Meffrs. Fuller, Samuel, and Thomas Statton, Charles Jerdein, David Jennings, Jonathan Eade, Joseph Ainfley, and John Field of Thames ftreet.

Of the money collected, twenty-eight pounds ten fillings was paid to the late Mr. Ribright, for an air pump, microscope, telescope, and prifms, thorough good, but not new. Cafes, fhipping, freight, infurance, &c. at four different periods, came to eight pounds eleven fhillings and fix-pence. The forty-three pounds one fhilling was laid out to the best advantage in purchasing a variety of books, which, with those that were given, are supposed to make the main part of the Lexington library.* Schools are established in the several towns, and in general regularly and handsomely supported.

RIGHTS OF LAND.

The proprietors of the Kentucky lands obtained their patents from Virginia, and their rights are of three kinds, viz. Those which arife from military fervice, from fettlement and pre-emption, or from warrants from the treasury. The military rights are held by officers, or their representatives, as a reward for fervices done in one of the two laft wars. The fettlement and pre-emption rights arife from occupancy. Every man who, before March 1780, had remained in the country one year, or raised a crop of corn, was allowed to have a fettlement of four hundred acres, and a pre-emption adjoining it of one thousand acres. Every man who had only built a cabin, or made any improvement by himself or others, was entitled to a preemption of one thoufand acres, where fuch improvement was

made.

In March, 1780, the fettlement and pre-emption rights ceased, and treafury warrants were afterwards iffued, authorifing their poffeffor to locate the quantity of land mentioned in them, wherever it could be found vacant in Virginia.

The mode of procedure in thefe affairs may be inftructive to the reader. After the entry is made in the land-office, there being one in each county, the perfon making the entry takes out a copy of the location, and proceeds to furvey when he pleafes. The plot and certificate of such survey must be returned to the office within three

As this account of the library is effentially different from that given by Mr. Morfe, and every other writer we have met with, the editor thinks it right to inform the public, that he inferts the above at the defare of the Rev. Dr. Gordon himself.

months

onths after the furvey is made, there to be recorded; and a copy of the record must be taken out in twelve months, after the return of the furvey, and produced to the affiftant register of the land-office in Kentucky, where it must lie fix months, that prior locators may have time and opportunity to enter a caveat, and prove their better right. If no caveat is entered in that time, the plot and certificate are fent to the land-office and three months more are allowed to have the patent returned to the owner.

CONSTITUTION.

By the conftitution of this State, formed and adopted in 1792, the powers of government are divided into three diftinct departments; legiflative, executive, and judiciary. The legislative power is vested in a General Affembly, confifting of a Senate and House of Representatives; the fupreme executive in a governor; the judiciary, in the fupreme court of appeals, and fuch inferior courts as the legiflature may establish. The reprefentatives are chofen annually by the people; the fenators and governor are chofen for four years, by electors appointed for that purpofe; the judges are appointed during good behaviour, by the governor, with advice of the Senate, An enumeration of the free male inhabitants, above twenty-one years old, is to be made once in four years. After each enumeration, the number of fenators and reprefentatives is to be fixed by the legiflature, and apportioned among the feveral counties according to the number of inhabitants. There can never be fewer than forty, nor more than one hundred representatives. The Senate at first consisted of eleven members; and for the addition of every four reprefentatives, one fenator is to be added. The reprefentatives must be twenty-four years old; the fenators twenty-feven; the governor thirty; and all of them must have been inhabitants of the State two years. The governor can hold no other office. The members of the General Affembly, none but thofe of attorney at law, juftice or the peace, coroner, and in the militia. The judges, and all other of ficers, must be inhabitants of the counties for which they are appointed. The governor, members of the General Assembly, and judges, receive ftated falaries out of the public treasury, from which no money can be drawn, but in confequence of appropriation by law. All officers take an oath of fidelity to difcharge the duties of their offices, and are liable to impeachment for mifconduct. Elective officer s muft fwear that they have not ufed bribery in obtaining their

elections.

elections. All free male citizens, twenty-one years old, having rev fided in the State two years, or in the county where they offer to vote, one year, have a right to vote for reprefentatives, and for elec tors of fenators and governor, and are privileged from arreft, in civil actions, while attending that bufinefs. The General Affembly meets on the firft Monday in November each year, unlefs fooner convened by the governor. Each Houfe chooses its speaker and other officers, judges of the qualification of its members, and determines the rules of its proceedings, of which a journal is kept and publifhed weekly, unlefs fecrecy be requifite. The doors of both Houfes are kept open. The members of the legislature, while at tending the public bufinefs, are privileged from arrefts in civil ac tions, and may not be queftioned elfewhere for any thing faid in public debate. Impeachments are made by the lower Houfe, and tried by the upper. All revenue bills originate in the Houfe of Reprefentatives, and are amendable by the Senate, like other bills. Each bill paffed by both Houfes is prefented to the governor, who must fign it if he approve it; if not, he muft return it within ten days to the houfe in which it originated: if it be not returned, or if, when returns ed, it be re-paffed by two thirds of both Houfes, it is a law without his fgnature. The governor has power to appoint moft of the executive offices of the State; to remit fines and forfeitures, and grant reprieves and pardons, except in cafes of impeachment; to require information from executive officers; to convene the General Affembly on extraordinary occafions, and adjourn them in cafe they cannot agree on the time themfelves. He must inform the legislature of the ftate of the Commonwealth; recommend to them fuch measures as he fhall judge expedient; and fee that the laws are faithfully execu ted. The fpeaker of the Senate exercises the office of governor in cafe of vacancy. The legiflature has power to forbid the farther im portation of flaves, but not to emancipate thofe already in the State without the confent of the owner, or paying an equivalent. Treafon against the Commonwealth confifts only in levying war against it, or in adhering to its enemies, giving them aid and comfort.

The declaration of rights afferts the civil equality of all; their right to alter the government at any time; liberty of conscience; freedom of elections, and of the prefs; trial by jury; the subordina tion of the military to the civil power; the rights of criminals to be heard in their own defence; the right of the people to petition for the redrefs of grievances, to bear arms, and to emigrate from the State.

prohibits unreafonable fearches and feizures; exceffive bail; confinement of debtors, unless there be prefumption of fraud; fufpenfion of habeas corpus writ, unless in rebellion or invafion; ex poft facto laws; attainder by the legitlature; ftanding armies; titles of nobility and hereditary distinction.

In addition to what we have already faid of this State, we fubjoin the following topographical defcription of the western territory, extracted from the letters of Mr. G. Imlay, whofe long refidence in the country furnished him with the most ample means of arriving at a perfect knowledge of thofe fubjects on which he wrote.

"In cafting your eyes over the map of America, you will discover that its western (or middle) country is divided from the Atlantic country by a chain of mountains which rife in the remote parts of the States of New-York and New-Jersey, and run a fouth-westerly course, until they are loft in the flat lands of Weft-Florida. The western country is those parts which are watered by the streams running into the Miffiffippi.

"It is about fifty miles over the Allegany mountains, croffing the route which General Braddock took from fort Cumberland near the Potomack, at the defcent into the country of Red-ftone, on the Monongahela, the fouthern branch of the Ohio. This river rifes in the fame mountain, confiderably to the fouthward, runs nearly parallel with it, the oppofite way, upwards of one hundred miles, and is navigable for boats nearly to its fource; the whole of this country beyond the mountain is extremely fertile, well watered, and abound. ing with all kinds of timber calculated for building houfes, boats, cabinet work, &c. &c. The fugar maple tree is intermixed in great quantities. From the foot of the mountain it is about fourteen miles to Redstone Old Fort, which is on the banks of the Monongahela, and the usual place of embarkation of people coming down the Ohio, who travel Braddock's road; from thence to Pittsburgh is about fifty miles by water. Large tracts of flat land lay all along upon the banks of this river, from the Old Fortt o Pittsburgh, which are capable of being made into extenfive and luxuriant meadow ground.

"This country is populous, it being the oldeft fettlement, and made immediately after taking Fort du Quefue. The Yohogania empties itself into the Monongahela, about fixteen miles above its

junction with the Allegany river: the country on this river is more uneven, but in the vallies the foil is extremely rich. Near to Pittiburgh the country is well peopled, and there, as well as in Redstone, all the comforts of life are in the greatest abundance. Flour is manufactured in as good a style as in any part of America; and butter, cheefe, bacon, and every kind of provifions can be had in the greatest quantity. This whole country abounds in coal, which lies almost upon the furface of the ground; the hills oppofite Pittsburgh upon the banks of the Monongahela, which are at least three hundred feet high, appear to be one folid body of this mineral.

This must become in time the most valuable grazing country in all America from the fertility of its foil, its capability of being formed into extensive meadows, and its proximity to the mountains which attract the clouds, and produce that moisture fo necefiary to grafs ;befides which, its fituation is about three hundred miles from Philadelphia, about two hundred and forty from Baltimore, and about two hundred and twenty from the federal city on the Potomack, a distance which is too great to carry by land the bulky articles of husbandry; but to which cattle may be driven with the greatest cafe.

"This country has derived no inconfiderable advantage from the fettlement of Kentucky, and the other fettlements that are making on the Ohio and Miffiffippi, the great road of migrating from the northern States lying through it; and, indeed, it is most convenient, both from Maryland and Virginia, at all feasons of the year, provided that there be any thing bulky to carry, the paffage being for the greatest part by water, and the Potomack navigable, a few places excepted, to fort Cumberland; all of which obftructions will be removed in a few years by canals that are cutting. From fort Cumberland it is about fixty miles land carriage to Redstone Old Fort; but fo friendly has nature becn to this country, though it is without feas, yet the rivers run in fuch directions, that there is scarce any place in all the back parts of America where art may not reduce the land carriage to a very small distance. I cannot speak upon so general a fubject definitively; but I mean to be understood within fifteen leagues. It is afferted from the beft authorities, that the land carriage between the Potomack and Ohio may be reduced to less than twenty miles.

"Such is the progreffion of things in this country, while there was apparently no market for its fuperfluous productions, that