The National Register. — London, England, 1815-04-30 00:00:00

NATIONAL REGIS' APRIL 30. 16. In criminal or correctional matters Peers are judged by their Chamber, according to pre&eribed forms. 17. The office of peer and representative is compatible with all o ther public functions, except those of matters of account (compta. tiles); prerects and. sub-prefects are, however, ineligible. _ _ 18. The Etuneror sends to the Chambers Ministers and Counsel lors of State, ho sit there and take part in the debates, but have no deliberative v•dee unless they are peers or elected by the people. 19. The Ministers thus Members of either Chamber, or sitting there by inksion !ion' Government, give to the Chambers such infor• !nation as is deemed necessary, when its publicity does not compro mise the interest of the State. en. The sittings of the two Chambers are pnlilie. They may, however. go into secret committee, the Peers on the demand of ten, and the representatives on the demand of twenty-five members. Go vernment may 1112.0 require secret committees %%lien it has communi cations to make. In all cases deliberation and vote can only be in public sitting. 21. The Emperor may prorogne, adjourn, and dissolve the Cham ber of Repruseutatives. Tile Proclamation which pronounces the dissolution convokes the Electoral Colleges for a new election; and fixes • the meeting of representatives within six months at the farthest. Undue the recess of sessions of the Chambers of Representa tives, or in tube of its dissolution, the Chamber of Peers cannot meet. 23. Gnv. i ement has the proposal of laws; the Chambers can pro pose amendments; if these amendments are not adopted by Govern meat, the Chambers are boand to vote on the law such as it was pro poses). 24. The Chambers have the power of inviting Government to propose a law on a determinate object, and to draw np what it ap pears to them proper to insert in the law. This claim may be made by either Chamber. 23. When a Bill is.adopted in either Chamber, it is carried to the other; and if there approved, it is carried to the Emperor. 26. No written discourse, excepting reports of Committees, of Ministers on Jaws, and aceounts, can be read in either Chamber. TITLE IL-011? ELBCBORAL COLLEGES AND THE Norm OF ELECTION. 27. The Electoral Colleges of Department and Arrondissement are maintained, • With the following modifications : 28. The Cantonal Assembhe• will yearly fill up by elections all the vacancies in electoral rolle:4es. 19. Dating from 1314, a 'lumber of the Chamber of Peers ap pointed by tbe, Emperor shall he President for life, and irremovable of every Electoral College of Department. SO. Dating from the same period, the Electoral College of every Department shall appoint, among the Members of each college of arrondissement, the presidents and two vice-presidents. For that purpose, the meeting of the departmental colleges shall precede by a fortnight that of the college of arrondissement. 31. The colleges of department and arrondissement shall appoint the number of representatives fixed for each in the table adjoined. 32. The representatives may be chosen indiscriminately from the whole extent of France. Every college of department or arrondisse ment which shall choose a member out of its bounds, shall appoint a supplementary member, who must be taken from the department or arrondissement. 33. Manufacturing and commercial industry and property, shall have special representatives. The election of commercial and manufacturing representatives shall be made by the electoral col leze of department, from a list of persons eligible, drawn up by the Clambers of Commerce, and the Consultative Chambers united. TITLE IV.-OF MINISTERS, A' OF• RESPONSIBILITY. SII. All tho acts of Government must be countersigned - by a Minister in office. 39. The Ministers are responsible for acts of Government signed by them, as well as for the execution of the laws. 40. They may be accused by the Chamber of Representatives, and are tried by that of Peels: 41. Every Minister, every Commandant of armed force, by land or sea, may be accused by the Chamber of Representatives, and tried by that of I'eers, for having compromised the safety or honour of the nation. 41. The Chamber of Peers, in that case, exercises a discretional power either in classing the offence or mitigating the punishment. 43. Before placing a Minister in accusation, the Chamber of Representives must d eclare that there is ground for examining the charge. 44. This delaration can only be made on the report of the Com mittee of 60, drawn by lot. This Committee must make its report in 10 days or sooner after its nomsnation. 45. When the Chamber declares there is ground for enquiry, it may call the Minister 'before them to demand explanations, at least within 10 days after the report of the Committee. 46. In no other case can Ministers in office he summoned or or dered by the Chambers. .. 4t. When the Chamber of Representatives has deelated that there is ground for inquiry against a minister, a new committee of t 0 drawn by lot is formed, who are to make a new report on the plac ing in accusation. This committee makes its report lo days after its appointment. 48. The placing in accusation is not to take place till 10 days after the report is read ,and di•triboted. 49. The accusation being pronounced, the Chamber appoints five of its members to prosecute the charge before the Peers. 50. The 75th4rt. of the constitutional acts of the I.td Frimaire, (year 8.) importing that the agents of government can only be pro secuted in virtue of a decision of the Council of State, shall be me dified by a law. TITLE V.—OF TICE JUDICIAL POWER. 51. The Emperor appoints all judges. They are irremovable and for life, from the moment of their appointment ; but the nomi nation of Justices of Peace, and Judges of Commerce, shall tate place as formerly. The existing Judges, appointed by the Emperor in terms of the Senatus Consultum of the 12th Oct. 1807, and whom he shall think proper to retain, shall receive provisions fur life before the Ist of January next. 52. The institution of juries is maintained. 53. The discussions on criminal trials shall be public. 54. Military offences alone shall be tried by military tribunals. 55. All other offences, even those committed by military men, are within the jurisdiction of civil tribunals. 56. All the crimes and offences which were appropriated foe trial to the high Imperial Court, and of which this act does not re serve the trial to the Chamber of Peers, shall be brought before the ordinary tribunals. 57. The Emperor has the right of pardon, even in correctional cases, anti of granting amnesties. 58. Interpretations of laws demanded by the Court of Cassation shall he given in the form of a law. TITLE VI.-RIGHTS OF CITIZENS. 59. Frenchmen are equal in the eye of the law, whether for con tribution to taxes and public burthens, or for admission to civil and taro employments. 60. No one, under any pretext, can be withdrawn from the judges assigned to him by law. 61.. No one cast be prosecuted, arrested, detained, or exiled, but in eases provided for by law, and according to the prescribed forms. 6t. Liberty of worship is guaranteed to all. 63. All property possessed or acquired in virtue of the laws, and all debts of the state, are inviolable. 64. Every citizen has a right to print and publish his thoughts, on signing them, without any previous censorship, liable at the same time, after publication, to legal responsibility by trial by jury even where there is ground only for the application of a corrte: tional penalty. 65. The right of petitioning is secured to all the citizens. Every petition is individual. Petitions may be addressed either to Go vernment or to the two Chambers ; nevertheless, even the latter must also be entitled "To the Emperor." They shall be pre sented to the Chambers under the guarantee of a member who re commends the petition. They are publicly read ; and if the Chain berg take them into conaidetatiou p they arc laid beture the Einperue by the Pi t:iiitnt. TITLE 111.-OF TAXATION. 54, The general direct tax, whether on land or moveables, is voted only for one year : indirect taxes may be voted for several years. In ease of the dissolution of the Chamber of Representatives, the taxes voted he the preceding session are continued till the next meeting of the Chamber. 55. No tax, direct or indirect, m money or kind, can be levied, no loan contracted, no inscription in the book of the public debt can be made, no domain alienated or sold, no levy of men ordered, no portion of territory exchanged, but in virtue of a law. S 6. No proposition of tax, loan, or levy of men, can be made but to the Chamber of Representives. 37. Before the same Chamber must be laid in the first instance, I. Time General Budget of the State, contaloing a view of the receipts, and the proposal of the funds assigned for the year, to each department of service: accounts of the receipts and menses ear or of preceding years. #aamt