The Sun.
London, England, 1808-08-30 00:00:00

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SP AM

The friends ofliberty. and the aainters .of trite_
:484;oititsweteWelThTt7).;16e:3? '''a6st-g*,--sWill naturally
.
: •WO an interesteineVery_thing-that relates to Splie at
this moment and as the- Assembly of the Cortei
; ;, • • .
seems to be a matter of paramount -importance and
13°p-tat:oily atii‘Orig ThitPeniards, it may ,riot be con-t•
-sidered at irrelevatzt,:tio-enter: a' little into the con,ti-
tution of a-Senate,einwhickat nation, jealous aboVe
ail others of its rights, thentAlit it expedie:ll to lf;dge:
sacred depositof its; freedom; and for this
purpose it will be convenient to Confine our-
,,selvei to' that 'of Arragone and its legislatit e catya--
city,:the.anest exalted of.ell, and from which the
others modelled their own. The form of Govern.
merit was Monarchital, but the genius and maxims
of it were.purely !Rpt.)blicarre -The Kings, who.
were longeelettivee retained only the shadow of
power; the real exercise.of it was in the Cortes, or
Parliathent of the kingdotn. This SUpteme Assern-
bly was 'composed --of four different arins or menu
. bers.::-..7th Nobility. of the firsttank ; 'the &ies,'
Irian Order, or Nobility of the
..second class ; the
:Representatives of the Cities and To,wns, whose-
rightici a place in the Cones, if we May give credit
to the Historians of Arragon; was coeval with the
;Constitution; aoclof the Ecclesiastical Order, com 7
;posed of the Dignitaries of the Church, together
withithe Representatives' of the interior Clergye
No law could pass in This Assembly without the as-
sent of every single, member who had a right to vote.
—Without the permission of the Cortes, no taxes
;could be' impo,ed, no War "could be declared, no
peace cauld.be conclutrecl, no Money could be'coin-
ed, nor could any. alteration .be;made in the current
specie. _ 7flie power of reviewing the proceedings of
: all inferior CoUrtV,"the privilege of itipeaing every
department Of administration, and-tlie right of re-
j, dressing all grievances, belonged .to the Cortes.-e-
- Nor did those who conceived themselves to be ag-
grieved, address the Cortes in the- Ininitile tone of
supplicants; and petition 'for redress-4they demand
ed it as the birth-right of freedom,' and required the:
guardians of their libetty.to decide with respect to
thepoints'.Which they laid before them. This SoL.
vereieii Court Was 'field; &ring several centuries;
every year; but, in exisequence:of a regulation. in-
traduced about the beg:nning of the 14:h -century, it
was coriVoked froth that period only once in two.
years. -After it was assembled, the 'King had ner
Fight. to prorogneater. dissolve, it without its own con-
kept • and tee.seseican,Ceutinued forty days.. Not
satisfied with' having erected such fortnidable bar-
tlie•eilli-mci'illitents of • the royal prero-
utive; nor walk% t tommit the sole guaraianship
' of, their liberties entirely to the vigilance and au-.
thority of an Assembly, similar to the Diet,- 'States
t and Parliaments., its which the other,fsu-
i dal -nations have placed so- much confidense, -the
S'aniarefs had. recourse" to an iilsVietibti peculiarp
to theinSelves, andaele6ted•a SunretneP.
Judge.. i'ltiy, Niagis.t tato, 'Whose office., bare; some
resemblance to that of theEphori, ut ancient Sparta;
aeltel-d", the. VreteClor of the Peciple?, and Ore
enntptroller of the Prinee: The person Of the JOS-
-0,43 was Prover and .j.t.iiisdicalou almost
unbounded. He. was..tilie Supreme Interpreter of the
laws. Not only it-Vet-18r judgeee but the King't
themselves were bound to consult hith in every.
.titaulatfulease,. and-to receivb his respoiles.
pheit .deference. An appeal lay .-to him 'from the
Royal .ludges, as well as, from tiros( appointcd by
1116 Barb;'ee within their respetiive territorica..e--
::Eveti-vvhereno appeal was made .to',-41161,-:, coultt
interpose by his own autihorityt, prohibit the oidia
nary Judge to proecea, take immediate cegnizanee
of the cause himself,. and 'remove the party accused
to the Manifestation, or Prison cif Sraie, to vt7hicli-no
person_ had aecees but„by his permission..,liis.pOwer
was exerted with no , less vigour and eti,irt.in super-
intending the administration of Obi'erittitent, than
in -reenlating the course of justice. e It'Wes the pre-
rogative of the.- to inspect the conduef of
the King. He had, a title to*review the Royal Pro-
Clantatiots atid.Patents, and to deelare whether ee
not they were- agreeable to law; and- ought- to-be
carried into executiciu. Hee.layebis sole aothority,
could exclude any of. the King's, Ministers front thin
concha of alrairs, and call then) to answer fOr their
tnal-admitiist'ratiOn.' He him's& 'ivas accountable
'to the Cortes' only, for theluannerliti Which he dii:-
,c.haygeizi' the dtitie of.tins office, any perform-
ed luttaions of the greatest importance that could
be contain tad to a Subjeti:" The.' gfiaiiiiiard; seem to
have 'been solicitous- that • `their --Ivlbuarchs should
know and. feel,the state of impotence. to which they
were reduced. Even in swearing allegiance to their
SoVereign,"an •A 6-1 which ougliraetually to he acebtn-
Panid with professions of
,sobrnisSion and resi)ect,
they devised an oathe-in such a form, 'as. to remind
him` of Ills dependence upon his, subjects: "'fie ,"
gaicrthe Justiza to'tbe Kong, in the name of' thAt
high-Spirited natieltie" e, who are -each of us, is
goodi-aild n-ho are altogether more powerful, than
yon, premise -obedience to your Governinenteif y3u
maintain our rights and liberties ; but if not—
not Conlorniable to this oatli, tl)ey established
it as a fundarrienkalArticle in-their:Constitutionethat
if the King should violatet heir tights and privileges,
it was lawiol tor the people to disclaim him as their
'Sovereign, and to elect another; even though a hea-
then:in his place.

Yesterday two men of-'decent appearance, having
bad a dispute at a gambling -house in St. James's,
they walked deliberarely into the street;where thq,
'with the utmost sang frdid, and Without seconds,
commenced an attack' npow each- &Mei, with their"
fists. They fought'with the greatest-obstinacy -abd
'spirie'for upwards ola-quaiter`of 'anill'otir. A Gen- •
demon %am happened to join in the .crowd 'that
gathered round theta, then humanely ititerfered.,:•and
with the utmost prevailed. Oil 'them-to ad=
journ the contest till a future.day; as both patties
were most tlesp:-rately hin't.byfalling on the stones.
The inhaAi'tants of Ilichrnoail liav petitioned the
Loan IViaYbx, as C6nSerViittir of the Tbarrit-s, to
prevent' fiiißli-trien frdrn dragging u ith nets, in fo-
tore, above Ifidininia Bridge. The object they
in view is in pr` serve tire small fish for the anglers,
who are indmed .t.O visit Richmond in 'great num-
bers, t. tale go,!d bi.)oet attends heir favonrite amuse-:
• rre+it.- • . -