As here presented and authenticated by the certificate of the Secretary of State, after a continued correction of proof copies until every deviation from the original Constitution, however small, was completely removed, may with confidence be used as a true copy. The necessity for a close and continued attention to the execution of a copy of this important instrument, became manifest by the use of a printed copy (considered as correct) to print from, which, on being compared with the original, was found to contain several errors in the words, and sixty-five in the punctuation. This circumstance led to a further comparison of copies, in several editions of the laws, printed by different individuals, and it was found, that one edition contained 204 and another 176 errors in the punctuation of the Constitution! Many of these are material in the construction of the sentences in which they occur.
It was also discovered, that, in the original manuscript, capital letters were used at the beginning of substantives, or nouns, as is understood to have been the practice generally in writing and printing at the time the Constitution was written. These appear to have been altogether disregarded in the editions above referred to, except in words at the beginning of sentences.
As the construction of important clauses may, sometimes, turn upon the punctuation, or the nature of a word, it is important that