1823 Feb.

Greek Constitution J.B.'s Observations as to 3. Executive Council useless

To the purposes of the Executive Department it is no less compleatly useless.

For the sub©departments into which it divides this department © for these

departments, eight in number Art. 20 appoints so many Ministers

This Executive Council is therefore a mere excrescence interposed between the

Legislative department /branch/ and the Executive and either doing nothing at

all, or worse than nothing by throwing obstruction in the way of the business of

both.

In this particular it matches with the Council of State with its 40 Members in

the Spanish Constitution and the Council of State with its 8 Members in the

Portugueze Constitution. These were both of them /In both of these I saw at the

first glance/ so many [...?] filled with the matter of corruption, and infusing

weakness into the whole system mischievous by the amount of the whole of the

power confided to them In regard to /the instance of/ the Spanish Constitution

this prediction has been already fulfilled in a most striking manner: After

having during the whole of their /its/ existence laboured for the restoration of

the former despotism the Council of State is now seen in its true light and a

majority of the Members are in the condition of persons under a state of

accusation.

As to the Portugueze Council of the same name if it has escaped the first

imputation of doing so much pure mischief, it is by having done nothing.