The New Hampshire Gazette

Massachusetts Legislature.

Boston, June 18, 1816.

Separation of Maine—On Saturday the Senate passed the bill for the Separation of the District of Maine from Massachusetts—yeas 35, nays 1.

The Hon. Josiah Quincy voted in the negative.

Monday forenoon the House took up the Bill. A motion to refer the same was negatived—yeas 56, nays 118.

In the afternoon, the House, in concurrence with the Senate, passed the bill to be engrossed—yeas 130, nays 22.

The bill provides for the erection of the District of Maine into an independent state, on certain conditions. The separation must be approved by a majority of a convention of delegates, to be chosen in the district, in the manner representatives and to assemble at Brunswick on the 26th of August next.—This convention must also consent to the other conditions, which are to be incorporated into the constitution, which they are authorized to form for the new state. The constitution is to be submitted to the people, who are to act on it by written votes, and to make return by the 1st of January next, at which time the convention are to be in session. The most important conditions are, that all the public lands & public buildings of Massachusetts Proper, are to belong to the Commonwealth, and the public lands in the district are to be equally divided between the two states, the moiety assigned to Massachusetts not to be taxed so long as it remains her property—the remainder of the public property is to be held by Massachusetts as security for the payment of the public debts, but on the adjustment of the public debts, if there be a surplus three fourth parts are to remain to Massachusetts and one fourth to Maine, if there be a deficiency, one quarter part thereof is to be paid by Maine.