The National Register. — London, England, 1808-07-03 00:00:00

military force of Spain, the King said, " You may assure all who have served the State under my predecessors, that they shall enjoy their pay, pensions, titles, and emoluments : and that I pledge my honour to reward ancient services, as if they had been performed under my own Government." PROCLAMATION DECLARING JOSEPH BONAPARTE KING OF SPAIN. NAPOLEON, by the Grace of God, Emperor of the French, Kin; of Italy, Protector of the Confederacy of the Rhine, to all Men, to whom these presents shall come, sends greeting:— The Junta of the State, the Council of Castille, the city of Madrid, &c. &c. having notified to us by their addresses, that the well-being of Spain requiras a speedy stop to be put to the provisional Government; we have resolved to proclaim, and we do by these presents proclaim our well-beloved brother, Joseph Napoleon, the present King of Naples and Sicily, to be King of Spain and India. We guarantee to the King of Spain the independence and in tegrity of his States in Europe, as well as in Africa, Asia, and America; charging the Lieutenant-General of the kingdom, the Minister', and the Council of Castille, to cause this Proclama tion to be expedited,.and publicly announced, according to the usual custom, that none may plead ignorance hereof. Given at our Imperial Palace at Bayonne, the 6th June, 1808. (Signed) NAPOLEON. BAYONNE, MAY B.—This town has seen with astonishment from which it has not yet recovered, the conclusion of a business which, in the first instance, presented so favourable an appear ance, by the arrival of Ferdinand VII. and what subsequently occurred in the successive sittings up to the memorable Congress of the sth. When the new Sovereign arrived here, he was re ceived at a league distant from Bayonne, by the Prince of Neuf chatel, the principal Major Donio Duroc, and other personages of the first consequence, General Aid-de-Camp, and a brilliant assembly, who accompanied the King of Spain to the apart ments designed for him, leaving at the residence of his Majesty an Imperial Guard of Honour. Half an boor after the Emperor Napoleon arrived from his Palace of Marrac, accompanied by a numerous suit of personages to visit Ferdinand VII. who imme diately repaired to the gate to receive his Imperial visitor.— Napoleon alighted from his horse, threw his arms round his au gust guest, saluted him, shook hini by the hand, and assured him of his sincere friendship. After this first meeting, Napoleon in vited Ferdinand to dine with him at five o'clock, but previously sending to him a state carriage, drawn by most beautiful horses, showingro him then, and afterwards, every possible attention. SO that the three first days of his arrival in Bayonne, were days tsf ritjwicing ; and the people really believed that it was intended la good earnest to honour and respect the royal visitor. After this there were a number of private interviews between Ferdi nand and Napoleon; in the first of which Napoleon °ireful to hies the crown of Etruria, and his niece in marriage. Some of these conferences were held in the presence of the First Minister, M.,Zevallos, who distinguished himself upon the occasion, as will be remarked in the Junta of the sth of May, and at these conferences there was me* altercation. Subsequently to them, however, Ferdinand was deprived of his carriage, and of hi: guard of honour, remaining only with the Commandant of his private guard, a Jewish officer of the National Guard of Bay onne. From this moment the state of things became changed, and Napoleon now assumed towards the Prince a different and an angry aspect; intimating to the noblemen who accompanied Ferdinand that they should answer with their heads for the se curity of his person, winch prodUced amidst them a sudden de jection. The object of these conferences seemed to be that of gaining time for the arrival 'of Godoy, and of the King nod Queen. But in the meanwhile Napoleon intimated to Ferdi nand that the reign of the Bout bons was at an end ; adding, that his and their interests were itt variance, and that the continuance of the sceptre in their hands could no longer conduce to the de velopment of his plans, and the vast political objects he had in view. Notwithstanding this, however, he pressed Ferdinand to accept the kingdom of Etruria, and directed the Grandees to council their Prince to accede to his proposal—Ferdinand an swered boldly , " I will• not accept the Crown of Etruria, nnr any Cron!' in the world, whilst nature gives me a , ightful claim to that of Spain..—My only ambition is to render my people happy; and I would chose to die in the midst of my fa;thful Spaniards, though it were my fate to wear the chains of servi tude, nud to resign whatever would most Attach me to life." Reproaching, afterwards, Nitpolean with- having deceived II in thus inviting him to visit Fiance—lie answered, if he bad ant' THE NATIONAL REGISTER. come voluntary, he should have made him by force. 011 the arrival of Godoy, and the King and Queen, who were received and entertained with the greatest magnificence, the Sitting, or Congress of the sth of May, was held, at which Napoleon First and Charles Fourth presided ; present, the Queen Maria Louisa, the Infanta Don Carlos, Godoy, the Grandees of Spain, and the First Minister Zevallos. The Queen, transported with rage, addressed her Sou Ferdinand, " Traitor and wretch, for years you have been imagining and contriving the death of the King your Father, but by the vigilance of the Prince of the Peace, by zeal and loyalty, you have not attained your object. Neither you, nor those traitors who have served or co-operated with you in your base designs. I tell you to your face that you are my son, nod not the son of the King.—Yes, without having other right to the Crown, than that which you derive from your mother, you have sought to wrest it from us by force ; but I will and consent that the Great Napoleon shall be the arbitrator between us, in favour of whom, we renounce and cede our right, to the exclusion of our family. I call upon him to punish you and your associates as traitors, and I commit the whole nation To N apoleon."— Napoleon put an end to this rage, by saying—" No !—I give to Ferdinand the Crown of Naples, and to Carlos that of Etru ria, together with two of my nieces in marriag e . Let them say if they will accede to this proposal."—To t his the Infanta Don Carlos boldly answered, " Emperor, I was not bora to he a King, hut Infanta of Spain."—And addressing his brother— " And you, my brother and king,, speak, do not be alarmed, defend your right, you are a Spaniard; your country will be ready to sacrifice its blood for you and its independence. Be not alarmed, but let us go hence, though it were to the scaffold, or perpetual imprisonment. For that Providence which directs a faithful nation, shall in due time visit his vengeance upon a faithless Emperor, who can thus diarefrard his own promise, and lay aside every semblance of right and reason. Ah ! Fernando, who robs you of the Crown of Spain ? an ignorant ratan', an infamous mother, and her favourite Godoy. Ile, in truth, is the traitor, the plotter of the death of your father, the usurper of the legitimate rights of your family, the author :trine calum ny, and an apostate in religion. Who countenances these machinations?—The tyranny of an Emperor, to whom we have looked for protection."—And he finished by saying, " Na pokon, I am no longer an Infant of Spain, but I was horn one !"—The Minister Zevailos then began to speak, anti with a flowing eloquence, apostrophizing (;aaoy, he said, " Infamous man, unworthy the name of a Spaniard, ou have sold your Country and your Prince - ! But the same Emperor, bo now appears to protect yoti, has decreed within hiat,elf your pu nishment, and that of the parent King. Do you not behold, traitor ! how he is taking advuntage every moment. of these con tentions ? Ah ! how could you have influenced the minds of these miserable parents towards their children? But your error —sour crimes—You ought to have done your duty towards them, though it were only in retina for having saved your life from the fury of the populace. Mower I But I believe it im possible.—Th not so with me, who am a loyal Spaniard, the second person in the nation. and first subject of the King. But Zevallos has religiously fulfilled his duty t and you have always trembled before Zevallos." He continued speaking thus for near an hour and a quarter; so that the Emperor knew pot what to answer in refutation of the arguments he advanced. In this predicament, recurring to his authority, he ordered to be taken front his presence this phenomenon, saying, " 'twas im possible that the earth should subsist a man of so much freedom before the Emperor of the French. But I'll reward you fur it." M. ZevallitS went out; nod M. Gomez spoke. afterwards. But it was finally decreed by Napoleon I. and Charles IY. that Ferdinand VII. should renounce the Crown to his Father in the space of si x hours. Under this violence, he was compelled to do it; but with certain restrictions, Which Napoleon was ready to admit, and which he did agree to with chitties IV. The latter finally consented to abdicate and cede hi..--;;rown to Napo leon; who in turn transferred it to his brother Joseph I. at Naples—nominating, in the mean time, that the Grand Duke of Berg should be Lieutenant of the Kingdom. EXTRACT FROM THE OVIEDO GAZETTE OP' THE 11TH JUNE. " The Governor of Carthagena, who had received orders to zive up the place to the French, and was about to execute theni, experienced the same fate as Alvala. The Almighty, who watches over the lives-of theinnocent, and who regards his loyal and Catholic people with an eye of compassion, ord.►ined that, on the approach of the enemy's squadron to this port, with 800$ Freuch troops for diembarkation, it should fall in with one be- JULY 1 ~'" P 419 ":9 ~', r 1 ~ 1 7; 1!, • 1 . , ~,,. ~,i , 4