The Sun.
London, England, 1810-01-13 00:00:00

SP.eINiSH PAPS '?S'.

:etAnal4NZ OF HIS EXCELLENCY MARQUIS DE Lb
m.-RtiMANA. TO TEE SUPREME CENTRAL JUNTA.

Sins,—Your Majesty being convinced that the
existing Government is not suited to the present
state-of affairs, you have determined to alter it, alat
for, this purpose you have empOwered various indi-
viduals of the Supreme Junta, who declared their
opinion on the subjeet on the 19th of September
last. Since then, your Majesty, wishing all possi,
ble assistance on a subje& of so much importance,
nominated a new Commission, in which I had the
honour to be included, that I also might inquire, and
pronounce my judgment.
In order to form my- sentiments on a concern of
such, magnitude, I have direcied all my attention to
it, availing myself of the resources I possess, and
avoided every thing that could divert.'my views
from the true interests of the country.
Three motives, according to my conception,
ought to produce a change in the system of Govern.
ment :—ist. When a nation, ' which ought only to
obey, dotibts the legitimacy of the authority to
-which it is to submit-2d. When such authority be-
gins to lose its influence-3d When such.authoritj
is not only prejudicial to the public, but is opposed
to the constitution of the State. Before exposing
my ideas as to -the general queStion, I shall endea-
your to shew, that the existing Government, in alt
these three respects, is liable to objection.
The doubts on the legitimacy of the Government
originate in the principles to which I am now to
advert, and in others, perhaps, of which, on ac'
count of my- detedtive knowledge, I am not in'
formed. _ _ _ _ _

The Constitution of the Spanish Government I 5
Monarchical, and this charaCter has not been re'
signed on account of the absence of its %Sovereign.
The impracticability of the exercise of the supreme
authority under the. present circumstances, does not
justlificithe substitution of a Representative Govern'
met,: nder which the oath to the head of the Mo'
nasty Must be disregarded.
That the Government being Monarchical, cannot
be represented by another of a different description)
without injuring the Constitution, is perfectly ob'
vious 5 so that a Junta composed of more than 30
members in the rank of Sovereigns in their respeo'
,tive Provinces, instead of representing our beloved
King Ferdinand the Seventh; can only typify a wt.'
fering people.
This Democratic form of Representation is not
otilyjnoonsistent with the Constitution of the king'
cickn,uput is also inconsistent with the heroic loyalif
Of the Spanish People, who have never assumed $
Ovei:eign charaCter since the commencement of the
oppression to which 'their Monarch has been e%'
. posed. If they have acknowledged the Provincial
Juntas, or any other authority, they have had no
intention to deprive your Majesty of your supretne
.attributes, or to submit to any other will and corn'
=lid, than that of their unto, tunate Prince. Sof'
rounded. by the bayonets of the tyrant Napoleon'
they have sworn with heroid valour that they will
submit to no power, but• to that of their lawful
King, and to no Constitution and Government boll
that which is Monarchical.
Those Who believe that the sovereignty of tbel,
nation is not firmly rooted in the descendants e'l
Pelayo, forget the law of the Partidas, which prol
-hibits the King or the Nation from alienating tilt
Crown 5. and both of them have sworn the vos-ial
under the penalty of being punished as a traitor, no
to consent to the dismemberment .of the kingdoo
It is one of the irrevocable duties of the Spanish 110,,
tion, which it is faithfully performing. during OP
p••eisent Revolution, never to assume to itself the
Sirvefeign Authority, never to acknowledge an
oilier Prince than the idolized Ferdinand, and nev
to 'depart from the Constitution, and the Laws
the Country. • The Juntas which the people n'
pointed in the various provinces, were not fornitY
to acquire for themselves the Sovereign Antbeit
rity, but were resorted to as a temporary reel
lation, until the Legitimate Pow' s;Joold
• reet ored, and for. the purpose of fulfilling the de'
sign which Spanish honour and loyalty was alone tc,
accomplish. t
The Provincial Juntas had no authority but Si
originated with the Sovereign ; and they represent'
ect _the Lordship of the Land, and of the Monarell
who in condescension to his beloved vsssais, and I
relieve them from distress, suffered in his own pet
son the greatest calamities.
The 'Spanish people then having never depart
fora moment from submission to their Prince, o! 1
the Constitution of his Kingdom, it is evident tbs
• they, Are not the Sovereigns, and that they`kave n°,
pretended to such 'a character. Neither the Prc)l
vincial Juntas, or the Central and Supreme Jun
have the authority to govern the nation, since, ilr
stead of representing Ferdinand the 7tn, they Pc
only disfigure his sacred image, but would subve
the. Constitution of the Monarchy.,
These are not -the only reasons which occasie'
'the doubts existing as to the legi.imacy of the pfe;
sent Government. The usurpation of the Thrati
on an extent of perfidy like that of the tyrant to 01
prive us of our lawful King could not easily,be forej
seen, or anticipated by the provisions of the writtri
law ; but what the form of the Government duetl
'as to its establishment during the minority of Il'i
King, or when he msy be iu a state of moral ind..;
pacify, ought to be strictly and literally obeyed. It
,)01
-in this law we find to be comprehended the
tuation of the Spanish Monarchy, as it now s'
pears every 'species of Government which is I'li
conformable 'to the direction of that • law, me
give rise to the doubts of its legitimacy to will&
we have adverted. ,
The minority of the King or his moral incapacity
are cases 'for which the law has provided, and '
which it points out the mode of supplying the, c
presentation Of the Sovereign. There is ground I
supposing, that when a, Kong beinginsane, oi uud•
age, be cinnot exercise the government, the ,I-1,
stitution ought to be of a different kind, from VI
of the case when a King is shut up in prison it--01
own, or in foreign derninions.
[lle Noble Marquis then proceeds to state sot°,
tnetaphysical distinctions, and next intr duces !ili
remarks which were inserted in our paper of It",
day last. He then resumes his observatious. j
We all know- the necessity for unity of pow''
-and the evils that arise from the contrary. TDehl
can be BP, aSAbcidte§ ill dip Spanish t,ruvireA as (P 1
. , L