United States Statutes at Large/Volume 2/6th Congress/1st Session/Chapter 38
Chap. XXXVIII.—An Act to authorize the President of the United States to accept, for the United States, a cession of jurisdiction of the territory west of Pennsylvania, commonly called the Western Reserve of Connecticut.
The President may issue letters patent releasing the right of the United States to the soil of the Western Reserve.Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President of the United States be, and he hereby is authorized to execute and deliver letters patent in the name and behalf of the United States, to the governor of the state of Connecticut for the time being, for the use and benefit of the persons holding and claiming under the state of Connecticut, their heirs and assigns for ever, whereby all the right, title, interest and estate of the United States, to the soil of that tract of land lying west of the west line of Pennsylvania, as claimed by the state of Pennsylvania, and as the same has been actually settled, ascertained and run in conformity to an agreement between the said state of Pennsylvania and the state of Virginia, and extending from said line westward one hundred and twenty statute miles in length, and in breadth throughout the said limits in length from the completion of the forty-first degree of north latitude, until it comes to forty-two degrees and two minutes north latitude, including all that territory commonly called the Western Reserve of Connecticut, and which was excepted by said state of Connecticut out of the cession by the said state heretofore made to the United States, and accepted by a resolution of Congress of the fourteenth of September, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-six, shall be released and conveyed as aforesaid to the said governor of Connecticut, and his successors in said office, for ever, for the purpose of quieting the grantees and purchasers under said state of Connecticut, and confirming their titles to the soil of the said tract of land.
Provided Connecticut shall cede to the United States certain western lands;Provided however, That such letters patent shall not be executed and delivered, unless the state of Connecticut shall, within eight months from the passing this act, by a legislative act, renounce for ever, for the use and benefit of the United States, and of the several individual states who may be therein concerned respectively, and of all those deriving claims or titles from them or any right of them, all territorial and jurisdictional claims whatever, under any grant, charter or charters whatever, to the soil and jurisdiction of any and all lands whatever lying westward, northwestward, and southwestward of those counties in the state of Connecticut, which are bounded westwardly by the eastern line of the state of New York, as ascertained by agreement between Connecticut and New York, in the year one thousand seven hundred and thirty-three, excepting only from such renunciation the claim of the said state of Connecticut, and of those claiming from or under the said state, to the soil of said tract of land herein described under the name of the Western Reserve of Connecticut.
and execute a deed relinquishing her jurisdictional claim to the Western Reserve.And provided also, that the said state of Connecticut shall, within the said eight months from and after passing this act, by the agent or agents of said state duly authorized by the legislature thereof, execute and deliver to the acceptance of the President of the United States, a deed expressly releasing to the United States the jurisdictional claim of the said state of Connecticut, to the said tract of land herein described under the name of the Western Reserve of Connecticut, and shall deposit an exemplification of said act of renunciation, under the seal of the said state of Connecticut, together with said deed releasing said jurisdiction, in the office of the department of state of the United States, which deed of cession when so deposited shall vest the jurisdiction of said territory in the United States: Provided,Saving certain constructions. that neither this act, nor any thing contained therein, shall be construed so as in any manner to draw into question the conclusive settlement of the dispute between Pennsylvania and Connecticut, by the decree of the federal court at Trenton, nor to impair the right of Pennsylvania or any other state, or of any person or persons claiming under that or any other state, in any existing dispute concerning the right, either of soil or of jurisdiction, with the state of Connecticut, or with any person or persons claiming under the state of Connecticut: And provided also, that nothing herein contained shall be construed in any manner to pledge the United States for the extinguishment of the Indian title to the said lands, or further than merely to pass the title of the United States thereto.
Approved, April 28, 1800.