[Constitution of Germany.] B. The heads of these Houses are to form the principal class of the States in the countries to which they belong: they, as well as their families, are to be included in the number of the most privileged persons, particularly in respect to taxes. C. With regard to themselves, their families and property, they are generally to retain all the rights and privileges attached to their possessions, and which do not belong to the Supreme Authority, or to the attributes of Government. Among the rights which are secured to them by this Article, are specially included: 1. The perfect liberty of residing in any State belonging to the Confederation, or at peace with it. 2. The maintenance of family compacts, conformably to the ancient Constitution of Germany; and the right of connecting their estates and the members of their families by obligatory arrangements, which, however, ought to be made known to the Sovereign, and to the public authorities. The laws by which this right has been hitherto restricted, shall not be applicable to future cases. 3. The privilege of being amenable only to superior tribunals, and of being exempt from all military conscription for themselves and families. 4. The exercise of civil and criminal jurisdiction, in the First Instance, and, if the possessions are sufficiently extensive, in the Second Instance, the exercise of the forest jurisdiction, of the local police, and of the inspection of churches, schools, and charitable institutions, the whole conformably to the laws of the country to which they remain subject, as well as to the military regulations and supreme authority reserved to the Governments, respecting objects of the above-mentioned prerogatives, for the better determining them, and, in general, for the adjusting and consolidating the rights of Mediatised Princes, Counts, and Lords, in a manner uniform to all the States of the German Confederation. The Ordinance issued upon this subject by His Majesty the King of Bavaria, in 1807, shall be adopted as a general rule. Rights of the Ancient Nobility of the Empire. The ancient and immediate Nobility of the Empire (l'Ancienne Noblesse immédiate de l'Empire) shall enjoy the rights specified in Sections 1 and 2, namely, of sitting in the Assembly of the States, of exercising the patrimonial and forest jurisdiction, of the local [Constitution of Germany.] police, of presentations to Church benefices, as well as of not being amenable to the ordinary tribunals. These rights shall, however, be exercised according to the regulations established by the laws of the country in which the members of this Nobility have possessions. In the provinces detached from Germany by the Peace of Luneville of the 9th of February, 1801, and which are at present reunited thereto, the principles above 'specified, relative to the ancient and immediate Nobility of the Empire, shall, in their application, be subject to such modifications as may be rendered necessary by the relations which exist in these provinces. Guarantee by the Confederation of the Rents assigned upon the Navigation Duties of the Rhine, and of the Pensions to the Clergy or Laity. ART. XV. The continuation of the direct and subsidiary Rents assigned upon the Duties of the Navigation of the Rhine, as well as the arrangements of the Récès of the Deputation of the Empire, dated the 25th of February, 1803,* relative to the payment of Debts and Pensions granted to individuals of the Clergy or Laity, are guaranteed by the Confederation. The members of the late chapters of the cathedral churches, as well as those of the free chapters of the Empire, shall have the benefit of the pensions secured to them by the said Récès, in every country at peace with the Germanic Confederation. Pensions to Members of the Teutonic Order. The members of the Teutonic Order, who have not yet obtained adequate pensions, shall obtain them according to the principles established for the chapters of cathedral churches by the Récès of the Deputation of the Empire of the year 1803;* and the Princes who have acquired possessions formerly belonging to the Teutonic Order, shall pay these pensions, according to their proportion of the property of the Teutonic Order. Fund for support of Bishops and Clergy on Left Bank of the Rhine. The Diet of the Confederation shall deliberate upon the measures to be adopted for establishing a fund for the support and pensioning of Bishops and other members of the Clergy belonging to the countries on the left bank of the Rhine, the payment of which pensions shall be transferred to the Powers actually possessing the said countries. This matter shall be settled within * See Appendix. [Constitution of Germany.] a year, and until that time the pensions shall be paid as heretofore. Equality of Civil and Political Rights to Christian Sects. ART. XVI. The different Christian sects in the countries and territories of the Germanic Confederation shall not experience any difference in the enjoyment of civil and political rights. Civil Rights of Jews. The Diet shall consider of the means of effecting, in the most uniform manner, an amelioration in the civil state of those who profess the Jewish religion in Germany, and shall pay particular attention to the measures by which the enjoyment of civil rights shall be secured and guaranteed to them in the Confederated States, upon condition, however, of their submitting to all the obligations imposed upon other citizens. In the mean time, the privileges already granted to this sect by any particular State shall be secured to them. Postal Revenues to be retained by Tour and Taxis. ART. XVII. The family of the Princes of Tour and Taxis shall retain the revenues arising from the Post in the Confederated States, under the same Regulations as were granted by the Récès of the Deputation of the Empire of the 25th February, 1803,* or by subsequent Conventions, in so far as they shall not have been altered by new Conventions freely acceded to on both sides. In all cases the rights and pretensions of this House, whether with regard to retaining the Post, or to a fair indemnity for the same, such as the above Récès has settled, shall be maintained. This Regulation also applies to the case where the former administration of the Post may have been abolished since 1803, in contravention of the Récès of the Deputation of the Empire, unless, however, an indemnity shall have been absolutely settled by a particular Convention. Rights of Subjects of Confederated States. ART. XVIII. The Princes and the Free Towns of Germany have agreed to secure to the subjects of the Confederated States, the following rights: A. That of acquiring and possessing funded property beyond the limits of the State in which they are settled, without being * See Appendix. [Constitution of Germany.] liable to pay to the foreign Power any higher tax or duty than those paid by its own subjects. B. 1. That of emigrating from one Confederated State to another, provided it be proved that the State in which they settle receive them as subjects. 2. That of entering into the civil or military service of any of the Confederated States, it being, however, understood, that the exercise of either of these rights does not release them from being liable to military service in their own country. And in order that the difference of the laws with regard to their liability to military service may not be attended with any partial advantages or injurious consequences to any particular State, the Diet of the Confederation shall consider of the means of establishing regulations. upon this subject, as impartial as possible. C. The exemption from all export duty, drawback, or other impost of that description, in case they remove their property from one Confederated State to another, unless it should be otherwise stipulated by particular Conventions concluded between them. D. Upon its first meeting, the Diet shall frame laws for the liberty of the press in general, and shall adopt such measures as may secure authors and editors against the piracy of their works. Commerce and Navigation from one State to another. ART. XIX. The Confederated States reserve to themselves the right of deliberating, at the first meeting of the Diet at Frankfort, upon the manner of regulating the commerce and navigation from one State to another, according to the principles adopted by the Congress of Vienna. Ratifications. ART. XX. The present Act shall be ratified by all the Contracting Parties, and the ratifications shall, in six weeks, or sooner, if possible, be addressed to the Royal and State Chancery of His Majesty the Emperor of Austria at Vienna, and deposited in the Archives of the Confederation on the opening of the Diet. In faith of which all the Plenipotentiaries have signed the present instrument, and have affixed thereunto the Seal of their Arms. Done at Vienna, the 8th June, 1815. (L.S.) PRINCE METTERNICH. (L.S.) BARON WESSENBERG. [Constitution of Germany.] (L.S.) CHARLES PRINCE HARDENBERG. (L.S.) WILLIAM BARON HUMBOLDT. (L.S.) CH. COUNT BERNSTORFF. (L.S.) J. COUNT BERNSTORFF. (L.S.) A. COUNT RECHBERG AND ROTHENLOWEN. (L.S.) H. A. BARON GLOBIG. (L.S.) F. C. BARON GAGERN. (L.S.) E. COUNT MUNSTER. (L.S.) E. COUNT HARDENBERG. (L.S.) COUNT KELLER, acting at the same time for Brunswick. (L.S.) G. F. BARON LEPEL. (L.S.) J. BARON TURCKHEIM. (L.S.) BARON MINCKWITZ, in the place of M. de Gersdorff, Plenipotentiary of the Grand Duke of Weimar, and of the (L.S.) C. L. F. BARON BAUMBACH. (L.S.) BARON FISCHLER VON TREUBERG. (L.S.) BARON MALTZAIN. (L.S.) LEOPOLD BARON PLESSEN. (L.S.) BARON OERTZEN. (L.S.) DE WOLFRAMSDORF. (L.S.) BARON FRANCK. (L.S.) FRANCIS ALOYSIUS KIRCHBAUER. (L.S.) F. MARSCHALL VON BIEBERSTEIN. (L.S.) D. GEORG WIESE, Plenipotentiary of the Princes Liechtenstein and Reuss. (L.S.) DE WEISE. (L.S.) BARON KETTELHOLDT. (L.S.) DE BERG, acting for Waldeck and Schaumburg-Lippe. (L.S.) HELLWING. (L.S.) J. F. HACH. (L.S.) DANZ. (L.S.) SMIDT. (L.S.) GRIES. |