STATE PAPERS. 



675 



In our Imperial Camp of Madrid, 

 December 4. 



Napoleon, emperor of the French, 

 &c. 



Considering that one of the esta- 

 blishments which are most injurious 

 to the prosperity of Spain is that 

 of the barriers existing between the 

 provinces : 



We have decreed and do decree 

 as follows : 



Art. 1. From the 1st of January 

 next, the barriers existing from 

 province to province shall be sup- 

 pressed. 



2. The custom-houses shall be 

 removed, and established on the 

 frontiers. 



(Signed) Napoleon. 



Napoleon, emperor of the French, 

 king of Italy, protector of the con- 

 federation of the Rhine, &c. 



Taking into our consideration, 

 that one of the greatest abuses 

 which havebeenintroduced into the 

 finances of Spain, arises from the 

 alienation of the different branches 

 of the imposts, and that neverthe- 

 less imposts are from their nature 

 inalienable. 



We have decreed, and do decree 

 as follows : 



From the publication of the pre- 

 sent decree, every individual who 

 shall be in possession, either by 

 grant from the king, or by sale, or 

 by any other means, of any portion 

 whatever of the civil or ecclesiasti- 

 cal imposts, shall cease to receive 

 them, and those from whom they 

 may be leviable, shall be answera- 

 ble for the payment of their res- 

 pective imposts to the agents of the 

 king or of the treasury. 



The pi'esent decree shall be pub- 

 lished and registered in all the 

 councils, courts, and tribunals, in 

 order to its being carried into exe- 

 cution as a law of the state. 



(Signed) Napoleon. 



H. B. Ma RET. 



Extract from the Mimttes of the 

 Office of Secretary of State. Im- 

 perial Camp at Madrid, December 

 12, 1808. 



We, Napoleon, emperor of the 

 French, king of Italy, and protec- 

 tor of the confederation of the 

 Rhine, have decreed, and do decree 

 as follows : 



Art. 1. All seignioral courts of 

 justice are abolished in Spain. 



2. There shall exist no other 

 jurisdiction than the royal courts of 

 justice. 



3. The present decree shall be 

 published and registered in all the 

 councils, courts, and tribunals, in 

 order that it may be executed as a 

 law of the state. 



(Signed) Napoleon. 



H. B. Maret. 



Proclamation of the Government of 

 Portugal, dated Wth December, 

 1808. 



The defence of the countrybeing 

 the first duty which honour, reason, 

 and even nature itself impose on 

 all men, when a barbarous nation, 

 despising the most sacred rights ac- 

 knowledged in the world, aims at 

 enslaving a country, plundering its 

 property, destroying its religion, 

 violatingitstemples.andcommitting 

 the greatest atrocities that the per- 



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