Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/57

Rh to their ituatlon; but, as this is no better than that of Ferrol or Corunna, that advantage is more probably due to their liberty. In riding through this little territory, you would fancy yourelf in Connecticut; intead of mierable huts, built of mud, and covered with traw, you ee the country full of large and commodious houes and barns of the farmer; the lands well cultivated; and a wealthy, happy yeomanry. The roads, o dangerous and impaable in mot other parts of Spain, are here very good, having been made at a vat expence of labour.

Although the government is called a democracy, we cannot here find all authority collected into one center; there are, on the contrary, as many ditinct governments as there are cities and merindades. The general government has two orders at lea; the lord or governor, and the biennial parliament. Each of the thirteen ubordinate diviions has its organized government, with its chief magitrate at the head of it. We may judge of the form of all of them by that of the metropolis, which calls itelf, in all its laws, the noble and illutrious republic of Bilbao. This city has its alcalde, who is both governor and chief jutice, its twelve regidores or counellors, attorney-general, &c. and by all thee, aembled in the conitorial palace under the titles of conçejo, juticia, y regimiento, the laws are made in the name of the lord of Bicay, and confirmed by him.

Thee officers, it is true, are elected by the citizens, but they mut by law be elected, as well as the deputies to the biennial parliament or junta general, out of a few noble families, untained, both by the ide of father and mother, by any mixture with Moors, Jews, new converts, tentiaries