The National Register. — London, England, 1808-05-23 00:00:00

• TIC, NA' far the support which you shall find in me, should ever party differentes disturb you, in your turn, upon the Throne. W leen Me.; ('hark; made me acquainted with the events of last October, I was very much affected by them ; and 1 think that be my efforts the affair of the Escurial received a happy issue, Your Rosa! Highness was much to blame; I have no need of any other proof of this than the letter which you wrote to me, an,l which I shall always desire to consider as not having cense to eat'. Your Royal Highness must distrust all popular commotiens and insurrections. A few of my soldiers may be murdered, but the subjugation of Spain shall be the consequence of it. Y see with pain that some persons at Madrid have dissemi nated certain letters of the Captain-General of Catalonia, and have dnia , reery thing to excite disturbances among the people. Your 'Ova! Eiehness perfectly comprehends my meaning. You perceive this , I have touched slightly upon my points, which it would not be proper to enlarge upon. You may be assured that I will conduct myself in every thing towhtds you, In the same way as to your Royal Father. You may rely upon my desire to arrange every thing, and of finding an opportunity of giving you proof of my perfect regard and esteem, Herewith accept, &c. Bayonne ) April 16, 1808. Tr«tiviation ef a letter written in Spanish by the Sing CharleslV. to his Son, the Prince of Asturias. Mr 50:4 I—The faithless councils of men who surround ybd, linVe tiroaght Spain into a most distressing situation. The country now cannot be saved but by the Emperor.—Since the Peace of Basle, I have been always convinced, that it was the titst internist of my people to preserve a good understanding with France, and I have considered no sacrifice ton great to attain that °birth Even when France was the prey of temporary Governments, I determined to repress my own inclinations, and be guided only by a regard to sound policy and the welfare of my subjects s . but when the French Emperor had restored order in France, then my apprehension was in a great degree removed, to that I had then new reason fur remaining faithful to my esteem of alliance. When England declared war against France, I had the good fortune to remain neutral, and thereby to afilird to my people the advantages of Peace. England, soon after, captured four of my frigates, and made war upon me before War was declared. Thus was I compelled to repel force by force, And the evils of war were extended to my subjects.—Spain being surrounded by coasts, and being indebted for her greatest prosperity to her trans-marine possessions, suffered more than ally other country by the war. The interruption of trade, and nil the evils eonnected with that state of affairs were ex perienced by My subjects, some of whom were uncandid enough to throw all the blame on me and my Ministers. I had, how cam-, at least the consolation that the country was safe, and had ;Jo reason to be alarmed for the preservation of my provinces. At the !male time, I was the only King of Europe who lived in this security, amidst the convulsions of these latter times; and I should still have enjoyed tranquillity, had it not been for the advice which has turned you aside from the path of duty.. You have been too easily led away by the hatred which your first wife cherished against France, and you have participated in her obstinate dislike to my Minister, your mother, and myself. I resorted to the rights of a Father and a King, and arrested you when I Nand among your papers proofs of your guilt. But at the end oe my career, about to become the prey of grief, I felt for the tears of your mother, and forgave you. Meanwhile. My subjects were agitated by the false represen tations of wfaction. From that moment the peace of my life was gone, and to the evils which had befallen my people, I had still to add, that distress which the disu n i on o f my f am i ly had occasioned. Ev en my Ministers were slandered to the Em peror of the Freuch, who, thinking he, perceived that Spain wished to depart from her alliance, nud seeing the disposition to disorcler, even in my family, occupied, under various pretexts, toy States with his troops: but so long as they•remained on the tight side of tne.Eoro, and appeared destined to maintain a com sounication witb Portugal, I still hoped that he would return to those feelings of respect and friendship which lie had always testified towards me. IVhen l learned that his troops advanced towards my capital, I felt it necessary to assemble my army around me, in order to exhibit myself to my illustrious Ally in that sta , “ u hich became the King of Spain. Thus I expected his doubts o mild be removed, and my own iincrests adjusted. / recalled my troops from PortuAal, and ordered those of Ma• drill to evacuate that capital, and directed them to assemble on several points of the:Monarchy. This was nut done for the purpose of abandoning my subjects, but t on the contrary, iu •. . • REGISTER. order to maintain more worthily the glory of the long experience convinced me that the Emperor of , consistently with his own interests, ant the extend, system of the Continent, could entertain no wish my House. But in the mean time what was yi You threw my whole Palace into confusion. Y . my guards to turn against me. Your father was My Prime Minister, whom I had re are d and adi family, was dragged bleeding from dungeon to dui have disgraced my grey hairs; you have bereft the worn with lustre by my ancestors, and which I ha , without a stain; you have ascended my throne, • yourself into the hands of the people of Madrid, gated by the numbers of your party, and of the that have entered the city. The conspiracy at the Escurial was accompli: acts of my Government were consigned to public co) and loaded with infirmities, I could not withstand . fortune, and fled to the French Emperor, no !mar , at the head of his troops, and suurronded with the throne, but as an unfortunate and abandoned Pri found a place of refuge and protection in the midst I am indebted to hint for my life, for the life of in, for that of my Prime Mini s te r . I h ave f o ll owe d onne. You have brought affairs to such a state, th; must depend upon the arrangement and protection Prince. To have recourse to insurrections of the plant the standard of faction, would be the ruin would reduce yourself, my kingdom, my subj. family, to the greatest wretchedness. I. have opened heart to the Emperor. Ile is acquainted with all have received, and the usurpation imposed upon declared to me that he will never acknowledge yt and that the enemy of his father can excite no COlll breast of a stranger. He has besides shewn me contain proofs of your aversion with France. Under these circumstances it is evidently my more evidently my duty, to spare the blood of my not at the end of toy days to adopt a course which Spain to tire and sword, and reduce the country wretched condition. Assuredly you ought, fait duty, and to the feelings of nature, to have rejecte, ous councils given you. Had you constantly appear , side, ready for my defence, and had waited till tbr of nature had raised you to the Throne, then the terests of Spain might have been brought to coinci. interest of all. For these six months circumstances very critical ; but such as they were, I should nor to meet them, supported by the good conduct of and even my own feeble efibrts, but, above all, if power which I should have possessed in proposing an arrangement calculated to reconcile the tut subjects and my family. In depriving me of my have broken your own in pieces; you have strip, that was illustrious, of all that rendered it sacred i men. But your conduct towards me, and your ins tern, have erected a brazen wall between you and Spain. lam a King in the right of by ancestors. lion was a consequence of compulsion. 1 have, thing to receive from you. I. can consent to no will consent to nothing that may occasion a civil rections. Every thing ought to be done for the nothing by them, and to forget this principle is t selves guilty of all the consequences which its negli I have, through my whole life, sacrificed myself ple, and, at the years at which I am arrived, I sl any act repugnant to their religion, their tranquill! prosperity. But all my sacrifices will be forgottei am informed that the religion of Spain, the in\ my provinces, and their privileges and independi cured; I shall then lie down in my grave, forgiving sorrow which in my latter years you have occasioned Done at Bayonne, in the Imperial Palace, called the Government, Any 2,180 S. MAY IS.—Tbe disturbance! which took place the beginning of this mouth, extended to other i.ingdom, but h ive, however, been less I.:Hons. Apt 11, towards evening, the people of Toledo begs We in great numbers on the plain, crying long li ti the Seventh. The disorder reached such a height apectahie part of the citizens could not suppress it, and property belonging to the Corregidorc and utbi . • MAY 30. t Crown. My of the F:• - ach, diet ended political con prejudicial to dory your conduct ? alti , You instigated Ast your prisoner. two lopted into my pia' ungeou. You turf rent of acrotun the have presented to t and have put in J who are in-ti- d 1•1. foreign troops tn..: but fished, and the ontempt. Old, rest 1 this new 'his- day 'ger as a King »it he lustre of the by rince. I have. re-• st of his army. '1 ny Queen, and des d you to bay- lat every thing 15th m of this great Co le people, to of Spain, and jests, and tity of !ned my whole clzi 11 the insults IL • I me. Ile has sot you as a King, • nfidence in the 3-o e letters which sel itli I right, and still is y subjects, and tho would expose y to the most tin itliful to your ted the waiter- be peared by my be usual course tea e political in- r% side with the tin aces have been of have feared hii f my subjects, with the moral ng to my ally iterests of my trot ly crown, you Os plied it of all ap I in the eyes of as s ntercepted let- doio I the throne of fir My abdica- alt therefore, no- foi meeting.o I mar or in=ur- e people, but to make our- lect occasions. pa for my pea- PI shall never do lity, and their Co en whenever I oviolability . hi deuce aro se- no. you all the to tied me. de CHARLES. ht ht co at Q Madrid, in th towns of the On the !Lt th IT,an to assem- te th to i t : hi l l ) . " el c u i r . r t b d i o l i ii i i el i i i k l: ri r o el e d ; . • •