Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/63

Rh twice a year, eight days after the general aembly, and at as many other times as occaions require. Moreover, they have alo the little council, called the weekly council, becaue it meets every week in the year. The exterior Rhodes are now divided into nineteen communities; and the overeignty of them conits in the double grand council of the country, called the old and new council, which aembles once a year, eight days after the aembly of the country, at Trogen or at Herifaw, and is compoed of ninety and odd perons. Then follows the grand council, in which, beides the ten officers, the reigning chiefs of all the communities have eats, the directors of the buildings, the chancellor, and the autier, which make thirty-five perons; the reigning land amman preides. After this comes the little council from before the ittern, which is held every firt Tueday of each month at Trogen; the reigning land amman is the preident, to whom always aits, alternately, an officer, with a member of council from all the thirteen communities, the chancellor of the country, and the autier, and conits of twenty and odd perons. The little council from behind the ittern is held under the preidency of the reigning land amrnan, whenever occaion requires; it is held at Herifaw, Hundwyl, or Urnaechen: at it ait the chancellor of the country, and the autier, with the counellors of the ix communities behind the ittern, appointed for this ervice.

Let me ak, if here are not different orders of men, and balances in abundance? Such an handful of people, living by agriculture, in primitive implicity, one would think might live very quietly, almot without any government at all; yet, intead of being capable of collecting all