The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-01-28 00:00:00

IitrIZSALAItIi

The siuittp of the Swiss Codsulta are drawing to
a 'close. The felkeeing intelligence has been receiy
ed from Bess* and Zurich. •
The letters from Berne are dated the 13th inst.
they state—" The Courier from Paris who arrived
yesterday, brought us the constitution of our Can-
ton decreed by the Deputies, and approved of by
the Flirt Cotrsm.. The canton is divided into dis-
tricts, and the districts into tribes. The citizens of
the canton, enjoying a fortune of 1000 f. have alone
the right of voting. Each tribe names an elector
out of fifty citizens. The union of those electors
from the electoral body of the canton, which names
the grand council, composed of two hundred and
ninety-nine members. It is to that council that the
legislative power is confided. It appoints to all
places. Twenty-seven of its members form the
petty council, from which are to be taken two
avoyers, a treasurer, and a chancellor, who form,
with the.two oldest and the two youngest counsel-
lors, the executive committee. The grand coun-
cil appoints from among its members those who are
to form a tribunal of civil appeal, and a criminal
tribunal.
" The same letters announce, that the cantonal
organisation of Basle, Fribourg, Lucerne, and
Soleure, are also completed ; and that they resem-
ble those of Zurich and Berne. The most remark-
able difference between the old and new constitu-
tion of the cantons formerly aristocratical, is the
political equality between all the citizens who com-
pose them, the application of which is to be found
chiefly in the composition of the electoral bodies.
"'1 he provision by which the exercise of the ad-
ministrative and that of the judicial power, are
confided to the same bddy, has excited many re-
monstrances. It is supposed the proivsions will be
changed.
" We learn further, that the establishment of a
general Helvetic Diet, to assemble once a-year,
and to consiq of one deputy from each canton, is
agreed upon. To establish a certain equality among
the different cantons, the 'deputies of the greater
cantons arc so have different yokes in proportion,
respectively, to their population. The meetings
of the General Diet will be in turns, at Zurich,
Berne, Basle, Sokure Friburgh, and Lucerne.—
' 'll% deputy for the place at which the Diet meets,
will he President for the time being."

The following.is at present the military position
of the French in Switzerland :—General Ney, Com-
mander in Chief and French Minister, with 2000
men in the city of Berne, 1000 more in its depen-
dencies ; General Serras, with woo men in the
Canton of Lucerne; General BOrneau, with 4000
men in the Canton of Zurich, 4000 more in the
Pars de Vaud, and '2OOO nr the North of Switzer-
land; single battalions occupy Basle, Friburgh, and
Sol,,are ; and the Helvetic troops are under the di-
rec;ion of the French, and chiefly employed in levy-
ing contributions.
Numberless applications for legal passports are
made every day to Citizen Morin, Minister for
foreign relations at Berne. Amongst others were
preferred, on the 13th of this month, applications
from four families of the Pays de Vaud, who are
leaving their country for America. In the number
were heads of families of both sexes, of the age of
sixty.

Already have the common frauds of the season
began to he practised; yesterday Salisbury-square,
and all the streets in the neighbourhood, were
stunned by the cry of " Remember the poor Garden-
ers, Remember the poor Gardeners !" from the
mouths of a set of fellows, with dark blue baize
aprons, and carrying a decayed cabbage on a pole ;
though, perhaps, the men so grouped, never handled
a spade in their lives.
General JOURDAN is accused of not holding the
same language in his private conversations respect-
ing the FIRST CO inn., that he makes use of in his
Proclamations, or in Dispatches to Government. It
i 9 asserted that, when speaking of BONAPARTE
publicly, he once said, " This little man seems to
forget he owes us every thing ; but when the day
comes that we chose to blow upon him, he ceases
to be any thing." On another occasion, being
asked why, being BONAPARTE'S senior, he did not get
himself appointed Consnl ? " Because," replied he,
" I do not love tyrants, and therefore did not choose
to be one ; I opposed the Revolution of the 18th
Brumaire ; and, if afterwards I accepted of an em-
ployment under a Government which I did not ap-
prove, it is because that Government reduced me to
the alternative either of uniting myself with its ex-
istence, or of being overwhelmed by its power."
Accounts from Verona state, that the present King
of Sardinia lives very privately at his seat at Viter-
bo, in the Papal territories, Bonaparte having posi-
tively objected to his residence at Rome. He of-
fered indeed to this Prince a sum of six millions of
livres, and a perpetual annual allowance of three
millions,more to the House of Sardinia, on condi-
tion of his Majesty's renouncing, for himself and
his heirs, his Piedmontese territories. This Prince,
however, has wholly declined this offer • and is re-
solved patiently to wait the decision of his affairs.

We learn from Zurich, that the French Comman-
der in Chief has offered to rile ise the famous
At ovs REDING, on condition of his going to Paris
to assist in the deliberations of the Consulta. RED-
ING answered, that he had been at Paris a twelve- ,
month before for the same purpose ; and that having
no plans to offer different from what he then pre-
sented, he preferred his confinement at Arburg to a
tedious and fruitless journey to the French capital.
Lady Anne Clifford, who lately died at Altona,
was prayed for in all the Roman Chapels in the me-
tropolis on Sunday. The Cliffords are a very anti-
ent and very honourable family. We know not
whether the late lady was of the same house with
her namesake, who was called the " Queen of the
North," and who died in 1676. This last mention-
ed Lady Anne Clifford was daughter of the Earl of
Cumberland, Owl married first the Earl of Dorset,
and then the Earl of Pembroke. She was worthy of
the title of " Queen of the North," for she acquired it
by her public spirit and benevolence. She foundel
two hosplals, built or repaired seven churches, and six
castles. Pendragon, in Westmoreland, still retains a
magnificence suitable to the dignity of its antient
inhabitant. She wrote the lite of her husband,
the Earl of Dorset.--She erected a monument in
the highway, where her mother and she took their•
last farewell, on which spot a sum et money was
annually given to the poor.