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Western
District

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Diftri&t

Eaftern Washington,
Cumberland, Three.
Gloucefter,

gomery, The fenators are divided by lot into four claffes, fix in each clafs, and numbered, firit, fecond, third, and fourth. The feats of the first class are vacated at the expiration of one year-the second, at the expiration of the next, &c. and their places filled by new elections. Thus a finall change is made in the fenate every year; but three-fourths of the members remaining preferve a knowledge of the bufinefs of a former feffion. A majority of the fenate is neceffary to do business, and each branch of the legislature has a negative upon the other.

The legislature can at any time afrer this divifion of the ftate for the choice of fenators; and an increase of electors in any district, to the amount of one-twenty-fourth of the electors in the whole ftate, entitles the diftrict to another fenator. But the number of fenators can never exceed one hundred.

The affembly of the ftate is compofed of reprefentatives from the feve ral counties, chofen annually in May, in the following proportion :

For the city and county of New-York, nine.

For the city and county of Albany, seven.

For Dutchess,

7

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Orange,
King's,

4

2

For Richmond,

2

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Cumberland,
Gloucefter,

3

2

By the conftitution, however, it is ordered, that at the end of feven years after the termination of the late war, a cenfus of the electors and inhabitants fhall be taken, and the reprefentation apportioned according to the number of electors in each county.

Every male inhabitant of full age, who has refided in the ftate fix months preceding the day of election, and poffeffing a freehold to the value of twenty pounds, in the county where he is to give his vote; or has rented a tenement therein of the yearly value of forty fhillings, and has been rated and actually paid taxes, is entitled to vote for reprefentatives in affembly. The freedom of the cities of New-York and Albany likewife entitles a perfon to the privilege of voting for members of affembly in the city or country where he refides. The method of voting is now by ballot, but fubject to alteration by the legislature. The house of affembly, a majority of which is neceffary to proceed to business, choofes its owu fpeaker, and is a judge of its own privileges.

In all debates on great questions, the house refolves itself into a committee of the whole-the fpeaker leaves the chair, and a chairman is appointed for the occafion. After the bufinefs is completed, the committee rifesthe speaker takes the chair and the chairman reports to the house the proceedings of the committee. How far this imitation of the British house of commons is fupported by good reafons, it may not be easy to determine. Certain it is, that in other legiflatures. the proceedings are equally well conducted without this formality.

The

The number of reprefentatives is limited to three hundred. The prefent number is fixty-five.

The fupreme executive power of the state is vefted in a governor, (in whofe abfence a deputy-governor is appointed to ferve) chofen once in three years by the freemen of the ftate. The lieutenant-governor is, by his office, prefident of the fenate; and, upon an equal divifion of voices, has a cafting vote; but has no voice on other occafions. The governor has not a feat in the legislature, but as a member of thecouncil of revifion and council of appointment, he has a vaft influence in the state.

The council of revifion is compofed of the chanchellor, the judges of the fupreme court, or any of them, and the governor. This council is empowered to revife all bills which have paffed the two houfes of the legislature, and if it fhall appear to the council that fuch bills ought not to pafs into laws, they fhall be returned to the houfe in which they originated, with the objections of the council. The houfe fhall then proceed to reconfider the bills, with the objections, and if, notwithstanding, two-thirds of the houfe fhall agree to the bills, they fhall be fent to the other house, where they fhall be reconfidered, and the affent of two-thirds of the members pafs them into laws. But if a bill is not returned in ten days, it becomes a law of course.

The subordinate officers of the ftate are appointed by the council of appointment, which is composed of one fenator from each diftrict, to be cen annually by the legislature, with the governor, or, in his abfence, the lieutenant-governor, or the prefident of the fenate, who has a cafting vote only.

All military officers hold their commiffions during pleasure. The chancellor, the judges of the fupreme court, and the firit judge of each county court, hold their offices during good behaviour. The officers can hold no other office at the fame time, except that of delegate to Congrefs.

Sheriffs and coroners are appointed annually, and can serve but four years fucceffively.

A court of error and impeachment is inftituted, composed of the prefident of the fenate, the fenate, chancellor, and judges of the fupreme court, or the major part of them, under the regulation of the legislature. The power of impeachment is vefted in the house of reprefentatives, and the members on trial must be fworn.

Befides the court of errors and impeachment, there is, first, a Court of Chancery, confifting of a chancellor, appointed by the council of appointment, who holds his office during good behaviour, or until he arrive at the age of fixty years. Secondly, a Supreme Court, the judges of which are appointed in the fame manner, and for the fame time, as the chancellor. This is a circuit court. -Thirdly, County Courts, held in each county, the judges of which are appointed in the manner above-mentioned, and the firft judge holds his office during good behaviour. Befides thefe, there are the juftices' court, court of probates, court of admiralty, court of exchequer, a court of oyer and terminer and general goal delivery, and courts of quarter feffions.

The practice in the fupreme court, to which an appeal lies from the courts below, is in imitation of the courts of common pleas and king's bench in England.

All

All free governments abound with lawyers. Where men have the privilege of thinking and acting for themfelves, they will involve themselves in debt, and quarrel with their neighbours. In proportion to the debts and difputes of the people, lawyers will multiply. Of these America furnishes a plentiful growth, and New-York has its fhare, as it contains not lefs than 120 licensed attornies. In this ftate, the practice of law is conformed to the English mode, and is perhaps better regulated than in the other ftates. The feveral degrees in the profeffion, the number of critical examinations that candidates are obliged to pass through before they can be admitted as counsellors in the higher courts; together with the time of study required by the rules of admiffion, render an access to the firft họhours of the bar fo difficult as to preclude ignorant pretenders to the important fcience of law. New York can boaft of many men eminent in every liberal profeffion, and which has hitherto furnished America with fome of her most able legiflators. It is however to be feared, that a too rigid adherence to the forms of legal procefs in England, has fometimes perplexed the road to juftice, and prevented valuable improvements in the practice, not only in this, but of most of the states.

Mode of raifing internal taxes.] The legislature fix upon the fum to be raised, and apportion it among the feveral counties. This being done, the supervisors, one from each township in the refpective counties, affemble, and affign to each township its proportion of the quota of the County. The fupervisor and affeffors in each township then apportion their quota among the individuals of the township, according to the value of their real and perfonal eftates. The tax, thus laid, is collected by the cola lector of the township, and lodged with the county treasurer, who tranf mits it to the treasurer of the ftate.

Indians. The Oneidas inhabit on Oneida Creek, twenty-one miles weft of Fort Stanwix. The tribe consists of about 400 men, women and children.

The Tufcaroras migrated from North-Carolina and the frontiers of Vir ginia, and were adopted by the Oneidas, with whom they have ever fince lived, upon the fuppofition that they were originally of the fame nation, because there is a fimilarity in their languages.

The Senecas inhabit on the Cheneffee river, at the Cheneffee caftle. The tribe confifts of about 800 fouls. They have two towns, of fixty of feventy fouls each, on French Creek, in Pennsylvania; and another town on Buffaloe Creek, attached to the British; and two finall towns on Allegany river, attached to the Americans. Obeil or Corn-planter, one of the Seneca chiefs, refides here.

The Mohawks were acknowledged by the other tribes, to use their own expreffion, to be the true old heads of the confederacy;' and were formerly a powerful tribe, inhabiting on the Mohawks river. As they were ftrongly attached to the Johnfon family, on account of Sir William Johnfon, they emigrated to Canada, with Sir John Johnfon, about the year 1776, There is now only one family of them in the ftate, and they live about a mile from Fort Hunter. The father of this family was drowned in the winter of 1788.

All the confederated tribes, except the Oneidas and Tufcaroras, fided with the British in the late war, and fought against the Americans.) T

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The Onondagas live near the Salt or Onondaga Lake, about twenty ve miles from the Oneida Lake. In the fpring of 1779, a regiment of inen were fent from Albany by General J. Clinton, against the Onondagas. This regiment furprized their town-took thirty-three prisonerskilled twelve or fourteen, and returned without the lofs of a man. party of the Indians were at this time ravaging the American frontiers. The are very few of the Delaware tribe in this ftaté.

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The Five confederated Nations were fettled along the banks of the Sufquehannah, and in the adjacent country, until the year 1779, when General Sullivan, with an army of 4000 nien, drove them from their country to Niagara, where being obliged to live on falted provifions, to which they were unaccustomed, great numbers of them died. Two hundred of them, it is faid, were buried in one grave, where they had encamped. General Sullivan burnt feveral of their towns, deftroyed their provifions, and defeated them in an engagement at Newton. Since this irruption into their county, their former habitations have been moftly deferted, and many of them have gone into Canada.

On the 13th of November, 1787, John Lavington, Efq; and four others, obtained of the Six Nations of Indians a leafe for 999 years, on a yearly rent reserved of 2000 dollars, of all the country included in the following limits, viz. beginning at a place commonly known by the name of Canada Creek, about feven miles weft of Fort Stanwix, now Fort Schuyler, thence north-eastwardly to the line of the province of Quebec; thence along the faid line to the Pennfylvania line; thence eaft on the faid line, or Pennsylvania line, to the line of Property, fo called by the ftate of New-York; thence along the faid line of Property, to Canáda Creek aforefaid. And on the 8th of January, 1788, the fame perfons obtained a leafe of the Oneida Indians, for 999 years, on a rent referved for the first year of 1200 dollars, and increafing it at the rate of 100 dollars a year, until it amount to 1500 dollars, of all the tract of land commonly called the Oneida country, except a refervation of feveral tracts specified in the leafe. But these leafes having been obtained without the confent of the fegislature of the ftate, the fenate and affembly, in their feffion, March 1788, refolved, That the faid leafes are purchases of lands; and therefore, that by the conftitution of this ftate the faid leafes are not binding on the faid Indians, and are not valid.'-This very important and interefting difpute remains to be fettled.

We shall conclude this account of the Indians, with an Indian speech to Sir William Johnson, fuperintendant of Indian affairs, at a treaty held with the Six Nations and others, at Fort Stanwix, in October 1768, for the fettlement of a boundary line between the Colonies and the Indians.

• We remember that on our firft meeting you, when you came with your hips, we kindly received you-entertained you-entered into an alliance with you, though we were then great and numerous, and your people inconfiderable and weak. And we know that we entered into a covenant-chain of bark with you, and fastened your fhip therewith. But being apprehenfive the bark would break, and your fhip be loft, we made one of iron, and held it faft that it should not flip from us-but feeing the former chain was liable to ruft, we made a filver one to guard against it.'

Islands.]

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ilands] There are three islands of note belonging to this ftate, viz. York Island, which has already been defcribed, Long Island, and Staten Inland.

Long Island extends from the city of New-York east 140 miles, and terminates with Montauk-point. It is not more than ten miles in breadth, on a medium, and is feparated from Connecticut by Long Island Sound. The island is divided into three counties; King's, Queen's, and Suffolk.

King's County lies at the weft end of Long Island, oppofite New-York, and is not above ten miles long, and eight broad. The inhabitants are principally Dutch, and live well. It contains a number of pleafant villages, of which Flatbush, Brooklyn, or Breucklin, and Bedford, are the principal.

Queen's County lies next to King's, as you proceed eastward. It is about thirty miles long, and twelve broad. Jamaica, Newton, Hampftead, in which is a handfome court-houfe, and Oyster-bay, are the principal villages in this county.

Suffolk County is about 100 miles long, and ten broad, and comprehends all the eastern part of the island, and feveral little iflands adjoining, viz. Shelter Ifland, Fisher's Ifland, Plumb Ifland, and the Isle of Wight. Its principal towns are Huntington, Southampton, Smith-Town, BrookHaven, Eaft-Hampton, in which is the academy, Southhold and BridgeHampton.

The fouth fide of the island is flat land, of a light fandy foil, bordered on the fea-coaft with large tracts of falt meadow, extending from the weft point of the ifland to Southampton. This foil, however, is well calculated for raifing grain, efpecially Indian corn. The north fide of the ifland is hilly, and of a ftrong foil, adapted to the culture of grain, hay and fruit. A ridge of hills extends from Jamaica to Southhold. Large herds of cattle feed upon Hampstead plain; and on the falt marfhes upon the fouth fide of the ifland.

Hampstead plain, in Queen's county, is a curiofity. It is fixteen miles in length, east and weft, and feven or eight miles wide. The foil is black, and to appearance rich, and yet it was never known to have any natural growth but a kind of wild grafs, and a few fhrubs. It is frequented by vaft numbers of plovers. Rye grows tolerably well on fome parts of the plain. The most of it lies common for cattle, horfes and sheep. As there is nothing to impede the profpect in the whole length of this plain, it has a curious but tirefome effect upon the eye, not unlike that of the

ocean.

Eaft of this plain, on the middle of the island, is a barren heath, overgrown with fhrub oaks and pines, in which, it is fuppofed, there are feveral thousand deer. It is frequented alfo by a great number of growfe, or heath-hens, a very delicious bird. Laws have been paffed for the prefervation of these birds and the deer.

It is remarkable, that on Montauk-point, at the east end of the island, there are no flies. Between this point and East Hampton is a beach, three quarters of a mile wide, in the center of which was found, about fifty years ago, under a fand hill which was blown up by the wind, the entire fkeleton of a large whale, nearly half a mile from the water,

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