The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-01-09 00:00:00


1•7777

---a4
SP4..VISII PitPERS.
............-
The Marquis de la Romana has addressed% yen
lung representation to the Supreme Central Aft'
dated Seville, the 14th of October, relative to tit'
form of Government which it is necessary to;
the nation immediately to adopt. lie rays...
1' As it is indubitable the Government is IN
narchical, it cannot be represented by any oeitt
without a total change of the constitution;
Ls
that a Junta, composed of more than thirty oft
bees, with the character of Sovereigns, in kir
respective provinces, instead of represcutiug oar
beloved Sovereign Ferdinand VII. can only " ,e.
present a sovereign people ; which democratic ,e.
presentation is notonlytho most anti-constitutional,
but the most opposite to the .heroic loyalty of el,
Spanish people, who have never pretended to tot
mand as Sovereign, netwithstentling the abseneseo4
oppressive detention of their Sovereign. The peoe
established particular Juntas in their respective pro.
winces, to maintain order and direr* their exertion!
—these were afterwards resolved into the Centre
Junta, which, when it was installed, was ob.
jected to in various publications as illegitimatoil
its formation ; but those worthy Spaniards 0i,,,
only wished the happiness of their country, end
to drive their perfidious enemies from its territory,
refuted these writings, knowing the critical cir.
cumstances in which the nation was placed, re.
quired the concentration of power in our
manner or other, to gain the principal mid
glorious object. These disputes agitated th
minds of many, but they were calmed by the Ma.
-nifusto of the 26th OCtober, 18Ovi, published by
the Supreme Junta on the ICltli November. Th,
nation conceived the most fl ittering hopes of a ;o.
vernmeut which proposed to maintain, tinder ain,i,
500,000 infantry, and 50,000 cavalry, to give au
exact account of the feuds and revenue which it
had at its disposal; to make those salutary're.
fornis which every branch of government itny.,
riously required, and to dedicate its labours to
form such a constitution us shutiid produce tj
happiness of the monarchy, conformably to the
express will of our good, but unfortunate lino
Doe Ferdinand Vll.—But now," eenrinoes the
Marquis, " a great part of the nation complainsof
the inferior furce of our armies, attributing it
to the want of energy in the disposition of
the present Government, which has neglected
to provide the means of subsistence, am; other
necessary supplies for the truly deserving de.
fenders of their country ; and alleging, at the
same time, that instead of having effected salutary
reforms, they have loaded the treasury with debt.;
that they have not properly applied the sums they
received from America, the arrival of which has
beau facilitated by our generous Allies, nor the
rents of the es•oen, nor the donations rewired
limn heroic Spanish patriotism ; that some of this
respectoble hotly, , instead of atianding solely to
the publicgood, act for their own interest, and
others for the gratification of their passions, and
confer honourable and profitable publics employ.
ments, not on men of real ability and merit, but
on their relatives and- connections ; and pat.
daily lavish their aids and favours on this
provinces they represent, as if they were mem
bore of another body than the Spanish Mo.
welly; that they have confirmed the appoint.
meats of military rank and command, which
many had obtained from the Provincial Junto,
without examining either their abilities or limier
their country, to the disgust of the whole ariay;
that this Supreme Junta, divided into sections, has
decided on subjects .which are foreign to the pre.
fession and knowledge of the members who corn,
pose it; and, in fine, that it has left important
branches of the administration of justice amigo.
vernment in the hands of many persons, suspected
fur the-conduct they-have held since the beginning
of our misfortunes.
" That the present Government needs a re. '
form is acknowledged ; the difficulty consists only
in determining the change. which should be made.
We all know the necessity of unity in power, and
the evils which the division of it produces is States.
Recent events render it necessary to relate the ci.
vil wars which nations have suffered, and the ruin
or tyranny to which they base been led by a Go.
vernment like the present one of Spain, Composed
of many Kings. We fortunately aro free from
the convulsions and miseries which France suffered
by her Democratic Government: We have expe.
rienced only the heroic via cue of submission in the
faithful anti religious Spanish Nation; unit now
that at length we can no longer doubt that the
present Govern:nent is neither legitimate nor con.
venient, and that its permanency must lead us to
the. most dreadful slavery, or the absolute ruin of
the country, let ote-preserms ourselves by an et.
ample of generosity, whish the world may ad-
mire, and which may render us worthy of the gra.
titude of Spain.
" The country requires a Government full of
energy, prompt in its profound deliberations, active
in its execution, sovereign in its ideas, -majestic in
its proceedings, just in its provisions, exeinptary
in its conduct, severe in it* chastisement, and fru.
gal without indecency and with decorunr; under&
Government of this kind the nation will possess
invincible armies—the armies, Generals ; the
troops, officers ; and the soldiers, subordination
and discipline. The, people wit! enjoy the fora.
luable advantage of seeing the legitimate autho.
rity of the Tribunals and Magistrates restored; ar.
bitrary authority' abolished ; justice secured by
the indissoluble bonds of the law, and innocence
protected. The Royal revenue, so precious for
the political life of the nation, which has been
the patrimony of fraud, and the reward of the
vicious, shall not ouly be rescued from malversa.
tion, but be administered with that exactness and
economy which is necessary fa the good of the
State."
The Marquis then proposes, that till the meet-
ing of the Cortes, which cannot be convened with
that promptitude which the safety of the country
requires, the Government shall b.c vested in a lia:•
gent of the Kingdom, or, if judged inure (Here,.
a Council of Regency, consisting of three or Live
persons; He recommends that the Central Jurlut
as the Cortes cannot immediately meet, should uo- .
minate the Regent, or council of ac*encb' wit!:

-.1111