The Sun.
London, England, 1870-12-31 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDA.Y, DECEMBER 31 1870.

THAT fatal Crown of Spain ! The mere offering
of it to a Prussian Prince, as we all know, has led to
the hurling of the French EMPEROR from his throne,
and to the ravaging of France herself by the ruth-
less hordes of Germany. Its award, more recently
to the Duke D'AosTA, now King AMADEUS, has all
but led, within the last few hours, to Marshal PRIM'S
assassination. A more ferocious or a more deter-
mined attempt at assassination has never been per-
petrated. "While proceeding in his carriage from the
Hall of the Cortes to his Ministerial residence, Mar-
shal PRIM, it appears, was shot at with such
deadly determination, and with such all but
deadly aim that he was struck in the shoulder
by no less than eight bullets—the laconic intimation
added by the telegram to the effect that seven of the
balls had been extracted, that a finger had been
amputated, and that it was feared the Dictator would
have to lose another by a similar operation,:evidencing
with painful significance the heartless daring and
brutality of the intending murderers. But one
sentiment, of course, will be expressed or
lilt throughout the whole of Europe at an
attack so very dastardly and atrocious in
its character. Plum, whatever else may be said
of him, has long since shewn by deeds rather than
by words that he has dedicated his life to his country.
He has never shrunk from danger in carrying out
the views he conscientiously believes to be essential
for the good government of his fellow countrymen.
Often and often he has set, not merely his life. but
what a soldier prizes far more, his honour and good
name, as the phrase is, at a pin's purchase.
He has never once shrunk when the opportunity
was presented itself from the desperate hazard of
leading a forloru hope as a political and military al-
vet.turer. The imputation of being a traitor and a
leader of sedition, of wantonly calling the people to
arms, and giving the signal for an insurrection or a
revolutionary outbreak—the fear of charges such as
these being preferred against him, have never pre-
vented PRIM from inaugurating at any period of his
career what he believed in his heart and conscience
to be a desirable, or, ache has rather deemed it to be at
these times an essential and inevitable movement. For
two years, now, Maishalgnam has bokne the weight
of the Government of Spain upon his own shoulders.
Nominal', Marshal SERRANO is its head un ler the
title of Regent, but in reality Marshal PRIM has all
the while been the directing intelligence as well as
the strong right arm of the administration.
An interregnum so prolonged might, with
a less temperate,. or a less resolute
man have been a period for Spain of incalculable
disaster. Tempering vigour with clemency, Marshal
PRIM has contrived with masterly adroitness to
bridge over the gap, drawing order out of chaos and
ruling the Spanish people with an olive rod in lieu of
either a sword or a sceptre. The eagerness he has
latterly displaye l to transfer the responsibility from
his own hands to those of a Prince—no matter what
Prince—who would consent to be the Sovereign, indi-
'cates plainly enough how onerous, how all but over-
whelming to him was his own sense of that supreme
req3onsibility. Otherwise, th(i spect Ado was
simply inc)mprehensible— this unheard-of spec-
tacle, until none of a hanghty race like
that of the Spaniards going upon a tour
more grotePque that of Dr. SYNTAX in search of the
Picturesque, more eccentric than that of CELEBS in
search of a Spouse, a tour among all the courts of
Europe in search of s,me one, anyone, who would
consent to wear the robes and undertake the duties of
the Spanish sovereignty. All the while above the head of
the perfectly cool and self-possessed, Dictator-Marshal
Pram, there has been dangling evidently a sword of
DAMOCLES. If only the revulsion of feeling caused
by so execrable an attempt at the assassination of a
statesman—who has disdained to stretch forth his
hand to seize for himself what has all the while been
clearly within his grasp that glittering baubie of the
crown of Spain which PRIM and the Cortes have
recently awarded to the new King AMADEUS—if
only the natural revulsion of feeling excited by that
indignation may smooth the path for the young
Italian Prince who is, from this next New Year's
Day, to reign over the Spaniards ! If only that be
the result of it, Marshal PRIM himself will perhaps
be the last to regret this dastardly attempt at his
assassination.

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