The Sun.
London, England, 1831-09-09 00:00:00

•
POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MA NS I ON-H 0 USE.
A truly affecting spectacle preienttal itself yesterday at
the Mansion-house, in the absence of the Lord Mayor,
Three Spanish refugees, a Colonel, and two Commanders,
'eith starvation strongly marked in their faces, besought
Mr. Hobter to endeavour to save theist and others of their
miserable countrymen, persons of rank and large hereditary
claims, from perishing. They declared that they bad nut
tasted bread for the last forty-eight hours ! " but look,"
said they to Mr. Holder, " lock at us, and tell us whether
you don't believe us. We ate all starving. Death has
come to the relief of some, and is close at the heels of the
rest ; and we are driven to this hunger and nakedness by
our resistance to the despotism which England has always
detested."
Mr. Holder asked the poor miserable creatures whetht r
they had applied to his Majesty's Government.
Dun Fernando Garcia produced a correepondenee bee
trreen him, on behalf of the refugees, and some 'limbos
of the Administration, froM which correspondence it :13-
peered that Government declined rendering any assistance.
The refugees, open finding that the fatignes of office in-
terfered with the benevolent feelings of those to whom
they applied, wrote a petition to his. Majesty, describing
their melancholy condition, and begging that he would be
graciously pleased, at this time of general rejoicing at the
approach of the Coronation, and the security of the liberties
of the people, to look with an eye of compassion upon their
desolate state. They would wait longer for an answer,
lint the want of food drove them to this course,, and there
was nothing but a lingering death in prospect.
Mr. Hubler asked whether they had been upon the Duke
of Wellington's list ; and, if they had, whether they had
risked the allowance upon that list by leaving England 7
The refugees paid that the Duke of Wellington had or-
dered some years hack that those who received the 101. aid
as travelling expenses, on a departure from this country,
should forfeit the right to the allowance in future. When
the late French rerulntion took place, almost every good
Spaniard, under the impression that the example would be
followed, went over to his country, to rouse the people to
a sense of their degraded condition. The experiment to
deliver Spain from priesteraft and despotism, however,
proved unavailing. The refugees fought against the
tyrant, but they met with a atreng army, and were every
where assailed by treachery They were led into nimbus-
cedes and shot or strangled like dogs. The chance of
dying like men was denied to them, and those that
escaped, after the desperate but ineffectual struggle, were
prevented by the French Government from making any
further effort, and struck off the list of claimants by the
Duke of Wellington.
Mr. Nobler said that, if the Mike of Wellington had
not annexed some condition to the grant of the la,
it was apprehended that England, in the midst of her
own privations, would have been overwhelmed by real
and pretended claimants.
The refugees said they had learned, from authority,
that the Duke of Wellington had still the disposal of
the fund granted by his Majesty for the relief of the
Spanish refugees at his eta:lnland ; that the fund amounted
to 18,000/., and that but few of the exiles were deriving
benefit from it. Finding that his Majesty's Government
would not any more interfere, the only alternative left
to them was to appeal to the Chief Magistrate of the
great city which bad with Bush liberality subscribed
some years ago, and saved many of their countrymen from
the horrors of that starvation which the exiles were now
literally undergoing.
Mr. Huller said that the city fund had been long since
expended, and the only mode by which he thought any
successful application cenld be made would be that of a
public appeal to the wealthy and exalted. He knew that
there were many amongst that class whose charitable feel-
ings suffered no abatement from the political contentions
which were going on. It was possible that the melan-
choly statement which been just made would in some shape
or other meet the eyes of those who were constantly look-
ing abroad tor objects on whom to exercise their liens-
volenee.
The refugees said that, since they had applied to tl.e
Lord Mayor a very few months ago, several of their num-
ber had stink into the grave from the mere want of the
common necessaries of iife.
Mr. nobler gave them from his 011'11 pocket the nu.ans
of supplying their iinmediate and t,.11 them to wait
upon the Lord Mayor in a fell' d'a'y
The unfortunate
perfects erpesied their eratitude to
of
the benevolent man, who has frNtiently :osettit ninny
them from his own private remarry', And lett the ucthce-
reorn for the n.xt baker's shop.