ffairs,
that he commenced at once a vigorous, but yet cautious system of
amelioration; and, only four days after his appointment as Minister
of the Interior, a royal decree appeared, which introduced a salutary
reform into the constitution.

"By this ordinance, the peasants and burghers obtained the right,
hitherto confined to the nobles, of acquiring and holding landed
property, while they in their turn were permitted, without losing
caste, to engage in the pursuits of commerce and industry.
Landholders were allowed, under reservation of the rights of their
creditors, to separate their estates into distinct parcels, and
alienate them to different persons. Every species of slavery, whether
contracted by birth, marriage, or agreement, was prohibited
subsequent to the 11th November 1810; and every servitude, _corvee_,
or obligation of service or rent, other than those founded on the
rights of property or express agreement, was for ever abolished. By a
second ordinance, published six weeks afterwards, certain important
franchises were conferred on municipalities. By this wise decree,
which is in many respects the Magna Charta of the Prussian burghs, it
was provided that the burghers should enjoy councillors of their own
election, for regulating all local and municipal concerns: that a
third of the number should go out by rotation, and be renewed by an
election every year; that the council thus chosen should assemble
twice a-year to deliberate on the public affairs; that two
burgomasters should be at the head of the magistracy, one of whom
should be chosen by the king from a list of three presented, and the
other by the councillors; and that the police of the burgh should be
administered by a syndic appointed for twelve years, and who should
also have a seat in the municipal council. The administration of the
_Haute Police_, or that connected with the state, was reserved to
Government. By a third ordinance, an equally important alteration was
made in favour of the numerous class of debtors, whom the public
calamities had disabled from performing their engagements, by
prohibiting all demand for the capital sums till the 24th June 1810,
providing at the same time for the punctual payment of the interest,
under pain of losing the benefit of the ordinance.