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ART. 325. There shall be in every province a deputation, styled provincial, for the purpose of promoting its prosperity, and presided in by the superior chief or governor.

ART. 326. This deputation shall be composed of the President, the Intendant, and seven individuals, elected in the mode which shall be pointed out; the Cortes, may at a future period vary this number as they think proper, or as circumstances may require, after the said division of the provinces mentioned in the 11th article.

ART. 327. Half of the provincial deputation shall be renewed every two years; on the first change, the majority retiring, and on the second, the lesser number, and so on successively.

ART. 328. The election of these individuals shall be made by the district electors, on the day following that of appointing deputies to the Cortes, in the same order as the latter are nominated.

ART. 329. At the same time, and in the same manner, three deputies of reserve shall be elected for every deputation.

ART. 330. To be qualified as member of the provincial deputation, it is necessary to be a citizen, in the exercise of his rights, 25 years of age, native or inhabitant of the province, with a residence of at least seven years therein; and to possess a competent income, to appear with decency; no public officers nominated by the King are eligible, as mentioned in the 318th article.

ART. 331. Four years, at least, must elapse after the cessation of his duties, before the same person can be elected a second time.

ART. 332. Whenever the superior chief, or governor, of a province, shall not be able to preside in the deputation, the intendant shall take his place, and in his absence the senior member shall preside.

ART. 333. The deputation shall appoint a secretary, to be paid from the public funds of the province.

ART. 334. The deputation shall keep sessions 90 days at most in every year, at such periods as may be most convenient. The deputations shall assemble in the Peninsula, on the first of March, and be yond sea on the first of June.

ART. 335. It will be the duty of these deputation,

In the first place, To examine and approve the division, made among the people, of the taxes required from the province.

Secondly, To take care of the proper application of the public funds

of the towns, to examine their accounts, for the purpose, with their favourable report, of receiving the approbation of the superior authority, taking care to observe in every particular, the laws and regulations.

Thirdly, To take care that ayuntamientos are established in proper places, conformable to the 310th article.

Fourthly, If new works of general utility to the province, or repairs

of ancient ones, should be required, to propose to the govern ment the duties of excise that they may think most proper to carry them into execution, for the purpose of obtaining the corresponding sanction of the Cortes.

For the collection of these duties of excise, the deputation, at its own responsibility, shall nominate a trustee, and the accounts of their application, examined by the same, shall be forwarded to the government for inspection, and finally to the Cortes for approval.

Fifthly, To promote the education of youth, conformable to approved plans, to encourage agriculture, industry and trade, and to protect new inventions, in any of these branches. Sixthly, To inform government of any abuses, they may observe in the administration of the public revenue.

In the Seventh plaee, To take the census and statistic account of the provinces.

In the Eighth, To take care that pious and charitable establishments obtain their respective objects, submitting to Government the rules that they may think useful, to correct the abuses they may observe.

In the Ninth place, To acquaint the Cortes of the infringements of the constitution which they may observe in the province. In the Tenth, The deputations of the provinces beyond sea, will vigilantly observe the management, order, and progress of the missions, for the conversion of Indian infidels, whose ministers will give them an account of their proceeding therein, for the purpose of avoiding abuses, all which the deputa tions will submit to Government.

ART. 336. If any deputation shall abuse the powers it possesses, the king may suspend the members thereof, acquainting the Cortes with the measure, and the ground thereof, for such resolutions as they may think proper. During the suspension of the members, the deputies of reserve shall supply their places.

ART. 337. All members of the ayuntamientos, and provincial de putations, on entering into office, shall take an oath, the former before the chief of police, where there is one, or in default of him, before the senior magistrate; the latter before the superior chief or governor of the province, to protect the political constitution of the Spanish monarchy, observe the laws, be faithful to the king, and religiously fulfil their bounden duties.

DIVISION VII.

On the Taxes.

ART. 338. The Cortes shall annually establish or approve the public contribution, direct or indirect, general, provincial, or municipal; the ancient ones continuing to be effective until their abolition, or the enactment of others,

ART. 339. The taxes shall be equally divided among all Spaniards, in proportion to their means, without exception or privilege whatever. ART. 340. The taxes shall be proportioued to the public expences, decreed by the Cortes in all branches.

ART. 341. To enable the Cortes to fix the expences of every branch of the public service, and the revenue, to meet the estimate thereof, as soon as they are assembled, the minister of finance shall present a general schedule of the same, collecting from each secretary of State, a summary of his demand for his respective department. ART. 342. The same minister of finance shall present-with the schedule of the expences, the plan of the taxes necessary to cover the charge thereof.

ART. 343. If any peculiar tax should, in the opinion of the king, appear grievous, and injurious, he shall acquaint the Cortes with the same, by the minister of finance, at the same time suggesting whatever he may deem more convenient to substitute.

ART. 344. The quota of the direct revenue being fixed, the Cortes shall divide it among the provinces, to each according to its wealth, for which purpose the minister of finance shall also present the necessary schedules.

ART. 345. A national treasury shall be established for the management of all description of revenue, appropriated to the public service.

ART. 346. A treasury shall also be established in each province, for the receipt of all funds destined for the public exchequer. These provincials shall correspond with the national treasury, and hold, at the disposal of the latter, the whole of their receipts.

ART, 347. No acquittance shall be admitted in account to the national treasury, unless by order of the king, and countersigned by the minister of finance, in which is expressed the nature of the charge to which it is destined, and the decree of the Cortes authorising the

same.

ART. 348. For the purpose of the national treasury's accounts being conducted in a pure and honourable manner, the charge thereon, and the date thereof, should be signed respectively by the tellers of the exchequer, and commissioners of the Public Revenue.

ART. 349. Particular directions shall govern these offices, so that they may fulfil the objects for which they are instituted.

ART. 350. For the examination of all accounts of the public funds, there shall be a superior court of auditor of accounts, which shall be organized by a special law.

ART. 351. The account of the national treasury, which shall include the annual return of the revenue, and its application, as soon

as it may receive the approbation of the Cortes, shall be printed, published, and circulated, among the provisional deputations, and the ayuutamientos.

ART. 352. In the same manner shall be printed, published, and circulated, the accounts rendered by the Secretaries of State, of the expences of their respective departments.

ART. 353. The management of the public revenue shall always be independent of all other authority than that to which it is entrusted.

ART. 354 There shall be no custom-houses, except in the sea-ports, and on the frontiers, but this shall not be carried into effect until the Cortes so determine.

ART. 355. The public debt shall receive the peculiar attention of the Cortes, who will make the greatest exertions for its progressive extinction, and always pay the interest accruing thereon, to those who are entitled to it, regulating whatever may relate to the management of this important branch, both with respect to the duties of excise, which may be established for this purpose, which shall positively be kept independent of the general treasury, and also for establishing separate offices, to keep those accounts.

DIVISION VIII.

On the National Military Force.

CHAP. 1.On the Troops of the Line.

ART. 356. There shall be a permanent national force, by sea and land, for the external defence of the state, and the preservation of internal order.

ART. 357. The Cortes shall annually fix the number of troops necessary, according to circumstances, and the most convenient madner of raising them.

ART. 358. The Cortes shall also annually determine the number of vessels of war to be kept in service.

ART. 359. The Cortes shall also determine, by the respective naval and military codes, whatever relates to the discipline, promotion, pay, and all other matter for the good government of the

navy.

and

army ART. 360. Schools shall be established for military education and instruction in the use of the different arms of the army and navy. ART. 361. No Spaniard can be exempt from military service when ever he is regularly called on by law.

CHAP. II.-On the National Militia.

ART. 362 There shall be formed corps of national militia in eacli province, consisting of the inhabitants of the same, in proportion to its population and circumstances.

ART. 363. A particular regulation (ordinanza) will organize its numbers and special government in all branches.

ART. 364. The service of the militia shall not be permanent, and shall be called for only when circumstances make it necessary.

ART. 365. The king, on any necessary occasion, may dispose of this force within its respective province, but cannot employ it out of its limits, without the authority of the Cortes.

DIVISION IX.

On the Public Education.

ART. 366. Preparatory schools shall be established in all the towns of the monarchy, in which children shall be taught to read, write, cast accounts, and the catechism of the Roman Catholic religion, which shall also contain a brief explanation of their civil duties.

ART. 367. There shall also be founded and regulated an adequate. number of universities, and other establishments of education that may be thought proper for teaching the sciences, literature, and the fine arts.

ART. 368. The general plan of education shall be uniformly the same in the whole kingdom, all universities and literary establishments, where the ecclesiastical and political sciences are taught, being bound to explain the political constitution of the Spanish mo narchy.

ART. 369. There shall be a board of superintendance of education, composed of persons of known intelligence, to whom shall be committed, under the authority of government, the inspection of the public education.

ART. 370. The Cortes shall regulate, by special statutes, whatever may relate to the important object of the public education.

ART. 371. All Spaniards have liberty to write, print, and publish their political ideas, without any necessity for a licence, examination, or approbation, previous to publication, subject to the restrictions and responsibility established by law.

Vol. III. No 6.

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