Star.
London, England, 1808-10-11 00:00:00

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" General Savary followed him to Burgos, in a
separate tarriage; but the Emperor not having arrived
there, he used every etettioit to induce his Majesty to
continue his journey as far as Vittoria. Various dis-
cussions arose as to the course which ought to be pur-
sued ; btit artifice and perfidy contended with honour,
innocence; and good faith ; and, in so unequal a strife,
the same betievoient intentions which drew his Majesty
from his capital urged him to proceed to Vittoria.
" General Savary, convinced that his Majesty hid
resolved to proceed no farther, continued Ins journey
to Bayonne with the intention undoubtedly of ac-
quainting. the Emperor with all that had passed, and
of procuring a letter from him which should deter-
mine the King to separate himself from his people.
" At Vittoria his Majesty received information that
the Emperor arrived at Bourdeaux, and was on his
way to Bayonne. In consequence ofathis advice, the
Infant Don Carlos, who had been waitmteaetnTolosa.
proceeded on to Bayonne, whither he had inVited
by the Emperor, who, however, delayed his arrival
some days er.
" Nothing particular occurred at Vittoria, except
that the Supreme Junta of Government at Madrid
having written that the Grand Duke of Berg had im-
periously demanded that the Favourite should be re-
leased and placed in his hands, his Majesty did not
think proper to comply with this demand ; and in
communicating- this determination to the Junta of
Government, enjoined them to enter into no explana-
tions with the Grand Duke respecting the fate of the
prisoner (3).
in the mean time General Savary concerted with
the Emperor in what manner they should prepare to
Five the finishing blow ; and while the French troops
in the vicinity of Vittoria were making suspicious
movements, he made his appearance in that city, with
the letter No. 3, to his Majesty from the Empesor.
" To the contents of this letter, which were neither
flattering nor decorous, Genery Savary added so
many and such vehement protestations of the interest
which the Emperor took in the welfare of his Majesty,
and of Spain, that he even went so far as to say, ' I
will suffer my head to be cut off, if within a quarter of
an hour of your Majesty's arrival atßayonne, the E-
mperor shall not have recognized you as King of Spain
and the Indies. To support his own consistency, he
will probably begin by giving you the title of High-
ness, but in five minutes he will give you that of Ma-
jesty, and in three days every thing
.will be settled,
and your Majesty may return to Spain immediately.
44 His Majesty, however, hesitated as to the course
which he should take ; but anxious to redeem the
ledge which he had given, and, above all, to relieve
ibis beloved subjects from the cruel anxiety in which
they were, he banished from his heart every apprehen-
sion of danger, and shit his ears against my counsels,
and those of other persons in his train, as well as to
the supplications of that loyal city, and determined to
proceed to Bayonne; his Royal mind being incapable
o.` suspecting that a Sovereign, his ally, should invite
him as a guest, for the purpose of making him a pri-
soner, and of putting an end to a dynasty, which, so
far from having offended him, had given him so many
striking proofs of its friendship.
" Scarcely had his Majesty set foot on the French
territory, when he remarked that no one came to re-
ceive him, until, at his arrival at St. Jean de Litz, the
Mayor made his appearance, attended by the Munici-
pality- The carriage stopped, and he addressed his
Majesty with the most lively expressions of the joy he
felt at having the honour of being the first to receive
a King who was the friend and ally of France.
" Shortly after, he was met by the deputation of the
three Grandees of Spain, who had been sent off to
meet the Emperor ; and their representation, with re-
spect to the intentions of the Emperor, was not the
most flattering. He was, however, now too near Bay-
onne to think of changing his course, and he therefore
continued his journey.
" There cattle cut to meet the King, the Prince of
Neufchatel and Duroc, Marshal of the Palace, with a
detachment of the Guard of Honour which the citi-
zens of Bayonne had formed to attend the Emperor,
and they invited his Majesty to enter Bayonne, where
a place had been prepared for his residence. This
residence appeared to all, and was in reality, but little
suitable to the rank of the august guest who was to
occupy it. This remarkable and expressive neglect
formed a 2ingular contrast with the studied • magnifi-
cence which the King had employed in making the
preparations at Madrid for the reception of his ally.
" His Majesty was doubting what could be the
meaning of a reception that he so little expected,
when he was informed that the Erhperor was coming
to pay him a visit. His Imperial Majesty arrived,
accompanied by A number of his Generals. The
King went down to the street-door to receive him,
and both Monarchs embraced each other with every
token of friendship and affection. The Emperor staid
hilt a short time with his Majesty, and they embraced
each other again at partin.
" Soon. after Marshal Buroc came to invite the
King to dine with his Imperial Majesty, whose car-
riagesavere coming to convey his Majesty to the Pa-
lace of Marac : this accordingly took place. The
Emper3r tame As far as the coach-steps to receive his
Majesty, embraced him again, and led him by the
hand to the apartment provided for him.
" The King had rid sooner returned to his residence,
when General Satan, waited on his Majesty to inform
him that the Einkror had irrevocably determiriedthat
the Bourbon dynasty shotild no longer reign in grain;
that it should be succeeded by his ; and therefore his
Imperial Majesty Irectuireci that the King should in his
own naine and that, ct in his faMily, renounce the
Crown of Spin anal the Indies, in favour of the dy-
nasty of licomprit
44 It Would* tolltettlt to describe the surpriie with
whith the Royal Ihind of his Majesty Wa6 affected,
(s) Every body know a that the prisoner vras at length delivered
up to the Trench, and ionclucted under an escort by them to
Bayonne. This step was solely owing to an order from the Junta
of Governnitnt yielding to Imperious cireumstvices andsthe pe-
remptory menaces of the tlraud Mike, as is stated more at large
in the appendix to this publication.

vti

a. -- Ali •
4 • . . . •• .
.
and the consternation vat which all those who were prices of despotism, when covered with the veil of
nearest to his person were struck at hearing of such a Majesty, would, from the operation of the same prin.
properAtion. His Majesty was not tit recovered from ciple, display their well-known velour, when they saw
the fatigues of a toile:eine journey,.. when the same their independence, and the secetity.Of their beloved
roan who had made hirti so many protCstations of se- Sovereign, violated ; that if unfortunately France
curity at Madrid. and on the road, -rho had drawn should commit so atrocious an insult, that Power
him from his capital and his kingdom to Bayonne, on would lose an ally whose armies, flecte and treistvree
pretence of .adjusting matters of the greatest irnpor- ' had in a great measure contributed to hie triumphs ;
tance to both States, and of his being recognised by that England, which had in vain attempted to shake
his Imperial Majesty, had the audacity to be the bearer the good faith .of the Spanish Cabinet, for the purr se
of set scandalous a proposal. of separating her from France, would avail herself of
"On the followhlg day, I was sent for by the Enue such a conjuncture to diminish the force of her enemy,
peter to his Royal Palace, where I 'found the Minis and to augment hcr min, by pacific relations with a
tet of Foreign Affairs, M: Champagny, waiting to Power which ,slie would assist with money and vritk
enter upon a discussion of the proposals verbally her forces by !add and sea, iu the glorious enterpriz
stated by General Savary. I instantly complained of defending our independence, and the security of
of the perfidy with which so important an affair was our King and natural Lord ; that, the feeble colonies
proceeded in ; representing that the King my mas. of France would not in that event find the maritime
..e came to Bayonne, relying on the assurances forces of Spann employed in obstructing the plans at
given by Gen. Savary, in the-name of the Emperor, cer4.,:eg
.ektertained by Great &hair • *ad ilea the
and in the presence of the Dukes del Infantado, S. cemenerce of that- Power must inevitably come Imo
Carlos, D. Juan Escoiquiz, and myself, that His competition at the Spanish market with the French
Imperial Majesty would recognize him at the very merchandize, which is now peculiarly favoured. : '
first interview between the two Sovereigns in the " Besides these considerations, having a direct re-
Imperial Palace of Mesita ; that when His Majesty lation to the interest of both States, I expadatedin
expected to witness the realization of this promised others no less cogent, and Connected-with the chaste•
recognition, he was surprised with the propositions ter of the French Cabinet. . . .. -
, above alluded to ; and that His Majesty had autho- 44 I reminded the , Minister, that, on the 27th of
sized me to protest against the violence done to his October last, a treaty was signed at. Fontainbleas,
person, in not permitting him to return to Spain ; wherein the Emperor guaranteed the independence
mtd as a categorical and final answer to the solieita- and integrity of the Spanish Monarchy as it then was ;
tion of the Emperor, that the King neither would that nothing had since occurred which could justify
nor could renounce his Crown in favour of another its infractiou : on the contrary, that Spain had conti-
dynasty, without being wanting in the duties which nited to add new claims to the confidence and grati-
he owed. to his subjects and to his own character ; tude of the French empire, as his Imperial Majesty
that he could not do so in prejudice to the indi- himself had. confessed, by the praises which he be-
viduals of his own family, who were called to the stowed on the good faith and constant friendship of
succession by the fundamental laws of the kingdom ; his intimate and first ally:
land much less could he consent to the establishment 46 What confidence, I added, can Europe place in
'of another dynasty, which ought alone to be called her treaties with France, when she looks to the perfidy
to the throne by the Spanish nation, in virtue of their with which that of the 27th of October has been vio.
original right to elect another family, upon the termi- fated ? And what must be her terror when she sees-
nation of the present- dynasty. the captious means. the seductive artifices, and the
" The Minister of Voreign Affairs insisted on the ne- false promises by which his Imperial Majesty has con.
cessity of the reminciation which had been proprosed, I fined the King in the city of Bayonne, in order to de-
and contended, that the abdication signed by Charles i spoil him .of the Crown to which, with the inexpresii.
IV. on the 19th of March, had not/been voluntary. .1 ble joy of his people, he has been called by the fan-
" I expressed my surprise that the King should damental laws of the kingdom, and the spontaneous
he importuned to renounce his crown, at the same abdication of his august father. Posterity will not
moment that it was asserted that the tenunciation believe that the Emperor could have given so great a
of his father was not his free act. I wished, hG,v- blow to his own reputation, the loss of which Will
ever, not to be understood as entering into such a leave no other means of concluding a war with him,
discussion, as I could not acknowledge the smallest than that of total destruction and extermination. •
authority in the Emperor to intermeddle with ma:- " This was the state .of the discussion, when the
tern which were purely domestic, and peculiarly be- 'Emperor, who had overheard our conference, order.
longing to the Spanish Government ; following in eel us to enter his own Cabinet, where, to my great
this respect the example of the Cabinet of Paris, when surprizer, I was insulted by his Imperial Majesty with
it rejected, as inadmissible, the applications cf his the infamous 'appellation of traitor, upon no other
Majesty, the Royal Father, in favour of his ally and ground than that been Minister to Charles IV.
first cousin, the unfortunate Louis XVI. I continued to serve his son Ferdinand VII. He also
" Nevertheless, desirous of giving to truth and in- accused tne, in an angry tone, of having maintained
nocence a testimony which they alone had a right to an official conference with General Montion, that my
exact, I added, that three weeks before the disturb- Master, in order to his being King of Spain, did not
ante at Aranjuez, Charles IV. in my presence, and stand in need of the recognition of the Emperor, al-
that of all the other Ministers of State, addressed her though that might be necessary, in order to continue
Majesty the Queen, in these words : " Maria Louisa, his rebtions with the French Government.
we will retire to one of the provirces, where we will " . His Imperial Majesty manifested till greater ite
pass our days in tranqitillity ; and Ferdinand, who is ritation on account of my having said to a foreign
a young man, will take upon himself the burden of Minister, accredited to the Court of Spain, that if
the Government." . , the French army offered any violation to the integrity
44 I repiesented to him, that, on the 17th, 18th, and independenceof the SpanishSatereignty, 800,000
and 19th, no violence was done to his Majesty, in men would convince them that a brave and generous
order to extort an abdication of his Crown, either by nation was not to be insulted with impunity.
the people who had risen purely from the apprehension " After this ill treatment which I met with,. which-
that his Majesty was going to remove to Seville, and was as satisfactory to my own feelings, on account of
thence to America; or on the Fart of his son, the Prince the real causes of it, as it was painful on account of
of Asturias, or any other persons ; of which facts the Royal Personage whose interests were in question,
the Ministers of the Corps Diplomatique, as well as his Imperial Majesty, with his natural asperity,
all the persons about the Court, were fully convinced, entered into a conversation upon the points which had
since all of them congratulated and complimented already been discussed. He was not insensible of
the new Sovereign, with the exception of the French the strength of my reasons, and the solidity of the
Ambassador, who pretended that lie lid not been arguments by which I supported the rights of the
furnished with the necessary instructions, diiregarding King, his dynasty, and the whole nation ; but his
the example of his colleagues, who were as little pro- Majesty concluded by telling me, I have a system of
vided with instructions from their respective courts: policy of my own. rots ought to adopt more liberal dear ;
" I concluded with proving to him that the renun- to be less smet;ptible on the point of honour, and not no-
ciatioii of the Royal Father was only the consequence crffice the prasierity of Spain to the interest of the Bow-
of his Majesty's predelection for the tranquillity of a bon f amilyM.
a
privatelife, and his persuasion that his constitution, en- " His jesty, distrusting the apparent complas
fcebled by age and habitual indisposition, Was incom- cericy with. which I received the attention which he
petent to support the heavy burden of the Government. was pleased to shew me, as I was taking leave of him,
" This irrelevant objection having been got rid of, sent to inform the King, that upon the subject under
Mr. Champagny stated, that the Emperor could never discussion a more flexible negociator would be
be sure sure of Spain, in case of a new war with the sary. Whilst his Majesty was considering.whom he
Powers of the No' rth, while the Spanish nation conti- should appoint to succeed me in this negotiation, one
nued to be governed by a dynasty who mutt regret to tee of the many puppets who played their parts in this
its elder branch expelled from the Monarchy of France. intrigne; introduced himself to the Archdeacon I).
" I answered, that in a regular system of things, Juan tie Eitoiquiz, and persuaded him to pay a visit
such prepossessiiins never prevailed ov•r the interests to the Minister Champagny. He accordingly went,
of States, and that the political conduct of Charles under the impulse of a most zealous regard for the
IV. since the treaty of Basle, afforded a recent proof interests ofy,a and prevailed on the Minis-
that SoVereigns said little regard to family interests, ter of the Foreign his MajeAffirs, to communicate to him
when they were in opposition to the interests of their the most recent propositions of the Emperor, which
dominions ; that the friendship between Spain and the said Seignor Escoiqufiz immediately putnd in No. into writ-
France Was founded in local and political cerisidera- ing, and a literal cop; o th 4,
tioni ; that the topographical situation of the two of the annexed documents.
kingdoms Was of itself sufficient to denionstiate how 44 In this state of things, his Majesty, impressed
important it was for Spein to preserve a good under- with the qualities which ador the most excellent
standing with FianCe, the only State on the Continent Seignor, Don Pedro. de Labrador, formerly Minis-
of Europe with which she had direct and very exten- ter to the Court' of Florence, and Honorary Coun-
sive relations, and consequently that every reason of sellor of State, invested him with full powers and suit-
policy induced Spain to maintain a perpetual peace able instruction% which may be seen in N 0.4, order-
with Frances. Besides, what ground of suspicion had inghim to present them to the Minister for- Foreign
the Ernperor with respect to a nation, who, to consi- Affairs, and to demand his full powers in return, and
derations of interest, add the inflexible and religious that the proposals of his Imperial Majesty should be.
integrity with which at all periods, according to the 1 communicated in an authentic manner. Both these
admission of French writers themselves, they had pre- I demands were rejected by the Minister Champagny,
served their federative system ? under the frivolous pretext, that , they were• mere
" I added, that there were reasons no less irnpor. matters of for*, being wholly unconnected with the cuen-
taut why France should not endanger the continuance tial object of the negotiation.'
of that harmony which prevailed since the treaty of " Seigncr Labrador insisted on the importance of
\ Basle, with equal advantage to herself and to Spain; both the one and the
'other requisites, especially in a
that the Spanish nation, whose generosity and affect- matter of such great consequence, adding that e ith-
tion for their Sovereigns were proverbial, if from a out them he could discpss no subject, and that the
principle of fidelity they had submitted to the ca- King his master required them to vary the instrac-