June, to propose amendments to the new constitution. The principal would
be the annexing a declaration of rights to satisfy the minds of all,
on the subject of their liberties. They waited the arrival of Brown,
Delegate from Kentucky, to take up the receiving that district as
a fourteenth State. The only objections apprehended, were from the
partisans of Vermont, who might insist on both coming in together. This
would produce a delay, though probably not a long one.

To detail to you the events of this country, would require a volume. It
would be useless too; because those given in the Leyden gazette, though
not universally true, have so few and such unimportant errors mixed with
them, that you may give a general faith to them. I will rather give
you, therefore, what that paper cannot give, the views of the prevailing
power, as far as they can be collected from conversation and writings.
They will distribute the powers of government into three parts,
legislative, judiciary, and executive. The legislative will certainly
have no hereditary branch, probably not even a select one, (like our
Senate). If they divide it into two chambers at all, it will be by
breaking the representative body into two equal halves by lot. But
very many are for a single House, and particularly the Turgotists. The
imperfection of their legislative body, I think, will be, that not a
member of it will be chosen by the people directly. Their representation
will be an equal one, in which every man will elect and be elected as
a citizen, not as of a distinct order. _Quære_, whether they will elect
placemen and pensioners? Their legislature will meet periodically,
and sit at their own will, with a power in the executive to call
them extraordinarily, in case of emergencies. There is a considerable
division of sentiment whether the executive shall have a negative on
the laws. I think they will determine to give such a negative, either
absolute or qualified. In the judiciary, the parliaments will be