Norfolk Gazette And Publick Ledger

IMPERIAL DECREE April, 30, 1813.

Napoleon by the Grace of God, &c. &c.

In convoking the electors of the colleges to an assembly of the Champ de Mai, we intended to constitute each electoral assembly of the department in separate offices, to compose afterward a commission common to all, and, in the space of a few months, to arrive at the great end, the object of our wishes.

We believed then that we had time and leisure since, our intention being to maintain peace with our neighbors, . we were resigned to subscribe to all the sacrifices which had already weighed upon France.

The civil war of the south had hardly terminated, when we acquired a certain knowledge of the hostile dispositions of the foreign powers, and thenceforth it became necessary to foresee war and to prepare for it.

Under those new circumstances, we had only the alternative left us of prolonging the dictatorship with which we were invested by the crisis itself and by the confidence of the people, or to abridge the forms which we had proposed to ourselves to follow, for the compilation of the constitutional act. The interest of France has required me to adopt this second course. We have presented for the acceptance of the people, an act which at once guarantees their liberties and their rights, and places the monarchy secure from all danger of subversion. This act determines the mode of the formation of the law, and thenceforth (desalors) contains within itself the principal of every amelioration which shall be conformable to the interest of the nation interdicting, however

We had wished also to wait for the acceptance of the people before we ordered an assembly of the colleges and caused them to proceed to the nomination of deputies; but equally compelled (muitrises) by the crisis, the high interests of the state commands us (nous fait la loi) to surround ourselves in the promptest manner possible with the national bodies.

For these reasons, &c. &c. we decree, &c. &c.

Art. 1st. Four days after the publication of the present decree at the chief place of every department the electors of the colleges of the department and arrondissement shall meet together in electoral assemblies at the chief place in each department and each arrondissement.

The prefect for the department, and the sub-prefect for the arrondissement shall indicate the particular day, the hour and the place of the assembly by circulars and by a proclamation which shall be circulated with the greatest celerity through all the cantons and communes.

2d. For this year, at the opening of the assembly, the oldest person shall preside; the youngest shall perform the duties of secretary; the three oldest after the president, shall be inspectors.

Each assembly, thus provisionally organized, shall appoint its president; it shall also appoint two secretaries and three inspectors. These choices shall be made by an absolute majority.

3d. They shall afterwards proceed to the elections for deputies for the house of representatives, conformably to the act sent to be presented for the acceptance of the people, and inserted in the bulletin of the laws No. 19, on the 22d April instant.

4th. The prefects of the cities, chief places of commercial arrondissements, shall convoke on the receipt of these presents the chambers of commerce and the consultative chambers, to form lists of candidates, out of which the representatives of the commercial and manufacturing industry, are to be elected by the electoral colleges convened to appoint them, conformably to the act subjoined to that mentioned in the preceding article.

The deputies appointed by the electoral assemblies shall proceed to Paris to assist at the assembly of the Champ de Mai, and for the purpose of composing the house of representatives, which we intend to convoke after the proclamation of the acceptance of the constitutional act.