this Commonwealth, who fhall, in the due course of law, have been convicted of bribery or corruption in obtaining an election or appointment.

PECUNIARY QUALIFICATIONS FOR OFFICE.

In all cafes where fums of money are mentioned in this conftitution of qualifications, the value thereof fhall be computed in filver, at fix fhillings and eight-pence per ounce; and it shall be in the power of the legislature from time to time to increafe fuch qualifi cations, as to property of the perfons to be elected into offices, as the circumstances of the Commonwealth fhall require.

COMMISSIONS.

All commiffions fhall be in the name of the Commonwealth of Maflachusetts, figned by the governor, and attested by the fecretary or his deputy, and have the great feal of the Commonwealth affixed thereto.

WRITS.

All writs iffuing out of the clerk's office in any of the courts of law fhall be in the name of the Commonwealth of Maffachusetts; they shall be under the seal of the court from whence they iffue; they fhall bear test of the first justice of the court to which they shall be returnable who is not a party, and be figned by the clerk of fuch court.

CONFIRMATION OF LAWS.

All the laws which have heretofore been adopted, ufed and approved in the province, colony, or State of Maffachusetts bay, and ufually practised on in the courts of law, fhall ftill remain and be in full force, until altered or repealed by the legiflature; fuch parts only excepted as are repugnant to the rights and liberties. contained in this conftitution.

HABEAS CORPUS.

The privilege and benefit of the writ of habeas corpus fhall be enjoyed in this Commonwealth, in the most free, eafy, cheap, expeditious, and ample manner; and shall not be fufpended by the legislature, except upon the most urgent and preffing occafions, and for a limited time not exceeding twelve months.

ENACT

ENACTING STILE OF LAWS.

The enacting ftile in making and paffing all acts, ftatutes, and laws, fhall be, "Be it enacted by the Senate and Houfe of Reprefentatives in general court affembled, and by the authority of the fame."

CONTINUANCE OF OFFICERS.

To the end there may be no failure of justice, or danger arife to the Commonwealth from the change of the form of government→→ all officers, civil and military, holding commiffions under the government and people of Massachusetts bay, in New-England, and all other officers of the faid government and people, at the time this conftitution fhall take effect, fhall have, hold, ufe, exercife, and enjoy all the powers and authority to them grauted or committed, until other persons shall be appointed in their ftead; and all courts of law fhall proceed in the execution of the business of their refpective departments; and all the executive and legislative officers, bodies, and powers, fhall continue in full force, in the enjoyment and exercife of all their trufts, employments, and authority, until the general court, and the fupreme and executive officers under this constitution, are defignated and invested with their respective trusts, powers, and authority.

PROVISION FOR REVISAL.

In order the more effectually to adhere to the principles of this constitution, and to correct those violations which by any means may be made therein, as well as to form fuch alterations as from experience fhall be found neceffary, the general court which shall be in the year of our Lord one thousand feven hundred and ninety-five, fhall iffue precepts to the felect men of the several towns, and to the affeffors of the unincorporated plantations, directing them to convene the qualified voters of their respective towns and plantations, for the purpose of collecting their fentiments on the neceffity or expediency of revifing the conftitution, in order to amendments.

And if it shall appear by the returns made, that two-thirds of the qualified voters throughout the State, who fall affemble and vote in confequence of the said precept, are in favour of fuch revision and amendment, the general court shall iffue precepts, or direct them to be iffued from the fecretary's office to the feveral towns, to elect delegates to meet in convention for the purpose aforefaid,

VOL. II.

Ee

The

The faid delegates to be chosen in the fame manner and propor, tion as their reprefentatives in the fecond branch of the legislature are by this constitution to be chofen.

CONCLUSION.

This form of government flíall be enrolled on parchment, and depofited in the fecretary's office, and be a part of the laws of the land; and printed copies thereof shall be prefixed to the book containing the laws of this Commonwealth, in all future editions of the faid laws.*

Those who wifh for a more minute hiftorical account of the rife and progrefs of this State, are referred to Hutchinfon's Hiory of Maffachufetts-Minot's History of the Infurrection in Maffachusetts-The Publications of the Hiftorical Society, in the American Apollo-Hazard's Hiftorical Collections-Chalmer's Political Annals, and Gough's Hiftory of the People called Quakers.

DISTRICT

DISTRICT OF

MAIN E,

BELONGING TO MASSACHUSETTS.

SITUATION, EXTENT, AND BOUNDARIES:

THIS province, or diftrict, is fituated between 43° and 48° north

latitude, and 4o and 9° eaft longitude from Philadelphia; it is about one hundred and feventy miles in length, and about one hundred and twenty-five miles in breadth. It is bounded on the north by Lower Canada, from which it is separated by the high lands. On the eaft by a river called St. Croix, and a line drawn due north from the fource of the faid river to the high lands before mentioned, which feparates it from the province of New-Brunfwick; but what river is referred to under the name of St. Croix, in the treaty of 1783, which laid the foundation of this boundary line, is at prefent a fubject of difpute between Great Britain and the United States. The French, according to their mode of taking poffeffion, always fixed a cross in every river they came to. Almost every river on the coast they difcovered, has, therefore, in turn been called La Riviere de St. Croix.

There are three rivers that empty themselves into the bay of Passamaquaddy, the easternmost always called by the native Indians, and French, St. Croix, and the middle one Schoodiac. Before the commencement of the late war, Governor Barnard sent Mr. Mitchell, a surveyor, and several others, to explore the bay of Patlamaquaddy, to examine the natives, and to find out which was the true river St. Croix. They did accordingly, and reported it to be the easternmost river, and returned correfpondent plans of their furvey. At the forming of the treaty of peace, the commiffioners had Mitchell's maps; and in fixing the boundary between that part of Nova Scotia, now called New-Brunfwick, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,

they confidered it to be the river laid down by him. After the peace, the Brit fh fubjects of Nova Scotia took poffeffion of all the lands between St. Croix and Schoodiac rivers, which tract is faid to be nearly as large as the State of New-Hampshire, and now hold poffeffion of the fame, afferting that Schoodiac is the true St. Croix; they alfo claim all the islands in the bay of Pafiamaquaddy, although feveral of them lie feveral miles weft of the river which they call the boundary. Thus the province of Maine is, for the prefent, abridged of a very large portion of its territory, to which it appears, by the treaty of peace between Great Britain and the United States, to be entitled. It is bounded on the fouth by the Atlantic ocean, and on the west by the State of New-Hampflure.

The old province of Maine (included in the above limits) is bounded on the weft by New-Hampshire, fouth by the Atlantic ocean, and north and north-eaft by the land, called in fome maps Sagadahock. It was fuppofed at the time of its being made a province, to have been one hundred and twenty miles fquare; but by a fettlement of the line, in 1737, on the part, or fide adjoining New-Hampshire, the form of the land was reduced from a square to that of a diamond.

AIR AND CLIMATE.

The climate does not materially differ from the reft of New-England. The weather is more regular in the winter, which ufually lafts with feverity, from the middle of December to the latter end of March; during this time the ponds and fresh water rivers are paflable on the ice, and fleighing continues uninterrupted by thaws, which are common in the three fouthern New-England States. Although vegetation in the fpring commences earlier in thofe States than in this district, yet here it is much more rapid. The elevation of the lands in general--the purity of the air, which is rendered sweet and falubrious by the balfamic qualities of many of the foreft trees-the limpid ftreams, both large and finall, which abundantly water this country, and the regularity of the weather, all unite to render this one of the healthiest countries in the world.

FACE OF THE COUNTRY, &c.

The district of Maine, though an elevated tract of country, cannot be called mountainous; it has a fea coaft of about two hundred and forty miles, in which diftance there are an abundance of safe and commodious harbours; befides which there is a fecurity given to naviga