The Sun.
London, England, 1834-01-16 00:00:00

SPAIN.

MADRID, JAN. vaeuir al MD produced in the
public mind by the arrival of ill digested rumours from
Barcelona begins at length to explain itself. It was clear
that fresh vigour could not be infused into the central
Government without a pr.iportional diminution of the
power which was formerly wielded by the Captains-general
of provinces. Although most of them professing very
liberal opinions, these Viceroys or Captains-general are so
many Pitch" quite as impatient of control, and as un-
willing to acknowledge any superior authority, as the most
independent of their oriental brethren. The spirit of
insubordination is often attended with inconvenience, but
it can scarcely produce any serious danger, unless several
of these military prefects should combine together to

overturn the Government, or one of them, stronger than
the rest, should begin by setting up for himself, and after-
wards proceed to carry his arms into the provinces of his
neighbours. Whether well or ill founded, however, it
now appears that the late alarm fo• the state of Catalonia
arose front the apprehension of this double danger. It
was fared that I.lander, who is a native of the province
over which he rules with all but sovereign sway, was not
only preparing to throw off the sernltlance of submission
to the government of the Queen, but that the treasures
he had in contemplation were countenanced by Ques ida,
the Captain general of Old Castile, and by two other of
their colleagues.
The War Department has been given to-day definitively
by a Royal decree to Zarco del Vtille, The Cabinet con-

sista, therefore, of four regular mt,mbrr•,—Zea f ,r Foreign
Aff,irs, with the Presidency of the Council ; Burgos, the
Home Department, with the Finances, ad interim ;

Z irco, the War Department, with the Marine, ad interim ;
end Gonzalez, Grace and Justice; hut the last may still
he re •arded as a mere locum tenens, until the place can
be filled up to suit the views of Zea at,d Burgos, who
seem to have agreed to share the power between them.
The Gazette of this morning contains the 4ficial

account of the battle which was fought on the 29th of
December near Nacar and Asarta, between a body of 6,000
insurgents under a chief who calls himself Zumalacarrugui
and a combined brigade from Art agon and Navarre, under
Don Manuel Lorenzo. The loss on the part of the
Queen's troops is now stated at 24 killed and 100
wounded, 9 of the wounded being officers.

The casualties on the other side are estimated at 300
killed, hut as no attempt is made to guess at the number

of wounded, as very few prisoners appear to have been
taken, and as the dead left on the field are not more than
110, the resistance must evidently hare been of the most

determined description. By later accounts it appears, that
there have since been several minor aff.irs with disparted

detachments. On the day after the battle Zavala was at
Guerricatz, with the insurgents of Guipuscoa, and a bat-
talien of those of Navarre. He had been joined there by
the Marquis de Valdespina and the junta of Guipuscoa.
El Pastor, now General Jauregui, had fallen open 50 or
60 of them, killed two, made as many prisoners, and dis-
persed the remainder. He had afterwards engaged the
Navarrese insurgents, 2,000 in number, under Lardizabal,
and without any more decisive result, had succeeded in
deterring them from again attempting to form a junction
with Zavala.
The dismissal of Martinez, for such in fact it was, from
the Finance Department, with its temporary assumption
by Don Xavier de Burgos, has already borne its fruits.
Energy is now the mot d'ordre with this Government, hut
without the thews and sinews of actioe it was evidently
impossible to give it effect. A loan was indispensable, and
one of much greater amount than all that could be fur-
nished by the active patriotism of a few wealthy indivi•
duals. The resources of this country are so little under.
stood by foreign capitalists, that when any Spanish loan
is in question on the Stock Exchange of London, or the
Paris Bourse, the whole squad of bankers are accustomed
to look to Aguado as their financial fugleman. If he
remains inactive, not a soul will stir; but let him give
the signal, and the whole corps is ready to act upon it.
This fact was so well known to the members of the
Government, that they thought it necessary to raise up a
fictitious competition for the loan they needed, in the
shape of a company of Dutch and English capitalists.
They wished to give to their transaction with Aguado the
appearance at least of a fair competition in the open mar-
ket. The creation of this company of straw could scarcely
deceive the shrewd negotiator with whom they were trans-
acting, and its temporary effect on the public mind had
certainly no tendency to promote the public interests. The
b argain, I am assured, has this day been completed.
The terms have not been stated to use so explicitly as to
admit of their repetition. The sum, I have heard, is as
high as half a milliard of reals ; at all events, it is some-
thing considerable. The Cortes bonds are not, I believe,
even alluded to in the contract. Whatever disposition the
present Government may feel to act in a spirit of justice
towards the holders of these bonds, it is, I fear, undeniable
that their direct recognition would be exceedingly unpo-
pular even among men of so called liberal sentiments in
this country. The sum total of the Constitutional debt is
so alarming, compared with the present finances of Spa'n,
as to produce a violent struggle between_ the sentiments of
equity and patriotism, and justice is made to yield to the
stern law of necessity. In the same way the Ministers
are, I believe, in advance of the public mind on the ques-
tion of South American independence. Its immediate
acknowledgment would undoubtedly lose them a great
many partisans, not because there is any idea that
the transatlantic possessions of Spain can ever be
recovered by conquest, but because an ill-defined notion
exists that the dissensions among the colonists them-
selves will some day or other induce them to come
back to the Mother Country, and ask to be taken
under her protecting wing. To appease the wounded
feelings of Aguado, the director of the sinking fund,
Gargollo, who made such a violent attack on the
Hispano-Parisian banker on the occasion of the negotiation
of the small loan of 40,000.000 of reals, is about to be
dismis-ed from his office. Bet although the whole of
Gargollo's invectives were pointedly directed against
Aguado, it was the fmehien here, when the letter con.
tanning them appeared in the Aurora, to impute them,
not to Aguado. lint to Ballesteros, who, when Minister
of Finance, is supposed to have secured a large share of
the enormous commission which had been sacked in tha
name of his friend Don Alexander. There are a thousand
conjectures afloat as to the probable application of the
money, but they are as various in shape and corur as
the political opinions of those by whom they are formed.
so that it would be idle to give them circulation. It is
still believed, however, that a large addition is contem-
plated to the numerical farce of the army, anal in order
to accomphsim a part of that additien economically. mea-
sures are about to be taken to stir up the slumbering
patriotism of the people of Madrid, so as to induce them
to enrol thenis Ives in the Urban Militia tar National
Guard, and thus place the strong garrison of the capital
at the disposal of the Minister at War, and make a large
part of it available for more active purposes.
The letters which have arrived this morning from
Barcelona are still filled with vague expressions of alarm.
At this distance it is not possible to trace the cause of so
much apparent inquietude to any other source than the
numerous arrests which are known to have taken place,
including omen of high rank in the army and the church,
as well as in the civil service of the country.
It appears that D an Carlos is still in the neiehbourhood
of V 11: Rini, where lie has been joined by Merino anal
time Bishop of Leon._ He is represented as in constant

fear of the inroads of Ruda, and as having fortified the
house he occupies with several guns of small calibre.
Hints are now the own out that Don Miguel would be glad
if his worthy relative should find it convenient to quit the
Portuguese territory, but it does not appear that any
preparations have yet been• made at Villa Real for the
Pretender'a departure. It is known that Don Miguel's
popularity is rapidly on the wane near the frontier, and at
Santarem this will doubt', ss be ascribed to the presence of
Don Carlos. The present state of ivaction in Portugal is
ascribed to the negotiations set on foo: by the English and
Spanish Governments.
The decree of the 26th of October last, extending certain
privileges to the public press of this country, has been
followed by another, dated the 4th of January, containing
a general code of regulations. It is stated in the preamble,
that absolute and unlitni,ei liberty would be inconsistent
with the purity of the Catholic religion and detrimental
to the public welfare; it is also stated that the restrictions
which formerly existed interfered with the diffusion of
knowledge and injured the general prosperity. It is
avowedly for the purpose of avoiding both extremes that
the new decree has been promulgated. If the degree of
public interest, however, wiich attaches to the classes
of works still subjected to the censorship and to those
exempted from it be taken into account, it must be con-
fessed, that although the extremes have been avoided, the
Government has not been very solicitous to pursue ti e
strict path of the juste milieu. All works, for instate,
which treat of matters which are either religious or eccle-
siastical in their nature, are still subject to the previous
censorship; so also are all works, sheets, or papers, which
treat of murals, politics, or government; but if matters of
state are in question—such as treaties of peace, negotia-
tions, or conventions, tie capture of ships at sea, cr the
like, or any thing reining to the person or family of the
Sovereign, such works are strictly prohibited, even after
the imprimatur of the censor, unless a special pet mission be
obtained from the Secretary of State. With these excep-

eons, which are certainly much more important than nu..
me, one, the whole fi,ld of literature, science, and art, seems
to be open to the freest discussion.

BRUSSELS PAPERS.

BRUSSELS, JAN. I3.—Captain Beaulie❑ does wit set
out till to-night to proceed to Berlin as Secretary of
Ligation.

It is said that the Government is now deliberating on
the securities it may give the Bank fur the sums that it
shall advance to manufacturers on their goods delivered to
the future Society of Commerce. The first cargo to he
ilespatAed, will, it is said, be to the amount of half a
million of francs ; the second cargo to be despatched two
months after the sailing of the first ship.
The Messoger of Ghent publishes the address presented
to his Majesty by the Deputation of the Magistrates of
Glii nt. The following passages contain their conclusions
" In our opinion, the object at which we aim can he
attained only by permanent measures. 1. The creation of
foreign markets. 2. The enjoyment of the home con-
sumption. It is a case of necessity which requires a
speedy reme.!y. While we are discussing and deliberating,
the manufactories are dosed, and our increased population
s.es some of its means of subsistence daily taken away.
Being accustomed to live by honourable labour, it asks not
fir charity but for work. However, as a temporary ex-
pedient, which has been found useful on otter occasions,
it would be advisable to make purchases on tie part of the
Government, in some proportion to the increased stock
accumulated in our warehouses."

JAN. 14.—Yesterday no business could be done in tl e
Coanqber of R.presentatives, there not being a sufficient
number of members present.
BELGIAN FUNDS.—BRUSSELS, JAN. 13.
Actual Debt, 2 y 2 per Cent.
Rothschild's Loan, 5 per Cent 953(
Loan of the City, 1832,4 per Cent.
Ditto, 1833,4 per cent.
--Brussels Papers, Jan. 15.