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 Emperor, 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 byesort 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

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