HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



213 



keep alive public spirit, apt to 

 dwindle away, individuals being 

 in a state of isolation. The Cortes 

 was a focus lliat would collect, re- 

 tain, and send forth the rays of 

 patriotism, not confined to any 

 particular measure or plan, but 

 ready to vary expedients and mea- 

 sures according to exigencies and 

 j)ublic opinion and spirit. The 

 Cortes would shew what this spirit 

 really was; the progress of know- 

 ledge, the extent of the under- 

 standing, and views of the Spanish 

 nation, and what measure of wis- 

 dom and energy it possessed. This 

 nation, disengaged now from all 

 former prejudices and trammels, 

 possessed an original and native 

 vigour ; a superabundance of life 

 which would hold on its course, 

 after many deep wounds and cruel 

 amputations.* 



The form of electing the depu- 

 ties of the Cortes was as follows : 

 Each parish was at a general 

 meeting to nominate one elector, 

 to be placed at the head of his 

 division. The electors so chosen 

 in the parishes, were to assemble 

 in the principal town or city of 

 the province, to choose a deputy 

 for the general Cortes : and the 

 electors were to be treble the 

 immber of the deputies appointed 

 for the province. Such deputies 

 were to be chosen for the extra- 

 ordinary Cortes by the majority of 

 votes. Each province was to sup- 

 plyone deputy to represent 50,000 

 of ti)c population, to be regulated 

 according to the last census, which 

 was that of 1797. The provinces, 



with their respective proportionsof 

 deputies were enumerated. They 

 were in all 32, and the total of such 

 deputies was 208. Sixty-eightsup- 

 plenientary deputies were to be 

 chosen, to act in the event of the 

 death of the former. Each of the 

 provincial Juntas was to appoint a 

 deputy to the general Cortes, cither 

 from their own body or otherwise. 

 The cities which sent deputies to 

 the Cortes in 1789 f were each 

 of them to supply deputies on the 

 present occasion. All the elec- 

 tions were to be conducted pub- 

 licl}', and the members were to be 

 assembled at Cadiz, in the Isle of 

 Leon, on the first of March in the 

 present year. None were to be 

 admitted to the duty stated who 

 were under criminal process, who 

 were debtors to the state, who 

 were incompetent from corporeal 

 infirmity, or who were not natives. 

 And no one could be admitted to 

 the situation of elector who was 

 not born in the province for which 

 he was appointed. 



The form of election, or the 

 constitution of the Cortes, appears 

 to have been conceived with due 

 regard both to population and pro- 

 perty ; of which if either greatly 

 preponderate, a state is in danger 

 of tailing either into an aristocracy 

 or a democracy. 



The election of deputies for the 

 Cortes took place even in the pro- 

 vinces occupied by the French ; 

 and this is one of the most re- 

 markable events, and the most 

 characteristic of the public spirit 

 of Spain, that had happened dur- 



* Letters published in the Courier newspaper about the beginning of January, 

 1810, by Mr. T. Coleridge. 



t The Cortes assembled at the beginning of the roign of Charles IV. as they 

 had done also at that of Charles II. and at the ])eriod of the accession of the 

 Bourbons, and on a few otlier occasions. But since the time of Philip II, their 

 sittings have been little more than a matter of mere form, 



