£796.] 
borrowed from the policy of Venice, a 
government the moft uniform in its ope- 
rations, the moft invariable in its views, 
the moft permanent in its nature, of any 
in Europe, and againft which there can 
be urged only two /rifling objections : the 
exiftence of a ftate inguifition, and the 
confideration, that the nobles are every 
thing, and the people nothing. 
‘The French, with the defects of all 
other inftitutions, and the experience of 
all former ages. before them, poffeffed 
confiderable advantages, when they laid 
the foundation of their modern coloffus. 
Whatever the architects of republican 
Greece and Rome, of England while a 
commonwealth, and America after fhak- 
ing off her yoke, were able to achieve, 
have been feen and examined by them. 
Avoiding the two extremes, and’ equally 
rejecting the fupreme direétion of “ one,” 
and of “one hundred,” they have form- 
ed an executive of FIVE, ,an idea well 
known to the Dutch *, and with which 
we ourfelves are familiar in the manage- 
ment of our different boards, particu- 
larly the Admiralty, the moft, perhaps 
the on/y, fourifhing eftablifhment among 
us, and which—owing to its republican 
form—neither the degeneracy of the 
times, nor the corruption of the other 
departments, nor even the notorious pro- 
feifional ignorance of its chiefs, have as 
yet bereft of its native vigour. 
To the Executive Directory of France 
1S entrutied the power of the nation; it 
is the firft of the conffutuicd authorities, 
and that which fuperincends all the 
others. It forms treaties of all kinds, 
fubject . however, to the ratification of the 
legiflature, to whom it alfo prefents the 
declaration of peace and war,.in which 
it poffeffes the zuztiative, or decifion in 
the firft inftance. It direéts the , opera- 
tion of the armies of the republic, no- 
minates to a variety of places and offices 
pointed out by the conftitution ; receives 
the ambaitfadors of fereign flates, and cor- 
ref{ponds, by means of envoys or diploma- 
tic agents, with all the governments of 
the world. 
Title VI, of the new Conftitution, 
points out the manner ef the election, and 
the extent of the authority of the exe- 
cutive power ; 
1. The five members are chofen by 

-* The Dutch council confifted of feven, one 
for each province; and this number is {till 
preferved in their new sonititution. 
a 
Original Anecdotes.—The Dirediory. 
Sor 
the legiflature, then executing the func- 
tions of an eleGtoral body in the name of 
the nation. | 
2. After the 9th year of the republic, 
the direétors fhall be forty years of agear 
leaft, and feleéted from among the citi- 
zens who have either been legiflators or 
minifters. 
3. The diregtory is partially renewed 
by the ele€tion of a new member every 
year; and an interval of five years muft 
take place, before the individual retiring 
can be re-admitted. 
4. It cannot deliberate unlefs three 
7 members at leaft are prefent. 
5. The minifters chofen by it, for the 
home, foreign, war, &c. departments, 
muft not be under thirty years of age, and 
they cannot nominate thefe, or any other 
funétionaries, from among their own fa- 
mily, relations, or immediate connec- 
tions. 
6. The members cannot abfent them- 
felves from council more than-five days 
at a time, or retire beyond four myrza- 
metves eight French leagues) from their 
refidence, 
7. They fhall receive military honours; 
be entitled toa guard, confifting of 120 
men; fhall be lodged, at the expence of 
the public, in a national edifice ; and the 
annual appointments of each are fixed at 
the current value of 50,000 myriagram- 
mes of wheat (10,222 French quintals). 
9. Each fhall be attended in public by 
two guards of honour, and they cannot 
appear in the exercife of their funétions 
unlefs dreffed in cofiume *. 
The following is a lift of the prefent 
directory, two ef whom have been bred 
to the bar, and three to'the profeffion of 
arins ; it is alfo to be obferved, as not a 
little remarkable, that two of them are 
of a proferibed cla{s, no longer recognized 

* Le direéivire exécutif aura deux caffumes 5 
Pun pour fes fonttions ordinaires, autre pour les 
ropréfentations dans les fetes nationales, Oc. 
CosTuME ORDINAIRE. 
Habit-manteau arevers €3 a manches, couleur 
macarat double-de-blanc, rickment brodé en or fur 
Pexutérieur et les revers. 
Vefte longue et creifée, blanche et brodée d'or. 
Leécharfie en ceinture bleue d& franges d'or, te 
pantalon blanc (le tout en foie}. 
Le chapeau noir rond, retroufjée d'un céte, et 
orné dune panache tri-color. 
Deépee portée en baudrier fur la veftes fa cor- 
leur du baudrier macarat. 
GRAND CosTUME. 
L’habit-manteau, bleu, et par deffus un man- 
tean macaral, ; 
\ 
z By 







