Duane was State Senator, except in 1786 and 1787, from the time of his election at the close of the war, until 20th March, 1790, when the Senate voted that his seat, as well as that of three other Senators, had become vacant in consequence of having accepted offices under the United States. The correctness of this decision was acquiesced in without much objection. In this period of his Senatorship many of our most important public laws

= were passed, of the provisions of which he was the principal author. The law for incorporating religious societies, for establishing the university, and for the sale of the public lands are instances. The first revision of our statute law after the Revolution, by Jones & Varick, also came-before the Legislature at this period, and his attention and knowledge were bestowed, and were very useful in the accomplishment of the work.

The claims of Massachusetts on New-York, which prior to the Revolution seemed only to relate to our eastern boundary, after the peace assumed a more important form. The former State putin a claim to all the territory ]ying between her western boundary and the Pacific ocean. On the 12th November, 1784, James Duane, John Jay, Robert R. Livingston, Egbert Benson, and Walter Livingston, were appointed agents uf the State in that controversy which was then expected to be tried by a federal

court under the articles of confederation.. In December the agents proceeded to Trenton, where Congress then sat to meet che Massachusetts agents to form the court. Several weeks were