The  Convention  consists  now  as  it  has  generally  done  of  Eleven
States.  There  has  been  no  intermission  of  its  Sessions  since  a  house
was  formed;  except  an  interval  of  about  ten  days  allowed  a  Com-
mittee appointed  to  detail  the  general  propositions  agreed  on  in
the  House.  The  term  of  its  dissolution  cannot  be  more  than  one
or  two  weeks  distant,  A  Govemmt.  will  probably  be  submitted
to  the  people  of  the  States^  consisting  of  a  president^  cloathed  with
Executive  power  \  a  Senate  chosen  by  the  LegislatureSy  and  another
House  chosen  by  the  people  of  the  States,  jointly  possessing  the  legis^
lative  power;  and  a  regular  judiciary  establishment.  The  mode  of
constituting  the  Executive  is  among  the  few  points  not  yet  finally
settled.  The  Senate  will  consist  of  two  members  from  each  State^
and  appointed  sexennially.  The  other,  of  members  appointed  bien^
nially  by  the  people  of  the  States,  in  proportion  to  their  number.
The  Legislative  power  will  extend  to  taxation,  trade,  and  sundry  other
general  matters.  The  powers  of  Congress  will  be  distributed,  accord-
ing to  their  nature,  among  the  several  departments.  The  States  will
be  restricted  from  paper  money  and  in  a  few  other  instances.  These
are  the  outlines.  The  extent  of  them  may  perhaps  surprize  you.  I
hazard  an  opinion  nevertheless  that  the  plan,  should  it  be  adopted,
will  neither  effectually  answer  its  national  object,  not  prevent  the
local  mischiefs  which  everywhere  excite  disgusts  agst.  the  State  Gov-
ernments. The  grounds  of  this  opinion  will  be  the  subject  of  a  future
letter.  .  .  •

Nothing  can  exceed  the  universal  anxiety  for  the  event  of  the

^Documentary  History  of  thi  Constitution,  IV,  273-276;  Hunt,  Writings  of
Madison,  IV,  389-391.     ItaKdsed  words  were  in  cipher  in  the  original.
