dred counſellors and ninety-nine aſſeſſors, the election of whom is made, by the ſeizeniers and the ſenate, from the citizens, from whom they are ſuppoſed virtually to derive their powers but a general aſſembly of the citizens is never called together, on any occaſion, or for any purpoſe, not even to lay taxes, nor to make alliances or war. To be eligible into the grand council, one muſt be a citizen of Berne, member of one of the ſocieties or tribes, and at leaſt in the thirtieth year of his age.
The executive power is delegated by the grand council to the ſenate or little council, which is compoſed of twenty-ſeven perſons, including the two avoyers or chiefs of the republic, the two treaſurers of the German country, and of the pays de Vaud, and the four bannerets or commanders of the militia, taken from the four firſt tribes, for the four diſtricts of the city. Vacancies in this ſenate are filled up by a complicated mixture of ballot and lot: twenty-fix balls, three of which are gold, are drawn out of a box by the ſeveral ſenators; thoſe who draw the golden ones nominate three electors out of the little council; in the ſame manner, ſeven members are deſignated from the grand council, who nominate ſeven electors from their body; theſe ten nominate ten candidates to be voted for in the grand council: the four of theſe who have the moſt votes, draw each of them a ball out of a box, which has in it two of gold and two of ſilver; the two who draw the gold are voted for in the grand council, and he who has the moſt votes is choſen, provided he be married, and has been ten years in the grand council.
Vacancies in the grand council are filled up, at certain periods of about ten years, and two new
