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senatorial electors shall meet on the fourteenth day after the day of their election, at the court house of that county of their present district which would stand first in an alphabetical arrangement of their counties, and shall choose senators in the proportion fixed by this constitution. The elections and returns shall be conducted, in all circumstances not hereby particularly prescribed, by the same persons and under the same forms as prescribed by the present laws in elections of senators and delegates of assembly. The said senators and delegates shall constitute the first general assembly of the new government, and shall specially apply themselves to the procuring an exact return from every county of the number of its qualified electors, and to the settlement of the number of delegates to be elected for the ensuing general assembly.

The present governor shall continue in office to the end of the term for which he was elected.

All other officers of every kind shall continue in office as they would have done had their appointment been under this constitution, and new ones, where new are hereby called for, shall be appointed by the authority to which such appointment is referred. One of the present judges of the general court, he consenting thereto, shall by joint ballot of both houses of assembly, at their first meeting, be transferred to the High Court of Chancery.

TO JAMES MADISON.

MAD. MSS.

MONTICELLO, June 17. 1783.

DEAR SIR,-Your favours of the 13th & 20th ult. came to hand about a week ago. I am informed the assembly determined against the capacity of re-election in those gentlemen of the delegation who could not serve a complete year. I do not know on what this decision could be founded. My hopes of the success of the Congressional propositions here have lessened exceedingly. Mr. Henry had declared in

favor of the impost: but when the question came on he was utterly silent. I understand it will certainly be lost if it be not already. Instead of ceding more lands to the U. S. a proposition is made to revoke the former cession. Mr. Henry is for bounding our state reasonably enough, but instead of ceding the parts lopped off he is for laying them off into small republics. What further his plan is I do not hear. However you get the parliamentary news so much more directly from Richmond, that it is idle for me to give it you from hence.

A convention for the amendment of our constitution having been much the topic of conversation for some time, I have turned my thoughts to the amendments necessary. The result I inclose to you. You will have opportunities during your stay in Philadelphia of enquiring into the success of some of the parts of it which tho' new to us have been tried in other states. I shall only except against your communicating it to any one of my own country, as I have found prejudices frequently produced against propositions handed to the world without explanation or support. I trust that you will either now or in some future situation turn your attention to this subject in time to give your aid when it shall be finally discussed. The paper inclosed may serve as a basis for your amendment, or may suggest amendments to a better groundwork. I further learn that the Assembly are excluding members of Congress from among them. Whether the information they may derive from their presence, or their being marked by

the confidence of the people, is the cause of this exclusion I cannot tell.

Be pleased to present me with affection to my acquaintances of the house, & to receive yourself the sincerest assurances of the esteem with which I am Dr Sir Your friend & servt.

P. S. I will take the first opportunity of forwarding the pamphlet to your father.

TO THE GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA.

(BENJAMIN HARRISON.)

V. S. A.

MONTICELLO. July 18-1783.

dollar for every one

SIR, I am sorry you have been at the trouble of sending an Express to me for information as to the transactions between the Executive and Nathan as I am satisfied I do not recollect a single fact that you are not already possessed of. In the winter of 1779-1780 Mr. Baker presented us some bills drawn by Genl Clarke, Colo Todd and perhaps others, which he said he had taken up at New Orleans or the Havanna and paid a hard named in the bills at that time. At that time I think we had been made to believe that depreciation had not reached Kaskaskia and the bills appearing fair, we considered them in the nature of many others taken up by Pollock, & wrote acceptances on the greatest part of them, undertaking to pay them in toto at 4 dollars the hundred. I believe we restricted some of them, perhaps as drawn by subordinate Officers, till we could write to Genl Clarke & Colo Todd. We wrote to them and desired a

description of the bills we were to pay fully & the rates of depreciation, if depreciation had affected any. They sent us a description of the hard money bills, to wit, all drawn on New Orleans, and a table of depreciation of the others. This shewed we had wrote acceptances for hard money on some bills thereon depreciation should have been allowed. We laid the case before Mr. Pendleton & Wythe intending if they thought us bound by our erroneous acceptances that we would pay them. They differed in opinion. We then informed Nathan of Clarke & Todd's marks to distinguish the bills, that this had proved we had accepted some in hard money on which depreciation should have been allowed, told him it was a case in which every man in the state was interested, that we did not wish to be judges in it ourselves, nor to refer it to any persons within the State, but we would refer it to lawyers in Philadelphia whither we knew he was going, and therefore that it would be convenient for him to have it decided there, as it would to us, our delegates being on the spot to act for us. He agreed to it. I wrote a state of the case, read it to him at the Council board, he agreed every article was right, we enclosed it to our delegates, and is the last part of the transaction which happened within my knowledge. Our delegates have told me since that he tergivisated a little there, disputed facts, declining the reference, but that he had finally come to, but of this they can give more certain information. In every part of the transaction with us he acted candidly enough as far as we could see, and we should certainly have thought

ourselves bound to pay the money agreeable to the award.

There was another transaction with him. Colo Gibson (I think it was) came for clothing for the troops at Fort Pitt. We were distressed how to procure them. Nathan offered to go with Gibson to Baltimore & buy them, & to wait a considerable time for the money. Perhaps he might name a year or some such term. We agreed, he went, bought them, & drew on us immediately for the money, which we did not like.

I am persuaded there is nothing above but which you know from more certain hands, for indeed my recollection is too faint to be trusted even as to what I have said. Some parts I recollect positively enough, others very faintly or perhaps steps in the place of memory. I should really be afraid to affirm them positively. If there be however any particular circumstances which you would wish to have sworn to, I will endeavor to recollect them with more certainty and send them to you. There is never a day scarcely but Mr Short, Colo Moore and I Buchanan can send me a letter & I can as spedily return an answer. Be pleased to present my compliments to Mrs. Randolph and believe me to be with much affection, Dr Sir Your friend & servt.

TO JAMES MADISON.

MAD. MSS.

MONTICELLO, Aug. 31. 1783.

DEAR SIR,-Your favor of July 17, which came to hand long ago remains still unacknowledged, as from the time of its receipt I had constant hopes that you

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