day of April, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven, which have not since expired, or been repealed, or altered; and such acts of the legislature of this state, as are now in force, shall be and continue the law of this state, subject to such alterations as the legislature shall make concerning the same. But all such parts of the common law, and such of the said acts, or parts thereof, as are repugnant to this constitution, are hereby abrogated.

grants of

by the king

Britain

Certain

SEC. XIV. All grants of land within this state, made by Certain the king of Great Britain, or persons acting under his autho- lands made rity, after the fourteenth day of October, one thousand seven of Great hundred and seventy-five, shall be null and void: but nothing declared contained in this constitution, shall affect any grants of land void. within this state, made by the authority of the said king or rights not his predecessors, or shall annul any charters to bodies politic affected. and corporate, by him or them made, before that day: or shall affect any such grants or charters since made by this state, or by persons acting under its authority; or shall impair the obligation of any debts contracted by the state, or individuals, or bodies corporate, or any other rights of property, or any suits, actions, rights of action, or other proceedings in courts of justice.

ARTICLE EIGHTH.

for future ments to

stitution.

SEC. I. Any amendment, or amendments to this constitu- Provision tion, may be proposed in the senate or assembly, and if the amend same shall be agreed to by a majority of the members elected this conto each of the two houses, such proposed amendment or amendments, shall be entered on their journals, with the yeas and nays taken thereon, and referred to the legislature then next to be chosen; and shall be published, for three months previous to the time of making such choice; and, if in the legislature next chosen as aforesaid, such proposed amendment, or amendments, shall be agreed to, by two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, then it shall be the duty of the legislature to submit such proposed amendment, or amendments, to the people, in such manner, and at such time, as the legislature shall prescribe: and if the people shall approve and ratify such amendment, or amendments, by a majority of the electors qualified to vote for members of the legislature, voting thereon, such amendment, or amendments, shall become part of the constitution.

ARTICLE NINTH.

stitution

SEC. I. This constitution shall be in force, from the last When conday of December, in the year one thousand eight hundred takes effect. and twenty-two. But all those parts of the same, which relate to the right of suffrage; the division of the state, into senate-districts; the number of members of the assembly to be elected, in pursuance of this constitution; the apportionment of members of assembly; the elections hereby directed

When present commis

sions ex

pire.

Election laws.

to commence on the first Monday of November, in the year one thousand eight hundred and twenty-two; the continuance of the members of the present legislature in office, until the first day of January, in the year one thousand eight hundred and twenty-three; and the prohibition against authorising lotteries; the prohibition against appropriating the public monies, or property, for local or private purposes, or creating, continuing, altering, or renewing any body politic or corporate, without the assent of two-thirds of the members elected to each branch of the legislature, shall be in force, and take effect, from the last day of February next. The members of the present legislature, shall, on the first Monday of March next, take and subscribe an oath or affirmation, to support this constitution, so far as the same shall then be in force. Sheriffs, clerks of counties, and coroners, shall be elected at the election hereby directed to commence on the first Monday of November, in the year one thousand eight hundred and twenty-two; but they shall not enter on the duties of their offices, before the first day of January then next following. The commissions of all persons holding civil offices on the last day of December, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-two, shall expire on that day; but the officers then in commission, may respectively continue to hold their said offices until new appointments, or elections, shall take place under this constitution.

SEC. II. The existing laws relative to the manner of notifying, holding, and conducting elections, making returns, and canvassing votes, shall be in force, and observed in respect to the elections hereby directed to commence on the first Monday of November, in the year one thousand eight hundred and twenty-two; so far as the same are applicable. And the present legislature shall pass such other and further laws, as may be requisite for the execution of the provisions of this constitution, in respect to elections.

Done in convention, at the Capitol in the city of Albany, the tenth day of November, in the year one thousand eight hundred and twenty-one, and of the independence of the United States of America, the forty-sixth. In witness whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names. DANIEL D. TOMPKINS,

President and Delegate from the County of Richmond.

[The following delegates composed the convention which framed the foregoing constitution..

[The foregoing constitution was ratified by the people, at an election held in the several towns and wards of this state, on the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth days of January, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-two.]

Justice of

how elec

ted.

AMENDMENTS.

[The following amendments to the constitution were proposed by the legislature in 1825, were referred to the legislature of 1826, agreed to by two-thirds of the members elected to each house of that legislature, submitted to the people, and approved and ratified at an election, held on the sixth, seventh and eighth days of November, 1826.]

FIRST AMENDMENT.

That the people of this state in their several towns, shall at the peace, their annual election, and in such manner as the legislature shall direct, elect by ballot their justices of the peace, and the justices so elected in any town shall immediately thereafter meet together, and in presence of the supervisor and town clerk of the said town, be divided by lot into four classes, of one in each class, and be numbered one, two, three and four; and the office of number one shall expire at the end of the first year; of number two at the end of the second year; of number three at the end of the third year; and of number four at the end of the fourth year, in order that one justice may thereafter be annually elected; and that so much of the seventh section of the fourth article of the constitution of this state as is inconsistent with this amendment, be abrogated.

*Pursuant to a resolution of the convention, the constitution was signed by all the members except those whose names are designated by an asterisk. + Mr. Jansen died during the sitting of the convention.

SECOND AMENDMENT.

tions of

That so much of the first section of the second article of the constitution as prescribes the qualifications of voters, other than persons of colour, be and the same is hereby abolished, and that the following be substituted in the place thereof: Every male citizen of the age of twenty-one years, who qualificashall have been an inhabitant of this state, one year next pre- electors. ceding any election, and for the last six months a resident of the county where he may offer his vote, shall be entitled to vote in the town or ward where he actually resides, and not elsewhere, for all officers that now are, or hereafter may be elective by the people.

[The following amendments were proposed in 1832, agreed to by two-thirds of the members elected to each house in 1833, submitted to the people, and approved and ratified at the election in November, 1833.]

AMENDMENT NO. III.

salt may be

That the duties on the manufacture of salt, as established Duties on by the act of the fifteenth of April, one thousand eight reduced. hundred and seventeen, and by the tenth section of the seventh article of the constitution of this state, may at any time hereafter, be reduced by an act of the legislature of this state; but shall not, while the same is appropriated and pledged by the said section, be reduced below the sum of six cents upon each and every bushel; and the said duties shall remain inviolably appropriated and applied as is provided by the said tenth section:

And that so much of the said tenth section of the seventh article of the constitution of this state as is inconsistent with this amendment, be abrogated.

AMENDMENT NO. IV.

York to be

thereof.

At the end of the tenth section of the fourth article of the Mayor of N. said constitution, add the following words: "Except in the chosen by city of New-York, in which city the mayor shall be chosen the electors annually by the electors thereof qualified to vote for the other charter officers of the said city, and at the time of the election of such officers."

[The following amendment was proposed in 1834, agreed to by two-thirds of the members elected to each house in 1835, submitted to the people and approved and ratified at the election held in November, 1835.]

AMENDMENT NO. V.

salt and on

at auction,

general

Whenever a sufficient amount of money shall be collected Duties on and safely invested for the reimbursement of such part as goods sold may then be unpaid of the money borrowed for the con- when restruction of the Erie and Champlain canals, the tenth section stored to of the seventh article of the constitution of this state, as far fund. as it relates to the amount of duties on the manufacture of salt, and the amount of duties on goods sold at auction, shall cease and determine; and thereafter the duties on goods sold