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following constitution and fundamentals of government 

 for the said state of V^ irginia. 



TJie said state shall forever hereafter be tjoverned as 

 a romrnonwealth. 



The powers of government shall be divided into 

 three distinct departments, each of them to be confided 

 to a separate body of magistracy ; to wit, those which 

 are legislative to one, those which are judiciary to 

 another, and those which are executive to another. 

 No person, or collection of persons, being of one of 

 these departments, shall exercise any power properly 

 belonging to eitljer of the others, except in the instance 

 hereinafter expressly permitted. 



The legislature shall consist of two branches, the one 

 to be called the House of Delegates, the other the Sen- 

 ate, and both together the General Assembly. The con- 

 currence of both of these, expressed on thi"ee several 

 readings, shall be necessary to the passage of a law. 



Delef^ates for the aenerai assemblv shall be chosen on 

 the last Monday of November in every year. — But if 

 an election cannot be conckuled on that day, it may be 

 adiourned from dav to day till it can be concluded. 



The number of delegates which each county may 

 send shall be in proportion to the number of its quali- 

 fied electors; and the whole number of delegates for 

 the state shall be so proportioned to the whole nnm-^ 

 her of (]ualifiefl eleotors in it, that they shall never 

 exceed ^300, nor be fewer than 100. Whenever such 

 excess or deficiency shall take ])lace, the House of 

 Delegates so deficient or excessive shall, notwithstand- 

 ing thics continue in being during its legal term : but 

 they shall, during that term, re-adjust the [)roportion, 

 so as to bring their number within the limits before 

 mentioned at the ensuing election. If any county be 

 reduced in its qualified electors below the number 

 authorized to send one delegate, let it be annexed to 

 some adjoining county. 



