Illinois was attached to the territory of Michigan.)

The said people having, on August 26, 1818, formed a constitution, &c., a joint resolution declaring the admission of the State of Illinois into the Union was passed and approved, December 3, 1818.

An act to provide for the due execution of the laws of the United States within the State of Illinois, was passed and approved March 3, 1819.

ALABAMA,

Formed out of a part of the territory ceded to the United States by the States of South Carolina and Georgia. (See remarks under the head "Mississippi.") The eastern part of Mississippi territory made a separate territory, and called "Alabama," by act of Congress, approved March 3, 1817.

A petition of the legislative council of Alabama on behalf of the people, pray ing to be allowed to form a constitution, &c., presented in the House of Repre sentatives, December 7, 1818.

An act to enable the people of the Alabama territory to form a constitution and

State government, &c., authorizing one Representative in Congress, was passed and approved, March 2, 1819.

The said people having, on August 2, 1819, formed a constitution, &c., a joint resolution declaring the admission of the State of Alabama into the Union was passed and approved, December 14, 1819.

The laws of the United States were extended to the State of Alabama by act of April 21, 1820, to establish a District Court, &c.

MAINE,

Formed out of a part of the territory of Massachusetts.

A petition of a Convention on behalf of the people of the district of Maine, praying to be permitted to form a separate State, was presented in the House of Representatives of the United States, December 8, 1819.

A constitution adopted in Convention, October 29, 1819.

An act for the admission of the State of Maine into the Union, was passed and oved March 3, 1820, in the following words:

"Whereas, by an act of the State of Massachusetts, passed on the 19th day of June, in the year 1819, entitled, 'An act relating to the separation of the district of Maine from Massachusetts proper, and forming the same into a separate and ndependent State,' the people of that part of Massachusetts heretofore known as the district of Maine, did, with the consent of the Legislature of said State of Massachusetts, form themselves into an independent State, and did establish a constitution for the government of the same, agreeably to the provisions of the said act: Therefore,

"Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That, from and after the 15th day of March, in the year 1820, the State of Maine is hereby declared to be one of the United States of America, and admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the original States, in all respects whatever."

On the 7th April, 1820, the following act was passed and approved: "AN ACT for apportioning the Representatives in the seventeenth Congress, to be elected in the State of Massachusetts and Maine, and for other purposes. "Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That, in the election of Representatives in the seventeenth Congress, the State of Massachusetts shall be entitled to choose thirteen Representatives only; and the State of Maine shall be entitled to choose seven Representatives, according to the consent of the Legislature of said State of Massachusetts, for this purpose given, by their resolve passed on the 25th day of January last, and prior to the admission of the State of Maine into the Union. "SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That, if the seat of any of the Representatives in the present Congress, who were elected in and under the authority of the State of Massachusetts, and who are now inhabitants of the State of Maine, shall be vacated by death, resignation, or otherwise, such vacancy shall be supplied by a successor who shall, at the time of his election, be an inhabitant the State of Maine."