406 ANNUAl. REGISTER, 1814. 



authorized despotism ; although, 

 unfortunately, from time to time, 

 ats happens every where else, and 

 in every thing human, there may 

 have been abuses of power which 

 no possible Constitution can wholly 

 guard against; nor were they the 

 faults of the Constitution which 

 the nation had, \)ut of individuals, 

 and the effects of unpleasant but 

 very rare circumstances, which 

 gave occasion to them. However, 

 in order to avert them, as effec- 

 tually as hnman foresight will 

 allow, namely, by preserving the 

 honour of the royal dignity, and 

 its rights, since those appertaining 

 to it and to the people are equally 

 inviolable, I will treat with the 

 procurators of Spain and of the 

 Indies ; and order being restored, 

 together with the good usages 

 under which the nation has lived, 

 and which the Kings my prede- 

 cessors established with its con- 

 sent, every thing that relates to 

 the good of my kingdoms shall be 

 solidly and legitimately enacted, 

 in [Cortes legitimately assembled, 

 as soon as it may be possible to do 

 so, in order that my subjects may 

 live prosperous and happy, in one 

 religion, and under one govern- 

 ment, strictly united by indissoluble 

 ties. In this, and in this alone, 

 consists the tenipoial felicity of a 

 King and a kingdom, which eiijov 

 the title of Catholic, by way of 

 eminence; and immediately pre- 

 parations shall be made for what 

 may appear best towards the as- 

 seniblinij of such a Cortes ; in 

 which, I trust, the bases of the 

 prosperity of my subjects, in both 

 hemispheres, may be confirmed. 

 The liberty and security of persons 

 and property shall be firmly se- 

 cured bv means of laws, which 



guaranteeing public liberty and 

 order, shall leave to all that salu- 

 tary liberty whose undisturbed en- 

 joyment distinguishes a moderate 

 from an arbitrary and despotic go- 

 vernment, and in which the citi- 

 zens subject to the former ought to 

 live. This just liberty all likewise 

 shall enjoy, in order to communi- 

 cate through the press their ideas 

 and thoughts, within those limits, 

 however, which sound reason im- 

 periously prescribes to all, that it 

 may not degenerate into licentious- 

 ness ; for the respect which is due 

 to religion and the government, 

 and that which men mutually owe 

 towards each other, can under no 

 civilized government be reasonably 

 permitted to be violated and tramp- 

 led upon with impunity. 



All suspicion, likewise, of any 

 dissipation of the revenues of the 

 State shall cease; those which 

 are assigned for the expenses re- 

 quired by the honour of my royal 

 person and family, and that of the 

 nation whom 1 have the glory to 

 govern, being separated from the 

 reveiuies which, by the consent 

 of the kingdom, may be imposed 

 and assigned for the maintenance 

 of the State in all branches of the 

 administration. The laws, which 

 shall in future serve as a rule of 

 action to my subjects, shall also 

 be enacted in concert with the 

 Cortes, inasmuch as these bases 

 may serve as an authentic declara- 

 tion of my royal intentions in the 

 Government with which I am 

 about to be vested, and will re- 

 present to all neither a despot nor 

 a tyrant, but a King, and a father 

 of his subjects. 



Having in like manner heard 

 from the unanimous declaration 

 of persons respectable for their 



