Star.
London, England, 1808-08-20 00:00:00

riarornadra.,.l...• • . .

NI

AFFAIRS OF SPAIN.

SKETCH OF THE EVEh.TS WHICH LED TO THE citAior
OF DYNASTY IN SPAIN.
(From the Fr7lch )
(The following has been circulated in Spain In the forniof
pamphlet It may be considered as the Manifesto of Bostarinrit
to the. people of that country. It is certainly a very plausible-Iw.
count of the events which have led to the introduction of tLat sys-
tem which he endeavoured to iintoie Upon them. But, fortunately.,
the Spaniards had practical experience of the downright falsehood
of almost every assertion that is advanced In It. They k.iwtt that
the arrangement by which CuitaLeS IV. was 'removed from the
Throne, so far from bang the work of a few factious men, pro-
ceeded from the soundest and roost patriotic heads and hear,* in
the country. They were. aware also, that the alldication of
FiRDIN AND VII. the Sovereign of their choice, was compulsory.
They were persuaded, that by being transferred, like a parcel of
Russian serfs, to a branch of the House .of RONA PAR TE; they
would gain nothing in point of dignity, independence, or Irappi-
ness as a nation ' • and they therefore determined, in spite of the
manifest sophistry and perversion of facts in this very laboured
political statement, to maintain their privileges, and resist the ty-
ranny attempted to be imposed upon them.
Mach of the substance of this paper has already appeared in the
French Journals, but it is worthy of being perused as a whole.—
It will make no despicable figure among the vast mass of doeu-
silents which may be brought forward to illustrate the;ntomen.,
fous history of the last nineteen years.] .
" The events which have taken place ingrain dna
ring the last two months, have led to 'such iMportant
changes in the condition of that monarchy, that it is
necessary to present a faithful- relation of them, in:l
order to shew'the dangers with which the kingdom,'
Was threatened, and the salutary ,measures which;'
-have preserved it from ruin. , I
• 44 On the 19th of March, 1808, a Monarch, 601
ears of age, was compelled to abdicate his throne;l
in the midst of alaopular. insurrection, in order to.l
were
the lives of himself and consort. His friends I
were persicuted, his first Minister delivered over to
the fury of the seditious, and-the Prince, his son, oc-
cupied a throne which could' not be vacated withiaut
the free and repeated manifestation of the Sovereign's
will. [Qu-ry, What freedoin w there in his mg-,
'nation of it to Bonaparte ?] • . , • • •
" Endeavours had long been made to raise a tu-
mult. The discovery made in--the month of October
of an enterprise against the throne, had not intimida-
-ted the conspirators : they remarked, that the hatred
and envy of the Prince of Peace continued to increase,
-and' that the Royal authority was no longer able to
"enforce its own orders, and guide the public opinion.
ItOdies of Spanish troops put in motion in every part,
„without concert and without apparent object, ceased
-to protect the coasts. The people were alarmed • a
change of system was talked of; divisions prevailed
-around 'the throne and the Royal Family ; and the
object of these opposite pretensions was, to contend
.by anticipation for the spoils of the Royal authority.
A.Fnineh army was then employed in the expedition
of Portugal vend other corps, destined to act in con-
cert with it andniaintain the communication with
France, were in Spain.
" The seditious, who feared that order and public
safety:might be restored, hastened to execute their
rtijd ect. They caused alarming reports to be cirea-
: they asserted, that the Royal Family were
about to set out from Aranjuez for Seville ; that their
treasures and troops had preceded them, and that
their flight was to be the signal for civil war. The
populace .was inflamed by promises and intoxicating
liquors. They arose on the 18th of March at Aran-
juez.. The King was abandoned by a part of his
family, and the rebels *sore in his palace. This day
afforded memorable, instances of reverse of fortune
and ingratitude : the greater part of the body-guard,
whom the Prince of Peace had long commanded, en- ,
tered• his palace, and joined in the pillage with the
populace. On the next day, this prince, who lay hid
=lid the ruins of his house, was delivered up by one
of his own body-guard, of whom he implored a drop
of water, after remaining 36 hours without food, and
the man was covered with insults and wounds, before
whose feet his assailants had lain prOstrate. His de-
gradation was less an act of personal' revenge than
an attempt to degrade the authority of the King.—
The presence of the Monarch could not save the
favourite from blows and insult, and himself was
constrained to abdicate, in order to spare the insur-
gents greater crimes. This insurrection spread to
Madrid, and the Prince of Asturias mistaking the
- cry of a mob for popular favour, thought he might
clothe himself in the spoils which had been torn from
his august father. •
" But, at the very moment when he 'demanded al-
legiance from the subjects of Charles IV. that un-
fortunate Monarch, a prisoner at. Aranjuez, and
expecting to be sent an exile to Badajoz, protested
against the abdication, and solicited aid from tliie
Emperor of the French, in Whose hands he placed hrs.
fate and that of the Queen and tle Prince of the Peace.
The Royal and paternal authority is sacred.—
Respect for Kings is the first safeguard for the tran-
quillity of nations. The Emperor saw, in the exal-
tation of the Prince of Asturias, nothing but a source
of calamities to Spain, and an incitement to other
insurrections. Pe felt for the misfortunes of Charles
IV. Ought Spain to ice i;ate Turkey in the deposi-
tion of her Monarchs ? or. imitate the French revolts-.
tion ? What safety could Sovereigns enjoy, ifit right
to dethrone them existed whenever their own fainily
were weary Of their government ? Nevertheless; the.
Emperor was desirous to examine more closely the
events which had taken place, and their causes. He !
repaired to Bayonne, where the Deputations from the
Kingdom arrived. The Infante Don Curlers was 'al. '
ready there. The Pridce of Asturiai left Madrid on
the 10th of April, and went ,to Bayonne, leaving the
government of the kingdom- and the Presidency of
the Supreme Junta in the hands of Don Antonio,
brother of King Charles, who had hitherto 'teed apart
from pitblic affairs:
44 Charles IV. having transmitted -a new protesta-
tion to Dori Antonio against his compulsory abdica-
tion, repaired, with the Queen?, to Bayonne.:" He ar-
-rived on the soth of Aprit..and Was received With
cordiality by the Emperor. He imparted to him his
'misfortunes; the greatest of which was that he had to
accuse a son.
The Prince of the Pesti wins already arrived, all
resent. .1-e 4 rittli ,
The Emperor Awaked for this, is crawl:a fix his opi-
n 00. lie lad prevauusiy written -to- use Fruit& of
_ ..1..5, 4144, -without difficulty, admit of
t e abdication of -King' Charles, Alunihr it appear
that- it had -been yariiluntary ; but he was convinced,
frum his intervicyp with.ght King, the Princes, the
we'reattached, to the -.calamities of the

• 1

;1
I !.

father, or the hopes of-his successor, of tjlp 491egdi
and insult. committed upon King Charles..,Writ
Monarch, still cloathed with paternal auefibrity,..tid-
dressed bitter complaints to his son, made hint reran
to his duty, and• induced him finally to renounce'
crown, ill secured by usurpation, and which could onk
bring calamities of long duration upon the kingdoms - ;
" These latter fears were, in fact, too,:veeil fo . . • '
ed—the ephemeral authority, of the Purace of Aim-
rias only had served to rouse thelactions,andspbtid
discontent in the provinces. - The -people of M . .
were in a state of agitation. The Prince, even be-
fore
his departure, could.no longer govern, those to
whom he owed his elevation. Quarrels freqnently
arose between the inhabitants and the French soldiers
.—to decry thL ancient Government, ctinfiscate the
goods of the Prince of Peace, to seek for popularity
by detecting abuses—this was called governing ; and
'wher. the Prince of Asturias had quitted Madrid, and
absence had weakened his authority, the spirit of sedi-
tion displayed itself with more audacity, The in-
triguers combined with the neighbouring provinces :
the number of strangers increased in Madrid ; and
only the -wise measures taken by the Grand Duke of
Berg, and the discipline of the troops he commanded
could prolorig the duration of' the public tranquillity
against- the efforts of a vile populace hired by conspi-
rators. But the spirit of sedition prevailed. Indul-
gence and goodness were imputed to weakness. A
fresh insurrection, prepared several days before the
publication of, incendiarrwritings, burst out on the
2d of May. The signal was the departure of the
IQueen of Etruria and the Infante Don Francisco,
i who were resolved to seek in Bayonne a shelter from
popular insult. Some French Officers, who were
I found alone, were first attacked. The insurrection'
spread and became general, but troops repaired
wherever bodies of- the people were assembled, and
dispersed the insurgents. One party seized, the arse-
nal, others fired froth the windows of the houses.—
They were pursued" every where, and all who were
found with arms in their hands perished. The sedi-
• tion belonged to the lowest class of the people.
" The good conduct of the. Spanish troops, and
that of the first'Aiithorities .of the kingdom, did not
pass unnoticed. The Supreme Junta, the Council of
Castile, the. Tribunals, the Captain General, repaired
to the most populous and dangerous quarters, in or-
der to bring back' those who had strayed from their duty.
" The 2cl of May was the last day of anarchy in
Spain. The Infante Don Antonio still presided in the
Supreme Junta I but after the departure of that Prince
I who repaired to Bayonne, the Junta, in order to ac-
! quire more strength and authority, conferred the Prel
sidentship on the Grand Duke of Berg, on the very
day when King Charles noMinated that Prince Lieu-
tenant General of the kingdom.
" This co-operation of measures and testimonies of
confidence, were a new pledge of the maintenance of
public order. The Supreme Junta, and she Royal
`Council of Castile, the first authorities of the king-
' dom, thanked King Charles for the nomination of
11 his Lieutenant General, and testified their affection,
their respect, and their adherence td his will. They
congratulated themselves on again obeying his orders.
They manifested to the Emperor their gratitude and'
1 confidence. Seeing harmony restored between the
I Prince of Asturias and his august father, the Spa-
t
niards could no longer hesitate in their fidelity. They
saw in this Prince only the son of their King, and
authority was restored to its lawful hands.
3
" But this authority, had suffered too much from
1 the attacks it had endured, When King Charlet
heard of the second insurrection on the 2d of May,
1 he said to his son, a See the deplorable consequences
1 of the councils which have misled you, and the as-
sistance which is to be expected from the multititde."
IThe father and sort were equally afflicted at the pro-
, gress which anarchy had made since the insurrection
at Aranjuez, when it obtained such deplorable suc-
cess against the King. To what new miseries would
not the people of Spain he reseised, if in so short an
interval they had witnessed such licentiousness and
ihorrors, the degradation of Royal authority, and
• the standard of civil war raised by the populace of the
capitall .
I 41 Oppressed by ipfirmities and sorrow, the King
saw, that to restore. Spain a more powerful arm was
necessary. His sole concern new was, to secure the
interests-of the Spanish Monarchy, its religion, inde-
pendence, and the irate ,of its provinces. Charles
IV. had governed his subleits.with equity. He had,
,under difficult circunissancei,,maintained the dignity
; of his Crown, tranquillity in the interior, and the
safety of his kingdom—but When hi perceived that
his diminished authority and power were no longer
ladequate to so great a labour, and that he could still
less intrust it to the Prince of Asturias, who during a
tumultuous Government of forty days, commencing
and ending in a revolt, had brought the kingdom on
the brink of ruin—it was then that this Monarch re.
solved to retire with his family into Prance, and wish-
ing to give his subjects a last proof of his paternal al.
fection, he renounced, on the .sth of May, his crown
and his tights-in favour of his Majesty the Emperor
of the French, and notified his act 6f renunciation to
i the Supreme Council of Castile, on the Bth.
' " The Prince of Asturias, informed of the dangers
which surrounded his kingdom, followed the example
'of the King his father. On the 10th of May, he
solemnly ceded all his rights to the Throne. A se-
cond act of renunciation, addressed on the 12th, to
i the Supreme Junta, by this Prince and the Infantes
Don Carlos and Don Antonio,releases the Spaniards,
from all their obligations towards them, exhorts
them to be in repose, and await. their felicity from•
the benevolent disposition arid power of the Emperor..
" These hopes will he 141filkd. The Emperor is.
full of esteem for the noble character of the Spanish
nation. He desires the felicity and glory of so beau-
. tiful a kingdom. No province shall be dismembered.
The Monarchy shall be independent; the tenets of its.
religion, and the splendour of its .throne, shall be
maintained. ,
a The Dynasty which reigned in Spain• is about
to be replaced by a new Dynasty, and spain hails
these great changes with confidence. She reads her
future destiny in the prosperity to which France has
risen- under the reign of the Emperor. Tranquillity
is assured in the capital ; and in the provinces, the
inhabitants and the French troops live in friendship.
" All the public Bodies, both civil and military,,
have presented themselves to the L' utenant-deneral
of the Kingdom ; and the arrival ,the new Sove-
reign, whom the Emperor fair' ris *spec-,
Led with impatience." .... 7.0... • "A ili b. . .. 1, : .'' •

- ..
4, FROM THE EPANISHVAPEgie",;
-; .1421 r.:;: ,
*. • OVIEDO‘AUGUSIiI. .• •
siii/E0
Idiers of Astdrias, th h novices .in the
tit' ar are extremely eager to' ght, and to come
9 .
ontact with the inviniibles.of Marengo, Austerlitz
and Jena. The signal valour with which a fsw of
caikeiteti-in-the Fola de Garden, have put . to.
"flthirt?-twciiilities of French dragoons, has deserved
the - recommendation of Signior Valesteros, through
.his Excelliney the Captain General -iii trie-gilpreme
Junta. That Supreme Tribunal has of course taken
measures to. reward those valiant warriors according
'tO the merit of each individuany,aad to publish in
icrOaceitt the following dispatch r .
OWE ow THE OFFICAL LETTER OF SIGNIOR VALEXTEIROX,
. .OF THE DATE, p, I:: ITyyl 81) TO THE MOST L.6.CELLENT
SIGNIOX DON vrweiork lIARLA ACCORDO.
.. ~ .. . ~ -..
MOLT EXCIELLCAT LORD! '
41:41DDIDAUSIDIRD, to your Excellency, as I had offered to make
*blowutoy !Itbo,osBcubra of what has occurred, tome, in the
liiiist de Oerdon, between the enemy and a detachment under the
command of the Sub-Lieutenant of the Rord Carpi of Artillery,
Don Matthias Carrascon, consisting of a Serjeant, a Corporal,ansl
.14 Volunteer's of.Asturiis, in the evenlngof the •11611: Inst.
The tenor of my letter willbe eonformable to the official com-
munication made to met?: tpe following effect: tl
The party being at dinner in the street, eight French dragoons
entered the place without the sentinel having beelt:dileps jive
notice of their approach, be having advanced too far on account
of the circumstance of the enemy having been at a distance of
alee leagues on the precoding,day. Thus the dragoons Were at
once,upon the little troop, word in band. There was no doubt
that they were surprised, but the confusion lasted but a moment;
starting up immediately on Carrascon's Crying to arms, they made
one discharge, and then chargea with the bayonet; upon which
the enemy fell back and retired precipitately, our men pursuing
them as far as Robla, when they received si reinforcement of
fresh cavalry, bat our brave fellows persevered .in their attack till
they drove the enemy-liaise ibis:l*i sik4ixesnountains, hav-
ing one killed and four wouoaell. TirethatiOlightly wounded.
In tbi, action, though small. * arixottit, acts ief. Taker hare been
performed deserving of your Esicelleney's highest csositieration.
There is no doubt that the brave fellows concerned will acquit
themselves in the same brilliant Manner on occasions of greater
importance. I recommend, therefore, that the Supreme Junta
should bestow appropriate rewards on each individual, and publish
their names in the Onette,to give effect to so good an example.
FERROL, JULY 28. .
.By authentic letters from England, received at
Corium on the 22d, and dated the. sth of the present
month, we learn, that in that kingdom a very ex-
tensive subscription has ,set on foot in favour
of the widows and orphans of our brave companions.
who die in the holy war in Which we are engaged.
0, generous England-I our heaits; full of grßtittide,
inspire our lips with endless songs in your honour andj
' praise. Desolate . widows, deserisd „orphans,. com 4
' fort yourselves. If a cruel death has clepnved.you of
your dear husbands and beloved fathers.the virtuous
islanders hold out to you a succouring hand.' If de=
' prived of your sweet supports you dread•the wretch-
edness from which their hands protected you ; the
gold collected by beneficence comes to comfort your
distresses.

Hour treacherous friends sack our towns, and -kill
our brothers, those who were for a time-compelled to,
be our enemies, hasten to cure our wounds.
Spaniards, let us all swear eternal'frienclship and,
alliance with England—an alliance foUnded -in jus-
tice, generosity, and gratitude. Eternal glory and
praise be to the noble patriots who die in so just a
cause. Eternal glory and praise to England, which
so worthily sustains that cause. " To conquer or die,"
be that our device.

Marsoal Bessieres intended to have cut off the com-
munication between the provinces of Castile and As-
turias, and with that view, designed to occupy Tora
as well as Zamora ; but being informed of the tra s-
lactions in Andalusia, and recilled.by expresses /ram
his Court, he fell back and evacuated Leon, and
' marched, as report says, towards Madrid
The Junta of Asturias, upon a representation of
the city of Oviedo, and a strong statement by the
Procurator-General, came to a resolution in its sitting
of August 2, to abolish the existing system of police,
as being contrary to civil liberty, to the laws-of the
kingdom, and to the authority of the justices of the
principality.

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PRIVATE LETTERS.

41 CADIZ, JULY •t

" It will have afforded you gratification to see all the Provinces
simultaneously united in the cause which they have espoused of
resisting the French. The Public Spirit has operated on the inha-
bitan'a with such force, that they have taken up arms in emula.
doll, and enlisted in the defence of the ginrious cause. There
have been a few solitary instances of treason and perfidfSinsong
1 the Chiefs, these, however, have, not at all interrupted its pro-
gress—they speedily fell victims to the public vengeance. Ths
1 Soianos, Truzillos, Filangiers, ilorsas,Alabas, and others, have all
been immolated by the exasperated people. At the .present day
Spain has already $OO,OOO men in arms, who, without any other
Suallfication than that of bravery, have given battles 'and gained
• •
victories in every direction. Spiid does net bemoan those victims
sacrificed to its national honour, though many have fallen, espe•
daily in the commencement of the conflict. The scents of Nu.
mantis and Sagnntum have been renewed at Takntia, Saragossa,
and Barcelona, but with better success. 'lhere are yet many a
Vitiates and Sertorius found in thesi auspicious times, and we
hear nothing here of robberies, massacres, and disorders, the usna:
attendants of anarchy in other countries,Happy nation, which
even in the lower'ordirs of its inhabitants knows to uphold and
command respect to its acce4ometl point of honour ! GOD, the
author and protector of justice, is our guide. Thus then are
the Reach Eagles trampled in the dust, and of the Conquerors of
Jena, Austerlitz, and Friedland, scarcely any thing will shortly
rehabs bat the reminiscence. Nothing obstructs our stages to
Madrid, aid tiler armies LIST sworn that they will fly and shut
up the passes of the Pyrenees, as the sole guarantees of our liberty
and independence. In the end we shall treat about organizing
our internal Government, at the bead of which we place our
King Ferdinand VII. proclaimed and supported by all the pro-
vinces composing this kingdom."

" CADIZ, JULY 25.

" On the 23d, our Allies, the English, embarked for Lisbon,
to form a Junction with an army which is said to have arrived is
that quarter from England. A detachment of 10,000 men goes
iron; our army of Andalusia to attack Junot, in concert with the
army of Estremadura, which is considerable.
" If we had but a-sufficient number of muskets,we should at
this moment have 800,000 men in arms in Spain. We hope that
they Will not neglect to send us a supply from England.

" CADIZ, JULY 26.

" A most important victory has been obtained over ourselves:
The Juntas of the different provinces were hitherto indisposed to
come to a mutual understanding, and continued to dispute the
authority of each other. To 'ma no, the Deputy from Gallicia,
has succeeded in establishing harmony, and it is agreed upon that,
in Septembei beg,there shall be a General Assembly of the Cortes
at Toledo, where-a new Constitution will be promulgated. In
the mean time, it is in agitation to appoint a Regent in the person
of the worthy MoNttso, who traversed' Spain no less than ten
times from one end to the other, and lighted up the flame width
is consuming NAPOLEON.

" Barcelona, though captured by the Imperial phalanxes who
occupied Monsjny, has reduced them to the greatest distress; and
the inhabitants of the principality are crowding from all quarters
to rescue it from the power of the tyrant. Though badly provi.
ded with arms, they abound in courage. They solicited Signior
Vavas•to take the command, and eipected his arrival from the
Balcarlc islands with 12,000 veteran troops in garrison there,
whose breast kToived with eagerness• to assist their fellow-coun-
trymen ; buf the false polliy of the English Admiral, which how.
ever, attaches no blame to' his Government, rends red their offers
of service useless, by preventing the passage of our squadron, un-
der the command of VALDES.

" •In•Cawile, the French made themselves masters of various
points, in which they committed all kinds of excesses ; but the
Inhabitants, far front being intimidated, were exasperated to such •
a pitch, that even the women braved death, and defended them.
selves with the most determined heroism ; so that the eagles et
NAPOLEON wandered about in dismay. BLAKE conunands the
Gallicians ; CL'F.S fA, the Castilians and Mountaineers ;—and
JONES, the troops of Estramadura. Each kingdotat is a numerous
army, each city a complete division, cult town a regiment, and
every inhabitant a hero. Such is the picture which the kingdom
at large presents. The force under the command of JONts,con.
slicing of 10,000 men, Is to proceed to the assistance of the Pot-
gues e.
" The greatest order prevails in this city, and we have plenty
of evert ;ids*"

The following Itinerary of the principal great Roads from Madrid to the chief Towns of the Pi .
will be found very convenient to all persons reading the Newspapers of clay. Many of the distances al,
stated from actual admeasurement, others are taken froth the comptited Leagues of the country, as esti-
mated for the march of Soldiers or hire of Travelling Horses, some of -which have been corrected from the
observations of the late M. Mtenaus, in his Trigonometrical Survey of Spain, in which he was employed,
as well as in measuring a Degree of the Meridian in that country, 'son* dine before his death at Valen•
cia, in 180.5. But as the country is very Mountainous, and consequently he Roads very crooked, no Geo.
metrical Survey of' the distances between the chief Towns, as deduced from Maps, can deserve the least
attention ; on the contrary, there are many places wkere the linear distances and the actual length of the
Carriage Roads differ at least one-fourth. The nominal or common League of Spain is not less than four
English miles, and the distance between Villages' estimated at a League, frequently varies from 3; to 4
English miles.
.
•
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139

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c: Ail .to
1 ,3I 1 134 _lOOl *lO4 --.0111 •115 1 50 I. 110 111 rs In stesi 4 I 45 I Zarsessa
r ..,
Thisernble reiresents the number of Leagues between all the capital Towns of the*Provinces or King-
doms, and die Metropolis or Court of Spain,..Madrid. If it is desired to know the distance between Badajos
and Madrid, the angle.ofitlO;,Oluran under the formir, and immediately oppobite the latter, gives 69
Leagues,. or 252 English Miley; if from Badajos to Zaragossa, we find 115 Leagues, or 452 English miles:
and so witk.al .the others. ~ . .
N. B. The distincei in thii Table ire 'taken ott thi Car an
riage Roads,- d not the 'Bridle Roads, which ate
shorter, more mountainous, aktgenerally impassable to any thing but Asses, Mules, SheeP;Cor Black Cattle.