104] 
at the same time promising a full 
examination of the causes of com- 
plaint. This rescript was not cal- 
culated to afford satisfaction to a 
people whoconsidered their rights 
to have been invaded, and were 
determined to assert them, The 
magistrates of Stutgard on Sept. 
19th made a representation to the 
King, of the general disappoint- 
ment respecting the recognition of 
the ancient constitution, and of 
the illegality of the taxes imposed. 
“The people of Wurtemberg 
(they said) never can or will re- 
nounce the rights and liberties 
which it derives from its forefa- 
thers, in which it has felt itself 
happy for centuries, andthe main- 
tenance of which has been most 
solemnly sworn to by all the sove- 
reigns of W urtemberg, and by your 
Majesty yourselfon your accession 
to the government.’’—*« Even the 
removal of the chief grievances 
under which it groans, even an 
alleviation of the public burthens, 
enormous as they are, cannot be 
of any value in the eyes of the 
people, unless they result from 
the constitution, and not from the 
momentary favour of the +sove- 
reign.” They concluded with a 
request for the re-assembling of 
the adjourned States, 
The latter event took place on 
the 15th of October, and on the 
following day the session was 
opened by the reading of a royal 
rescript. Its tenor was chiefly to 
provethat the constitutionalclaims 
of Oldand New Wurtemberg could 
not be established upon the same 
basis, or be made to coincide in 
one common government. The 
King, however, without admitting, 
under the present circumstances, 
the obligation of former conven- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1815. 
tions, even with respect to the old 
States, professed his willingness to 
retain from the ancient constitu- 
tion every thing that could be 
adapted to the existing state of 
things, and which was not con- 
trary tothe principles of enlight- 
ened government. The States re- 
turned an address of great length 
in the German manner, in which 
the rescript was analysedand com- . 
mented upon in a train of argu- 
mentation. One of the most im- 
portant observations is, that con- 
vinced as they are that there can 
be only one Wurtemberg, they do 
not admit the inference that the 
rights of theold country are at an 
end, and that a new constitution 
must be framed for the whole 
kingdom. The new acquisitions 
were made by the King, not as a 
private person, but as the head of . 
the wholestate, which furnished the 
means, and which may therefore 
demand their incorporation with 
itself; and that when they were 
deprived of their peculiar rights, 
and subjected to the burthens and 
obligations of the mother country, 
they necessarily became entitled 
to a participation in the rights of 
that country. On the whole, the 
States adhered steadily to their 
purpose, and requested the King 
to declare that he acknowledged 
the old constitution as valid for the 
whole country, with the reserve 
of such modifications as both par- 
ties should agree upon. 
Anotherrescript of the King on 
November 13th was answered by 
a second address of the States, in 
which they express great satis- 
faction with his majesty’s acknow- 
ledgment of the intrinsic validity 
of the ancient constitution, and 
that his objections affected only 
