section thereof; but the same shall be and remain the property of this state.

SEC. XI. No lottery shall hereafter be authorized in Lotteries. this state; and the legislature shall pass laws to prevent the sale of all lottery tickets within this state, except in lotteries already provided for by law.

SEC. XII No purchase or contract for the sale of Sale of lands in this state, made since the fourteenth day of lands. October, one thousand seven hundred and seventyfive, or which may hereafter be made, of, or with the Indians in this state, shall be valid, unless made under the authority and with the consent of the legislature. SEC. XIII. Such parts of the common law, and of Old colony the acts of the legislature of the colony of New-York, laws. as together did form the law of the said colony, on the nineteenth day of April, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, and the resolutions of the congress of the said colony, and of the convention of the state of New-York, in force on the twentieth day of April, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven, which have not since expired, or been repealed or altered; and such acts of the legislature of this state, as are now in force, shall be and continue the law of this state, subject to such alterations as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 the constitution, are hereby abrogated.

1775.

Prior grants.

SEC. XIV. All grants of land within this state, made Grants of by the king of Great Britain, or persons acting under land since his authority, after the fourteenth day of October, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five, shall be null and void. But nothing contained in this constitution shall affect any grants of land within this state, made by the authority of the said king or his predecessors; or shall annul any charters to bodies politic 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 obligations of any debts contracted by the state, or individuals, or bodies corporate, or any

Amendments.

Constitution goes into operation.

other rights of property, or any suits, actions, rights of action, or other proceedings in courts of justice.

ARTICLE EIGHTH.

SEC. I. Any amendment or amendments to this constitution, may be proposed in the senate or assembly; and if the same shall be agreed to by a majority of the members elected to each of the two houses, such proposed amendment or amendments shall be entered on the 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 legisla. ture 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 a part of the constitution.

ARTICLE NINTH.

SEC. I. This constitution shall be in force from the last day of December, in the year one thousand eight hundred 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 election hereby directed 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 authorizing lotteries; the prohibition against appropriating the public moneys or pro

perty 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 office before the first day of January then next following. The commissions of all persons holding Commiscivil offices on the last day of December, one thousand sions. 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 Election of notifying, holding and conducting elections, making laws. 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.

Amendments to the Constitution of the State of
New-York.

[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.]

AMENDMENT No. I.

That the people of this State, in their several towns, Justices of shall at their annual election, and in such manner as the peace, how elected. 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.

AMENDMENT No. II.

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: