Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/75

Rh members are appointed by each avoyer, one by each eizenier and enator, and two or three others by other officers of tate: if there are more vacancies, they are filled by the election of the eizeniers and enators.

The eizeniers, who have this elective power, are drawn by lot from among thoe members of the o-rand council who have held the office of bailiffs, and who have finihed the term of their adminitration. The bannerets and eizeniers have, by the contitution, an authority, for three days in Eater, reembling that of the cenors in ancient Rome, and may deprive any member of either council of his place; but, as their entence mut be confirmed by the great council, they never exercie their power. There are ix noble families at Berne, who enjoy the precedence of all the other enators, although more ancient members, and have rank immediately after the bannerets.

The principal magitrates are, the two avoyers, who hold their offices for life; the two treaurers, who continue for ix years; and the four bannerets, who remain only four. The avoyers officiate alternately a year; and the reigning avoyer, although he preides in council, in an elevated eat under a canopy, and has the public eal before him, has no vote except in caes of equal diviions, and never gives his opinion unles it is required. The avoyer, out of office, is the firt enator and preident of the ecret council.

The ecret council is compoed of the avoyer out of office, the four bannerets, the two trcaurers, and two other ecret counellors taken from the enate. In this body all affairs that quire