Star.
London, England, 1819-10-27 00:00:00

SOUTH AMERICAV CO2VSTITUTION'.

The Constitutional Act of the United Provinces on
the River la Plata, was proMulgated in the begin-
ning of May. This document, which is short and
precise, consists.of 138 Articles, which describe and
limit the Legislative, the Executive, and Judicial
Powers.

The Roman Catholic Religion is declared the Re-
ligion of the State. The Legislative Power is to be
exercised, as in the North American States, by a Na-
tional Congress composed of two Houses, that' of
Representatives and that of Senators. . The former is
composed of Delegates elected in the proportion of
one for every District containing 25,000 inhabitants:
(the population of the United Provinces, is about
1,300,000). The Deputy must be upwards of 26
years of age, must have been seven years a citizen
previous to his nomination, and must possess 4,000
dollars of property, or some equivalent, which is not
well defined in the Article.

The Representatives sit for four years, but a half
of the Chamber is renewed every two years. The
House of Deputies, like the British House of Com-
mons, originates all Money Bills, and has the special
right of impeaching Ministers and the High Officern
of State. The Senate is to consist of the same num-I
ber of Provincial Senators as there are Provinces; of
three Military Senators, of one Bishop, and three Ec-
clesiastics ; of a Representative of each University, and
of the Director whose period of government is ended.
This seems rather a singular arrangement. Why
have Military Senators? The appointment of the
Senators is for twelve years, and they must at their
nomination have attained the age of thirty, having
been nine years a citizen. This arrangement seems
well calculated to give stability to the system, and
appears intended to supply the want of an hereditary
Nobility. The mode of electing the Senators is too
complicated to admit of description in this short
sketch,. The Legislature is, to sit for about six
months in the year : they have freedom of speech, and
the other privileges of our Houses of Parliament.—
They have the power of citing the Ministers before
them, to obtain any requisite information. Any of
them may originate laws. • When theprojeets of law
have been agreed to by both Houses, they are to be
transmitted to the Director for his sanction, who
must return them in fifteen days, either with his ap-
probation or objections. If he approves, the bill
becomes a Law; if he states objections, these objec-
tions are considered ; but if two-thirds of the Mem-
bers of both Houses support the original Project, their
votes constitute a final sanction, without a second
application to the Director. The Supreme Director
is elected by the two Houses assembled. He is to be
Supreme Chief of all the land and sea forces. He is
to open the Sittings of the Legislature; he appoints
all the Officers of the public forie, Envoys, Consuls,
and others; he chooses and dismisses his Ministers,
who are responsible for their conduct while employed
under him ; all objects of Finance, Police, Public, Na-
tional, and Scientific Establishments:as well as all
those formed and supported by the funds of the State,
are confided to his supreme charge and inspection.—
He has the power of pardon, except in cases .of State
conviction. The supreme Judicial power of the State
is to reside in a Supreme Court, consisting of seven
Judges and two Recorders, nominated by the Di.
rector ; every one of whom must have been a regu-
lar Barrister eight years, and have attained the for-
tieth year of his age. This Court shall, exclusively,
take cognisance of all causes relating to Envoys and
Consuls from Foreign Nations, all causes in which a
Province may be a party, all those concerning Pub-
lic Functionaries, all those relating to crimes com-
mitted against the law of nations, &c. The Members
exercise their functions during good behaviour. The
Supreme Court, as well as the other Tribunals, is
open to the Public. It would be needless to quote
the " Declaration of Rights" which follows these and
other Enactments, as they must be pretty much the
same in every free Constitution. One would have
supposed that the old Major had been at the redac:
lion of the following Article:
" The Corporations and Magistrates invested with
the Legislative, Executive, or Judicial Powers, are
the Attornies of the Nation, and responsible to it in the
manner the Constitution prescribes." The Constitu-
tion is ordered to be sworn to in the whole territory
of the State, and no Functionary shall continue in
office without taking the oaths to observe and sustain
it. The names of the Deputies, who passed this
Charter, are appended to it. It is preceded, in the
present publication, by a Manifesto, " addressed, by
the United Provinces of South America, to all Na-
tions, respecting the treatment which they experienced
from the Spaniards, and which gave rise to the De.
claration of their Independence" in 1817 ; and fol-
lowed by another Manifesto, addressed to the United
Provinces on the proclamation of the present Consti-
tution, in the April of this year. The former has al-
ready been before the Public in a volume, containing
the Reports of the North American Commissioners
and from the hitter, though an interesting document,
we have left no room to quote any passage.

The Spanish Government have appointed Alge-
siras as a port of entry for all vessels from South
America, in lieu of Curdle, where no ships are allowed
ingress or egress.
Accounts from Panama state, that Col. RA ?reit,
and twelve of the Officers taken prisoners at Porto-
Bello, have been shpt there, by orders from the Vice-
roy of Sanla Fe.--Kingston Chropicle, September 3,