190 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



controversy had bccoiiie so intricate, and warnij 

 that very serious consequences were justly to 

 be feared. It became necessary for Congress 

 to interpose ; and as ail parties had appealed to 

 that body, they could no longer avoid coming 

 to some resolutions upon a matter, which seem- 

 ed essentially to concern the union of the states. 

 Accordingly, on September 24, 1779, Congress, 

 among other resolves, passed the following : 

 ^' Resolved unanimously, That it be, and here- 

 by is most earnestly recommended, to the states 

 of New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, and 

 New York, forthwith to pass laws, expressly 

 authorising Congress, to hear and determine all 

 differences between them, relative to their res- 

 pective boundaries. Resolved unanimously, 

 That Congress will, on the first day of February 

 next, proceed without delay, to hear alid cxr 

 amine into the disputes and differences relative 

 to jurisdiction aforesaid, between the said three 

 states respectively, or such of them as shall pass 

 the laws beforementioned on the one part, and 

 the people oi" the district aforesaid, who claim 

 to be a separate jurisdiction on the other, and 

 after a full and fair hearing, will decide and de- 

 termine the same according to equity. Resolv- 

 ed unanimously, That it is the duty of the peo- 

 ple of the district aforesaid, who deny the juris- 

 diction of all the aforenamed states, to abstain 

 in the mean time, from exercising amy power 

 over any of the inhabitants of the said district, 

 who profess themselves to be citizens of, or to 

 owe allegiance to any or either of the said states, 

 but that none of the towns, either on the east or 

 we^t side of Connecticut river, be ^onsi4ere4 as 



