MONDAY. TMnv- H litarA. ... , . J w, tuot, Alter prOliminarv motions nnll-.1wU. siows the Convention agreed tn .i ro.M;.-?., appointing the following committees on-the uincrcm arUclcs of our present constitution, Vfz; The 1st Article to a Committee of nine. U Article to a Committee of nine. i i Art!cl ,0 a Committee of nine. 1th Article to a Committee of nine. mil Article to a Committee of nine. -Jth Article to a Committee of nine. TWArticlo to a Committee of nine. 8th Article to a Committee of nine. Jth Article to a Committee of nine. Tuesday, "May 0, 1837. Several rasolutions requiring information from the Secretary of the Commonwealth in rcspoct to the number of incorporated companies, .for banking and other purposos, were offered, and laid on'thc table. .Air. Banks offered the following Resolved, That' the sccrctary-df the com- uuim uu requested to lumisli the con vention with a stnlnm - - - - ... v Uli IIUUI- ber or taxable inhabitants in ihe respective t,,n...ln P.1... . 1 i . . ..iiuaui uiu several chics, ana the respec tive boroughs and townships of the several uuiiucs in ino sune, according to the cnu meration made in 1825 and'30. Both of which were read and laid on the i tabic. .Mr. Bitow.v of Philadelphia county, of fered the following: Jlcsolved, That the Secretaries have printed for tkc use of the members of the convention, a tabular statement, showing Ihe number and official names of all the officers, whose office is established by each of the constitutions of the States of the U mion, by whom appointed or elected offi cial tenure salary, &c also the official names; tenure, salary, &c. of all officers, "whose office has been established by the laws of this state. Resolved, Tlpt one hundred and thirty three copies of the constitution of the Uni ted StatCS. and of 'flin finvftrni fit-llns nf (lm Union, and one hunQreQ -and thirty-three' copies ot a iiook, called the Conventions oi' Pennsylvania, bo purchased. i Mr. Porter of Northampton, offered the following resolution, which was referred to the committee on printing: Resolved, That the Secretaries be di rcptcd to pay, as part of the contingent cx ipcnses of this convention, tho expense of -two thousand seven hundred copies of the Daily Chronicle and Convention Journal, during the sitting of thi3 body; and to be divided among the members, for distribu tion among their constituents. Mr. Sterigero offered the following, which was laid upon the table. Ordered, That the Journals of the .con vention, and of the committee of the whole, be printed on good paper, in royal octavo form, with long primer type the yeas and nays to lie inserted in solid .paragraphs. Ordered, That a number of copies of the, English Debates corresponding with that of the English Journal, and a number of copies oT the German Debates corresponding with' that of the German Journal, bo printed on good paper, in royal octavo form, with bre vier type. lOrdered, That two hundred shall be considered the usual number of copies of any paper directed to-be printed by the convention. "Wkdnbsda-y, May 10, 1837. "Mr. Ingcrsoll offered the following reso lution: Resolved. That the subjects of the cur rency, corporations, highways and Eminent Domain of the State, be referred to a select (committee, to report thereon. And that tho subjects of public improve ments, loans and debts, of the State, be re ferred to another special committee, to report nhcreon. By Mr. Brown of Philadelphia county: ARTICLE I. Resolved, That the Legislative depar tments of tho constitution of this common wealth ought to be amended. I. By taking from it the veto power of the Governor ior, if retained, substitute three fifths of botli Houses as necessary to pass a tlaw, instead of two thirds, as at present. II. By limiting the term of service of Senators to two years instead of four. III. By prohibiting, tho Legislature from passing in the same act laws 'relating to sub jects unconnected with each other. I V. By restricting the Legislsturo in gran-, tin" special acts of incorporation to associa tions for -internal improvements, for trans portation, or Tor municipal governments and requiring all other acts of incorporation to be by general laws, equally free and open to all citizens. , V. By requiring the Legislature to meet oniho second Tuesday of January, instead of the firt Tuesday in December, as at pre sent. .... VI. By requiring all laws to bo origina ted -in the House of Representatives. VII. By prohibiting any citv, borough or district, incorporated for municipal govern went, from holding any real estate other than what is used for public purposcs-or connec ted with its public establishments. ARTICLE II. (Resolved, That the executi vo departments ,df thin commonwealth ought to be amended. , MyTeducing.thc, term of service of lire Governor totwofcars.'nrid his- eligibility "V auill ill bix. II. Bvlilk II1IT frnmltlin Cl (t. pointmcnt of all officers dthcr than those connected Willi the state executive depart ments, as Kccrdtary of State, Auditor Gene ral, Surveyor General, Secretary of tho Land Oflicc, and tht'ir assistants, and requiting concurrence ot the Senate to the appoint ment of the .heads of those departments. ARTICLE III. Resolved. Tlmtnrtirln tliinl of the constitution of this commonwealth ought to he amended. I. BV trivilinr tilt! t-icrllia nfnn nlnnlnr tr. cvory citizen of the United States, native or natural, of the age of twenty-one years, who i" u rcsiucu in tins state six months nrecedin.fr'thc nlmni fill. . a "... II. By -taking from it the tax qttafifica- linn ARTICLE IV. Resolved, That the Judiciary department in uiu cunsmuuon oi tins commonwealth ought to be amended. I. By limiting the term of office of the Judges t)f the Supreme Court to five years, and by giving their appointments to the joint vote of both Houses of the legisla ture, one Judge to be appointed annually. II. By limiting the term of office of the President Judge's of the district or county Courts to three years, and giving their ap pointment to the joint vote of both Houses of the legislature, and by limiting the term of office of the associate judges to two years, one to be elected annually by the citizens of each county. III. That justices of the peace shall be elected by the citizens of each ward, dis trict, or township, and shall hold their offi ces for three years. ARTICLE V. Resolved, That the article Oth of the constitution of this commonwealth, ought to be amended. I. That the citizens of each county in the state, shall elect their sheriff, coroner, prothonotarics, register, recorder, county commissioners, ;and such other county of fices as conveniently can by them so elect ed to hold their offices for three years. II. That the citizens of each of the wards, districts or townships now established, or that mav hereafter be cstablishfil Uv hi- shall under the powers that may be given tem y law, cieci on the third 1- nday of March, annuallv. iudp-es and i elections, constables, assessors and collec tors of taxes, school directors and overseers of the poor, who shall all hold their offices for one year, but may be re-elected at the expiration of that time. ARTICLE VI. Resolved. That article 7th of the tution of this commonwealth, ought to be amended, so that provision be made for the establishment of schools thromrhnnt tlm whole commonwealth, on a permanent ba sis and on the most enlarged and liberal pian. By Mr. J. M. Porter: Resolved, That the committee on tlm first article of tho constitution bo instructed to inquire into the expediency of so modify ing that article as that, 1. l he senatorial term be reduced to three years. 11. J he legislature shall meet on tlm first Tuesday in January in each year, unless sooner convened by the Governor. III. I he Lieutenant Governor shall be president of the Senate, and each House shall 'have the riirht to select a nrnsirlinir nf. ficer, pro tempore, in the absence or other the duties of the chair. IV. The legislature shall have no power to combine or unite in any one bill or act two distinct subjects or objects of legisla tion or anv two diMtinnt -f J-I ...M W appropriations to distinct or (KflcrnnL ob jects, except appropriations to works cx- ftltlcMiml.r linlm, irl i, tr te nml ... .1 I the state, and that the objects or subject matter oi eacn 0111 or act shall be distinctly stated in tho title. Thursday, May 11, 1837. Mr. nillinger, from the committee to whom was referred tho resolutions in rela tion to the printing of the Journals and de bates, of the convention, reported the fol lowing resolution: Jlcsolved, 1. That the printer of tho jour nal, in the English language, bo directed to strike twelve hundred conies of the said journal, and the minutes of the committee ot the whole, on good paper, m medium octavo form. 2. That the printer of the journal, in tho German language, be directed to strike twelve hundred and fifty copies of said jour nal, and minutes in the same form. 3. That tho printer of the debates of this convention, in tho English language, be directed to striko twelve hundred and fifty copies, of said debates on good paper, in royal octavo form, tho yeas and nays in solid paragraphs. 4. That the printer of said debates in the German language, be directed to strike twelve hundred and fifty copies, in the form and manner afoiesaid. 5. That tho secretaries of this conven tion, cause the said journal and debates, to bo stitched, 'bound, and delivered, into tho offico of tho secretary of the common wealth, to be by him 'distributed in -such manner as shall hereafter be directed by t'jis convention. THE COLUMBIA DEMOCItAT. "rnuni without teak." ESSlDttf IB 6 Saturday, May 20, 18S7. fC5Thc unavoidable absence of the Ed itor, on professional business at New Ucr lin, will be an apology for any errors or omissions in this number of our paper. PHILADELPHIA MARKET. Flour and Meal. Sales confined to homo use, at 80 per bbl. for good brands Wes tern $8 G2i without inspection, 88 75 to 9 for standard. Rye Flour, free sales for shipment at SO a 0 12; yesterday $0 25 per bbl. Corn Meal, a sale in bbls. at about S'l. Grain Wheat has been in good demand at advanced jratcs. Sales of 9 to 10,000 bushels of domestic wheat at $2 10 per bushel for fair to prime quality, 3,000 foreign red at $1 50 afloat, and some small sales ,from stores at SI 00. Rye 1,000 bushels fair foreign sold at SI 10 in store, several lots of Pennsylvania atSl 15 a 1 20. Corn Sales of round yellow at 90 to 9U els. afloat, flat 85 to 80 cts; white 82 83 being a slight advance. We arc indebted to William L. Harris, Esq. for Convention proceedings, to whom we tender our thanks. SUSPENSION OF SPEOI13 1'AYJIENTS. We learn by our last mails, that the banks of Philadelphia, New York, Balti more, Harrislnirg, Middletown and Northumberland,- have suspended specie pay ments. It is supposed, however, that the adoption of this course was a measure of persecution only, and that the suspension will be of temporary duration. Wliile the Banks in the commercial cities generally, refuse specie payments, the Nor thumberland Bank deems it advisablo to pay out for thcKpurposes of change.' This course will preserve the institution safe and sound, and accommodato the public with change, until tho present excitement blows over which will, we are confident, be in a short time. The President of the United States has issued his proclamation for Congress to meet on the first Monday of September next. Thclatcnews'fiom New Orleans inform us that the U. S,. sloop of war Natchez captu red a Mexiean brig of war in retaliation for several American vessels captured by the Mexicans. THE PRESIDENT'S REPLY;TO THE NEW YORK COMMITTEE. We subjoin the reply of Mr. Van Buren to the address of the New York committee. which recently visited Washington. It is, as we anticipated it would be, courteous in manner, decided and explicit in its declara tions, and in every respect a paper which will be received with satisfaction by all who arc able to perceive, and have the candor to acknowlcdge.the real causes of existing em barrassments! In tho address of the commit tee, we find that they actually assert, in the face of all the speculating madness of the last two T)rthrce years, that 'it is uniust to attri bute the cvils of the time to any excessive de- vclopement of mercantile credit.' Accord ing to them, it is all attributablc'to the rcmo- valof the dcposiles in 1833, and to other acts of the administration, such as tho importa tion of gold and silver, the Specie Circular. fee They, therefore, asked for a rennnl nf the Specie Circular; that instructions may ho given to prevent the commencing of suits in any of the collection districts, upon unpaid Bonds, until after the first day of January next; and urged upon the Executive tho propriety ofcalling an extra session of Con gress at as early a day as possible. Pa. Ihporler. To which Mr. Van Buren replied as fol lows: Washington, May 4, 1837. Gentlemen I have bestowed on your communication the attentive consideration which is due to the opinions, wishes, and mtCTJiti of the respectable portion of my fellow citizens in whose behalf you act, In tho correctness of tho judgment which in the exercise of an undoubted right, you have in such general terms pronounced upon particular points in tho policy of tho late and present administrations, you cannot expect me to concur. My opinions u thoso points were distinctly announced to the American people before my cleciion, and I have seen no reason to change them. ' But however much I may difl'er with you upon tli'cin, as well as in respect to the causes of the exis ting evil, you may be assured of tho warm interest I shall ever feel in whatever concerns (he mercantile community, of my deep sympathy with those who arc now 'sullcr iiiir from tlm limns, null nf irv readiness to adopt any measures for their relief, consistent The propriety of giving to tho Collectors of the Customs instructions of the character desired, 1itcesarily involves inquiries into the extent of the power of the Executive over me suitcci, me present condition oi the Treasury, and its probable receipts and ex penditures for the remainder of tho year. These examinations have lienn dirci'tnil. nnd are in progress, and the result will ho com municated by the Secretary of the Treasury" to the Collector at New York, who will be instructed to give it publicity. A few days will be required to arrive at a safe cor elusion upon sonic parts of the investigation, but tliero shall be no unnecessary delay. The other subjects to which you have called my attention, are, first, an immediate repeat ol the order requiring specie m pay- r i i ; H.. ..... mem, u ooius ui liuuin; liuius, 15SUCU Uy IIIV f n . " iircuccessor, ior mo purpose ot cnlorciuir a strict execution ofthc Act of Congress, which forbids the allowance of credit on such sales, and secondly. 1 have not been able to satisfy myself that i uugui, unucr existing circumstances, to interfere with the order referred to. You must be aware of the obstacles to an immediate convocation of Congress ari sing from the imperfect state of the reprc sontation in one branch of that body. Sc ver.il of the States have not chosen their Kcprcsentativcs, and arc to do so for some months to come. Independent of that con sideration, I do not see at present, sufficient reasons to justify me in requiring an earlier meeting than that appointed by the consti tution. I am gentlemen, very respectfully, Your oljedient Servant. M. VAN BUltEX. DRY DOCK BANK. In consequence of some improper publica tion in a wlliir mnnr nrinlnrl In T.Tn. Vn.l. run was made, last week, on the Dry Dock juuk. ui mm city, and tlie institution was obliged to stop n the affairs of the bank has since been publish ed, from which it appears that the bank is in possession of assets sufficient to meet HI its liabilities, and leave a surplus of more than two hundred and eighty-seven thousand dollars. The notcsarnnnw mdnnmml ntnll the other banks in the city. Pa. Reporter. MOllE MURDERS UY STRAG GLING INDIANS. Jacksonville, April 20. On the 5lll hint, tlin tinnco nf t w:i liam Clcnunons, situated on the road from Alligator to Livingston's Ferry, on tho Su wannee, about twentv miles fWmi ilm lniinr place, was attacked bv Indi mis. Tlm in. mates, consisting of Mrs. Clcmmons and lour children, a little orphan lad living with Mr. Clcmmons, were murdered. Mr. C. was from home at the time this awful visi tation was made upon his family. He re turned on the lOlb insi. il If cnrrnrl tin n f tor the horrid transaction, and the first inti mation oi tnc calamity that had befallen his wife and little ones, was the desolate ap pearance ofhis home, ami limn tlm i,,i: onus wife and children, fifty or more yards " "uuhc. iney mm been shot while attcmntincr to seem from the position in which the bodies lav. TllCV WCie unspnliml The children worn lmih .lw.t i 1 in titk, nuilUi and so near were tlin mms wimn i that the heads of these unfortunate victims were literally blown to pieces. And to add to the horror of the sight, and anguish of the bereaved husband and father, the body of the youngest child, a babe, was almost devoured, and the arm nf tlm mmli off by the hoirs! What a scene was tins. Wlmt .. ,1.,... a heart rending duty, was there to be per! lormcu uy tne husband, the father! To collect the mutilated bodins nf Ilia Ytrifn nwl five children, four nf tlmm in place them m a corndiousc till ho could go eight miles for assist in h,,,,. ,i.i lireathcs the man with heart so cold, as not iu aympaimse with the alllictcd and suf fering of East Florida. RAVENNA, v remarkable fart 'PI nt. iniini li. rii.:n J '..a u J! Ill VSIUU, stands on a fixed and mnilnminl tract, directly on the dividing line between the waters which run inf dm ni.: 1 those which run into Lake Erie. The old court house is so situated that the rain winch Tails on tho passes into the Cuyahoga, and is dischar ged into the St. Lawrence while that which alls on the south side passes into tho Ma honing, and is finally poured into tho Gulf or Mexico, so that this house, in a rainy day, is a fountain of waters for two opposite A mcthodist in VormontTthinks it wicked ? P'?" ,,aSQ v,10,m in l"rcht and declares that it his people persist in using it, ho will retire to privato life. tester "W? lll'IOW Ml-lmiliii. A ! , i '"" LA. , WC,"1'"'. A rnilroa-t of two ami n i.mp w-i 1 - -j lumuu'i 01 two ami 1 milCS is to rnlinn..! .-til. .1.. T . . 1 Tl,iIroa,i " c ""Brangc ana Ale imj.his BANK OF NORTHUMBERLAND. The Directors of the Bank of Northum bcrland, in announcing to the public, the partial and temporary suspension of specie payments, dcenl it their duty to state the causes that have compelled them to adopt a measure so repugnant to their feelings. It is well known that the Banks in our three great commercial cities New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore, no longer redeem llicirnotcs with specie, and that their example has been followed by all the banks of the interior as far as heard from, and of course this hank cannot at present receive specie for the debts due it. Such being the case, the DirccloifTof this institution have been impelled to adopt tho same course as a duty less due to tho institution, than the community; as the attempt to continue specie payments under these circumstances, could only rosult in having it all drawn out by Brokers and others for the sake of the pre mium which it will necessarily command in our cities, and thereby deprive" the institution ofthc means of accommodating the district in which it is located, with change, and pro vent it resuming at once full payment, when other Banks adopt that measure. The Directors can confidently assert that 'the Institution was never in a more solvent situation than at present; thcamount of spe cie in the vaults is larger, and the balances due in Philadelphia greater than usual at this period of tho year. After declaring the last dividend, a surplus of nearly 20,000 dollars was left, which (as the debts duo to the Bank arc well secured and based upon the business and produce of tho country, unconnected with speculation) is far 1110'ro than sufficient to meet any losses that could possibly occur; independent of which there is a a Capital ofSM0,000 actually paid in; so that in no event can the note holders or depositors be losers. Tlie Directors confidently hope thaL the notes of the Bank of Norlhuingerland, will sustain the same credit as heretofore in the city of Philadelphia, and answer the same purpose as they have hitherto done as city notes. No exertions shall be spared to continue that credit by which the institu tion, will preserve its usefulness in tlie col lection and transmission of funds, and be among the first in resinning specie pay ments, when that desirable event shall be accomplished in the city. In the mean time, tlicy feel convinced that an intelligent public will sustain them in an act unavoid able and as necessary for their interests as that of the Institution And that Ho doubt may be entertained of our entire confidence in the solvcncv of tlm H;inL- nf ivnrii,.,n.. . J " vi liuilliudl' norland, we do hereby pledge our individual ii-ajiuiiaiuiiuy, ior tnc intimate payment of all liabililics. Witness niir Itmwlu iImo 1 r,,I, of May A. D. 1837. Jamt:s IIi:pnuRN, A. Grekk, Peter Richtkr, John Tacoart, J amiss Murium., J. II. Cowdkn, A. JoiiRVN, H. FmcK, AVm. Clyde, Wm. Forsytiie, T. CoRvr.LL, Wm. M'Keuv, . J- H. Priestly. Arsenic for Crcam-nf. Tarter Melan choly Death. Wo are pained to record the death of Mr. James Thompson of Indiana in this State, which took place on Tuesday at the Red Lion Hotel in Market street. This gentleman had been for some days I.. .11. . . , . mini:! unnuji; nut so mticn so, however, as to provent his attending to business hav ing come to tho city to buy (roods, bein" a merchant in Indiana. Monday evening as ho stated he called at an apothecary shop (the precise one he said he could not recollect, being a stranger in the city) to buy a little cream-of-tartar. He 'took the dose, and was soon convinced by its ef fects, that he had swallowed poison. Ho died Tuesday morning, and an examina tion of the stomach proved that he had ta Len arsenic instead of the simple medicine he had bespoken. We are told he has left an interesting family a wife and several children to mourn his melancholy and un timely demise. We wish it were in our power lo give the name of tho shop where this fatal carelessness was committed for we should feel it our duty to warn persons from ever entering its portals lo buv modi- cmc. Saturday Courier. " Unfortunate -Miss Jlailli!" youn" man named John Bobbins loil to the altar in St. Luko's Church. 011 Sllndnv Inat n inn pretty girl aged only 19, tho daughter of I J nmni-n II.. .11.. - - . . I v.uuiBu jjuiiiuv, a respectable larmcr in thU 1 borough. While passing thro' the aisle of j unureii, mo entire head dress of the I nnue, including a tviv m was pulled ff uur iioau, which was lelt as bare as tho back ol her hand! In consequence of this un lucky exposure; the happy bridegroom de sired limner time to consider whether lie would accept the bareheaded spinster as- llfll-lnnr f,,,. lip... 1 ..' . . , 1 r; " mm uiu parties lelt the ciiurch. j tie mischievous trick was effect- The Louisvillo KV r70,.,.,., r,. pany have sullcred a loss of $08, 000 by oeses sustained within a few wcoks past, uy tho burning or sinking of steamers on (III, . ! 1 .1 I , . . ni , . -"-" li. UIU I IMUlH.'l Shoahvatnr. Ih, U Ifn,. .,.,.1 v m...i. "in iunit:iii w:nnvu ,m. m:..i. i 'J'he loss of the lone, S 100,00 fells ou tlif -- .-..v..W I'HIM,
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