Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/78

40 The overeignty and legilative authority reides in the council of two hundred perons, compoed of the two avoyers, who are for life; twenty-two counelors; four bannerets; ixty other counellors, from whom the twenty-four who compoe the enate, in which reides the executive power, are taken when they are to be replaced; and one hundred and twelve others, whom they call the grand enate of two hundred.

The two avoyers are elected by the plurality of uffrages of all the citizens. They hold their offices for life, and preide alternately a year. The twenty-two counellors are alo for life, and are deignated by lot, as well as the bannerets, whoe charges continue but three years. The ixty alo are nominated by lot, and are drawn from the hundred and twelve, called the two hundred. Thee lat come forward in the tate by the preentation and nomination of the ecret chamber, compoed of twenty-four beides the bannerets, who are the chiefs of it. This chamber, which is overeign, beides the right of nomination to the tate, has alone that of correction, and of propoing regulations.

The two avoyers, the twenty-two counellors, and the four bannerets, form the little enate, which hears and determines civil caues, and aembles every day.

The affairs of tate are carried before the grand enate of two hundred.

The tribes are corporations of trademen, who have no part in government, and who aemble in their abbays, only for the affairs of their occupations, and all their tatutes are approved or rejected by the enate.

There are thirty-one bailiwicks ubject to this canton. The method of determining the bers