Star.
London, England, 1823-11-06 00:00:00

sary to dismiss the peasants;-who crowded to work the
artillery, or to perform any service to which they could
be applied, because the number thus collected embir-
rassed the operations. The heavy fire which the enemy
kept up during three hours ancl a half, only served to
prove their effo,rts were at that time made in vain, and
to demonstrate what men are capable of performing
• when they fight in the cause of freedom. The enemy'
was compelled to abandon his enterprise with the loss
of three large and three small boats.; and of the whole
- flotilla,- including the reserve, there remained
only 11 vessels in a serviceable condition. Eight were
obliged to be-towed into port.
,e The inhabitants of Cadiz manifested the purest-joy;
they mutually acknowledged each other to be worthy
of the holy cause they were defending ; all acquired
new courage to oppose the besiegers whenever it might
be necessary. Ali promised themselves a happy result,
and trusted that they would, by their firmness, subdue
the French ; more particularly when, after the disgrace-
ful loss of the point of Santi Petri, they daily beheld
boats entering, laden, not only with necessary provisions,
but also with fruits and articles of 'navy, of which
there was always abundance. Who could have be.
lieved that, after a lapse of .eight days, without any
renewal of hostilities, all these well-founded hopes wese
to vanish ?

Some Generals and Ministers, who had bees con-
stantly declaring that the defence was impossible, as if
apprehending the failure of their prophecies, when they
saw that the bombardment, far from intimidating the
. defenders of Cadiz, served only to inflame their Warne.
insisted the more urgently on the impossibility of main-
raining resistance, and by their language and conduct
induced some corps of the army to consider themselves
as sold,.and to fail in their discipline. Thereupon the
. General-in-Chief addressed to the Ministry the dispatch
No. 11. and the Government convoked the Extraorsh-
nary Cortes, in a secret sitting, to which a report of this
circumstance was made, painting in dismal col Ours. the
situation of Spain, which apparently afforded no hope
of remedy, nor even the prospect of matters continuing
in the same state for many days longer. This measure
of the Government was very disagreeable to the Dept',
ties of the Cones, who were of opinion that the situa-
tion of Cadiz was not so desperate as bad been de-
scribed by the Ministers.
They observed, such communications were useless,
since the Cortes had no power to remedy the evils; that
, nothing had beets demanded of them which they had
not conceded; and that they were convinced the repe-
tition of the extraordinary sittings would afford- evil-
disposed persons an opportunity of inventing tales cal-
. enlaced to throw discredit on the national representa-
tiot, and to chill patriotic enthusiasm. For this reason,
after having made strong remonstrances to the Minis-
ters, the Cortes gave them great displeasure by declaring
that they woe not satisfied with the communication
which had just been presented to them. This appears
from the extracts horn the report of the fourth secret
sitting, wl:.ich is hereto annexed under No.lo, the sitting
h iving been held on the 25th September. N 05.14 and
15 include the first measures adopted Iv the Government
on the receipt of the General-in-Chief s dispatch.
'On the 254.11 of September, the Government, which
had shortly before felt such serious displeasure,
ugaia convoked the Extraordinary Cortes, to pre-
sea to diem the opinion which is hereto subjoined
ul:dcr N0..12. signed by all the Ministers. Many
of the Deputies were riot summoned to the secret
sitting viiiich was held fot- this object. Only 82 were,'
present, others being involuntarily absent whose votes
might have had an influence in causing the sub-
ject to be publicly discussed. Notwithstanding that
bevel 31 remonstrated against this secret discussion, yet
it was agreed on by a very few votes; and a committee
was appointed, which was to present its opinion on the
following day, as appears from the minute of this secret
sitting, which is subjoined under No. 13.
On the following day, the 27th, was held the sixth
and last secret Sitting, in which the Committee ap-
pointed to examine the proposition of the Government
presented two reports, the one signed by the majority,
which is subjoined under No. 16, and the other signed
by the minatity, subjoined under No. 17. The first re-
port being pot to the vote, as the regulations require, it
was approved by 70 votes against 34, who inclined in
prefeience to the report of the minority. The document
No. 18 contains the names of the Deputies who ap-
proved the report of the majority ; and the document
N 0.19 contains the names of those who voted again.l
it, because they inclined in favour of the minority. From
that period the Cortes did nut, and could not, hold ano-
ther Sitting, because the Government did not convoke
them for that purpose; but the Deputies remained in
Cadiz until, on the 1 st of October, they learned, without
any preliminary information, that the King had ens-
barked for Puerto Santa Maria, and they were thus
left only to deplore the misfortunes of their country.
Upon these facts two very important observations im-
mediately occur. First, that the assertion of the flight
of the Deputies, previous to the departure of the King,
is a rsolincly false ; for,. on the contrary, several have
fact victims to their firmness, in not quitting Cadier
It is proved by the documents Nos. 18 and 19, that at
the last Sitting there were 107 present. Don Cayetano
Vatlez was absent, fulfilling his duties of Command-
ant-General; Litre, in the exercise of his functions of
Go ,ernor ; Infante was with the army of the Isla;
Gr ises was a prisoner ; Iticgo and Pumarejo were with
the army ; Zulueta had gone to Gibraltar on a commis-
i'o:l of the Government, and with the permission of the
Cotes; and Gomcba and the Duke del Parque were'
seriously ill: thus the number of those who did sot fair
in their duty amounts to 116.

The second observation that suggests itself is, that the
Cc,rtcs neither prostituted themselves, restored absolute,
power, nor authorised the late absurd meastues of the
Government. We are persuaded that no oat can blame
the conduct of the thirty-four, because they wished to
support the vote in N 0.17; and besides, if the vote ap.
proved by the seventy-three be impartially examined,
no just ground of censure will be found, not will it
serve to excuse the Ministers or Government for so in-
considerately and rashly adopting the resolution of de-
livering up' the King. It is true that the Government.
spoke of that, as may be seerfin the Exposition No. 12;
but it is equally true that the allusion indicated some-
thing remote, and an extreme ease still va_rdistant.,
The following expressions, employed by the Movern.:,
ment, are -remarkable Without prejudice to con.'
tinue to make the efforts which are within its power ;"1
—" may be able to adopt in its case;"--and " previously
deriving she greatest possible advantage in favour of
the nation and the inhabitants and defenders of this
island." By these professions, the Government im-
posed, en itself obligations which have not been fulfilled,
avid Ouse had circumstances are referred to which did