The Sun.
London, England, 1840-09-16 00:00:00

" CONSTITUTIONAL AYUNTAMIENTO OF MADRID.

" I transmit to the Ayuntami,..nto of Barcelona the
subjoined address to the :eople and the national militia
of this heroic city, who are united to defend unto the
death the Constitution and the laws, which arc attacked
by a tiberticide fiction.
" The Ayuntamisnto hope that its example will be
imitated by the Corporation of Barcelona, and in this
confidence it flatters itself that liberty and the national
independence will remain triumphant.

" Mry God preserve you many years.
" Madrid, Sept. 1, 1840.
(Signed) " JOAQUIM MARIA DE FERRER.
" To the members of the As untatniento of Barcelona."
The following address was forwarded with the above
letter :
" Citizens—The wishes of the army and of the citi-
zcn•militia-- the manifestations of the principal Ayun
tatuientos of the Peninsula—the clatnours of puislic
opinion against the ominous system of reaction now do-
minant—all—all have been most insolently _made light
of by the traitors who surround her Majesty, and whose
pernicious Counsels are compromising the dignity of the
Throne, and the public tranquillity, at every step.
" The Constitution we have all sworn to is infringed ;
the laws broken through ; the will even of her Majesty
the Queen Regent tyrannised over, and there being no
Government to direct the vessel of the State after so
lengthened a crisis, it becomes indispensable that the
nation should once for all manifest, with the imposing
aspect of a free people, its firm determination to pre-
serve untouched, either in the spirit or the letter, those
constitutional institutions which we have gained at the
cost of so much blood and such immense sacrifices.

" Your constitutional Ayuntamicnto being persuaded
of this truth, has not hesitated to accede to the wishes
and strong requests (excitaciones) of the immense map.
rity of this heroic population ; becoming the interpre
tors of their sentiments, being satisfied with the tcsti
mony of their conscience, and supported by the well-
deserving civic militia, have mgt for the purpose of trans
mating to her Majesty the wishes of this capital ; and
all the individuals of this corporation will rather perish
than abandon their posts, until the lase and the con
stitivion shall be firmly established against the nrachina
Lions of perfidy and the attacks of tyranny.
" Our example, fellow-citizens, will be imitated in all
the provinces where there arc Spaniards in whose breasts
palpitate generous hearts. And whilst sour decision
for the defence of liberty serves as a stimulus, let your
noble conduct and your general moderation also serve
as a model. Thus all Europe will learn that if the
Spanish people abhor despotism, they are no less op •
posed to licentiousness and anarchy.
1" The first Constitutional Alcalde of Madrid.
(Signed) " JOAQUIM MARIA DE FERRER.
" Countersigned by the Secretary.
" CIPRIANO MARIA CLEMENCIN.
" By order of the Ayuntamiento."
The answer of the Ayuntamiento of Barcelona is as
follows:

"TO THE MFMERS OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL AYUNTA

MIENTO OF MADRID.
" This morning the extraordinary messenger pre-
sented himself with the setter containing the communi-

cation of the Constitutional Alcalde, President of the

most excellent Ayuntamiento of Madrid of the Ist
inst., enclosing the printed manifestation which the

said A.)untamiento had just addressed to the citizens
of the capital, in consequence of the ac!ual state of
public affiirs. In that communication you express the
idea of preserving untouched, either in the spirit or the
letter, the constitutional institutions we have gained at
the cost of so much blood, and such immense sacri-

fices ; the Constitution we have sworn to having been
now infringes], and the laws broken through.
";In effect, in no other place in Spain are there such
abundant proofs, as in Barcelona, of such scandalous
infractions. The National Militia of this city, dis-

solved by a notorious rupture of the Constitution, and
the existing regulations ; many of its inhabitants tran-
sported, banished, imprisoned. and placed in solitary
confinement in the dungeons of the fortresser, without
the slightest judicial proceedings, and without a sum
many process against them having been commenced ; a
public journal suppressed without any of its articles
having been denounced before a jury ; imposts and

contributions of millions of reals monthly, imposed
without the knowledge of the Cortes : these are ,och

notorious and scandalOus infractions of the iundaniental

laws of the State, that they could not have been rea-

lised without the power and influence of a liberticide

'action.

" This Constitutional Ayuntamiento, having its eyes
now fixed upon the terrible and prolonged crisis which
appears to have no other object than to carry into effect
some premeditated coup d'etat (golpe destato) of a vile
faction against the Constitution, is resolved to second
your Excellency's energy and patriotism for the defence
of liberty.
" Signed by the Constitutional Alcalde,
" President PABLO PELACHES.

" Barcelona, Sept. 4, 1840."
Yesterday the following proclamation from the Con-
stitutional Ayuntamiento of Barcelona was published :
" BARCELONESE—That state of affairs has arrived
in which your Ayuntamiento is called upon to tell the
whole truth.

A faction unworthy to belong to the Spanish.peo-
•ple, because it is under the dictation of
a foreign Join-
theg n
pact
A n oft
misfortunes.e es obstinately pretendslthasn ast asideto plungethe mask,
Yosu k , intoand
which three years ago it swore to, under the appear-
ance of gratitude and attachment to reconciliation, bag
been dispised, threatened, and finally broken through
with unexampled effrontery. Your Ayuntamiento,
Barcelonese, has checked the storm as much as pos-
sible, opposing an unbounded constancy to the incre-
dible provocations of this tyrannical and 'oppressive
band. But their insane aggressions have at length ex-
ceeded all natural blundaries ; it is absolutely neces-
sary to repel them, and to assume a worthy and re-
spectable attitude. We know now what is our fate ;
between an unfortunate termination and an honourable
death there remains but one course—resistance.

" Yes, Barcelonese, your Avuntarniento considers
that the state of things has arrived for appealing to this
extreme resource. The consequences of this step will
fall exclusively upon those who have piovoked it by
their misconducL (desafueros). The attack has com-
menced upon what presses most intimately upon our po-
pular righzs—upon our municipal
" Let us rather perish a thousand times, fellow-citi-
zens, than consent to such iniqu:ious usurpation. Your
Ayuntaimento will set you the example, and doubts not
of finding imitators. The Csmarilla shall at last learn,
to its great sorrow, that it was mistaken in reckoning
upon your apathy and indifference. Every order, which
is opposed in the slightest degree to the fundamental
compact we have sworn to, will be issued in vain, for it
will not be obeyed in Barcelona ; and if it should be at-
tempted to carry into effect by force that which may be
unjustly ordained, we shall not have to look back to a
very remote period to find in our history sublime ez-
amples for our imitation. But where is the force
which would take on itself the charge of realizing the
mandates of tyranny ? Perchance the army.? No ;
the defenders of the Constitution, the subordinates of
the worthy chief of our arms, will never support despo-
, 65,2—those bayonets which have thrust down the
arrmd
.:bolitionists, will never be prostituted by lend-
ing their a.d to infamous conspiracies against the peo-

plc's liberty,
The heroic nius-iicipality of Madrid, the popular
representatives of the Pnequalled Zaragosa, have sent
forth the first cry of alarm y and we should be despic-
able, and unworthy of being successors of the ancient
counsellors of Barcelona, if in such decisive moments
we omitted to respond to the cry of enthusiasm ut-
tered by our brethren.
" Citizens ! Let the impulse among us, and all our
sentiments, be unanimous, and liberty will triumph, in
spite of its implacable adversaries.
" Signed by the Constitutional Presideat and
other Members of the Ayuntamiento.
" Consistorial House of Barcelona, Sept. 6, 1840."
_ _

Yi ziterday evening the Mediterrenean steamer arrived
from Valencia, and you will see by the following trans-
lation of a despatch from the new War Minister,
General Aspiroz, to General O'Donnell, Captain-Ge-
neral of Aragon and Valencia, the light in which what
he calls the Government view the occurrences at Ma-
drid on the Ist instant, and that this Government de-
clares that it. is " occupied in adopting the most ener-
getic and efficacious measures, in order to cause the
re-establishment in Madrid, as the centre of the me.
narchy, of public order, &c. However, events have
marched so rapidly, that it would require somethin
more than the "strong (?) hand,' spoken of in the
Mi-
nister of War's despatch, to remove the mass ofsrinet :
joined
citizens in Madrid, and those who have them
resist any infringement on the Constitution, from the
powerful position they have assumed.
The despatch in question is thus indited,s
" Most Excellent Sir,—
has received information, that on the
tranquillity was disturbed. in 11
for a
%tient° of' that capital, taking
tacks were intended to be m 2
which none more than the. Her Majoesltsyt Government
instant public
The Ayunta-
pretest that at-
tacks upon the Constitution,
Government desires to pre-
in
national
iMilitia,
convokingfortify~
house, detaining forcibly
ing themselves in the
and, fin Ally, having the hat-
there the political Chief;
serveto :1 iti toov.ultdu,i : declaredpar
ts7lfildttsiel
the
f
0- ' ral .
who, attended by his aides.
ci,ptain.,.ene .
upon the
mp and a very small forcebelonging to the garb
dihood to order a discharge of musketry to be made
order to obtain a correct knowledge of what
~
was going foru arc , . I had proceeded towards the Town-
With the object, no doubt, of giving a greater
iiOUSC.
dr
risen,
i i ,
appearance of force to this movement, the Municipal
Ody ordered at the same time that the drums should
beat to arms, and upon this signal the 'National Mi
litia could not do otherwise than form, being igno-
rant that the Captain-General had not taken any part
in
the order for calling out the National Militia.
' * l'',i, '..,-..,: '.,,-.ilg heeo er4lectrd in the square o