The Sun.
London, England, 1833-12-05 00:00:00

LETTER FROII COUNT FLORIDA BLANCA TO THE QUEEI,

REGENT.

Seriora,.:Were I capable of renouncing the deep and
irresistible attachment which binds me to your Majesty's
and your interesting and innocent daughter's cause, which
I find daily endangered,—could I fail to foresee the bre..
rible proscription of the emigrants, and the misery to
which I should myself, perhaps, he condemned by tl e
triumph of the Infante, compromised, as I individually an ,
in the cause of your Majesty, I would certainly übandr a
the field and, feeling the most perfect indifference, patient y
wait until fate should decide events which ought never to
be left to the caprice of chance. But how is it possible
to be indifferent to such important interests ? Exempt
from ambition,—though I never asked any favours of the
late King, and have as little troubled your Majesty by
soliciting anything,—can it be surprising that I shoo d
now put forward my personal interests, when what is in
question is the preservation of the whole of my fortune,
which is not invested in foreign funds, but in effects and
establishments useful to Spain, and consequently the exist.,
ence of myself and family? No, it cannot possibly be
thought extraordinary ; and in such a case as the present
ought I not to expect from your Majesty indulgence for
my importunity ? That I do expect, Senora, and so
expecting, shall fulfil the sacred duty of making known
our real situation to your Majesty.
I shall not again repeat to your Majesty what I have
more than once had the honour of stating to you in speech
and in writing. I shall merely quote one celebrated
phrase used by the Ministry in yesterday's Gazette.—
" Los hechos hublan" (facts speak). Yes, Senora! on
facts nay opinions are founded, and those circumstances
which give birth to so much fermentation and uneasiness
in the public mind, and to such agitation among good
citizen., are facts precursive of a near and violent crisis,
the effects of which may be more easily apprehended and
deplored than estimated. But the facts do exist, and, so
existing, honour and loyalty command their disclosure to
your Majesty.
Is it not matter of reasoning or fact, Senora, that our
army is quite inefficient, at a crisis, at a period which no
one could to anticipate; and after the disbursement of
253,000,000 annually of the appropriation to the War
Department? Is it not a fact that forty days have
passed without our troops measuring swords with the
rebels, except in the insignificant and trifling rencounters
of Generals Lorenzo and Castagnon ? Is it not a fact,
that the Pretender is conspiring and arming under
the shade of Don Miguel's falling cause, which was
zealously protected by the President of the Council of
Ministers—a cause which, if it has not triumphed,
assuredly was not that Minister's fault, and which,
had it triumphed, the throne of the Queen would
not now have existed ? Is it not the fact, that the same
man who defeated the negotiation proposed by England
through the embassy of Sir Stratford Canning, is he who
now appears as the mediator and negotiator on the same
question with England, and consequently stands in a dis-
a tvantageous position ? Is it not a fact that there are
30,000 Royalist Volunteers in arms against our cause,
who only two months ago were styled the throne, while
the partisans of your Majesty were called revolutionists?
Is it not a melancholy and disgraceful fact, that the Go-
vernment of Charles V. is established in three provinces
in almost perfect tranquillity, while on other points his
standard waves, and rebels are armed in his name ? Is it
not a fact that the Captains-Generals who preserve their
Provinces in a state of tranquillity and fidelity to your
Majesty, are those who are accused of being innovators,
and whose removal has frequently been the subject of de-
liberation ? Is it not a fact, that the valuable institu-
tion of the Council of Government, the great and generous
gacy of the deceased King, which history will regard as
the most eminent act of his arduous reign, has been ren-
dered a nullity ? Is it not a fact that the infraction of
his late Majesty's testament is a critne which the nation,
respecting and venerating that last will of the Sovereign,
must regard as high treason ? Does titers not, in fine,
exist between the Ministers and the Captains-General a
discord so complete that good government is rendered
impossible ?

All these facts, then, contribute to bring the public
mind into a state of anxiety, and even of dangerous effer-
vescence. They unfortunately cause much exasperation ;
they may even lead to a fatal popular movement, and pro.
duce a disregard of the respect due to your Majesty, which
will undertnine the throne, and lo•sen all the ties of the
social edifice. But be this as it may, such is the state of
tumultuous agitation into which public opinion is brought,
if, indeed, any may be said to exist. Perhaps I shall be
regarded as labouring under a mistake, but in.ny sup.
porters of your Majesty's cause view the state of affdiis in
the same manner as I ; and for that reason I must repeat
over and over again that I consid• r it my duty to bring the
subject under your high consideration.

This letter will perhaps experience the same fate as my
memorial, which your Majesty did not think proper to
refer to the Council of Government, but placed in the
hands of the President of the Council of Ministers; but be
that as it may, I am to be deterred by no fear, when yPur
Majesty's service and the welfare of my country call upon
me to act. These most sacred objects are my sole idols,
and your INl,jesty may be assured that I am ready to sacri-
fice my lire and my fortune upon their altars.
I am, Senora, with the most profound respect, your
Majesty's meat humble servant, lac,
El Marques De MIR AFLORES,
Conde Florida Blanca.

Madrid, Nov. 15.
Prom an Extraordinary Supplement of the Madrid
Gazette, dated Nov. 23.)
_ .

Don Vicent Genaro de Quesada, Lieutenant-General of
the Royal Armies, Captain-General of Castilla la Vieja,
President of the Royal Chancery of Valladolid, and
Sub-delegate-General of Police, &c.
Inasmuch as a great portion of the different bodies of
the Ex-Royalist Volunteers, who, having abandoned their
homes and families, were dispersed in the actions of
Teruzincal, Villa Franca de Monies de Oca y Medina de
Pomar, have now returned to their houses, I have re-
solved, in order to prevent them from being misled into
the commission of similar conduct in future, as follows :—.
Art. I.—No commander, officer, or Royalist Volunteer,
who may have returned to his home, shall be molested or
troubled by the magistrates of his district.
I. The abovementioned individuals, on reaching their
domiciles, are required to present themselves before the
military authority, or the civil, in the event of no military
authority raising in their districts, who is directed to
receive front them all the arms and other military effects
and distinctions which they may still have in their
possession.

3. Upon any commander, officer, or private of the ex-
Royalist Volunteers, or any other person whatever, again
absenting himself from his district, the magistrate of the
same shall immediately proceed to sequestrate all his pro-
perty, moveable or immoveable, and all the lands and
houses which he may possess, whatever be his state, class,
or condition, and in the event of his being apprehended,
Lie shall be executed, his second flight having disqualified
him from enjoying the generous and the abundant mercy,
which, in the name of Donna Isabel H. and of the Go-
' vernment of her Majesty the Queen Regent, I granted to
persons of this class on the 3d of the present month.
4. In order that no one may allege ignorance of the
present decree, and that all may be made acqu tinted with
it, the military authorities of this district will cause it to
be inserted in the official bulletin ; or, if in any province
there should have been no bulletin, or its publication
should have been suspended, the principal sub•delegates of
police are charged, under the strictest responsibility, with
the circulation of the decree.

5. The civil and military authorities of the police are
charged with the entire fulfilment of the above.
VICENTE DE QUESADA.

Valladolid, Nov. 21.

(From La Aurora de Espana, of Madrid, Nov. 23.)
Looaurfo, Nov. 19.—fhe divisions of Field-Marshal
Lorenzo and Brigadier Benedicto were not able until yes-
terday to form a junction with our forces in Haro, in
consequence of the orders which were issued to that effect
having been intercepted. The factious, too, bad assem-
bled in the formidable defile of the Conchas, and others
in the Camino Real, availing themselves of all iiniginabls
means to obstruct those passes. At daybreak this morn-
ing we therefore made a forced march. At four this
afternoon we entered this enthusiastic city, the inhabitants
of which are warmly decided in favour of the cause of
our august and beloved Queen. To-night we shall con-
tinue our march, and to-morrow we shall surmount every
obstacle, beating the hordes of the factious wherever we may
fall in with them, and on the 21st Vittoria will be ours.
The appointment of the worthy General Zarco del
Valle to the post of Minister of War has given great satis-
faction to toe army. His knowledge, activity, and honour
excite the most encouraging hopes.

We have just learned that the faction of Alava, alarmed
at the proximity of the army corps directed against it,
under the conimind of General Sasrsfield, has abandoned
the city of Vittoria, to take up its position on the heights
of Penacerrada, on the frontier of Navarre, from thence
intending to advance upon that kingdom, or some other
favourable point, always evading an encounter in the open
field. General Saatsfield being apprised of this movement,
he directed his march by the way of Lugrono, in order to
drive the faction irons Navarre, or to destroy it completely
if it should await an engagement. At all events, it cannot

be long before we bear of the complete extermination of
-hese undisciplined hordes.
Nov. 24.—0 n the lith of the pre,elt month, General
Pastor entered the town of Sepulveda with his division,
c insibting of upwards of 3,000 men and IO pieces of
a-tillery. At seven o'clock on the following morning they
mtinued their march in the direction of Aranda de Duero,
which they entered on the 19th.
1,800 of the rebels, who, with their ringleader Zuma-
lacarregui, had taken up their position in the immediate
vicinity of Puente la Reina, have been beaten by that
-xcellent General Lorenzo, who routed the whole body,
and restored to their homes all those who by deceit and
•reachery bad been induced to join it.
In v trious parts of the province of Valencia, small par-
ties of revolutionists, headed by monks and priests, have
been formed, who flatter themselves that they will be able
to get possession of the castle of Alurviedro.
The rebel chief, Balmaseda, bivouacked two leagues
from Aranda, with 60 horse, on the night of the 19th.

MELANCHOLY LOSS OF THE PILOT-
BOAT NO. 1. OF LIVERPOOL, AND THIRTEEN
OF HER CREW.

INQUEST ON THE BODIES.
(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
FORMBY, DEC. 2.—This village, situate about thirteen
miles from Liverpool, in the shore of the Mersey, since
Friday last has presented a most melancholy and heart-
rending scene, from the distressing wreck of No. 1, Pilot-
boat, with the loss of a greater part of her efficient crew,
four of whom were picked up dead and deposited in an
out-house adjoining Formby Church, to wait the result
of a coroner's inquest, which took place this day; the
bodies of the remaining nine of the crew, who fell victims
to the tempestuous and unruly storm, which visited this
part of the country on Thursday and Friday last, have not
yet been washed ashore. The boat, which was exceedingly
well manned and rigged, was one of the class of pilot-boats
belonging to this port, having a complement of 21 men
for her crew, had been engaged on the night of Thurs-
day last in piloting vessels outward bound, and, in
consequence of the foggy state of the weather, they were
unable to ascertain their true situation, at which time the
storm raged terrifically, the sea rolling mountains high. I❑
this dangerous situation the vessel was driven towards the
Lancashire shore near to Formby. About half-past six
o'clock on Friday morning the sea broke violently over
the vessel, and washed overboard Edward Webster and
Henry Hughes, who although good swimmers sank to
rise no more. Suddenly another terrific sea broke over
the vessel, washed away the skylight, and filled the cabin
with water. They were then before the wind, the gib
and foresail were blown to fragments, and shortly after•
wards she struck upon Formby beach. Immediately on
the vess I striking, which was between eight and nine
o'clock, the inhabitants on shore perceived seven of the
unfortunate men climbing to the rigging, to which they
appeared to cling, and about twelve others contrived to
get the punt (a small boat attached to the vessel) along,
side, into which they jumped, but were no sooner in it
than it swamped, and eight of the number perished.
Four, with great difficulty succeeded in swimming to
shore, and at the edge of the water they were dragged
out more dead than alive by the villagers. Shortly after
the punt sinking, the unfortunate teen who had been
clinging to the rigging dropped from exhaustion into the
water and were never seen again, one of them, named
Bates, who had stationed himself at the top of the rigging
was seen to jump overboard into a raging sea, and it is
considered by some of his surviving companions that he
did so in a tit of delirium. At this period (about two
o'clock) six were seen, apparently alive, still holding fast
to the rigging, in which situation, with the heavy seas
continually washing over them, the wretched sufferers had
remained since half-past eight o'clock in the morning, no
one daring to brave the tempestuous billows to succour
them; and when the storm began to subside, although
neatly one hundred spectators stood gazing at the wreck
and the sufferings of the crew, none seem inclined to
proceed to their rescue. At length Mr. Richar•i
Sumner, a surgeon, of Formby, stripped himself,
and with a bottle of rum tied round his neck,
plunged into the river and swam towards the wreck,
which, with great difficulty, he reached. He sue-
ceederi in getting on board, having first encountered in the
water what he supposed to be a human being, a hich, how-
ever, turned out to be a huge black bird. On hoarding
the wreck, Mr. Sumner round one man lifeless, en-
shrouded in the rieging, (Underwood) and the rest (ex•
cepting Lancaster) almost dead, and foaming at the
mouth. With the assistance of Lancaster, a stout man,
who appeared quite fresh, he administered t um, from the
effects of which they partially revived, but remained
quite senseless. He then got the punt riehted, and, by
its aid, succeeded in bringing the sufferers ashore. During
the whole time Mr. Sumner was exerting himself, the
listless spectators did not appear anxious to lend the least
assistance, and, even uhrn the rum was required, he bad
to pay sixpence to a person to fetch it from a neighbouring
public•house. On being brought to shore, the seamen
gradually recovered ; but they had previously been in such
a torpid state of insensibility that they were not aware
by what means they had been got ashore. It is considered
lay many persons that if the life-boat, which is kept about
four miles from the place where the pilot• boat was wrecked,
had been on th• spot, the two that dropped from the rigging,
and others, might have been saved. The survivors say, that
if they could have contended with the current or channel
called the swells, and have crossed it with the pilot-boat,
they would have been all safe. On Saturday last the
wreck of the pilot-boat, which is called the Good Intent,
was visited by Mr. Edw rills and Mr. Williams, master-
pilots, who found that from beating about in the sea, she
had worked a dock for herself in the sand, about six feet
deep, and seventy feet long, from which there will be some
difficulty in extricating her; she was full of water, but
from all outward appearance was not much injured, she
was lying on her starboard side, and judging from the
water a hich oozed out of her, it is supposed she is injured
on that side ; the lee rigging appeared to have been
carried away with her boom, and the starboard channel
plates were completely wrenched off. The above is the
substance of the evidence adduced at the inquest we at-
tended yesterday (Monday) together with some additional
particulars. There were none of the survivors examined in
consequence of the precarious state of their health from
cold, and other injuries sustained in the wreck.
The jury, of course, returned a verdict of " Accidental
Death." We heard of other wrecks which took place in
the gale on Friday last, near Formby. One was a sloop
laden with butter, wrecked off Southport, and all hands
perished. The sloop was called the Duke of Wellington,
and is supposed to be a west-country vessel. A great
quantity of butter has been washed on shore near South-
port, the barrels bearing the Cork brand. Another vessel,
from Liverpool to Ostend, was wrecked on Friday, crew
saved ; the wreck now lies on Charles's Bank, five miles
from Formby. A large American timber ship now lies a
wreck near the Grange, from the effects of the Thursday's
and Friday's gale.
The names of the deceased pilots picked up at Formby
were, William Webster, the master pilot, John Under-
wood, the apprentice, Edward Richardson, and Thomas
Pendleton. The following are the names of the drowned
and saved :-
SAYED.—George Bark and Ellis Hughes, No. 8 ;
George Roberts and Henry Hughes, No. 10 ; William
Lancaster, Robert Bispliatn, and Edward Bridge, No. 9 ;
Robert Taggart, and a boy, No. 1.
DROWNED.—WiIIiam Webster, master, No. 1 ; Ed-
ward Webster and William Howard, journeyman, No. 1 ;
John Underwood, Thomas Bates, John Jones, and Samuel
Needham, apprentices, No. I ; E. Richardson, journey-
man, No. 9; --- Morris and Joseph Roberts, appren-
tices, No. 9 ; Thomas Pendleton, journeyman, No. 5 ;
Henry Hughes, apprentice, No. 4.

It is the intention of the Government to dis
band the whole of the militia.

We understand that a Court of Directors,
held yesterday at the East India House, Thomas Babington
Macaulay, Esq., M.P., was appointed to the office of
Fourth Ordinary Member of the Council of India, subject
to the approbation of his Majesty.

- -
WHITTLE HARVEY, ESQ.—The proceed-
ings before Charles Wetherell, and other Benchers, in the
case
were resumed on Tues-
day
evening, of Wat ry ey n
, v Es q.,
o.
and continued until ten,
Harvey,
three hours being the time agreed upon for the discussion
to last each evening. There were no witnesses called, the
time being consua ed in arguments, interruptions, an 1 in
referring to matters arising out of the inquiry, after which
there was a further adjournment to Friday, when a few
witnesses will be called in favour of Mr. Harvey; and
Mr. Sedgwick, one of his coun•el, will comment on the
evidence produced, and a further adjournment of this very
tedious business will take place till Tuesday next, when
the inquiry is expected to close. Should the Benchers
decide against Mr. Harvey's claims, they must state their
reasons at length to the Judges, before whom the business
will be heard, and on these the Counsel of Mr. Hervey
will argue, before the matter can be brought to a final
conclusion. These proceedings have all been carried on
with closed doors, but as they will no doubt be hereafter
published, the public will be put in possession of all the
facts, and will draw their own conclusion.