The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1785-05-30 00:00:00, page 2

flit following is ike DEED of CESSION of tee
Western Territory of the State of Massachusetts,
to the United States, as entered on the Journals
of Congress.
?< rp 6 all who (hall fee these presents, We Samuel
Holten 'and Rufus King, the underwritten De
legates for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in
the Congress of the United States of America, fend
Greeting.
“ Whereas the General Court of Massachusetts, on
the thirteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty-four,
parted an ad, intitled, “ An Ad empowering the de
legates of this Commonwealth in the United States
in Congress a^'embled, to relinquish to the United
States certain lands, the property of this Common
wealth," in the words following:
" Whereas several of the states in the union have
at prefect no interest in the great and extensive trad
of uncultivated country, lying in the westerly part of
the United States; and it may be reasonable that the
Rates above-mentioned should be interested in the
aforefaid country: Be it enaded by the Senate and
House of Representatives in General Court artembled,
and by the authority of the fame, That the delegates
of this Commonwealth in the United States in Con
gress assembled, or any three of the said delegates be,
and they hereby are authorized and empowered, for
and in behalf of this Commonwealth, to cede or re
linquish by authentick conveyance or conveyances to
the United States, to be disposed of for the common
benefit of the fame, agreeably to a vefolve of Con
gress, of Gdober the tenth, One Thousand Seven
Hundred and Eighty, such part of that trad of land,
belonging to this Commonwealth, which lies betwen the
river Hudson and MiffiGppi, as they may think pro
per, and to make the said cession in such manner, and
on such conditions as Ihall appear to them the mod
Suitable." And whereas the said General Court, on
the feventeeth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty-five, pas
sed one other ad, intitled, " An Aft in addition to
an a&, intitled, An Ad empowering the delegates of
tills Commonwealth in the Uniied States in Congress
assembled, to relinquish to the United States certain
lands, the property of this Commonwealth," in the
words following: " [Vhereas by the act aforefaid,
three delegates, representing this state in Congress,
are ueceffary to make the cedinn aforefaid, and it may
be neceftary that the said business should be performed
by a less number of the said delegates: Be it there
fore enacted by the Senate and House of Representa
tives in (feheral Couit assembled. and by the autho
rity of the fame, That any twe delegates, representing
this Commonwealth in Congress, be, and hereby are ua
thorized and empowered to do and perform all matters
and things, which by the art aforefaid might be dont
and performed by any three delegates as aforefaid, any
thing in the aforefaid act notwithstanding." And
whereas rhe said General Court, on the feventeeth
day of June, in the aforefaid year of our Lord One
7 houfand Seven Hundred and Eighty-four, did no
minate.and appoint the aforefaid Samuel Holteu, and
on the third Q.y of November following, the .'afore
laid Rufus King, delegates to represent the said Com
monweTch of Massachusetts, in the Congress of the
United States of America, for one year, from the lirft
Monday of November, in the said year One Thou
sand Seven Hundred and Eighty-four, which appoint
ment remains in full force.
“ Now therefore, know ye, that we the Lid Samu
el Holten and Rufus King, by virtue of the power
and authority to us committed by the said arts of the
General Court of Massachusetts before recited, in the
name, and for and on behalf of the said Common
wealth of Massachusetts, do by these prefects, assign,
transfer, quit claim, cede and convey to the United
States of America, for their benefit, Massachusetts in
clusive, all light, title and estate, of and in as well the
foil as the jurifdi&ion, which the said Commonwealth
hath to the territory or trad of country, within the
limits of rhe Maffachufetts' charter, situate and lying
weft of the following line, that is to fay—a meridi
an line to be drawn from the forty-filth degree of
north, latitude, through the westerly bent or inclina
tion of lake Ontario, thence by the said meridian line
to the most southerly fide line of the territory con
tained in the Maffachufetts' charter ; but if on experi
ment the above described meridian line mail not compre
hend twenty miles due weft, from the moll westerly bent
th inchoation of the river or strait of Niagara, then we
do by these presents, by virtue of the power and au
thority aforefaid, in the name and on behalf of the
said Commonwealth of Massachusetts, transfer, quit
claim, cede and convey to the United States of Ame
rica, lor their benefit, Massachusetts inclusive, all
right, title and eflate, of and in as well the foil as the
jurifdirtion, which the said Commonwealth hath to
the territory or trart of country within the limits of
the Maffachufetts' charter, situate and lying weft of
the following line, that is to fay—A meridian line to
be, drawn from the forty-fifth degree of north lati
tude, through a point twenty miles due weft from the
most westerly bent oFinclination of the elver or strait
of Niagara; thence by the said meridian line, to the
mort southerly fide line of the territory, contained in
the Maffachufetts' charter aforefaid, for the purposes
in the said recited ads declared, and to the uses in a
resolve of Congress, of the teath of Odober, One
Thousand Seven Hundred arid Eighty, mentioned.
In testimony whereof, we h? + ve hereunto subscribed
our names, and affixed our seals in Congress, this
19th day of April, in th?: year of our Lord One
Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty-five, and of the
independence of the United States of America the
ninth. S. HOLTEN,
RUFUS KING.
Signed, sealed and deij oered,
in the presence of
Benjamin Bankfon, jut.
John Fifoer,
Robert Patton.
F =lffHlS we ek was brought to this town for sale,
£ two 07 .en, supposed to be the largest, and by
far the fatte ft, ever killed in this Rate ; one weighing
1401, the other 1406 pounds.
I uefdl, last, the Superior Court set in this town,
when the commissions under the new constitution were
opened, appointing the Hon. Samuel Livermore, Esq.
Chief-fuftice, and the Hon. jofiah Bartlet, William
Whip; le and John Dudley; Esquires; puifne Justices
of fail j Court.
M a, 12. Captain Gardiner, arrived since eur last
from Antigua, has favoured us with a couple of An
tigiia papers: Ihe advices contained in them are of
but little importance to our readers ; such of them,
however, as are in any meafore interesting or amusing,
we have felerted for this day's paper.
Froth Kingftori (Jamaica) we learn, that an express
boat had arrived in that harbour from Cape Gracios
a Diet on the Spanish main, with despatches from
Major Lowrey (the commanding officer) to the Lieut.
Gov xnor, containing the most prefling felicitations
for immediate fuccours, as the Major had received
pofrive advices that the Spaniards were in motion in
all parts of the country lurrcunding the Mufquito
(hr re, to attaclc him in a final! work he has lately
fortified; and that be exported the approach of their
advanced guard in five days from the date of his let
ters; and that in consequence of the above, another
detachment of regular troops were to be lent to the
Spanish main : That ah engagement between the Bri
tilh sloop of war Swan and a Spanish packet had taken
place, wherein the latter is said to have been worked,
and obliged to surrender: 1 hat several Spaniards had
been employed in purchasing large quantities of arms
and ammunition in Kingston, under a pretence that
they were to be shipped to Rio de-la-Haches, for the
purpose of subjugating the Indians on the Spanish
main ; and that a report prevailed in that place, said
to have been brought to Montego-Bay, by the maker
of a small Spanish vessel from the Spanish main, that
his Britanhick majesty's third regiment of foot, which
failed from Pert-Royal feme time since, had fallen
into the hands of the Spaniards, who have made pri
soners of both officers and men.
Large quantities of flour, bifeuit, &c. have been
flipped on board sundry vefrils in the harbour of
Kingrton (Jamaica) for the relief of the diftrefled in
habitants of the Bay of Honduras, of which they are
said to be in great want.
To such a pitch has Britifa influence arrived, that,
added to their prohibiting ail American vefiels' from
entering their ports in the Weft-Indies, they will not
fuffer any American to command a Britiffi bottom, uh
lefs he can produce a certificate that he has served his
Britannick majesty during the late war: An Ameri
can Captain, lately arrived here from Grenada, was
thrown out of employ (after having engiged his
freight, and in expectation of failing for Europe) up
on no other pretext than that lie was an American.
If any American vessel happens to appear within gun
shot of any Britifli frigate or fort, with their colours
flying, they are interrogated with the greatest imper
tinence, and very often complimented with a genteel
broadside. If they put in through distress, lack of
water, &c. they are ordered to come to an anchor at
some distance ; when a boat is ordered on board either
from their (hipping or forts, to enquire their business,
and on being informed that they are in want of pro
vision, &c. they will rtot fuffer them to fend their
boat ashore, but by a stretch of their boasted I.uma
nity, bring it off to them in their boats, accompanied
with the most peremptory orders for their immediate
departure. These are stubborn fads, which the
warmest advocates for Britain cannot deny.
From the above circumstances, the neceffitv and
importance of investing Congress with full powers to
regulate both internal and external commerce, must
appear plain and obvious ; and the policy of these
P 0 R'r SMOU TH, April 29.
American Intelligence.
Last Saturday arrived his Swedifi majesty's sloop
of war the Triton, commanded by Capt. le Berjeau,
from Gottenburgh, on her passage to St. Bartholo
mew's; she put into this port in distress. On Sun
day several salutes were fired from her on ecca
fion of a number of very refpe&able gentlemen being
entertained by the commander on board. The island
of St. Bartholomew, has been very lately ceded by
the crown of France to their ally the King of Sweden,
and this arrangement gives the firft pofieffion of terri
tory to that nation in the Weft-Indies. St. Bartho
lomew was of very little consequence to France hot
in time of war, when it gave fnelter to an incredible
number of privateers which greatly annoyed the Bri
tish commerce. Should it be proposed by its prefect
master to eftablifn it as a free port, the vicinity of
old accustomed St. Euftatius would periiaps tend to
check its growth into eminence.
The drip John and Ann, Captain Watt, from Lon
don, after touching at Halifax, is fafe arrived (with
twenty thousand pounds value in dry goods) at the?
city of New-London.
We are informed that last evening the amiable and
ancomplifoed Miss Rutherfurd, daughter of Walter
Rutherfurd, Esq. was married by the Rev. Mr. Prc
voft, Rector of this city, to Major Clarkfon, son of
the late David Clarkfon, Esq, and during the war
Aid-de-Camp to his Excellency General Washington.
In continuation of our late particulars, refpedting
hostilities on the Spanifo Main, we have now to add
the following circumstantial account of the capture of
the brig Swift, Captain Elliott, belonging to Mr.
Ex*raß of a letter, dated New-York, March 14.
“ The late treaties held by the commissioners of
Congress with the western and northern Indians, have
extinguished the Indian claims to more than fifty mil
lions of acres of land. A treaty to be held in June
on the western fide of the Ohio, will acquire an addi
tional territory of perhaps nearly as much more.—-
These lands are in the most fertile regions of the
United States. Cessions have been made of the Rate
rights by Virginia and New-York."
ft were devoutly to be wished, fays a correfyoo
dent, that these lands might be honestly disposed of
by Congress for the difeharge of our national incum
brances. The debt of the United States, both foreign
and domeftick, including principal and interest, flood,
in 1783, at about forty-two millions of dollars. M&y
not that debt be paid off at one-third of the sum id
ready money? Or, will not one half of the lands,
acquired from the Indians in 1784, be more than {ef
ficient for the purpose? With such resources, is it
our interest to become bankrupts ; to expose ourselves
as a sneaking, pilfering, band of fwind!crs, * and
establish a (harping, tfickifh, fraudulent, faithlefs, de
ceitful national character, throughout the universe ?
With filch resources, and that of an impost on al! fo
reign articles, (hall we continue most absurdly to bur
den the people, by perpetually taxing their industry,
and the manufactures and produce of this country,
which are the effects of that industry? Or, is it not
more for our advantage to enable Cengrefs to dispose
of the publick lands, in order to pay honest debts—
to encourage our own industry, manufactures, agri
culture and commerce, by wife imposts and reftrich
ons upon those of foreign nations, who now pay
nothing to indemnify us for draining the country of all
its ca(h? But unless speedy and detifive measures
are taken, our citizens will not even be what they
have been since the late war, the factors of foreign
merchants; we thall fink to the fame date with the
coarts of Africa or India, where the whole trade is in
the hands of foreigners—where foreigners are every
thing, and the natives nothing.
* Swindler, One who aflumes the appearance of
a man of property, takes up goods or money, and dis
appears dvithout paying.
N E W-Y O R K, May 25.
Yesterday arrived in town from Borton, via Rhode-
Inland, Mr. Donaldson, an eminent merchant of Phi
ladelphia, who was passenger in a vessel arrived at
Boston, after a twenty days passage from Cork. Mr.
Donaldson did not Ray an hour in this city, nor could
we learn any particular intelligence, further than that
the preparations for war were unremitted, and that
all the American Flax-Seed Vessels were fife arrived
in the ports of Ireland.
veral states acquiescing in such measures as they in
their wisdom may adopt, is too clear to need any
comment.
If the profeflional patriots of this country can un
concerned view the ravages our common enemies are
making with the trade of this country ; if they can fold
their arms, and seated in their affluence, sing a requiem
to themselves, and carelessly view the surrounding
waves, foaming deftrudion ; the real Patriot—
the man who has the welfare of his country at heart,
must behold it in a very serious light; and will use
his influence to effe& a redress of the many griev
ances his country at present groans under.
SALE M, April 26.