674 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



In ourlmperial Camp of Madrid, 

 December 4. 



Napoleon, emperor of the French, 

 &c. 



Considering that the religious of 

 the different monastic orders in 

 Spain are too multiplied : 



That if a certain number be use- 

 ful to assist the ministers of the al- 

 tar in tlve administration of the sa- 

 craments, the existence of too con- 

 siderable a number is injurious to 

 the prosperity of the state : 



We decree as follows: 



Art. 1. The number of convents 

 at present existing in Spain, shall 

 be reduced to a third. This reduc- 

 tion shall be produced by uniting 

 the religious of several convents in 

 one single house. 



2. Dating from the publication 

 of the present decree, no admission 

 to the noviciate, no religious profes- 

 sion shall be permitted, until the 

 number of the religious of each sex 

 shall have been reduced to the third 

 of the number of the said religious 

 now existing. 



In consequence, and in the space 

 of a fortnight, ail the novices shall 

 quit the convents into which they 

 have been admitted. 



3. All the regular ecclesiastics 

 who wish to renounce their usual 

 living, and to live as secular eccle- 

 siastics, shall be free to quit their 

 houses. 



4. The religious who shall so re- 

 nounce, conformably to the pre- 

 ceding article, shall be admitted to 

 the enjoyment of a pension, whose 

 amount shall be regulated by their 

 age, but which shall not be less 

 than 3,000 reals, nor exceed the 

 maximum of 4,000. 



5. Upon the amount of the pro- 

 perty of the convents which shall 



be suppressed in execution of fhe 

 first article of the present decree^ 

 shall be raised the sum necessary to 

 increase the portion of the cures, so 

 that the minimum of the salary of 

 the curates shall be raised to 2,400 

 reals. 



6. The property of the suppres- 

 sed convents which shall be dispose- 

 able after the raising of the sum or- 

 dered by the foregoing article, shall 

 be united to the domain of Spain, 

 and be employed as follows : 



1. The half of the said property 

 to guarantee the vales and other 

 parts of the public debt. 



2. The other half to reimburse 

 theprovinces and cities the expences 

 occasioned by the supplying of the 

 French armies, and the insurrec- 

 tional armies, and to indemnify the 

 cities and country for the damages, 

 losses of houses, and other losses 

 occasioned by the war. 



(Signed) Napoleon. 



In our Imperial Camp of Madrid, 

 December 4. 



Napoleon, emperor of the French, 

 &c. 



We have decreed and do decree 

 as follows : 



Art. 1. Dating from the publica- 

 tion of the present decree, the feu- 

 dal rights are abolished in Spain. 



2. All personal dues, all exclu- 

 sive rights of fishery, or other rights 

 of the same nature on the coasts, 

 rivers, and banks of rivers, all ban- 

 nalities of mills are suppressed. 



Each shall be permitted, by con- 

 forming to the laws, to give a free 

 impulse to his industry. 



(Signed) Napoleon. 



In 



