time as the Legislature shall prescribe; and if the people shall approve and ratify such amendment or amendments, by a majority of the electors qualified to vote for members of the Legislature, voting thereon, such amendment or amendments shall become part of the Constitution.

SEC. 2. At the general election to be held in the year eighteen hundred and sixty-six, and in each twentieth year thereafter, and also at such time as the Legislature may by law provide, the question, "Shall there be a convention to revise the Constitution, and amend the same?" shall be decided by the electors qualified to vote for members of the Legislature; and in case a majority of the electors so qualified, voting at such election, shall decide in favor of a convention for such purpose, the Legislature at its next session shall provide by law for the election of delegates to such convention.

ARTICLE XIV.

SECTION 1. The first election of Senators and Mem. bers of the Assembly, pursuant to the provisions of this Constitution, shall be held on the Tuesday succeeding the first Monday of November, one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven. The Senators and Members of Assembly who may be in office on the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and forty. seven, shall hold their offices until and including the thirty-first day of December following, and no longer.

SEC. 2. The first election of Governor and LieutenantGovernor under this Constitution shall be held on the Tuesday succeeding the first Monday of November, one

A convention, held in 1867, pursuant hereto, proposed a new constitution, which was voted upon in parts, in Novem ber, 1869, and rejected, except article six (sections 1 to 27, iuclusive).

thousand eight hundred and forty-eight; and the Gov. ernor and Lieutenant-Governor in office when this Con stitution shall take effect, shall hold their respective offices until and including the thirty-first day of December of that year.

SEC. 3. The Secretary of State, Comptroller, Treas urer, Attorney-General, District Attorneys, Surveyor General, Canal Commissioners and Inspectors of State Prisons, in office when this Constitution shall take effect. shall hold their respective offices until and including the thirty-first day of December, one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, and no longer.

SEC. 4. The first election of Judges and Clerk of the Court of Appeals, Justices of the Supreme Court, and County Judges, shall take place at such time between the first Tuesday of April and the second Tuesday of June, one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, as may be prescribed by law. The said courts shall respectively enter upon their duties on the first Monday of July, next thereafter; but the term of office of said Judges, Clerk and Justices as declared by this Constitution, shall be deemed to commence on the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.

SEC. 5. On the first Monday of July, one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, jurisdiction of all suits and proceedings then pending in the present Suprem Court and Court of Chancery, and all suits and proceed ings originally commenced and then pending in any Court of Common Pleas (except in the city and county of New York), shall become vested in the Supreme Court hereby established. Proceedings pending in Courts of Common Pleas, and in suits originally commenced in Justices' Courts, shall be transferred to the County Courts provided for in this Constitution, in such manner and form and under such regulations as shall

be provided by law. The Courts of Oyer and Terminer hereby established shall in their respective counties have jurisdiction on and after the day last mentioned of all indictments and proceedings then pending in the present Courts of Oyer and Terminer, and also of all indictments and proceedings then pending in the present Courts of General Sessions of the Peace, except in the city of New York and except in cases of which the Courts of Sessions hereby established may lawfully take cognizance; and of such indictments and proceedings the Courts of Sessions hereby established shall have jurisdiction on and after the day last mentioned.

SEC. 6. The Chancellor and the present Supreme Court shall, respectively, have power to hear and determine any of such suits and proceedings ready on the first Monday of July, one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, for hearing or decision, and shall, for their services therein, be entitled to their present rates of compensation until the first day of July, one thousand eight hundred and forty-eight, or until all such suits and proceedings shall be sooner heard and determined Masters in Chancery may continue to exercise the func tions of their office in the Court of Chancery, so long as the Chancellor shall continue to exercise the functions of his office under the provisions of this Constitution. And the Supreme Court hereby established shall also have power to hear and determine such of said suits and proceedings as may be prescribed by law.

SEC. 7. In case any vacancy shall occur in the office of Chancellor or Justice of the present Supreme Court, previously to the first day of July, one thousand eight hundred and forty-eight, the Governor may nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoint a proper person to fill such vacancy. Any Judge of the Court of Appeals or Justice of the Supreme

Court, elected under this Constitution, may receive and hold such appointment.

SEC. 8. The offices of Chancellor, Justice of the existing Supreme Court, Circuit Judge, Vice-Chancellor, Assistant Vice-Chancellor, Judge of the existing County Courts of each county, Supreme Court Commissioner, Master in Chancery, Examiner in Chancery, and Surrogate (except as herein otherwise provided), are abolished, from and after the first Monday of July, one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven. (1847).

SEC. 9. The Chancellor, the Justices of the present Supreme Court, and the Circuit Judges, are hereby declared to be severally eligible to any office at the first election under this Constitution.

SEC. 10. Sheriffs, Clerks of Counties (including the Register and Clerk of the City and County of New York), and Justices of the Peace, and Coroners, in office when this Constitution shall take effect, shall hold their respective offices until the expiration of the term for which they were respectively elected.

SEC. 11. Judicial officers in office when this Constitution shall take effect may continue to receive such fees and perquisites of office as are now authorized by law, until the first day of July, one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, notwithstanding the provisions of the twentieth section of the sixth article of this Constitution.

SEC. 12. All local courts established in any city or village, including the Superior Court, Common Pleas, Sessions and Surrogates' Courts of the City and County of New York, shall remain, until otherwise directed by the Legislature, with their present powers and jurisdictions; and the Judges of such Courts and any clerks thereof in office on the first day of January, one thou sand eight hundred and forty-seven, shall continue in

office until the expiration of their terms of office, or until the Legislature shall otherwise direct.

SEC. 13. This Constitution shall be in force from and including the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, except as is herein otherwise provided.

* ARTICLE XV.

SECTION 1. Any person holding office under the laws of this State, who, except in payment of his legal salary, fees or perquisites, shall receive or consent to receive. directly or indirectly, any thing of value or of personal advantage, or the promise thereof, for performing or omitting to perform any official act, or with the express or implied understanding that his official action or omis sion to act is to be in any degree influenced thereby, shall be deemed guilty of a felony. This section shall not affect the validity of any existing statute in relation to the offense of bribery.

SEC. 2. Any person who shall offer or promise a bribe to an officer, if it shall be received, shall be deemed guilty of a felony and liable to punishment, except as herein provided. No person offering a bribe shall, upon any prosecution of the officer for receiving such bribe, be privileged from testifying in relation thereto, and he shall not be liable to civil or criminal prosecution therefor, if he shall testify to the giving or offering of such bribe. Any person who shall offer or promise a bribe, if it be rejected by the officer to whom it is tendered, shall be deemed guilty of an attempt to bribe, which is hereby declared to be a felony.

SEC. 3. Any person charged with receiving a bribe, or with offering or promising a bribe, shall be permitted to testify in his own behalf in any civil or criminal pros ecution therefor.

Article 15, added by vote of the people, Nov. 3, 1874.