The Sun.
London, England, 1844-07-29 00:00:00

Mania t

LONDON, MONDAY, JULY 29, 1844.

The present state of Spain exhibits a most remark-
able anomaly. It is the finest kingdom in the world,
and yet the most miserable and contemptible. It is
surrounded by the ocean, with the exception of a
small stripe on the west, and the lofty barrier of the
Pyrenees formed as a natural boundary against
France. It has magnificent rivers, rich vallies, sea-
ports without number, wine and oil, and almost every
production of the habitable globe. The inhabitants
are brave, the peasantry, in appearance and in muscular
strength too, are superior, perhaps, to the peasantry
of any other country in the world. It was once the
first kingdom in Europe, and now it is the last
All the training which it received during the
invasions of BONAPARTE, and the triumphant
march of the British troops through the country—
all the lessons of adversity since have been
thrown away. Spain has tried almost every
possible form of government that could be devised,
from despotism to Radicalism, and it still remains in
the same abyss of helpless misery. The condition
of the people excites the strongest feelings of sym-
pathy throughout every nation of Europe. Mankind
are amazed at finding a nation possessing such capa-
bilities so utterly lost to all sense of honour, for in
whatever way they are viewed, there is not one re-
deeming feature in the whole scene. They have
broken faith with their creditors—they have com-
mitted cruelties towards each other, at which
all civilised people' shudder—they have robbed
the Church without benefiting the State—they
have been persecuted and trampled upon by
France, yet trust to France as their deliverer,
and receive with open arms the very woman who, by
her intrigues at Paris, and by the wealth of which
she had plundered them, destroyed the government of
the only Spaniard fitted to regenerate the country.
It would be impossible to draw such a picture of any
nation ; but even their last acts are worse than their
first. While ESPARTERO ruled according to the laws
of the Constitution, and held out a fair prospect that
Spain would be again admitted into the brotherhood
of civilised nations, provinces, and:towns, and Alcaldes,
and generals too, his own friends, and the very arm.
which he had raised to eminence, rebelle,

and drove him from his native land. His
successor destroyed the Constitution, abrogated
the Cortes, proclaimed martial law through the whole
kingdom, extinguished ever liberal paper, yet all the
warlike bullying desperados who expelled the Re-
, gent, because he was not sufficiently democratic, are
now, in the midst of this wreck of liberal principles,
silent as death. Even the fanatical Progressistas
have not courage to show themselves at the general
election. They have given up in despair, and despotism
now reigns triumphant throughout Spain. The
curse of the Jews has fallen upon them :—" The
whole head is sick and the whole heart is
faint." What is to be done with such a people ?
Lord ABERDEEN seems inclined to leave
them to Queen CHRISTINA and LOUIS PHILIPPE,
and perhaps, in the present state of affairs, he is not
wrong. He did not interfere in time. The enemies
of good government, when expelled from Spain,
found shelter in France, and waited only a favourable
opportunity to be let loose, with the aid of Louts
PHILIPPE, on their devoted country. England
merely locked on while the Pyrenees were removed.
Lord PALMERSTON would not have been so passive.
While the Whig Government was in office, the
people of Spain looked to England, and now they
are under the dominion of Frauce.