Aug.] 



CHRONICLE. 



109 



III. The Diet— Rights and Du- 



ties of the Members. 



or 



26. The Representatives, 

 States, form two Chambers. 



27. The First Chamber con- 

 sists — 1. Of the princes of the 

 Grand Ducal House. 2. Of the 

 heads of the noble families of the 

 former States. 3. Of the bishop 

 of the Grand Duchy, and of a 

 Protestant clergyman appointed 

 for life by the Grand Duke, with 

 the i-ank of a prelate. 4. Of 

 eight deputies of the landed pro- 

 prietors. 5. Of two deputies 

 from the universities. 6. Of 

 persons named members by the 

 Grand Duke, independently of 

 any claim on the grounds of rank 

 or birth. 



28. The princes of the Grand 

 Ducal house and the other here- 

 ditary members, take their seats 

 in the assembly on coming of 

 age. With respect to those 

 noble families which are divided 

 into several branches, the head 

 of each branch possessing a lord- 

 ship of the empire is a member of 

 the First Chamber. 



The possessor of a lordship 

 has no vote during his minority. 



The heads of the noble families 

 on whom the Grand Duke be- 

 stows the rank of High Nobility, 

 take their seats also in the First 

 Chamber, as hereditary members. 

 They must, however, possess 

 under the law of primogeniture 

 and lineal descent, a family estate 

 or fief, with revenues amounting 

 to 300,000 guilders, after deduc- 

 tion of the taxes. 



29. All the noble landed pro- 

 prietors who have attained their 

 21st year, and reside in the coun- 



I try, have votes for the election 



of territorial deputies. All of 

 the same rank of 25 years of age 

 are eligible. The election is for 

 eight years, but every four years 

 one-half of the territorial depu- 

 ties go out. 



The Grand Duke can give the 

 right of suffrage and of eligibility 

 to proprietors who possess a 

 family estate, or fief, producing 

 a revenue after deduction of 

 the taxes, &c., of at least 60,000 



guilders 



30. In default of the Bishop, 

 the Administrator of the bishop- 

 rick supplies his place in the first 

 Chamber. 



3 1 . Each of the two Univer- 

 sities make an election for four 

 years, from among the Profes- 

 sors, men of learning or public 

 officers. The regular Professors 

 only have votes. 



32. The number of Members 

 appointed by the Grand Duke to 

 the First Chamber must never 

 exceed eight. 



33. The Second Chamber con- 

 sists of 63 Deputies from the 

 towns ajid bailiwicks, returned 

 according to the list of distribu- 

 tion annexed to this Constitu- 

 tional Decree. 



34. The Deputies are to be 

 chosen by eligible electors. 



35. Whoever is an actual 

 Member of the first Chamber, or 

 by the choice of the landed pro- 

 prietors is qualified for electing 

 or being elected to it, cannot 

 either, by appointment of the elec- 

 tors, exercise the right of voting, 

 or be chosen as Elector or De- 

 puty for the Towns and Baili- 

 wicks. 



36. All remaining subjects of 

 25 years of age who are domi- 

 ciled as citizens in the electoral 



district. 



