Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1814-06-09
Dutch Political Constitution.

p~;n~c of Orange Nassau Sovereign
pr;nce Of ME United Netherlands, sc.
ITO all TO whom these presents come,
greeting: -,
e Iovi,ed 70 the Sovereignty OF these
states, by your confidence and your at,
s.cbment, we from the first declared
mai we would undertake the same only
under the guarantee ola wise eonst,ts-
tiop, which might secure our freedom
against all possible abuses, and We nave
ever since continued to lcel the neeessi-
" thereof. r.
awe regard it, therefore. as one OF
the FIRST and most sacred ofour duties' 10
summon together some men OF eonsioe'
ration, & 10 charge them with the weigh
~ task of establishing fdnoainen'a'
code, buih upon your manners, your na,
bits, and corresponding 10 the wants Vi
the present time.
aThey chserfully took upon them
selves thu. Office, performee It with zeal
and have subasitied to Us the trui's oil
,beir uninterrupted labors.
.Airer a careful examination ct tins
vofk, We have given IT our appreciation
Pm, This does nc, sstisfy our heart IL
,ssnec,s The concerns OF the whOk Ne
,berlsnds. The whole Dutsh people
mus, be recognized in this important
~stk. That peopiesmust receive the
strongest possible assurance that tseir
dearest Interests are Sufficiently attended
20 therein; that religion as toe fountain
OF ali good, is thereby honored and main
taincd, and religious freedom disturbed
by nothing of temporal concerns, but
secured in the most ample manner
ms, the education Of youth, and the
spread of scientific knowledge, shall be
attended to by the government, and freed
from all those vexatious regulations
which oppres. the genius and subdne the
spirit that personal freedom shall no
longer be an empty name, and dependent
oil the caprices Of a suspicious and Graf
Nv police; tina. an impartial sdministra-
ton Of Justice, guided by fixed princi
ples, secure to every man bis property /;
that commerce, agriculture, and manu-
factures be no longer Distracted, but
have free course, like rich springs OF
public and private prosperity ; that,
therefore, no restraint be imposed on the
domestic economy of the higher and low
err classes Of the state, but that they be
confo-mable 20 the general laws ard the
general government that the move
ment. ofIhe general government be not
palsied by two great zeal oil local inter
e.,s /; but rather receive from 1t an ad-
ditionsi impulse /; that the general laws
BY means OF an harmonious corporation
+ of the two principal branches OF the go
yernnent, be founded on the true inte-
rests of the states that the finances, and
the aiming Of the people, the main pill
lars Of the body polite, be placed In that
central point. upon which the greatest
and most invaluable privilege OF every
fee people-thsir Independence, may
be firmly Fixed. Which Of you can
doub, of this truth, after the terrible ex-
pericnce you have had of foreign tyran-
nv, which acknowledged no right when
il wanted means for lis own maintenance
by violence, aker hasing sighed OF late
wears, under the most oppressive yoke
tina, ever was imposed since the Spanish
times.
Now at least you know the true va
lue of those precious rights for which
our fathers sacrificed their property and
blood; Of that happiness which they be-
Que Rhed To their descendants, and which
we saw lost through the adversely OF the
tia,es
Following, therefore, and deriving
encouragement from their example, 1t
becomes my duty in imitation @! those
whose name bear, and whose memory
honor, to restore that which IS lost II
10 your duty to support me therein with
al your efforts, that under the blessing
OF Divine Providence, who summons US
10 this task, VIC may leave our beloved
country completely reconquered and re-
established 10 our children.
:. In order TO be enabled TO Judge
whether the constitutional code tnus
framed, as before stated, be a means ct
attaining the above great object. we
have thought il right that the code De
submitted, for maturer consideration, to
numerous assembly Of persons, the
mos, considerable and best qualified a.
mons you.
We have for that purpose appoint
ed special commission. who are to
choose, out of a nuIperous list given IN
to 90, six hundred persons, in due pro-
portion to the population of each Of the
now existing departments.
Honored with your confidence, they
shall, on the 2s.h OF this month, assem-
BILE in the metropolis. OF Amsterdam. to
come 10 determination upon this
weighty business
They shall 10 like manner. with the
letter Of convocatIoB, receive the plan of