The Sun.
London, England, 1823-11-06 00:00:00

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diation of England, produced any sensible effect,
either in the way of advice or etwouragemeet
to the Constitutionalists,. who now regarded
themselves as abandoned by the whole world,
while the enemy persuaded the Spaniards that
all the Powers of Europe were against them.—
Notwithstanding that the Cortes found them.
selves in this unfortunate situation, they never
belied their principles, and were always ready
to make any possible sacrifice, rather than
fail in their duty, or do any thing which might
stain their cause. With these feelings, they
concluded, on the 6th of August, their ordi-
nary Session, after having invested the Govern-
ment with all the powers which the Ministers
thought necessary for maintaining the honour
and independence of the Nation. Though,
according to the Constitution, the Deputies
ufter the 6th of August had no reason to sup-
pose they ought to assemble again and deliber-
ate, and were not bound to continue in Cadiz,
they imposed upon themselves the law of resid-
ing in that city, lest the Government should
consider it necessary to summon them as Cortes
Extraordinary. We are not aware, that in pass-
ing this law, any of the 118 Deputies, who had
at length arrived in Cadiz, were absent ; for
only two were wanting in the last sittings, and
they probably could assign some legitimate cause
for not being present. Having their property
confiscated by the decree of the Regency, re-
ceirieg uo part of their allowance from the na-
tional treasury, am! plundered of their property
on leaving Seville, the Members of the Cortes
submitted tp the most severe privations. now
unjust, then, is it to rob them of their honour,
which is the only wealth they now possess, and
which they have preserved at so
,great a sa-
crifice ?
When the Cortes terminated their ordinary
session on the 6th of August, the defence of
Cadiz presented an aspect sufficiently flattering.
The enemy had, been defeated in the sortie of
the 16th of July; the stimulus of private inte-
rest was sufficient to discover the means of intro-
ducing provisions, so that no want was expe-
rienced, nor any other inconvenience than the
rise of prices; the besieged army, though small
in number, was animated by an excellent spirit,
and the people of Cadiz manifested a devoted
zeal for liberty.
Fresh disasters and reverses soon put to the
proof the virtues of the Constitutionals. Ballas-
teros capitulated with his brilliant army, in
which the nation had placed its last hope ; and
the Trocadero was taken by surprise in the night
of the 30th of August. Previously, on the 17th
of the same month, the Duke of Angouleme had
addressed to the Kiteg the letter No. 4, to which
Ferdinand VII. replied, as in No. 5. At the
same time the Government addressed to the Bri-
tish Minister the note included in No. 6. The
answer of the British Minister stated that the
Duke of Angouleme would not admit the media-
tion of England, and that be had dispatched a
courier to his Court, from which he had received
no reply during the whole of the following
month of September.
On the 6th of September, the Government con-
voked the Cortes Extraordinary, and submitted
to them an account of the state of the nation
in terms which were briefly reported in the
Cadiz Papers. Among the documents presented
by the Government, was the accompanying
paper, No. 1, which comprehends the Report of a
Junta of Generals on the 31st of August, stating
that the defence of Cadiz was very difficult, and
attended with great risk. The Ministers proposed
that the Cortes should hold a Secret sitting on this
report ; but the Cortes, desirous of giving cow-
plete publicity to their decisions, resolved to dis-
cuss it in a public sitting. This was the resolu-
tion of the secret sitting—See No. 7. Nothing
could be expected from the Cortes except grants
of further powers, or contributions in men and
money ; but as every grant in their power had
already been made, there was now nothing to be
done but to acknowledge the commtudeation ;
but at the same time the' Deputies earnestly
urged the Ministers to exert themselves with
energy in increasing the means of defence, and
preserving the honour anti independence of the
nation. On the 9th of September the Govern-
ment convoked the Cortes. for another secret sit-
ting, the nature of which is explained by No. 8.
The Cortes else passed, in a public sitting, the
resolution which does them so much honour, on
the opinion of the nation, and the rules which
the Government ought to observe in its conduct.
It is not necessary to say more on this resolu-
tion, us it has already appeared in the public
Journals.
No. 9. contains the account of the third secret
sitting for which the Cortes were convoked by
the Government on the 18th of September. Ou
this occasion the Cortes found no business to
transact, but the Government gave the assur.
ance
of having done all that he had been re.
commended.

rassed the operations. The heavy fire which the
enemy kept up during three hours and a half,
only served to prove their efforts were at that
time made in vain, and to demonstrate what men
are capable of performing when they fight in the
cause of freedom. The enemy was compelled to
abandon his enterprise with the loss of three
large and three small boats ; and of the whole of
hie flotilla, including the reserve, there remained
only 11 vesels in a serviceable condition. Eight
were obliged to be towed into port.
The inhabitants of Cadiz manifested the purest
joy ; they mutually acknowledged each other to
be worthy of the holy cause they were defend-
ing ; all acquired Hew courage to oppose the be-
siegers whenever it might be. necessary. All pro.
wised themselves a happy result, and trusted that
they would, by their firmness, subdue the French;
more particularly when, after the disgraceful loss
of the point of Santi Petri, they daily beheld
boats entering, laden, not only with necessary
provisions, but also with fruits and articles of
luxury, of which there was always abundance.—
Who could have believed that, after a lapse of
eight days, without any renewal of hostilities, all
these well-founded hopes were to vanish ?
Some Generals and Ministers, who had been
constantly declaring that the defence was im-
possible, as if apprehending the failure of their
prophecies, when they saw that the bombard.
went, far from intimidating the defenders of
Cadiz, served only to inflame their courage, in-
sisted the more urgently on the impossibility of
maintaining resistance; and by their language
and conduct induced some corps of the army to
consider themselves as sold, and to fail in their
discipline. Thereupon the General-in-Chief
addressed to the Ministry the dispatch No. 11,
and the Government convoked the Extraordinary
Cortes ; in a secret sitting to which a report of
this circumstance was made, painting in dismal
colours the situation of Spain, which apparently
afforded no hope of remedy, nor even the pro.
spect of matters continuing in the same state for
many days longer. This measure of the Govern.
went was very disagreeable to the Deputies of
the Cortes, who were of opinion that the situa-
tion of Cadiz was not so desperate as had been
described by the Ministers. They observed, such
communications were useless, since the Cortes
had no power to remedy the evils ; that nothing
had been demanded of them which they had not
conceded ; and that they were convinced the repeti-
tion of the extraordinary sittings would afford evil-
disposed persons an opportunity of inventing tales
calculated to threw discredit on the national re-
presentation, and to chill patriotic enthusiasm.
For this reason, after having made strong re..
monstrances to the Ministers, the Cortes gave
them great displeasure by declaring that they
were not satisfied with the communication which
had just been presented to them. This appears
from the extracts from the Report of the fourth
secret sitting, which is hereto annexed under
No. 10, the sitting having been held on the 25th
of October. Nos. 14 and 15 include the first
Measures adopted by the Government on the
receipt of the General-in-Chief's dispatch.
On the 21;th of September the Government,
which had shortly before felt such serious die-
pleasure,again convoked the Extraordinary Cortes,
to present to them the opinion which is hereto
subjoined under No. 12, signed by all the Minis-
ters. Many of the Deputies were not summoned
to the secret sitting which was held for this ob-
ject. Only 82 were present, others being invo-
luntarily absent whose votes might have had an
influence in causing the subject to be publicly
discussed. Notwithstanding that several remon-
strated against this secret discussion, yet it was
agreed on by a very few votes ; and a committee
was appointed, which was to present its opinion
on the following day, as appears from the minute
of this secret sitting, which is subjoined under
No. 13.
Ott the following day, the 27th, was held the
sixth and last secret sitting, in which the com-
mittee appointed to examine the proposition of
the Government presented two reports, the one
signed by the majority, which is subjoined under
N 0.16, and the other signed by the minority, sub.
joined under No. 1 7. The first report being put to
the rote,as the regulations require, it was approved
by 70 votes against 34, who inclined in preference
to the report of the minority. The document
No. 18 contains the names of the deputies who
approved the report of the majority ; and the
document No. 19 contains the names of those
who voted against it, because they inclined in
favonr of the minority. From that period the
Cortes did not, and could not, hold another Sit-
ting, because the Government did not convoke
them for that purpose ; but the Deputies re.
mained in Cadiz until the Ist of October they
learned, without any preliminary information,
that the King had embarked for Puerto Santa
Maria, and they were thus left only to deplore
the misfortunes of their country.

Upon these facts two very important observa-
tions immediately occur. First, that the asser.
tion of the flight of the Deputies, previous to the
departure of the King, is absolutely false; for,
on the contrary, several have fallen victims to
their firmness, in not quitting Cadiz. It is proved
by the documents, Nos. 18 and 19, that at the
last sitting there were 107 present. Don Caye..
tano ViddQZ was absent, fulfilling his duties of
Commandant. General ; Latre, in the exercise of
his functions of Governor; Infante was with the
army of the Isla; Grases was a prisoner; Mega
and Purnarejo were with the army ; Zulueta had
gone to Gibraltar on a comniission of the Govern-
ment, and with the permission of the Cortes;
and Gomosa and the Duke del Parque were