The National Register. — London, England, 1808-10-16 00:00:00

THE NATII had made so many sacrifices for France, and which this very Emperor had praised for its fidelity and nobleness of character. " Sr'ertheless, being accustomed to act with that disregard to delicacy in the choice of hi• means, which is characteristic of the man w ho imagines that the conquest of the whole world, the destruct ion of the human species, and the havoc of yy ar are condo ci ve to true glory, he re•olved toe %cite and foment discord in the Royal Family of Spain, through his Ambassador tit this Court. • " The latter, thongh perhaps not initiated' in the grand secret of his Master, succeeded in seducing the Prince of Asturias, our present King and Master, and suggested to him the idea of inter marryitig with a Princess related to the Emperor. The afflic tion which his Highness laboured under from a conjunction of circumstances. as lamentable as notorious, and his anxiety to avoid another connection into which it was attempted to force him, with a lady selected for him by his greatest enemy, and on that account alone the object of his aversion induced him to ac quiesce in the suggestions of the Ambassador, but with the sti pulation that it was to meet the approbation of his August Pa rent•, and under the impression that it would strengthen the fri ndship and alliance then subsisting between the two Crowns. His Highness, actuated by motives so cogent in a political point of view, and yielding to the solicitations of the Ambassador, wrote accordingly to his Imperial Majesty. " A few days after our beloved Prince wrote this letter, oc curred the scandalous imprisonment of his August Person in the R oyul NI (mastery of St. Laurence, and the still more scandalous decree w hick was issued in the name of the King, and addressed to the Council of Castile. There are very strong reasons to be lieve, that the unknown hand that frustrated this feigned con spiracy was some French agvnt employed to forward the plan v, hick . 71 apoleon had formed. " Whilst the Emperor kept Europe in suspense by his jour ney to Milan and Venice, he thought lit to answer the letters, which he had none time before received froth the Ittiyal Fathrir, assuring his Majesty, that he never had the slightest information of the circumstances s hicb he communicated respecting his son the Prince of Asturias, nor ever received any letter from his firrial flightless. Nevertheless, his !Majesty consented to the Proposed intermarriage with a Princess of his family, undouht cd'y with an intention of amusing the Royal Parents; whilst he Was sending into Spain, under various pretexts, all the troops which he bud then disposable, and was studiously propagating a'. Hen that he Was favourable to the cause of the Prince of As ,a las, and this endeavouring to captivate the good opiniou of tb • Sp .n;sh nation. "'rite Royal Parents, struck with the terror which this con duct of the Emperor naturally - inspired, and the Favourite be ing sill more astonished, opposed no obstacle to the entrance of the French troops into the Peninsula; on the contrary, they gave the most effectual orders that they should be received and treated even on a better footing than the Spanish troops. " The Emperor, morer the pretence of consulting the security of these troops, ordered his (;enerals, by stratagem or force to ge,t possession of the fortresses of Painpeluna, St. Sebastian, 17i guieras, and Barcelona. which alone could present any obstacle loan invasion. They were accordingly taken by fraud and sur prise. to the indignation and sorrow of the whole nation, to which the rench,still affected to profess friendship and alliance. ." The E mper or, conceiving himself already master of all Spain, and thinking the time had arrived for accelerating his measures, thought proper. to write a letter to the Royal Father',, complaining in the bitterest terms, that his'Majesty had mit re newed his applicatimi for an Imperial Princess for Ms son the Prince of Asturias. The King was phased to return for answer, that he adhered to his former propirsal, and was Witting that the marriage should immediately bike tilsee.. . . "The recent example (Attie determination taken by the ft oval . Fondly of' Portagni, seemed to have• fully corresponded with the views of the Emperor, WAti'There is reason to think that Imperial Majesty promised himself a similar success in Spain. " Nevertheless, such was the general distrust, fiat the mag niinde of the evils Which must have recalled, and such and str many the symptoms of a determination to emigrate, that every one was on the alert; Mat nil seemed to he Impressed with*.thr necessity of preventing a measure pregnant with so' many mis chiefs. The danger Increased, and . the fear; of the public kept pace with it. The consequence was, that the cotamotions of 4ranjuer, on the 17th and 'loth of March, horst forth like a sudden explosion; the people being led bye sort ofinstinct hf ,elf-preservation. The result was, the imprisonment of the Favourite, who, without the title of King, had exercised all th functions of Royalty. • ' • Scarcely had this teripi4;tuOus ECM , he the A ~~ 'NAL ,REGIST E R. Royal Parents finding themselves deprived of the su p Favourite, took the unexpected but voluntary rest)! they had for come time entertained to abdicate their they accordingly did, in favour of their sun and hei of Astnria4. , • " The instant the Grand Duke of Rerg was api occurrences at ranjuez4 he advanced with his w' occupy the capital of the :kingdom ; intending. . profit by the occasion, and to take such steps as choir calculated to realize, by any means, the plan of maki master of Spain. " It the mean while, the mysterious obscurity ror's projects, the proximity of his troops. and th, which Ferdinand VII. was of the real ollject af approach, induced the King to adopt such measure, to his Majesty best calculated to conciliate the go' Emperor. Not satisfied with having communica sift to the Throne in the most, friendly and atlcti , the Kiug appointed a deputation of three Grandees proceed to Bayonne, and in his name to complion rial Majesty. nl,o appointed another 6ranth pay a similar compliment to the Grand Mike of I! already arrived in, the vicinity of Madrid. " In this,state of things, the new King made his into 111adrid, without any other parade than the mi concourse of all the iphabitants of the capital and the strongest expre"ions of love and loyalty, and and acclamations w)ilch sprung from the joy and his subjects—a stet* truly grand and impressive, young -King was seen like a father in the midst of entering his capital as the regenerator and guardian Monarchy. - • • " The. Duke of Berg was an eye-witness of tin far from abandoning..his•plan, he resolved to persil greater ardour. The experiment upon the Royal duced the desired effect; but whilst the beloved Ki to the Thronevader such good auspices, continued it wns impossi b le to carry the plan into executi therefore, necessary to wake every effort to remo V 11. from Madrid. " To accomplish this purpose, the Grand Duke 4 spread reports of the arrival of a fresh courier, of the Emperor's departure from Paris, awl that speedily expected . to arrive in this Capital. Ile di forts in the first instance to induce the Infant Don 6fl* to receive his Imperial Niajesty, upon the ,inippt.. his; Highness Must meet him before he had proceeded upon his journey. Nis Majesty acceded to the pt influenced by the purest and most beneficent intent' no sooner succeeded in procuring the departure than he manifested the most anxious desire that thi do the same, leaving no means untried to persua to take this'step, and assuring him that it Would the most happy consequences to the King and the w " The King at length yielded to Las many 'cilia many flattering hopes and assurances ; and Ms for jeers, and ardent desire to contribute to their hap tiog an end to this drendfnl crisis, triumphed it heart over every feeling of repugnance and apprel " The day appointed for his Majesty's depart! General Savory, affecting the most zealous and 14! tion to his Majesty, solicited the honour of nem on his journey, which, at the farthest, could n Burgos, according to the information which he hat of the Emperor's approach. " General Savory followed him to Burgos, in a Tinge; butthe Emperor not having arrised there exertion to induce his Majesty to continue his joi Vittoria.. I tarlattS discussions arose as to the ought to.be pursued; but artifice and perfidy col honour, innocence, and'good faith ; and, in so tow the same benevolent inOntionswhich drew lei; Mr capital urged him to proceed to Vittoria. " General Savaiv m -convinced• that his Majesty 1L proceed no farther, continued his journey to 'lay( intention, undoulitrill,,• 'of aegialililik" the 'Env that had posse°, and of procuring a letter from him determine the hitig to separate himself from his pr • -"..h ‘'ittoritt his Majesty received informatint perm. arrived at Rourdeaux, and was on his way i In consennetwe-of this advice, the Infant Don eto been waiting at 'Mesa, proceeded on to Bayonne , had been invited by•.the Linperor,..a ho, however, . arrival 40111? days lungetV • • ' • .• • 3 OCT. their s hep t i i pr l i Ti t s i ei t i i dr n opoi w ifre ' I h i,ti i:heca heir the ehes a whole arms to K. no doubt, t o s should be hest making himself Yof the E m p e . • the ignoraneeln f the Emperor's tres as appeare d rood s ill of the rased his acre.: et - titillate temp., ices of Spain t o intent his Impe- 'dee of Spain to r Berg, w ho had his public eatry most numerotis And its environs, id the applatFes d enthusiasm of 'e, in which the of his children, ban angel of the this scene ; but iersist in it with AI Parents pm- K mg, who came .td,tekbe present, it was. mote Ferdinand every moment with necouno hat he might he directed his ef- on Carlos to set oupposit inn that ceeded two (lass proposal, being .ntions. tie had e of the infant, the King should tade his Majesty d he attended bv whole kingdom. citations, and so love of his sub- Trines", by put- in his generous rehensiom .rtu re ant red assidnous :awn- companying him only extend to tad just received a separate mac- re, he used every journey as far as to coarse which contended with unequal :t -tr litjesty from his y had re,:colved to tymme, vvith the mperor w ith ;.• irn w bleb should people. ion t hut the Fr- .y ih Bay rimy.- - 7arlos, a ho hod nue, whither he ver, dela,ed his MI