FINAL CHAPTER.-General Provisions.

I. The Reglamento de Policia (Regulation of Police) issued the 22d day of December, 1812, for the Capital and Province of Buenos Ayres, shall subsist for the present, under the following limitations:-the Powers of the Intendente de Policia shall remain vested as they now are in the Governor of the Province; the 3 Commissaries, with the powers and duties designated in the said Regulation, shall continue for the present under the inspection of the Governor, and among them seniority as to the possession of Office shall alone give preference; with the exception of their salaries, they shall receive no emolument for the services they perform as Commissaries. The Governor shall undertake no work requiring the expenditure of public money, without the previous consent of the Cabildo and approbation of the Director. Every payment shall be made according to the mode prescribed in the said Regulation. No payment shall be made at the Treasury without the approbation of the Supreme Director, and the Treasurer shall replace any money paid by him contrary to this Article. The 3rd, 4th, and 5th Articles, which establish an Assessor, Portero, and Escribano de Ramo, shall be repealed, the last Office being exercised by a like Officer of the General Government. The 8th, 10th, and 14th, shall have effect so far only as they are compatible with personal security, the liberty of the press, and the other personal rights, which have been declared. The 41st of the Circular Instructions to the Alcaldes de Barrio, shall be observed, so far as it is compatible with the Chapter upon the Liberty of the Press. All the changes that may have been made, contrary to the said Reglamento de Policia, and to the Estatuto Provisional (Provisional Statute,) of 5th May, 1815, Article I, Final Chapter of General Provisions, shall be amended; the Office of the 4 Commissaries last established being suppressed.

II. The Cabildos of the other Cities and Towns of the State shall appoint a Commission of 4 Persons on the spot, of the best information and the greatest zeal for the public good, who, keeping in mind the said Reglamento of the Capital, shall form one suitable to the circumstances of the place, and transmit it to Congress for its approbation.

III. Securities for the due discharge of their duty shall be required from all Officers, according to the nature of each Office; the Laws formerly requiring them being hereby renewed. Those Officers, for the due performance of whose duties security is to be given, are peremptorily required to produce the same, within 6 months from the date of these Provisional Regulations,-the Director and the Governors having the privilege of taking 4 securities, each security binding himself for one-fourth of the whole amount.

IV. The Officers of the Treasury (Ministros de Hacienda), and the Officers of the Custom-house (Administradores de Aduana), shall have, as formerly, the coercive jurisdiction, for the recovery and col. lection of debts, certain and liquid, in favour of the State.

V. The Laws and Decrees issued by the last Convention (Asamblea), as to the Religious Profession, shall be of no effect.

VI. Contributions imposed in one Province, for its special benefit, shall not extend to another.

VII. All the Provinces, Cities, and Towns, in the Union, having Cabildos, may, without the necessity of obtaining permission, giving, however, previous information to the Director, form such Establishments as they may deem useful and conducive to industry, their prosperity, the arts, and sciences, and as are not prejudicial to the funds of the State.

VIII. All Persons in possession of Letters of Naturalization, which have not been issued by the former General Constituent Assembly, by the present Congress, or the Supreme Director for the time being, in virtue of the Decree of the 29th August, shall present them to the present Director for ratification, should he approve it, without which they shall be of no effect.

IX. All the Officers of the Government, including the Supreme Director of the State and his Secretaries, shall, upon the termination of their Office, be liable to an inquiry into their conduct;-the Director and his Secretaries, before the Congress; the others before Judges to be appointed by the Congress, they being liable to such inquiry for 4 months after the termination of their Offices.

X. The present Provisional Regulations shall be observed throughout all the Territory of the State, from the time of their publication, which the Director shall cause to be made in a convenient form. The Articles of the Provisional Statute (Estatuto Provisorio), passed by the Junta de Observacion, which are not comprehended herein, are repealed, and all anterior Laws, Regulations, and Decrees, in opposition to the same, are, in like manner, repealed.

Sanctioned by the General Congress, sealed with the Provisional Seal, signed by the President, and countersigned by his Secretary, in Buenos Ayres, the 3rd day of December, A. D. 1817.

PEDRO LEON GALLO, President. DR. JOSE EUGENIO ELIAS, Secretary.

Appendix E.)-Manifesto of the Director of the State, relative to the Negotiations between Buenos Ayres and the other Provinces of the Republic.-Buenos Ayres, 8th August, 1815.

(Translation.)

I COULD wish, by means of a detailed Manifesto, to explain to the People every step which has been taken for the purpose of establishing concord with the Chief of the Orientals, and the difficulties which have constantly opposed themselves to so desirable an object; by this means, also, holding out a warning to all minds, of the evils which must

flow from these unfortunate differences. But for the present this is not possible, nor so necessary as the immediate communication to all of the results of our last Negotiations.

No mystery has been attempted in this business, even the minutest particulars have been made known to all such as were desirous of being informed; but, at a distance, every thing is liable to misrepresentation; it is therefore my duty to provide against it. For this purpose, I confine myself for the present to the publication of the Documents necessary for the information that may be desired: these will save me the trouble of a statement, that might be subject to the imputation of being made with passion: while the Citizens of all the Provinces will thus be left at liberty to form their opinions according to the dictates of their reason, without being led astray by partial

accounts.

It is notorious that I sent Deputies to the Chief of the Orientals, in order that we might fix upon some plan of establishing such an understanding and harmony as would be sufficient to avoid reciprocal aggressions, until the General Congress should be assembled, and arrange our differences on permanent principles.

The propositions reciprocally made did not satisfy either; the decision was reserved for a future Congress.

Such was the state of things, when there appeared in this City 4 Deputies sent from an Assembly of the Orientals, and united with these, Cordova, Santa Fé, and Corrientes, with official Instructions from General Artigas, which authorized them to enter into Stipulations. The Documents subjoined have originated from this procedure.

Finally, after refusing to sign the Paper B, annexed to Document No.3, they returned, giving assurances by word, that they went in peace; and they were answered," Peace be with you."

People of the Provinces, it is for you to judge; the case is yours, and your safety is the supreme Law of the State.

IGNACIO ALVAREZ.

(1.)-Plan for the establishment of Harmony, presented by the Deputation of the Chief of the Orientals to the Government of Buenos Ayres. Buenos Ayres, 3rd July, 1815. THERE shall be a Union offensive and defensive, between the Provinces under the direction of the Chief of the Orientals, and the Government of Buenos Ayres.

The Troops of Buenos Ayres which passed over to the eastern shore of the Uruguay, shall be considered as purely auxiliary, until the occupation of Monte-Video; there shall be restored of what was carried away from that place, 3,000 stand of arms, 1,000 swords, 12 pieces of light Artillery, 2, 4, and 6 pounders. There shall be mounted on the fortifications the number of pieces of Artillery that may be requisite,

the principal portion to be brass, with the necessary materiel for all and each of said cannon; 9 gun-boats, with all requisite supplies; powder, fixed ammunition for cannon of every calibre, also for small arms, and 55,000 flints; one half of the mortars taken away; the bombs, gre nades, with every thing for using them, together with the printing press. To Santa Fé, there shall be delivered 500 stand of arms.

To Cordova, a like number.

The remainder of the articles withdrawn from the Oriental Province of the Uruguay shall remain in Buenos Ayres as a deposit, for the purpose of aiding the other Provinces, to be used at the instance of the Chief of the Orientals, and for the aid of the Province of Buenos Ayres itself, according to its future exigencies.

The Deputation has the honor to state to his Excellency, the Director of Buenos Ayres, that they will cheerfully enter into any discussions to which their propositions may give rise, with the Magistracy of this Capital, according to the 25th Article of the 1st Chapter, Section 3, of the Provisional Statute.

MIGUEL BARRIERO.

JOSE ANTONIO CARRERA.
JOSE GARCIA DE CASSIO.

The Director of Buenos Ayres.

(2.)-The Director of the State to the Chief of the Orientals.

Buenos Ayres, 1st August, 1815.

THE Deputation sent by your Excellency to this Government presented your esteemed Communication of the 29th ultimo, which, at the same time that it served as the Credentials of the Mission, manifested the desire of conciliation which animates your Excellency. I was indeed induced to expect from this, that the Mission had been directed to propose more reasonable grounds of accommodation than those offered by yourself to my Deputies, Colonel Pico, and D. Riverola. Judging by my own heart, I considered the Negotiation already ended. I requested the Deputies to give me their proposals in writing; and the following day they reproduced in substance the same as before offered, with the addition of several supernumerary Articles. I immediately took steps to assemble the Authorities, according to the provision in such cases of the 25th Art. Chap. 1st., Sec. 3rd of the Provisional Statute, by whom the subject has been maturely considered, and the plan, proposed anew on your part, duly weighed: they have resolved to give for answer, that the Claims of your Excellency ought to be left to the supreme judgment of the General Congress of all the Provinces: that if in reality the sovereignty of this august Body is to be recognized, it is proper to wait for its determination, which will irrevocably terminate our differences. We concurred in our private opinions how injurious to the common cause these discords must be, particularly in

this important portion of the Country; the sending to your Excellency the before-mentioned Deputies was an act dictated by the necessity of coming to an amicable understanding, so that the Expedition expected from the Peninsula should find us acting in concert, as I have expressly stated in my Communication of the 11th of May. Under such circumstances, it was plainly for the common interest that we should at least agree not to make war upon each other, even if we should be unable to agree upon any thing else; it never could be just to expose the fate of all the Provinces, by disputes between the Orientals and Buenos Ayres, for advantages reciprocally claimed by each other. But since the danger which threatened us is dissipated, let us await the decision of the Supreme Congress on our cause; if we are liberal in our principles, and are not disposed to wrong the other Provinces, let us give them a share in the adjudication of rights, when it so properly belongs to them.

Buenos Ayres, by the sacrifices she has made, has been reduced to her present state of honourable poverty; her efforts were made as a Member of the Union, and as the Capital of the whole; as a Member, she has brought all her wealth into the common fund; as the Capital, she has received contributions from the other Members, indiscriminately. But for none has there been so much expended as for Montevideo. Your Excellency, in her name, demands those Articles which have been taken away, and generously bestows 1000 stand of arms upon Cordova, and Santa Fé, the remainder to remain in deposit, in this place, to be used at your instance (intervention) to aid the other Provinces. The difficulty consists in this: that if all the other Provinces should follow the example of the Orientals, and demand what they have contributed, Buenos Ayres will also come in for a share; and it will be her duty to make an equal distribution of the property which has been saved in the general bankruptcy, to each creditor, according to the amount of his credit. But Buenos Ayres cannot be both party and judge; it is therefore evident that the next Congress is the only Tribunal for the decision of this important question. Until then (aspiring still to the praise of acting with the same moderation which you have shown in the midst of the severe trials experienced in the cause of liberty, as you observe in your Communication), your conduct will be such as to preclude the occurrence of unhappy contentions; while, on my part, I shall do nothing but endeavour to prevent them. To this end, I have ordered a Force to Santa Fé, with instructions to publish the Proclamations herein enclosed. The Deputies of your Excellency have experienced some detention, because, having informed them of the measure before-mentioned, I was apprehensive that they would hasten to your Excellency, in order to oppose the carrying it into effect with the necessary privacy. They have not like other Persons observed the greatest prudence in their conversation, [1818-19.] 2 Y