The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-10-17 00:00:00

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great astonishment, saw in floe year 181./, with the
reject of the Constitution of4Wirtemberg, the
Statute of the NAM, which, in the greater part
Vas dispositions, is ix direct contradiction with the
.
spirit and text of the Forle!Mtive Act, and which
contains principles the most unfavourable respect-
ing the relations of public right, and tite future
legal state of the mediatised States of the Empire.

" The Governinesit of Wirtemberg appears in
general to act with this view, that the dispositions of
the Federative Act either ought to remain sub-
ordinate to the royal project of the Conatitu►in.i.
or at least ought not to be in oiyositiou to this pro-
ject. This principle, however, would totally pars.
lyse the whole force of the constitutional acts.
which ewe their strength to public right and the
law of nations, and every German Government
might, according to its peculiar manlier of consi-
dering it, either execute or etude at its discretion,
the dispositions of the Federative Act.
"The Statute of the Nobility of Wirtemberg re-
straMs the military franchises to the exemption of
the ordinary 'laws ot recruiting, while the Federa-
tive. Act pronounces absolutely a freedom from
every military obligation.
"TheS'tatiete of Nobility pronountes that the me-
distised can only belong to one state in the quality
of citizens: the Federative Act declares that they
are the first Lords albs State to which they belong.
The Government of Wirtemherg, guided by this
principles is willing• to accord, by way of exception
and concessin, the right of nativity to the Prince
of Tour and Taxis, who hes in Wirtemberg posses-
sions so considerable of principality ritid lordships,
e►►d excludes him altogether front the right of
being a Member of Me States, because the !twee
of Taxis possesses lordships in several States of the
Germanic Empire.
" The-Federative Act pronounces that tl►e media.
tised States of the Empire form, w►th respect to
taxes, the most privileged class in the State ; the
Statute of the Nobility already clearly points out
corattitirtionsl restrictions on this point, and places
tlrem m►trely ou a footing with the rest of the
Nobility.
-

" The Federative Act grants to the mediatised
Houses the exercise of civil and criminal justice in
the first instance; and in the second instance, if
their possessions be sufficiently considerable, the
forest jurisdiction, the local police, the superin-
tendency of churches and schools, the benevolent
establiishmekto, taking herein, as the basis, the
Bavarian Ordinance of the 19th of March, 1807,
and declares, that the Lords may exercise these
prerogative* in the entire extent of their mediate
territory. The Palate, on the contrary, would
take away the jurisdiction sod local police, even in
the mediate territory, if the Crown should possess
therein either lands or serfs attached to the soil.
The Maggie moreover requires, for the exercise of
civil justice i►► the second instance, a Director and
at least six Counsellors, which would be sufficient
for a most populous district, end must cause
enormous expe►►se. It demands for exercising the
rights of patrimo►►ial justice, the districts of jus-
tice totally separated, wherein may be found any
subject of the King : while, according to the Fe-
derative Ac►, these rights extend, end ought to ex-
tend evidently, and without exception, over all the,
mediatised district.

" It results evidently from this exposit;:on that
the exercise of the rights belonging to the Pr;ncely
House of Taxis, in virtue of the Federative enii-
stitution, are on the part of the kingdom of Wir-
temberg, modified, limited, and restricted, in such
a manner as that the increase of them would be at-
tended with the greatest difficulties. this, this
House conceives it ought not to subscribe, as it
set:lll4es not an act of concession, or of Royal ge-
nerosity towards itself, hut the accomplishment of
conditions by which the possessions of his Serene
Highness have been submitted to the Royal autho-
rity, and at the same time, of constitutional rights,
which, according to the 14th article of the Fede-
rati►•e Act, ought to belong, without restriction or
arbitrary interpretation, to the House of Tour and
Taxis."