The Sun.
London, England, 1871-01-03 00:00:00

MARSHAL PRIM.

Marshal Prim, whose melanclioly death has just
startled Europe, has filled a prominent place in the his-
tory of his time. He was a hatWof Reus, a small town
in Catalonia, where he was bOrn on the 6th of December,
1814, having just completed his fifty-fourth year. The
first military exploits of the future Field Marshal were
performed in the civil war which followed the succession
of Isabella 11. to the Spanish Throne in 1833. He espoused
the cause of the Regent Maria Christina, and was re-
warded four years later with the grade of colonel. After
the flight of the Regent he joined the Progressists,
in opposing the dictatorship of Espartero, and was forced
to fly into France in consequence of his complicity in the
Saragossa outbreak of 1842. While in France he assisted
Maria Christina in scheming for her restoration ; but in
1843 he was able to return to Spain. being elected deputy
by Barcelona. He was soon in difficulties again, however,
for having instigated an insurrection in Reus, his native
place. He was driven thence by Espartero's agents, and
took refuge in Barcelona, until the fall of Espartero and
the triumph of the Regent elevated him to the rank of
general of the Spanish army and Governor of Madrid.
The alliance which, during the days of opposition, had I
united the moderate party and the Democrats, did not,
however, last long under the sunshine of success. Barce-
lona, which had sheltered Prim, broke out into insurrec-
tion on behalf of liberal principles. It was hoped that
Prim's popularity would enable him to pacify the
malcontents, but the hope was vain. For a whole year
Prim had to dispute Catalonia inch by inch against his
old comrade Amettler. This ungracious office brought
him into disrepute with the people, who regarded him as a
traitor, while the Queen on her side was not likely to for-
give his liberal opinions. He was accused of
conspiring against the Government and of plotting the
assassination of Narvaez. He had no difficulty
in clearing himself from the latter charge, but was less
successful with regard to the former, and was sentenced
to six years' imprisonment. This was afterwards 'educed
to six months on the intercession of his: mother, the
mother whom the kingmaker turned aside fronian.official
journey to visit last year. After being released Prim
held aloof from politics for nine years, but in 18531ae went
to Turkey, and took part in the Russian war. The first
successes gained by the Turks on the Danube were at-
tributed to him. Spain, fruitful in revolutions, had re-
joiced in one during his absence, but when lie returned
to Madrid, being again elected Deputy, he
was faithful to his monarchical sentiments, and
voted with the rest of the Progressist party for
the maintenance of the throne, upholding, however, a
liberal policy. He had the distinction of being the only
member of, the Progressist party re-elected to the Cortes
in 1857, after the final triumph of royalty and the ap-
pointment of Narvaez. During the next few years Prim
distinguished himself as a soldier rather than a politician,,
and the brilliant successes he achieved against the Moors,
at Marabout and elsewhere won him the title.of Marquis
of Castillejos, with the rank of a Spanish grandee.• At 1
• the close of 1861 he was sent to Mexico at the head of
an expeditionary force, and was one of the,
principal authors of . the Convention of Soledad in•
February, 1862., He soon found himself in an awkward:
position, as the French were scheming to establish a;
Mexican throne for an Austrian. archduke. Prim took')
upon himielf the responsibility :of breaking, off all rely-;
tions with the French, and after protest
favour of Mexican Independence, he returned with his
whole force to Spain, where his condu.at-wa.s fully ap7;
proved by Government and Cortes. His political vicisSi-:
tudes were as yet but half done. In , August,:lB64, he,
was imprisoned at Oviedo, for sharing in a. military plot;,
and for his vehement opposition in the Cortes. • He went,
abroad, having escaped from his prison, but was recalled
to Madrid the next year, and then waged a fierce opposi-,
tion to O'Donnell. After this he led the movement
for Iberian unity, and the substitution of the House of
Braganza for the Bourbons. A revolt was
clued in 1866, but the government • took „active,
measures, declared a state of siege, and gave
orders that Prim should be , pursued" /into the
mountains of Aragon and Catalonia, where- he was
making his arrangements for retreating to Portugal. The
Senate gave leave to summon Prim before a military tri-
bnnal; but he had by this time crossed the frontier with
:some hundreds of men, and had reached -Lisbon. His.
silty mis not long, for a. manifesto which he addressed to
the-Spani;h nation- forced him to leave Portugal, and;
drove him to London.- In September the same year he re- ,
app,earedinSpain to assist another revolutionary movement-,
but it again broke down, and the leaders were compelled.
to embark hastily in order to avoid the consequences.
The often-repeated attempt was, however, made
,with
success two-years later, and Prim was
.one of the prime,
movers in the yeyolution- which sent • Isabella 11. from her;
throne; It was he who.issued the official bulletin of the.
-xeyblution;. and who compelled the surrender of Cartha-
gega:by the threat of bombardment with three insurgent
frigates. When he returned to Madrid, after this
achievement, he was received with the greatest enthu-
siasm, and cries of " Viva Prim Emperador !" were
raised. Prim's great wealth was • always liberally dis-
pensed, and it was believed this had something to do
with the vehemence of his partisans. For his own part
he always proclaimed his readiness to accept the will of
the nation whatever. it might be, though he made no
secret of his personal preference for a constitutional
monarchy. The rest of the Provisional Government
accepted the same programme. Prim was War Minister
and Captain-General of the army, but it was felt from the
first that though Serrano was the nominal Regent, Prim
was the 'real head of the government. He had a difficult
task to restore order; especially in the army, and ditt.not
shrink from rigorous measures to enforce discipline,
which the repeated insurrections had greatly weakened.
Whatever were the changes of the Government, he re-
tained the head of the War Office and the Presidency of
the Cabinet. It needed a firm hand to repress the troubles
which broke out in Valencia, which entailed a bombard-
ment and the proclamation of a state of siege. General
Prim, however, was the first to propose this should be
raised after two months. On the resignation of Admiral
Topete, Prim held the office of Minister of Marine ; and,
in fact, during any crisis he was ready to fill any of the
temporary vacancies of the Cabinet. The various plots
and conspiracies, Isabellist, Carlist, and others,
kept him constantly employed. The Ultramon-
tanes were an especial source of trouble, but
Prim met them by declaring firmly that all decisions
of the (Ecumenical Council opposed to the votes of the
Cortes would be considered null and void. Prim paid a
visit to Paris in 1869 to obtain the support of France in
the Cuban difficulty, and its attendant complications. His
schemes as King maker are well known, and he has been
ridiculed for his rapid changes of candidature. In refe-
renCe to the Hohenzollern candidature, it is said that
the suggestion, at first made more than a year ago,
bad been altogether laid aside, and by the Spanish
Cabinet and Cortes had virtually been forgotten, when it
was secretly revived by an intriguing agent of Prince
Charles of Roumania, and adopted by Prim, chiefly, it is
believed, because at the moment he was at fault for a
king, all his other candidates having successively refused
to be put in nomination. The King of Prussia, had
nothing to do with, nor did he bestow on the matter a
serious thought until the Regent Serrano had actually
given the. plan his sanction. It is, moreover, a curious
faet not generally • known, that the first assurance given
to the French Government that Prilice Leopold withdrew
from the perilOus position into whmc he had been; .with-
out any volition or effort Of Mary 8%6, thrust by his own
ambitious brother, was pirest&fic3tileDuke de Gramont
by an agent of Prince CharlesCharles,'specialy sent for the purpose,
and not by algy'mei4er-cif the Legation at Paris.
One who knew Prim well during his residence in England,
says that he always spoke forbearingly of the faults and
errojs of Queen Tsalaella,. to whose cause he. had been
devoted, and Whose
,son he would have been personally
wiliing tO°. see eleVated to the throne, had he believed
it Possible': tO, extricate -the -Prince from the influence
of 'rthe surroundings which. had. slowly but effectually
deStroyed all cdnfidence, respect, and pity - for the
B 4 bon race in the heart of the Spailish people.
Tliere'oannokbe a doubt that in 1869 the Project of pro-
jecrt of. procl4nOngr the Prince of Asturias King, with
Prim as irede-a ,or,, protector cturing his minority, was
urged by the Emperor Xapoleen as thq best solution of
the difficulties of the situation; but Prim, however he
may have thought it prudent to finesse, upon the
subject, could never be persuaded that the scheme
was practicable.. Personally he was. :a handsome
and dignified man of middle height, somewhat stoutly
built, and with a pleasing expression of countenance,
though not deficient in firmness. When he rode into
Madrid in his triumph on the .7th of October, 1868, he
had beside him his son, a fine handsome litfle.fellOiw'4Of.:lo,
or 11 years of age. His aged mother carry gt:
him on his triumphal entry into Barcelona ,inl.A, lis
family affections were strong and his personalichprq,ctcyhel.:,
It may be remembered that the great RetinlAriit sra•p9r2:
Castelar, in his recent powerful attack on the- Gue,m-,.
meat in 'opposition to the candidature of theDuko
d'Aosta, while unsparingly denouncing the yusl.dli. .c. 4935
of Marshal Prim as having no faith, policy, or.princi-plie,..,s
passed a high eulogium on the excellence of his private
character.

On December 18 Paris inaugurated the r6gime of
brown bread. Neither rich nor poor can now get any
other kind,