The Sun.
London, England, 1824-09-29 00:00:00

" TO THE SPANIARDS.

" A year of mournful experience is sufficient to make known
to us the true object which brought the French into Spain.
Without having offended them, they invaded our sail under
the pretext of restoring tranquillity to the nation and liberty to
the King. We were tranquil and happy, till they sowed the
seeds of discord with their corrupting gold and their fallacious
and malicious offers. The King was always free when among
Spaniards, and never experienced imprisonment till it was
imposed upon him by the French. Those Frenchmen who,
on the memorable day of May 2, 1808, dragged him off from
Madrid, bedewing the Streets with the blood and tears of its
inhabitants, are the very same who, in September 1823, drew
him out of Cadiz by deceit and perfidy, after having bombard.
ed its walls and covered whole provinces of this wretched na-
tion with sorrow and misery. What liberty is that which
Ferdinand has since enjoyed ? What tranquillity do the Spa.
niards enjoy ? You Spaniards see and lament it. You see
your Monarch continually surrounded by Frenchmen—guard-
ed by Frenchmen even in the interior of his Palace—escorted.
by Frenchmen in his rides—and deprived of every other at-
tendance, or guardianship, without even the permission of
being spoken to by his oldest servants. Since that time you
see thousands and thousands of families, the most illustrious
and venerated, proscribed and banished, or suffering the hor-
rors of a dungeon, without declaration of the cause of their
banishment.
" Your fortresses have been froM that time in the power of
the eternal enemies of Spain—your armies are disbanded, and
the brave men who composed them are pining in hunger and
nakedness ; your navy is ruined ; your artillery is pillaged and
carried off to France ; your public prosperity is annihilated in
all its, branches, and you yourselves are borne down with con-
tributions to pamper your oppressors, and loaded with debts
which will avail as little as the fertile soil watered with the
sweat of your brow to procure a support of width your enemies
deprive.you. From that time you have seen your external com:
merce ruined by contains, whom the whole absolute powei of the
Monarchy and the vaunted protection of the French could not
drive from your coasts. You see your internal trade attacked
with impunity on the highways, loaded with shackles and im-
posts which raise the prices of articles of the first necessity to
double their value, at the same time that you see all your money
carried off to France, by means of the robberies and impositions
which the Army of Occupation protects ; while at the same

time Anierica, now independent, deprives us of our silver, pro-
hibits our,commerce, refuses all communication with us, and car-
ries van war against us even on our coasts, in consequence of the
shanged situation into which we have fallen. To what must we
at last come, if we endure for a longer term such tyranny and
oppression ? it excites our horror to think of our situation; but
it is•necessary to know the evil in order to apply the remedy.
The French--the French—the eternal enemies of the Spanish
name—are the agents who move this machine of suffering, till
they overwhelm us with such despair as to induce us to aoCept
of their sway as the only relief from calamity. The throne of
Ferdinand is not—nos it is not —the object of their care, but of
their conquest. Those who kept him for six years a prisoner
at Valencay are the sentinels who •now guard him ; and those
who endeavoured to force upon us Joseph Buonaparte as King
are now pointing out to us the Duke of Angouleme. Ye
blinded and misled Spaniards who, perhaps, hoped for good
where you have met with calamity, compare with the present,
epoch the times which have just passed, and which it is wished
to blot from your memory. You then saw the throne of your
Kings shine with imposing splendour and majesty. Your
commerce, free and protected, spread its flag on all seas—the
precious metals attracted to the Peninsula circulated and mul-
tiplied within them—ihe productions of our country were ex-
ported with security to foreign nations—entire provinces or Ame-
rica were reconcilato us, and others offered us many millions in
exchange for peace; many families coming from other coun-
tries, and bringing us their property and industry, increased our
population. The arts advanced,•all branches of the public pro-
sperity were encouraged, and all announced a happy futurity,
iii which the Spanish name would become respected and feared
among the nations. For the equitable orderoldurcontributione
there have now been substituted new and exorbitant imposts,
and the old arbitrary system of passports, police exactions
conies to fish, to bunt, and to use arms, which for personal de.
fence had been always permitted, is renewed. For the personal
security which you enjoyed, have been substituted the most
atrocious oppression, exile, and Imprisonments; for your do-
mestic tranquillity, that discord which fanaticism introduces
into the bosom of families. In fine, to prosperity has succeded
misery, to knowledge ignorance,' to justice tyranny, to virtue
crimes, to reason force, and to liberty slavery. Behold the sad
picture which your disbanded army present* ! forced to .rob or
to beg their bread, while the nation is delivered over, miserable
and defenceless, to its greatest enemies, who make use of the
King's name as a pretext for their oppressions,and mot./ hit
absolute will that we may be placed under the absolute sway of
Frenchmen.
" Spaniards awake! open your eyes,; commit your honour—
your independence--,your true interests. The French are your
have prepared for ' you new
sole oppressors : they Arnie
King. Those who, nun 11108 to 11114, kept your King a
captive, sacked your towns, and set fire to your houses, pro.
fared yOur temples, and covered your land with desolation—
these are theeame who now endeavour to keep you in subjec.
don by deceitful trickeries. They pretend to respect the roll.
gitm which they detest—they pretend to respect the King, while
they are preparing his death. In proportion as they acquire
the mastery over Spain, they endeavour to rob it, that they
may return to France with their booty. Already has their
Government compelled the pretended authorities of Madrid to
recognize a debt of 800 millions, as the expences of an .un-
just invasion; and it will soon demand more for the labour of
oppressing and plundering us. In proof of the Infamous inten-
tions of the French, behold the Afroucestidos, who, in the time
of Napoleon, were traitors to their country, and declared enemies
of religion and the King, occupying now the chief posts in the
state ; behold. them in the councils, in the ministry, in the tri-
bons, in the police, to avenge themselves now on the loyalty
and patriotism which then frustrated their designs. Do you
then wish to live miserable and oppressed, and to endure the
ignominious dominion of the French ? Will your abasement
and your infamy reach this point ? Remember what you have
been—blush for what you are—and break the infamous yoke of
those who are unable to contend with you when you put forth
your strength.
"To arms people of Spain, to arms ! Inundate die plains
with your overflies—pursue to death your oppressors—bedew
with their blood your fields, rendered barren by their .oppres-
sion. Avenge yourselves for the scarcity which they have oc-
casioned, by fattening with their carcasses the soil which
Heaven has parched to chastise your submission to the enemies
of the altar I The French and the Afraneesados have drawn
down upon us the wrath of God. Let us make peace with
God and our country, by exterminating the enemies of both.
God and justice are on our side ; let not courage be wanting,
and victory will be easy. Our triumph is in our resolution.
War, war, war, till we obtain peace by recovering our inde-
pendence—our liberty—our honour."
The Address to time Spanish Military is of simi-
lar import, and filled with similar incentives to
rise against time French.oppresSors of their coup-
try. I t woulktherefore be superfluous to tran-
scribe it. The following is its first paragraph :
" Spanish Soldiers!—Return to mina and to honour. You
promises. The wretches who
have been' deceived by false
dared trot to tight you, stained your honour by calling your
credulity cowardice. You were credulousyou were not
cowards. Traitors deceived you with falee•premises of peace
and the public good ; and, confiding 'hi- the capitulation and
the faith of Frenchmen, volt surrenderedthe field without a
combat. Perjured Generals sold you. for the vile price which
tyrants ever offir,, but never pay. Timid and venal autho- '
sides involved. yofu in confusion ; and, being misled, you aban-
cloned the defence of the cause which you held.so sacred."