The Sun.
London, England, 1856-10-18 00:00:00

SPAIN.

The Madrid journals ,T& 13th have arrived.
The Gazette contains a long string of royal de-
crees accepting the resignation of the O'Donnell
cabinet, and nominating Narvaez and his col-
leagues. The decree respecting Marshal O'Donnell
is thus conceived :—" I accept the resignation of
the functions of Minister of War and President of
the Council of Ministers which has been presented
to mo by Marshal Leopold O'Donnell, Count de
Lucena, and I remain highly satisfied with his dis-
tinguished and extraordinary services, and with
the zeal, intelligence, and devotedness with which
he has fulfilled the said functions. Given," etc.
The decree appointing Marshal Narvaez is thus
worded :—" Taking into consideration the merits
and qualities of Marshal Don Ramon Maria Nar-
vaez Duke de Valencia, I nominate him President
of my Council of Ministers. Given," etc. These
two decrees are countersigned by M. Collado, the
retiring Minister of Public Works ; all the others
are countersigned by Narvaez. The Gazette also
announces the resignation (already mentioned
in telegraphic despatches) of General Ros de
Olano, Echague, Dulce, and other functionaries,
and appoints their successors, as already given.
General Monsa de Z (mega. had been appointed
Under-Secretary of the War Department. The
Madrid journals contain a good deal of the change
of ministry, but nothing of interest beyond what
was stated in the letters on the subject we have
already published. The Epoca says :—" We have
heard it said that Marshal O'Donnell, after devot-
ing a few days to the regulation of his private
affairs, which he has lately neglected, will leave
Madrid to make a short excursion in a foreign
country. General Dulce has received permission
to go to the province of Santander for the benefit
of his health." The same journal mentions a report
that the state of siege was about to be raised. Ac-
cording to the Rojas Autografas, the new govern•
ment has already deliberated whether the town dues
and other indirect taxes shall be re-established ; the
Hojas says that the question will probably be de-
cided in the affirmative, as the state of the treasury
requires the re-establishment. The creation of a spe-
cial ministry of commerce and the colonies was spo-
ken of, and it was considered likely that M. Gonzalez
Bravo would be nominated to it. A despatch in
the Gazette from the Captain-General of Seville
announces that the Duchess of Montpensier, at 10
minutes past 9 on the evening of the Bth, happily
gave birth to a robust prince. A letter from a
semi-official source says :
" Marshal Narvaez intends to govern constitu-
tionally ; it is therefore his intention to convoke
the Cortes ; he will insist upon the elections being
conducted with the most scrupulous regard to
legality, so that all political opinions may be
freely represented ; with a view to conciliation he
proposes to unite all the fractions of the Conserva-
. tive party, admitting likewise such conscientious
progressists as are willing to recognise the present
state of things. He will unhesitatingly solve all
the pending questions so as to restore regularity
to the administration of public affairs in a highly
conservative sense. He will endeavour to make
the taste for material interests predominate over
that for politics, by favouring the develop-
ment of those interests, and of the sources
of prosperity which Spain possesses. He will
especially turn his attention to our colonies. It
is said that the Government purposes to utilise
the services of Generals Ros do Olano and Messina,
two of O'Donnell'a associates in the Vicalvarist in-
surrection. It has been reported that Marshal
Narvaez has had grave dissensions with General
Armero, and that in consequence the latter refused
to form part of the new Cabinet ; but it was ob-
sersed at the palace ball that the two Generals
conversed for a long time in the most amicable
manner. Perfect tranquillity prevails at Madrid ;
the Government has not even adopted the measures
of precaution which are usually taken on similar
occasions to the present."
A letter from Madrid of the 12th, published in
the Debate, gives some additional particulars con-
nected with the late change of Ministry in Spain.
After some preliminary remarks, it says
" The ex-Ministers have been much reproached
with having placed a false construction on the letter
written by the Emperor Napoleon to the Queen.
Her Majesty was greatly displeased at their doing
so, and expressed himself in very strong terms on
the subject. She said that her Ministers had no
right to communicate to their friends a letter which
was a private one, but which her Majesty thought
proper to show to her council. Marshal Narvaez,
arriving at Madrid at that time, was spoken to by
the Queen on the subject, but with what result is
not known. The projected duel between Marshal
Narvaez and Don Jose Guel y Rente, husband of the
sister of the King, was stopped by the Queen her-
self, who wrote a letter with her own hand to the
marshal, forbidding him peremptorily to expose a
life so useful to the monarchy, and so necessary to
herself. Marshal O'Donnell, on seeing the marked
attention shown to Marshal Narvaez at the ball,
complained of it to the Queen, and is said to have
asked her whether it was he or Marshal Narvaez
who was to preside at the council about to be held,
adding that he noticed a great change in the feel-
ings of her Majesty towards him, and that be
should talk with his colleagues on the subject, and
let her Majesty know the result. The decision
come to by the ministers was that they would
give in their resignations en masse, unless her
Majesty would consent to definitively renounce her
project of suspending the execution of the law for
selling the property of the church, state, and com-
munes. Tao Queen ultimately accepted a com-
promise, proposed by the Ministers, to the effect
that the sale of the church property should be alone
suspended. In acting thus, her Majesty made a
concession to her Ministers of her personal feelings,
for she was in favour of the entire suspension of
the law. The question thus remained open, and
the result was that a degree of uncertainty was
added to the other embarrassments oftle
Aa
Treasury.lrshal
It was this state of uncertainty which
O'Donnell and his colleagues hoped to put an end
to, hoping to thus show to the public their in-
fluence with the Queen, and the confidence she
placed in them. This proceeding of the Ministers
did not succeed ; the Queen would not promise
1
that the law should be allowed to take •
t s course,
and their resignations were in consequence ten-
dered and accepted."

The General Correspondence, in an extraordinary
supplement, says : Marshal O'Donnell's Minis-
try has resigned this day (12th) at two o'clock !
Why ? We cannot answer the question to its fullest
extent, but we are acquainted with some of the
circumstances connected with that act. We can
affirm that up to yesterday no differences had ever
taken place between the Crown and the Ministry.
Marshal O'Donnell was yesterday twice at the
palace, and on the first occasion the Queen testified
her desire to see the law for selling the church
property completely put an end to. Ti .e Marshal,
in consequence, assembled the Council of Ministers
and informed them of the wishes of her Majesty,
without concealing from them that perhaps they
no longer enjoyed, as they had done some hours
before, the confidence of the Queen. The Council
deliberated for seine time, and Marshal O'Donnell
returned to the palace to inform the Queen of tle
resolution of the Council not entirely to refuse
yielding to ha. wishes ; but that they the ught it
indispensable to take time to exam)ae the questi;
and see whether it were possible to solve it.
agreeab!y to her Majesty's wishes. Marshal
O'Donnell 'then left the palace, and imme-
diately after Marshal Narvaez, the Duke do
Rivas, and MM. Nocedal and Moyano , arrived
there and were long in consultation with the
Queen. This morning, at an early hour, MArshal