A la haute Commission européenne à Bucarest.

Je reçois, de la part des membres du clergé, de nombreuses plaintes et réclamations à l'occasion des élections faites dans des conditions qui sont aussi loin de répondre au respect dû à la volonté des grandes Puissances signataires du Traité de Paris qu'aux droits reconnus à toutes les classes de la population de la Moldavie. Ne disposant d'aucun moyen d'y faire droit et les trouvant cependant dignes d'être prises en très sérieuse considération, je crois de mon devoir de les adresser à la haute Commission, en la priant de vouloir bien prendre la défense des droits d'un corps respectable dont les vœux pour le bonheur de la Patrie ne sauraient librement se manifester.

J'ai l'espoir que l'intervention de la haute Commission ne tardera pas d'apporter un souverain remède à un mal qui fait saigner de douleur notre cœur de Moldave et de chef spirituel du pays.

To the High European Commission at Bucharest.

I am in receipt of numerous complaints and claims made by members of the clergy regarding the elections held under conditions which are as far from coinciding with the respect due to the wish of the great Powers signatory to the Treaty of Paris, as they are from the recognized rights of all the classes of the population of Moldavia. Without any means of righting them and finding them nevertheless worthy of being taken under very serious consideration, I believe it to be my duty to forward them to the High Commission, with the request that it will be good enough to undertake the defence of the right of a respectable body whose desires for the welfare of the mother country are prevented free expression.

I entertain the hope that the intervention of the High Commission will not delay in bringing a sovereign remedy to an evil which causes the heart of a Moldavian and of the spiritual head of the country to bleed with

sorrow.

J'ai reçu la note que Votre Excellence m'a fait l'honneur de m'adresser

July 30, 1857 1

I have received the note which your Excellency has done me the honor to

en date du 28 juillet, pour réclamer l'annulation immédiate et absolue des élections moldaves, et je me suis fait un devoir empressé de soumettre cette note à l'appréciation de S. M. I. le Sultan, mon auguste souverain.

Votre Excellence connaît déjà par la note officielle et responsive que j'ai eu l'honneur de lui adresser, en date du 28 juillet, que la Sublime-Porte, comme puissance cosignataire du cosignataire du Traité de Paris, ne peut pas sortir des limites tracées par ce même traité, et prendre sur elle seule la responsabilité d'une grande mesure aussi peu de sa portée que celle d'annuler les élections. Mais, dans son désir franc et sincère d'exécuter loyalement, pour ce qui le regarde, l'acte du Congrès de Paris et de repousser tout ce qui sera reconnu comme illégal, le gouvernement impérial est d'avis que ce serait à la conférence de Paris d'examiner si les élections moldaves ont été légales ou irrégulières, et de se prononcer à cet égard. Cet avis de la Sublime-Porte est exactement le même que Votre Excellence a maintes fois émis de vive voix, qu'il appartiendra à la conférence de Paris d'examiner et de juger les affaires de cette nature.

Le gouvernement de S. M. I. le Sultan, . . . ne ferait pas d'objections à l'ajournement de la convocation des Divans, jusqu'à ce que la conférence de Paris se soit prononcée à cet égard.

address me under date of July 28, to demand the immediate and absolute annulment of the Moldavian electors, and I hasten to submit this note to the notice of H. I. M. the Sultan, my august sovereign.

Your Excellency is already aware, from the official reply which I have had the honor to address to you under date of July 28, that the Sublime Porte, as a power cosignatory to the Treaty of Paris, can not exceed the limits set by the said treaty and take on itself alone the responsibility of a great measure so little within its authority as that of annulling the elections. But, in frank and sincere desire loyally to execute, in all concerning it, the act of the Congress of Paris, and to repulse all that which will be recognized as illegal, the Imperial Government is of the opinion that it is for the Conference of Paris to examine whether the Moldavian elections have been legal or irregular, and to pronounce on this point. This opinion of the Sublime Porte is exactly the same as that which Your Excellency has many times uttered with great force, that it should belong to the Conference of Paris to examine and to judge as to matters of such a

nature.

The Government of H. I. M. the Sultan. would make no objection to the adjournment of the convocation of the Divans, until the Conference of Paris shall have pronounced itself on this subject. . .

Ofisul Caimacamului Valahieĭ, A. Ghica, No. 1,068, din 18 (30) Iulie 1857. Bucuresci.

Noi, Prințul Alecsadru Dimitrie Ghica caimacamul țărei Românesci. Către Departamentul din lăuntru.

Vědênd raportul acelui Departament cu No. 5,623 din 17 Iulie, prin care ni se arată că listele celor în drept de a fi alegători și aleșă s'au întocmit şi s'aŭ tipărit, spre a putea fi publicate, și că urmează, de-odată cu publicarea și afișarea lor, să se întocmească și comitetele prevěḍute prin art. 5 al inaltului împărătesc firman.

Noi poruncim:

Art. I. Aceste liste electorale se vor publica îndată și se vor afișa în oraşele şi satele districtului la cari ele privesc, publicându-se treptat și prin "Buletinul oficial."

Art. II. Comitetele însărcinate cu cercetarea reclamațiilor vor începe lucrările lor la 22 Iulie.

Aceste comitete vor fi compuse, în fie-care district, de către membrii și un supleant al consiliului municipal al orașului de reședință, și de către membrii Tribunalului județului, sub președința administratorului, ast-fel ca complectul fie-cărui comitet să fie de nouě membrii.

Office of the Caimacam of Wallachia, A. Ghica, No. 1,068, July 18/30, 1857.

We, Prince Alexander Dimitrie Ghica, Caimacam of Wallachia. To the Department of the Interior.

In view of the report of this Department, No. 5,623, dated July 17/29, by which it is brought to our notice that the electoral lists have been drawn up and printed, for the purpose of being published, and that, simultaneously with the publication and posting of these lists the committees provided by Article 5 of the imperial Firman should be constituted.

Decree :

Article I. The electoral lists shall be published immediately and posted in the cities and towns of the respective districts. They shall also be made public by means of the “Buletinul oficial."

Article II. The committees entrusted with the examination of complaints shall begin their labors on July 22/August 3.

These Committees shall be composed, in each district, of the members of the municipal council of the chief city and a substitute, as well as of the members of the tribunal of the district, under the presidency of the prefect, in such manner that the complement of each committee shall be nine members.

At Bucharest the committee shall be composed of the members of the municipal council and the members of the first section of the civil tribunal and shall be presided over, when considering all protests concerning the landed proprietors, by the prefect of the district and, in all concerning the lists of the cities, by the mayor of the city.

Article III. The decisions of the committee shall be taken by majority vote, the number of members voting being five at least.

Article IV. The persons who, not having been inscribed on the electoral lists, for whatever reason, shall claim the right to be so inscribed, shall make a concise statement of the rights on which they base their claims. Moreover, each claim shall bear the formal declaration of the claimant to the effect that he is not listed in any other district.

As for those persons who, according to the report of the Department of the Interior, have not satisfied the obligation imposed on them of choosing a domicile, although they have by so doing delayed the preparations of the lists, they shall nevertheless be accorded a period of ten days, dating from July 22, in which to comply with this formality. On the expiration of this period they shall be considered to have elected their domicile in the district where they are actually listed.

Article V. The president of the committee shall indicate on each claim, on its presentation, the day on which the claimant shall present himself be