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treaties, alliances, or military operations, as in their judgement require secrecy; and the yeas and nays of the delegates of each state on any question shall be entered on the journal, when it is defired by any delegate; and the delegates of a state, or any of them, at his or their request shall be furnished with a transcript of the faid journal, except such parts as are above excepted, to lay before the legislatures of the several states.

Art. X. The committee of the states, or any nine of them, shall be authorised to execute, in the recess of congress, such of the powers of congrefs as the united states in congress affembled, by the confent of nine states, shall from time to time think expedient to veft them with; provided that no power be delegated to the faid committee, for the exercise of which, by the articles of confederation, the voice of nine states, in the congress of the united states assembled, is requifite.

Art. XI. Canada acceding to this confederation, and joining in the measures of the united states, shall be admitted into, and entitled to all the advantages of this union: But no other colony shall be admited into the same, unless such admission be agreed to by nine states.

Art. XII. All bills of credit emitted, monies borrowed, and debts contracted by, or under the authority of congress, before the assembling of the united states, in pursuance of the present confederation, shall be deemed and confidered as a charge against the united states, for payment and fatisfaction whereof the faid united states and the public faith are hereby folemnly pledged.

Art. XIII. Every state shall abide by the determinations of the united states in congress affembled, on all questions which by this confederation are submitted to them. And the articles of this confederation shall be inviolably observed by every state, and the union shall be perpetual; nor shall any alteration at any time hereafter be made in any of them; unless such alteration be agreed to in a congress of the united states, and be afterwards confirmed by the legiflatures of every state.

KNOW

AND WHEREAS it hath pleased the great Governor of the world
to incline the hearts of the legiflatures we respectively repre-
sent in congress, to approve of, and to authorise us to ratify
the faid articles of confederation and perpetual union :
YE, that we, the undersigned delegates, by virtue of the power
and authority to us given for that purpose, do, by these pre
sents, in the name and behalf of our respective constituents,
fully and entirely ratify and confirm each and every of the faid
articles of confederation and perpetual union, and all and
fingular the matters and things therein contained. And we
do further folemnly plight and engage the faith of our re-
spective

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spective constituents, that they shall abide by the determinations of the united states in congress assembled, on all questions which by the said confederation are submitted to them; and that the articles thereof shall be inviolably observed by the states we respectively represent; and that the union shall be perpetual. IN WITNESS whereof, we have hereunto set our hands in congress.

DONE at Philadelphia, in the state of Pennsylvania, the oth day of July, in the year of our Lord, 1778, and in the third year of the independence of America.

The aforesaid articles of confederation were finally ratified on the first day of March 1781; the state of Maryland having, by their members in congress, on that day acceded thereto, and compleated the fame.

NEW-HAMPSHIRE,

MASSACHUSETTS-BAY,

Josiah Bartlett,
John Wentworth, jun.

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Francis Dana,
James Lovell,

RHODE-ISLAND, &.

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CONNECTICUT,

NEW-YORK,

NEW JERSEY,

Samuel Holten.

William Ellery,
Henry Merchun',

John Collins.

Roger Sherman,
Samuel Huntington,
Oliver Walcott,
Titus Hofmer,
Andrew Adams.

James Dunne,
Francis Lewis,

William Duer,
Governeur Morris.

SJohn Witherspoon,
Na:haniel Scudder.

PEN

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Robert Morris,

Daniel Roberdeau, Jonathan Bayard Smith, William Clingan, Jofeph Reed.

Thomas M'Kean,
John Dickinson,
Nicholas Vandyke.

John Hanson,
Daniel Garroll.

Richard Henry Lee,
John Banister,
Thomas Adams,

John Harvey,
Francis Lightfoot Lee.

John Penn,

Cornelius Harnett,
John Williams.

Henry Laurens,

William Henry Drayton, John Matthews,

Richard Hutson,

Thomas Heyward, jun.

John Walton,
Edward Telfair,

Edward Longworthy.

A COL

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In CONGRESS, at EXETER, Jan. 5, 1776.

WE the members of the congress of the colony of New

Hampshire, chofen and appointed by the free fuffrages of the people of faid colony, and authorised and impowered by them to meet together, and use such means, and pursue such measures, as we shall judge best for the public good; and in particular to establish some form of government, provided that measure should be recommended by the Continental Congress; and a recommendation to that purpose having been transmitted to us from the said Congress; have taken into our serious confideration the unhappy circumstances into which this colony is involved, by means of many grievous and oppressive acts of the British Parliament, depriving us of our native and conftitutional rights and privileges; to enforce obedience to which acts, a powerful fleet and army have been fent into this country, by the ministry of Great Britain, who have exercised a wanton and cruel abuse of their power, in destroying the lives and properties of the colonifts, in many places, with fire and sword, taking the ships and lading from many of the honest and industrious inhabitants of this colony, employed in commerce, agreeable to the laws and customs a long time used here:

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The fudden and abrupt departure of his excellency John Wentworth, efq. our late governor, and several of the council, leaving us destitute of legislation; and no executive courts being open to punish criminal offenders, whereby the lives and properties of the honest people of this colony are liable to the machinations and evil designs of wicked men :

Therefore, for the preservation of peace and good order, and for the security of the lives and properties of the inhabitants of this colony, we conceive ourselves reduced to the neceffity of establishing a Form of Government, to continue during the present unhappy and unnatural contest with Great-Britain; protesting and declaring, that we never fought to throw off our dependence upon Great-Britain, but felt ourselves happy under her protection, while we could enjoy our constitutional rights and privilegesand that we shall rejoice, if such a reconciliation between us and our parent state can be effected as shall be approved by the Continental Congress, in whose prudence and wisdom we confide.

Accordingly, pursuant to the trust reposed in us, we do Resolve, that this congrefs affume the name, power, and authority of a House of Representatives or Assembly, for the colony of NewHampshire: and that faid house then proceed to choose twelve persons, being reputable freeholders, and inhabitants within this colony, in the following manner, viz. five in the county of Rockingham, two in the county of Strafford, two in the county of Hillsborough, two in the county of Cheshire, and one in the county of Grafton, to be a distinct and separate branch of the legiflature, by the name of a council for this colony, to continue as fuch until the third Wednesday in December next; any seven of whom to be a quorum to do business.

That fuch council appoint their President; and in his absence, that the fenior councillor prefide.

That a Secretary be appointed by both branches, who may be councillor, or otherwise, as they shall choose.

That no act or refolve be valid, and put into execution, unless agreed to and paffed by both branches of the legislature.

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That all public officers for the faid colony, and each county, for the current year, be appointed by the council and affembly, except the several clerks of the executive courts, who shall be appointed by the Justices of the respective courts.

That all bills, refolves, or votes for raising, levying and collecting money, originate in the house of representatives.

That at any feffions of the council and affembly, neither branch shall adjourn for any longer time than from Saturday till the next Monday, without consent of the other.

And it is further Resolved, That if the present unhappy difpute with Great-Britain should continue longer than this present year, and the Continental Congress give no inftructions or directions

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