COXE's TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 721

titular cafes without appeal, in all civil caufes below 500 Polifli florins, and in delin-quencies and crimes not fpecified in the ftatute law.

The Duke, Ari&ly fpeaking, has the right to declare war, make peace, or contractalliances; but although fome in dances of his exercifing thefe prerogatives have occurred,yet he ufually confults the diet on thefe occafions. His revenues are ample, and derivedfrom the ducal demefnes, which are fuppofed to form one-third of the duchy, from tollsand cufloms, manorial and feudal rights, fines, and confifcations of goods, amountingto not lefs than 160,000I. per annum, which almofi entirely belongs to his privy purfe,as the expences of his court are trifling, and he is not permitted to maintain more thanfive hundred troops. The prerogatives of the Duke are circumfcribed by his vaffalageto Poland, by the diet of Courland , and the privileges of the nobles.

Diets are ordinary or extraordinary; both convoked by the Duke, either at his ownpleafure, or at the requefi of the nobles. Extraordinary diets are fummoned as occafionrequires. Ordinary diets are convoked every two years, fix weeks before the meetingof the Polifh diet. With the circular letters expedited to the parilhes for the eleftion ofthe deputies, the Duke fends the propofitions called Deliberations, which are to be laidbefore the diet, and mud, at the fame time, tranfmit any grievances complained of by thebody of nobles, for the confideration of that aflfembly.

The deputies muff be noble, and are eledted by the nobles in their refpe&ive parilhes.Their number is uncertain, becaufe fometimes one parilh chufes one or two deputies,and not unufually three parilhes join in appointing only one, but may be efiimated attwenty-feven, the number of parilhes.

The diet affembles generally at Mittau, and chufes by a majority of votes, a marlhalor prefident. The deputies then, headed by the marlhal, repair to the palace, are re-ceived by the Duke in Hate, kifs his hand, and are entertained at dinner.

The diet, conjointly with the Duke, impofes taxes, and palfes all laws and regulationswhich do not infringe on the feodal rights of Poland , or alter the conftitution.

The diet firft fubmits all grievances to the Duke; and if he confiders them nugatory,and refufes to redrefs them, the deputies enjoy the privilege of laying their remonltrancesbefore the diet of Poland , as the fupreme court of legiflature.

All queltions are carried or rejected by the majority, and each deputy mull vote ac-cording to the inftrudtions of his confiituents; but in all inltances wherein the conAitu-ents have not fully infirudted the deputy, his vote is null, and the fentiments of themajority prevail.

From this abfurd method of giving previous inflru&ions, and the attempts of thedeputies to elude them, many inflances occur in the hiAory of Courland , in which theminority have prevailed over the majority: this cuAom has alfo given rife to feveralattempts fuccefsfully made for a Angle deputy to aflume the right of the liberumveto * as in Poland , though under another name, and to difiolve the diet from his foieoppofition.

At the diflolution of the diet, the deputies are bound to acquaint their confiituents inperfon with the tranfaftions; a circumAance which gives rife to factions, and has notunfrequently occafioned civil commotions.

Many of the privileges enjoyed by the nobles are enormous, and inconfifient withevery principle of found policy. A noble cannot be arrefied by order of the Duke,for the moA flagrant aft, except within twenty-four hours after the commiflion of thecrime} if he efcapes during that time, he cannot be arrefled without an order from the

* Sec Book i. chap. 5.

4 Z King

VOL. VI.