YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

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'Y^LiE«¥]MnyiEiEsnrY-

MEMORIAE

OB

THE MISSISSIPPI CONVEteoNj

PBATING

AN EXTENSION

OP

2'JIE LIMITS OF THAT STJTE.
Mississippi 6Ter,l Co-nve.Yitio-n,l3i7

, December 17, ISIT".
Read, and referred to Mr. Poindexter, Mr. Speed, Mr. Robertson, of Loui
siana, Mr. Claiborne, aud Mr, Cobb.

Printed by order of the House of Representatives,,

WASHINGTON:
¦PRINTED BY E. DR KRAFFT.

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MEMORIAL.

Tatke Bm0urabie the Senate and House of Representatma, »f the
United States ef .America, in Congress assumbled.
The Memorial of the Convention^ convened at the town of
Washington to form a constitution and state government for the peo
ple in the western part of the Mississippi territory, respectfully repre
sents to your honourable bodies,
That having completed the constitution which they were chosen
to form, for the government of the people authorized by the Congress
of the United States, at their last session, to establish for themselves
a separate and independent state, your memorialists deem it a duty
incumbeat on them, to attract the attention of your honourable bodies
to a subject of great importance to the, best interests of this portion
of the union, and particularly to those whona they immediately re
present. By the first section of the act under which your memorialists
are assembled, the boundary between this state and the Territory of
Alabama, is designated to run from the junction of Bear creek with
the Tennessee river, in a direct line to the north west corner of Wash
ington county, and thence due south to the Gulf of Mexico, so as to
intersect the confluence of the river Fascagoula. Against this unequal
and artificial boundary your memorialists beg.leave, most respectfully,
to remonstrate. Your memorialists deem it unnecessary to animadvert upon the
circumstances under vvhich the measure, of which they complain, was
adoptedj it will be suflB.ciently obvious on a view of the map, connect
ed vvith a knowledge of a few leading facts, in relation to this subject,
that injustice has been done to this section of the country; and they
cannot for a moment doubt the readiness with which your honourably
bodies will correct any error into which your predecessors may hav©
fallen, without regard to the causes which led to it. Your memori
alists are encouraged in this expectation, by a reference to the exam
ple of Louisiana, and the. favourable result of a similar applicatioa
made to Congress by the convention who formed the constitution of
that state. Your memorialists are aware of the difficulty which has from
time to time been experienced by the national legislature, in prescrib
ing suitable geographical limits for the new states,, which are growing
up in the vast and extensive territories of the United States— to avo d
the inaccuracies incident to legislation witiiout proper information, it
has been usual on such occasions to consult the feelings and wishes
of the local authorities, who are enabled by actual observation, to COJ^

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rect the speculative opinions of those who are compelled to act with-'
out these advantages. This reasonable course your memorialists well
hoped would have been put-sued in relation to the Territory of which
thi y are a part, by which means they would have received that justice
which they now seek to obtain from your honourable bodies.
It is worthy of remark that no petition or memorial from the
territorial legislature, nor from the people, so far as your memorialists
are informed, was ever forwarded to the general government, praying
the establishment of the line by which the territory has been divided.
So soon as the formation of two states, by a north and south line
through the centre of the Mississippi Territory was distinctly under
stood to have entered into the views of Congress, the attention of
every one was directed to the natural boundary, as the most conve
nient and equitable partition between the eastern and western divisions
of (he Territory,
JVo suggestion to the contrary was ever sanctioned by the people
or their representatives. In favour of such a divisional line, the opin
ions of bo'th branches of the national legislature have been expressed.
As early as the year 1810 the Senate of the United States postponed
the bill for the entire admission of this territory into the union as a
state, for the purpose of obtaining the assent of the state of Georgia
to the formation of one or more states in said territory; that assent
having been obtained, the House of Representatives, after mature de
liberation passed a bill, providing for the ultimate establishment of
the natural boundary, commencing at the bay of Mobile; and run
ning notth to the southern boundary of the state 6f Tennessee. The
same plan of division, was strongly enforced by the Senate, during
the session of 1816; and with a full knowledge of all these facts, the
local legislature, not only acquiesced in the policy recommended, but
in one or more instances, a considerable proportion of that body, have
given it their approbation by express representations of the general
government. The only point on which a diversity of sentiment existed, wasr,
whether one or two states should be formed of the territory, and
not as to the line proposed, in case the division should take place. In
the absence then of any petition, memorial, or remonstrance having
for its object the establishment of. an artificial, instead of a resOrt to
the natui^al boundary, combined with the antecedent indications given
Ot the sense in which this subject was viewed by both Houses of Con
gress, It was not without a tnixture of mortification and surprise, that
your memorialists received tht: intelligence, that a new and unexplor
ed line of division had been adopted; inconsistent with a proper regard
to equality, and incompatible with sound policy and the future welfare
ot this country.
In support of these premises your memorialists beg leave to enu-
taerate some of the evils which will result to this state by the esta-
bUshment of the artificial lide, to which they have referred.

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_It gives to the Territory of Alabama, an advantage of three
Millions two hundred thousand acres of land more than is contained
within the limits of the State of Mississippi. It diprivea the new
state ot a considerable population; which, on a fair division of the
territory, would have fallen within its jurisdiction. It even divides
some of the eastern counties, so as to leave a part of the inhabitants
on the Pascagoula unconnected with any county, and destitute of the
security and benefii.s of either a territorial or state government.—
It destroys the equality, in the partition among the south western
States, of the sea-coast acquired by the purchase of Louisianai
thereby giving to the Territory- of Alabama in the left, and to the
State of Louisiana on the right, the whole extent of that sea coast,
except a very small and unimportant portion between the Bay of Pas
cagoula and the mouth pf Pearl River. It destroys the form and
beauty of this state, by changing the limits which nature had pre
scribed to it. It moreover leaves this state, destitute of a sea-port,
whilst its two powerful lieighbors, Alabama and Louisiana*, will pos
sess almost the entire sea-board frona the eastern to the western
boundary of Louisiana, as acquired by the treaty of the 80th of. April,
1803, with the French emperor. Your memorialists fofbear to; go
further into di;tail On this subject. Important as the foregoing consi
derations are, they would not ask of your honorable bodies an exten
sion of their boundary, if by that act injuctice would be done to the
Territory of Alabama: no injury ought to bfe complained of by either
party in consequence of a fair and equitable division of the actual terri
tory, so as to give to each a just proportion. And it is worthy. of re
mark, that by the fortune of the late war with the Creek Indians, and
the events which have followed, the Indian title to a large portion of
the lands in that part of the late Mississippi Territory is extinguished,
and in a very short time, these lands will be exposed to sale by the
United States. Emigration will be attracted to tbat district, which
will in a few years give them a population more than double that of this
state,, within our limits as prescribed by the late act of Congress. —
The quantity of land to vvhich the Indian title is extinguished is very
small and it is to be feared that many years will elapse before the
tribes of Choctaws and Chickasaws, who now occupy the country to
its northern extremity, can bf induced to dispose of it to the govern
ment. This circumstance alone will confine the growth and popula
tion of the state, until it shall be overcome by some exercise of execu
tive authority which will lead to the extinguishment of the Indian
over this tract of country. ,
Your memorialists beg the attention of your honorable bodies to
a view of the future prospects.of the eastern part of this territory as
Gonnected with its present condition. In the event of our acquiring
from Spain. the remainder of the Floridas, which is confidently ex
pected at no distant day, the obvious policy of the government will be
to extend the eastern line of the Alabama Territory, along the course
of the Chatahouche, to the Bay of Apalachacola — this extension wiU

f
fcte the most suitable and convenient disposition which the general go
vernment could make of the country lying between tne fc-erdido an^
the Chatahouche j and the advantages which that territory would de-
five from the measure are of the hi.ghest interest.
The command of the seaboard, from the bay of Apalachacola, to
the bay of Pascagoula, a distance of more than two hundred miles,
including, besides many other ports of minor importance, the city of
Pensacola, and the commercial depots at and near the bay of Mobile.
Your memorialists have referred to this contingency, as on e
which ought to have- its due influence in the permanent regulations
which are to be made at this time, because it may hereafter give an
undue preponderance to that section of the territory over tbe wes
tern division. Many other considerations might be urged to show the proprie
ty and reasonableness of granting the prayer of your memorialists,
but they leave them to the inferences of which the subject is sus
ceptible, and to the wisdom and reflection of your honorable bodies.
Nature has separated this state, on the west^ from the state of
Louisiana, by the great river Mississippi. Why should it not be
bounded, on the east, by the Mobile and the Tombigbee? Why should
the order of nature be destroyed, and artificial boundaries preferred,
less convenient, and productive of manifest injustice, both as to ter
ritorial limits, and a just distribution of the seacoast, which ought
not to be nvonopolized by one state, to the exclusion of another, hav.
ing equal claims, on the score of proximity to the ocean.
The arrangement contemplated by your memorialists, corres
ponds with tbe natural partition of the country. Georgia will be di*
vided from the Alabama territory, by the river Chatahouche, and the
Mobile affords to it a western boundary of equal dignity and con
venience. Your memorialists, in proceeding to form, for their Constitu-.
cnts, a constitution, and assuming the rank of an independent state
of the Union, were actuated by a full conviction, that your honora
ble "bodies would consider their claim to an enlargement of bounda
ry vvithout prejudice, having the same constitutional power over the
subject which existed at any former period.
Relying, therefore, that the same enlarged, liberal policy will be
pursued, which has so uniformly charactetised the proceedings of the
national legislature, in relation to its territories, your memorialists
advance, with becoming satisfaction, to the station assigned to them»
as a member of the great American family; and with submission to
the wisdom, moderation, and impartiality, of a tribunal so enlight
ened, your memorialists pray that the eastern boundary of this state
may be extended to the bay of Mobile, and thence along the middle
of the Tombigbee river, according to the meanders thereof, to the
Cotton Gin Port, and thence due north, to the southern boundary
hne of the state of Tennessee.
And yotir memorialists, as in duty bound, will ever pray.

riigi

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David Holmes, president of the convefttion, and
delegate from the county of Adams.
Josiah Simpson,
E. Turner,
Joseph Sessions^
J. Taylor,
John Steele,
Christopher Rankin,
James Wilkins.
From Jeffltrson county.
Cowles Mead,
J E Davis,
H. I Balch.
From the county ofClaibOrn^.
Walter Leake,
Thomas Barnes,
Daniel Burnet,
J. G. Clarke.
From Warren caunl'ff.
H. D Davis,
A. Glass.
From Franklin county..
James Knox.
From Wilkinson county.
George Poindexter ,-
Daniel Williams,
AM. Scott,
John Joor,
G. C Brandon,
Joseph Johnson.
From ihe county of Amite.
John Burton,
Thomas Batchelor,
Henry Hanna,
Angus Wilkinson,
Thomas Ton-ance.

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Form Pike county.
' W. J. Minton,
James Y. M'Noble,
David Dickson.
From Laurence couniyi
Harmon Runnels,
George Wi King.
From Marion county.
Dougal M'Laughlinji
John Ford.
From Hancock cbunty.
Neil Jourdan,
A. Burnet.
From Jackson county*
John M'Leod,
Thomas Bilbo.
.From Wayne county.
James Patton,
Clinch Gray.
From Green county.
L. M'Kay,
John M'Ka.f. ,

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