The Sun.
London, England, 1823-02-18 00:00:00

SPAIN.

Previous to the arrival of the Aladrid Papers
yesterday, we had extracted from a French
Journal an imperfect account of the Debates of
the Cortes, on the propositions made by the Spa.
nish Government for the purpose of increasing
and accelera t ing themilitary and naval preparations
of Spain, in coniequenceof the hostile nature of the
King of France's Speech to the Chambers. Our
limits Yesterday precluded us from giving these
Debates from the Spanish Papers themselves : they
tend to shew in so clear a light the state of the
public mind of Spain on the meditated aggression
of France, that we consider it to be our duty to
communicate them in full from the original sources.
After the project of the Decree (See Nesterday's
Sum), presented by the Special Committee, to
whom the propositions of the Government rela-
tive to the King of Fitisror's Speech had been
referred, was read, the following disossion took
place :

Senor (oars tto was the,first who addressed the Cortes. 11e
-wished to state his reasons for not agreeing with the report of
the committee in its recommendation of a levy of 29,973 men.
He never would °muse granting a force nece,isry for maintain.
ing the liberty and independence of the nation, especially under
circumstances such as the present ; but It appeared to him that
the object of the Government would be sufficiently attained if
measures 'necessary for carrying promptly into effect the levies
already granted by the'Cortes were adopted. According to the
data in the memorial, of the Secretary of IVar, the standing
artny at the end of the year 1821 consisted of 51,000 men. Th e
COrtes in the preceding ordinary session decreed a levy of 7,0.00,
which added to the 51,000, made the force of the army for a
peace establishment 58,000. In the present session there has
been granted a levy (3129,000; which added to the fOrnicr, makes
97,000, and this ought to be the present force of the army.
The force of the active militia should in its present, state be
58,000 men ; and as its service is made equivalent to that of the
army, there is consequently a force on foot of 1-18,000 men.
Deducting 20,000 men to allow for incidental deficiencies, there
will still remain 121.000 men—a force. widelt exceeds by 4,000
the total granted by the Cortes in the years 1820 and 1821 for a
war establishment. lle concluded by urging the Cates to
adopt measures for speedily raising the men already granted.

The SZCILETARY Of STATE: fur the 110301 DE:PART AIENT•
—The Deputy who has just spoken rests his argument of
11,12,090 men being sufficient, on that being the force voted at
the end of 1821 ; but he does not consider,.- that besides the
deductions occasioned by the warfare against the factious, the
force of the army then decreed was supposed to have to sustain
only a foreign war. At present, however, we are nut only
threatened with an attack from abroad, but have to attend to
the bandittti in the interior. It may therefore be said that we
have to carry on war both externally and internally, This
renders it necessary that the poposed force should be granted,
rrorn the state of some of the provinces of the Periintala, the
levies already decreed have not been completed. 'ad, was
some kficiency in the ordinary levy of 7,808 men, owing to the
situation of the Biscayan provinces, Catalonia, Navarre, and
part of Arrnion. Similar difficulties have occurred in raising
the 211,00 men last toted, so that as yet only 22,700 of thji,

levy have as yet been obtained. With respect to the active
militia, the levy for it is going on with ail possible expedition.

Senor VALDES (Don Cayetano).—Senor Romero seems not
to,have tv,:n understood what the Committee proposes. The
Spanish Nation, like every other, wishes to diminish in time
of peace the force which it is necessary to maintain in war. The
question now simply is, whether the time for placing our army
on the full war establishment be arrived or not? In my opinion
it indisputably is. There is no means of, securing the independ-
ence of the nation in extraordinary cases, except by resorting
to extraordinary measures ; and in the present case, Our inde-
pendence, is not igly menaced, but our very existence as a na-
tion. Thu Government asks for 30,000 additional men ;
then I say, grant them, b:cause, who else beside the Govern-
ment possesses sufficient data to determine what number must
be necessary to place the army *on,,a proper footing ? We ought
not to heaitato, had the Government wilted for 50,000, since
the political existence of the Spanish Nation is at stake. In
such a case I, should say, not only complete the army to the
war establishment, but raise it to double its number, it neces-
sary. If by this means an. army of 200,000 men *raid be
raised, I should be glad to see the levy in operation. The dif-
ficulties which might be experienced by the towns are not to be
made an obstacle on an occasion of this kind. All particular
interests must yield to the general interest, and the general in.
terest is the preservation of the existence of the country.
The SECRETARY of Wait observed, that according to the
basis upon which Senor Romero calculated, the army would
now amount to 200,000 men, but he had not taken into consi-
deration the diminution which must have occurred. The Go-
verntnent, upon a consideration of the whole subject, found
that 30,000 men were necessary to place the army on the full
war establishment.

Senor GoemaLEZ ALONZO said, " I oppose the report, for
a reason precisely'the contrary of that stated by Senor Romero ;
for, in my opinion,. the proposed s too small. The two.
fold kind of war which we have tMstain requires a greater
force titian would be 'sufficient in an ordinary case of hcstiliti,s.
According to what the Secretaries of State have said, the pro.
portions to be furnished by some of the provinces for former
levies have not been Completed. It may be presumed that this
may be the, case with the present ; I therefore think that the
number should be 40,01)0. Article 7 of the law project which
hail been presented to as directs, that certain funds shall be
Applied to the clothing and arming of the levies in each Prue
vines but this rnatter will require great attention, because such
is the state of these funds, that they cannot answer' all the de-
mands upon thent, one of which is the arming of the local mili-
tia. I wish that some other measures had been adopted fur this
pewee, and among the rest that the manufactories of arms and
warlike implements, which unfortunately arc on points near
the threatened 'frontier, May by be withdrawn to snore secure
places. I therefore wish that the Contraittee would make some
modifications in the report."
The SERETAity of Wan observed, that with respect to the
manufactories to which the. last speaker had alluded, the Go-
vernment had already adopt the necessary precautions, by re-
moving into. the interior all the public establishments of that
kind ; and with regnrd to titivate manufactoriete the Govern-
meat had, through the medium of the local eultortities, advised
the proprietors to adopt the same course.
The SEettETARY for the HOME DoeanTatoerr remarked,
that the provincial deputations were, according to the proposed
decree, not only permitted to use the funds arising from the
zeal property and local imposts of towns, but any other funds
which might be disposable.
Senor A Ito tiELLE9.—I think the objections or rather the
doubts, of Senor Romero must now be pretty well removed
by what has fallen from other speakers. smut' (eon:take
Alonso has well supported the project, though he thinks the
number of men too *mall; but the worthy deputy dues not
seem to be aware, that in cases such as the pyesciir, it is diffi-
cult to fix the limit for contributioes of this kind. At pee.
sent, 30,000 men are asked ; anti' whatever maybe the result
of the contest, which I am confident will be total to those who
provoke it, it is probable that further grante, both of, money
and men, will be necessery. Spoor Gonzalez 4lonsu is also of
'opinion, that the resources placed at the dispreed of the pro.
vmcial deputations will not be suificielit t.s , clothe anti equip
the leviee. It is true that the collection oi' 'twee funds has ex-
perienced difficulties in ordinary times, but extraordinary cir-
cumstances give birth also to an extriuntlieiery force ; and
what is more, in the present case the provincial deputations
are authorized or avail themeelves of (neer funds beeitlei those
particularly
.natheil in the project. When that part' of the
measure which relates to the pecuniary resources, and which
was aonounced yesterday by the Govettorent, Shall be pre-
canted, it will be seen .how toe andcipatiOns are to Le covered,
and Senor IitnIZA,LrZ A eeterkeee expectations will in that re-
spect, perhope, be completely tottiefiete H
Senor.Rutz ter. 1.4 t VEDA.—I am far from being reluctant
to vote the resources and forces proposed by the Committee.
I only with to be informed why the measures already resolved
on by the Corals have not been, fully carried into effect. lam
.convinced that the Magnanimous and geeeroes Spanish nation
will with pleasure make all the sacritieee which may be neces-
sary for the preservation of independence alai liberty. I Wish
to know why the easure which the Cortes eu readily placed
,at the ilieposel of 'the Government , have not produced the
result which was expected from them
The SEcittlyAltY of Wane--When the Government asked
the former grant froth the Corm, it woe for the purpose of
crualiiug the factious bands that infested the sth, oth, and
7th military districts. The hope of accomplietiing this has
not been altogether illueory, since, fortunately, they have
been diminished in the ,7th district by the jtitliciuue operations
of General Aline ; and also in the stti. and Oth ; and in the 4th,
where souse exist, though not in numbers sufficiert to render
it necessary to declare that district in a state of war. Now,
however, that a foreign Power threatens is .with war, the
Onvernment, jealous of the rights of the nation, asks of the
Cortex new resources and edditional fortes, and l'arn confident
that this call will be readily answered.
It was unamimously declared, that the subject was mufti-
' ciently dieentsed, and that there was ground to vote on the
whole of the report.
The articles were then put separately.
Articles let and .2a mere read and adopted.
'the :ill article was submitted to dieetieeieti.

Senor lie.CAßns.—By the former ordinances for reinforcing
the army, it WM declared that this, decrees for the reinforce-
ments shall be held to have been published on the day on which
they should hate been fixed in the capital' of the provinces :
hilt the present Cortes has departed from this practice, and for
the ordinary reinforcentent decreed in the last Session, a certain
day has been determined on. The Deputies who have taken
part in this business will not fail to observe the importance of
fixing ti day, which, may be mentioned in tlie same article; in
which it neiy be moreover stated, that the secede the levy
now to be otdereil shall be understood to be to the
day of the signing of the present decree, or .
maybe thought convenient. 'There is another'
ticie to which I would call the attention of the , e
article intimates. that this levy is to be made according' to tie
seine rules which were followed in the forma extraordinary
levy, with the modificutions expressed in artielea 4 mai 6. lam
of opinion that there should be tome Gather moditicatiohs, re-
tapectintr which propose to make :in addition, which is sup.
ported by an expreestotethat has fallen from the Secretary tin
the Home Depeitment. He mentioned a tact which must be
obvious to us ail—namely, thht the exceptions were the great
obstacles to the speedy accomplishment of the levy. Perhaps
there is more reason for maintaining all the other exceptions,
than that granted to the sons of infirm fathers and widowed
mothers, because, tin one of those who justly deserve exemp-
tion, there are 91 who unjustly declare ttletwelvai such, in ar-
tier to be exempted, though they are in no *ay serviceable to
their parents. For this reason, I ant anxious that the members
'of the Committee should admit an addition to the article, with.
bolding the privilege of exemption from the individuals to
1
whom have alluded.
Sew Caxeia.—The two objections that have been weed
by the preceding speaker relate, first to the fixing If a Jay

PRICE SEVENPVICE.

for the drawing of the levy; and next; tiithe exemption elf
the sons of infirm fathers and widowed mothers. For my ?set, :
though I am not very well informed on these matters, I eon-
fe,ss that there appears to me no inconvenience in admitting
the first amendment. With regard to ihe 'second, I shall
observe, that the wish of the Committee was surely to e
facilitate as much a possible the levy which is about to be
decreed, and which is Most urgent. That amendMent
would then be inadmissible, because at would nut only 'be nee
cessary to inquire into its expediency, hut also to dtecuss it,
which would ()erasion delay , and embarrasiment in the pub-
lication of the decree, and cause a loss of valuable time,
for war already exists within the interior of the nation—
I state this.; for those miserable, sedneed
,ment—theee,
hands of robbers, assassins, and malefactors of every kind
which lately appeared, have declared themselves the vane
guard of the foreign army which threatens to invade
us. Those men of the Faith are the advanced posts of the
army which brings with it all the protection of the God
of Saint Louis. And has not that army a troop of rater.-
derers and robbers for its vanguard 1-e(Lotid
I do not allow that civil war exists among ourselves : as little
do I admit the truth of t`ie divisions which are spolten of. There
are no divisions among Spaniards at the present moment : we
are all united in the resolution to defend the country. None ef
us wish for any institution but the Constitution to which we •
have sworn-.-that Constitution which Ferdinand VII. has
freely rJeognized and spontaneously sworn to maintain. His
Majesty has already declared that he is a Constitutional King,
, and that he will always be the first to walk in the path of the
Constitution. On the 6th of.luly, he gave a proof of this to
the Council of State, when he said that he flattered himself
with being a Constitutionalist capable of withstanding every
proof. But let us draw aside the veil, for it is full time : these
parties of factious are, I repeat it, only the vanguard of that
invading army which boasts of marching under the protectien
of the Clod of Saint Louis. The time is therefore arrived
for all Spaniards to declare themselves, 'as In the year 1808,
in order that we may secure our frcedcm .ard triumph as -
we then did.—(llepeated plaudits.)—Let us reply to the proud
potentates who threaten us with an army under the protection
of the God of St. Louis, that we shall invoke the God of' St.
Nareisstis of Gerona,--that if they appeal to the God of St.
Louis, we shall rely upon Him who protected the Spaniards at
Roncesvalles,—that if they seek the aid of the Gad of St. Louis,
we shall rely upon Him who protected us in the battle of St.
Quintin— and finally, that it the dearly beloved son of the
Khig of France be the conimandet of the troops advancing
against us, we shall show him the Casa de los Lujanes, where
he will find the tower in which a French King (Francis I.) was
imprisoned. In fine, let us declare, that it is not against the
French nation,_ but against its Cabinet, seduced by a fanatical
talon, that the Spaniards, who are resolved not to be slaves,
invoke the God of Justice, through.whom they will obtain tf'4
victory.
Senor BECE It RA stated, that the only object he had in pro..
posing amendments was to render the decree effectual within as
short a time as possible.
Senor GA LIAN 0.--4 oppose the article'.on the same' ground
as the Deputy who has already objected to it. The reply of a
worthy member of the committee, who has appealed to the beet
passions which warm the breasts of Spaniards at such a mo-
ment as this,. has not satisfactorily removed the objections to
which the article is liable. It is true that an amendment, by
way of addition Inaile to an'article of the project, may delay its
publication ; but what is above all things necessary is, that the
article should be clear and intelligible. I am very far from
thinking it proper that the practice which has hitherto been
adopted should be followed in making this levy. In my opi-
nion, it should be said 130,000 men are nemesery ; they shall be
taken from the unmarried men of such an age, without any ex..
ception ; the families thereby rendered destitute shall be provided'
fur by the country, that being left to the patriotism of the provir-
dal deputations. This is what the war with which we are three.
tened requires, not our intestine divisions, to which I will not give
the name el war, becouse 1 am persuaded that those divisions
will vanish the moment the Spaniards see an invading enemy
in their country Under these circumstances, every Spaniard
who is able to lift a weapon ought to fly to defend the country,
with the exception of certain persons whose functions it must be
more useful for them to exercise than to take arms in their
hands. It beingadmitted, then, that in the present state of
the nunnery every Spaniard ought to be a soldier, we have to
inquire into the measure best calculated to carry this'principle
into execution. What then is that measure P—the setting aside
all the exemptions that hare hitherto been allowed in ordinary
levies. Consistently with those views, 1 would propose to the
Cortes to declare, that so many men are to be raised to plate
the army on the war footing ; that they are to be drawn by
let ; and that all exemptions are disallowed. It is proper that
meat a resolution :tat this should be adopted. All Spaniard, are
bound to be soldiers, and those who may not be drawn ought
to be ready to form a reserve; for when danger imminent
the whole people may be called upon in mass to defend the
country.

Senor INFANTE (one of the Committee) had been of opi-
nion that th.re ought to be no other exception than that or the
Physical impossibility of serving; but the other Alcilibera of
the Committee had thought it right to continue the usual ex.
erriptions. The Llovernment had required that the army should
be placed on the • war establishment—that it should consist of
124,679 men; for that purpose 30,000 men are wanted. O
this basis the Committee drew up the project of the decree in
the manner ,which had already been approved by the Cortes,
and which in. their' opinion appeared the most effectual for com-
pleting the levy.
After some further discussion, the article was approved ; it
being .understood that the Committee would present another
article to modify the exemptions.
The remaining articles were, after some observations, alsto
agreed to.