2nd. Resolved, That each county in the State, having a population of one thousand free taxable inhabitants, over the age of twenty one years, agreeably to the enumeration of 1833, shall have one Representative; and all counties that may hereafter come to have that number of free male taxable inhabitants, by the enumeration which may hereafter be taken, shall have one;-and until then, such counties not having that number of inhabitants, shall be attached to some adjoining county, to send a Representative.

3rd. Resolved, That every county in the State, having a population of two thousand five hundred free male inhabitants, over the age of twenty one years, by the said enumeration of 1833, shall be entitled to two Representatives; and all counties that may hereafter come to have two thousand five hundred free male taxable inhabitants over the age of twenty one years, by the enumeration that may hereafter be taken,shall have two Representatives.

4th. Resolved, That so soon as the number of counties that may be entitled to two Representatives as aforesaid, shall have increased to the number of twenty, there shall be no further increase of Representation on such basis of population; and the twenty Representatives which may have arisen upon the last-mentioned basis of population, shall then be apportioned among the respective counties of the State, agreeably to the free male population of each over the age of twenty one years, after deducting from the aggregate population of each, the number of one thousand, which entitled it to one representative.

Mr FULTON, the following:

Resolved, That the House of Representatives shall consist of one hundred members, whereof each county now established in this State shall elect one Representative:

That all that part of this State including the counties oflying east of the Cumberland Mountains, shall be called the Eastern District: That all that part of this State, including the counties of lying west of the Cumberland Mountains, and east of Tennessee river, shall be called the Middle District:

And that all that part of this State, including the counties of lying west of the Tennessee river, shall be called the Western District.

That thirty eight representatives shall, at the several periods of making the enumeration as pointed out by law, be apportioned among said three districts according to the number of free white taxable inhabitants in each, in the manner following, that is to say: The entire number of free white taxable inhabitants in said three districts, shall be divided by one hundred, (the entire number of representatives) and the number of thirty eight representatives shall be appropriated to, and apportioned among said three districts as near as may be, in proportion to the excess of free white taxable inhabitants, which they may respectively contain over and above the aggregate number of free white taxable inhabitants in said districts respectively appropriated, according to this plan, to be represented by the members from the counties respectively,

1

Mr KINCAID, the following:

1st. Resolved, That new counties may hereafter be formed of less contents than 625 square miles, and that old counties may be reduced below that content.

2nd. Resolved, That no new county shall be formed which shall reduce the old county or counties of which it is formed, below twenty miles square, or four hundred square miles-nor shall any new county be formed of less contents, except it should appear that the new county proposed to be established, could not be had to contain twenty miles square, or four hundred square miles, without making it more than as long again as broad, then and in such case, the county may be formed of less contents than twenty miles square, but not less than sixteen miles square, or two hundred and sixty square miles. Provided, that there shall not be any new county formed of this latter content, unless there shall be, at least one thousand free male inhabitants,over the age of twenty one years,residing within the territory proposed to be formed into a county, and at least seven hundred of said inhabitants signing the petition for said county. And provided further, that when any old county or counties may be reduced in forming a new one, the seat of justice in the old county or counties, so reduced, shall remain permanent where it or they are already located. And provided also, that the seat of justice in the county or counties, which may be reduced, shall not be left more than miles from the centre.

3rd. Resolved, That when the people, wishing to have a new county established, pursuant to this provision, shall have complied with the laws of the State now in force, relative to the formation of new counties, and shall have preferred their petitions to the General Assembly, praying the formation of a county, it shall be the duty of the Legisla ture to establish the same.

Mr HUNTSMAN, the following:

1st. Resolved, That the limits of counties as established by the present Constitution, as far as it relates to counties already laid off, be held sacred and inviolable.

2nd. Resolved, That that part of the Constitution which deprives the Legislature of the power to lay off any new county of less dimensions than twenty five miles square, may be subject to the following modifications: if the surplus territory lying in or near county or counties contiguous to or adjoining each other, be of sufficient dimensions to form a county of twenty miles square, or four hundred square miles, without incroaching upon the present constitutional limits of the old counties, or without coming so near any of the present seats of justice as to occasion their removal, then and in that case, a county or counties may be laid off, of not less than twenty miles square.

And Mr WALTON, the following:

Resolved, That it shall be lawful in future to lay off and make new counties, where they can do so without reducing the county or counties from which they shall be taken, to a less content than four hundred square miles, nor so as to interfere with the present county seats.

Mr STEPHENSON moved to take up and consider his resolution of the 30th ult., providing that all memorials on the subject of emancipation, be referred to a committee consisting of thirteen.

Which motion failed.

Mr PURDY Submitted the following:

Resolved, That the 2nd section of the first article of the present Constitution be so amended, that the number of Representatives shall, at the several periods of taking the enumeration, be apportioned by the Legislature among the several counties, according to the number of free white taxable inhabitants in each, and shall never be less than sixty-two nor more than seventy-five members.

On motion of Mr. ALLEN, the Convention resoved itself into committee of the whole, Mr. Cannon in the chair, upon the existing constitution, and the various resolutions to them referred, proposing amendments thereto; and after some time spent in the consideration thereof, the committee rose, reported progress, asked and obtained leave to sit again.

Mr. JOHN A. MCKINNEY moved, that Col. Charles McClung, of Knox county, a member of the first convention of this state, be invited to a seat within the bar, which motion being adopted unanimously, the President respectfully invited him to a seat within the bar of the convention.

The President presented the following communication from the Secretary of State, made in obedience to a resolution of the 29th May, requiring him to ascertain the geographical centre of the State, to wit:

SECRETARY'S OFFICE,
Nashville, June 2, 1834.

The Honorable Convention in session to revise the Constitution of the State of Tennessee.

Your resolution of the 29th of May has been referred to Mr. James Hamilton, professor of mathematics in the Nashville University, with a request that he would furnish the information called for. I herewith transmit his communication in answer to the inquiry contained in the resolution, and also Rhea's map of Tennessee, on which is designated the geographical centre of the State. With a view to obtain the most unquestionable information, according to the mode of ascertaining it, I was induced to refer it to him. He is a gentleman of superior scientific attainments, and eminently qualified to make the calculations with the greatest accuracy.

Very respectfully,

Gen. S. G. Smith, Secretary of State.

SIR-I have made the requisite calculations to determine the centre of the State of Tennessee, as laid down on Rhea's map, and be

lieve you will find the result correct. The centre of position and the centre of gravity being in our question necessarily the same, I proceeded to find the latter by dividing the map into four parts, and having determined the centre of each, I then sought their common centre. I performed the calculation for two different modes of division, and found that the results differed only one fourth of a mile. In one case the division was made thus-I drew a meridian through the map in longitude 7° 40′ W., and reduced the irregular section on the east of it to a triangle, the centre of which was found on the boundary between Jefferson and Sevier counties. The second was a parallelogram, bounded on the east by the meridian just mentioned; on the south by the southern line of the map; on the west by a meridian passing through the point where the northern line meets the eastern bank of the Mississippi, and on the north by a line drawn: parallel to the southern side. The centre of this section is in Maury county, north of Columbia, and south-west of Spring Hill. You will see it marked on Carter's creek. In constructing the parallelogram, a trapezoid was formed on the north, which is included within the two meridians already referred to in the first two sections. The centre of this portion lies in Sumner county, on a branch of Drake's creek, north-east of Tyree's Springs. The fourth section is on the western side of the second meridian above mentioned, the centre of which after being reduced to a triangle, was found in Tipton county, south-west of Covington, and about midway between the steam mili and a mill on Indian creek, near the road from Covington to Memphis. Having found the centres of the several portions, I began again on the east, and found the common centre of the 1st and 2d in the eastern part of Rutherford county, on the road from Danville to Readyville, and at about 4th of their distance from the latter. The common centre of the first, second and third is only 2 miles northwest of the centre of the first and second, and nearly in a line between it and Lebanon. The centre of the four sections, composing the entire State, was then found in Rutherford county, about one mile and a half east of Murfreesborough. I have designated the several points on the map you sent to me, with pencil marks. With the hope that this communication may prove satisfactory, I remain, dear sir, with great respect, your obedient servant,

JAMES HAMILTON.

On motion of Mr. FoGG, That a Committee of accounts and public expenditures be raised, which prevailing--the President appointed Messrs. Fogg, Allen, and Cannon, the said committee.

On motion of Mr. STEPHENSON, the Convention again resolved itself into Committee of the Whole, Mr. Cannon in the Chair, on the existing Constitution, and the various amendments thereto proposed, and after some time spent in the consideration thereof the Committee rose, reported progress, and asked and obtained leave to sit again. Thereupon the Convention adjourned.

TUESDAY, June 3, 1834.

The Convention met acccording to adjournment, and was opened with prayer, by the Rev. Mr. Hess of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

Mr. SENTER presented the memorial of sundry citizens of Rhea county, in relation to a new county, which was read and ordered to the table.

Mr. GRAY presented sundry memorials of the citizens of Humphreys county, in relation to a new county, which was read, and on his motion, referred to the Committee of the Whole.

And Mr. Hess presented the memorial of sundry citizens of Dyer county, in relation to a new county, which was read, and referred to the Committee of the Whole.

Mr. FoGG from the Committee on accounts and public expenditures, to whom was referred the account of B. Atkinson and Son, for $ 82 38 cents, reported, that the Committee have carefully examined the same, believe it just and correct, and that it ought to be allowed. The said report was concurred with. And it was thereupon ordered that the President and Secretary issue to the said B. Atkinson and Son a warrant for the said amount of $82 38 cents, under the provision of the act of the General Assembly, entitled an act to provide for the calling of a Convention, passed at Nashville the 27th day of November, 1833. Mr DOUGLASS submitted the following:

Whereas the call of a Convention by the people, to amend or modify the Constitution, is attended with great expense and high political excitement, which may occasionally divide the country into feuds and parties, dangerous to the freedom and stability of our mixed form of government; and forasmuch as it is, at all times, impolitic for any form of government to have its salutary and acceptable principles unhinged and put afloat, in order to reach an obnoxious feature in any of its fundamental rules; therefore,

1st. Resolved, That from hereafter, whenever two thirds of the Legislature, in joint assembly, shall recommend any specific modification or modifications, amendment or amendments of the Constitution, to the people of the State, any one or all of said amendments shall be offered in the form of resolutions, and form a part or parts of said Constitution, if a majority of the people, at the next general election for members to the Legislature, shall vote for any one or all of said amendments.

And whereas, great and serious evils may, and it is likely will fall upon the country, by frequent actions of the Legislature, in attempts at alterations of the Constitution; and, in order to prevent the deleterious consequences to be apprehended from two frequent action upon this subject, and to prevent the instability and fluctuations likely to be produced by such action on the fundamental rules; therefore, 2nd. Resolved, That the Legislature shall, in no case, recommend