Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1809-07-21
Forei!gsl.
S P A IN.
PROCLAMATION
OF TIE SUPREME JuxrA or SPAIN.

Spaniards The only favor which Sar-
agossa asked OF your unfortunate monarch
was that she NIGH be the FIRST city i'm the
kingdom to sacrifice herself in his defence
You do no, need Europe does not need
to be reminded of this, in order To admire
the firmness, patriotism, and spirit of this
, illustrlous CITY. But the fame Of liberty
must be enkindled in the breast of every
Spaniard, by considering he sacrifices she
has offered upon the affairs Of loyalty and
that by her glorious fall, Saragossa has
rendered herself immortal.
Two long months we're spent in this fla.
tai and bloody siege almost every edi-
fee was RACED TO the ground the provi.
sions were entirely consumed the militia
/ ~ stores were exhausted more than 10,
900 men fell victims to an epidemic. VIII CHI
daily swept away hundreds the garrison
was reduced to less than one sixth of its
original force the governor and comman.
der ofthe city were languishing under ih:
sickness O'Neili, the second in com
mand died. St. Mare, in the place of his
two superiors, became commander in chief,
although he was still suffering under
burning fever. Thus, Spaniards, it be.
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to the Iigo: of fate, AID suffer herself 60
be occupied by the enemy. Thus have
| the French taben possession of this giori
Gus city, alter basteriBg down its houses
aad destroying its temples, while it was
peoplcd only by diseased and dying men
Here every street, every ruio, and every
fragment of wall is silently addressing the
Frenchmen who view them, saying, st.
tell thy king, that Saragossa, faithful 20
her word, has willingly sacrificed herself
IN rcmaining loyal to her sovereign"
Il series OF events, as disastrous as no.
torious, mad frustrated ali attic np,s thai
| were made 10 succorihe city. The p;ou
inhabitants looked up To heaven for deli.
verance from their privaiions and calam;.
ties but a. last, the almost total reductiop
of;heir forces would no longer warran,
resistance. The ,idirgs of her disastrous
fall. has caused the world to weep ana
] all men in the FRS moment Other exlinc.
lion, fame ed they saw the fame OK Span.
ish liberty expire, aud the prodd column
of her independence mouIder in the dust.
But, brave and loyal Spania Is, Saragos.
sa yet lives for your limitation and exam
| pie. Learn from her this lssson, "Never
i yield 10 yfanny, but perish mrniully in
the defence of liberty" Where il The
! SPsniard who call himself such, who
would consent TO be ou,done by these Va.
liant SaIagossiaus, who would not rejoice
10 suffer the like martyrdorsl! Every
town and village of Arragon is ready to
initiate and conquer their capital. They
see in her inhabitants model TO be mi.
Ia ed, vengeance 10 be taken, and that This
IS the only road TO victory and success
Forty thousand Ffencl,mep, who have Der
iished before the miserable mud.walls Of
! Saragossa, have caused France TO lamen
her fruitlsss and ephemeral triumph, ant
have proved to SPAN, that tnreC cities o.
iequal hrmness, patriotism aBd 'pefseye.
rance would secure The salvation Of The
country. and the downfall of her enemie.
Courage always begets courage anc
when the untortunse msns who have "a
criiced their lives in defence of freedom
; shall hear IN HEAVEN, that their fellow
citizens, following them il the pa n o
glory, have established their independence
then will they bless, thousand times
their own fate however rigorous, and con
template with rapture our present success:
and triumph.
When Europe shall consider all III,
circumstances Of this melancholy even,
shali compate the force of the besieget
with that OF their enemy, and the defenc,
which SaragosFa has made against tn,
ltyrant of the universe, with the resistanc,
OF The most strongly fortified castle, sh,
will be able TO decide 10 whom the palm
OF yalor and glory justly belongs. Th,
time will come when those csienitjes
With which the genius of ruin and deco
lat'on IS now scourging the world, shat
be millgated when the friends of virtu.
ADD loyalty shall come to the bank of h,
Ebro, TO view these majestic ruins anC
while contemplating them with admiration
and envy, they shall exclam, +" Here stoes
that city, which in modern times realised
or rather excelled all those ancient pro
digies of self consecra'ion and constsnc,
which are scarcely TO be believed, though
recorded in the page ofhIsiory: here lisec
that people, who without a single disci.
pinned regiment without any other forli
. hcsiion than that OF fragile mud v al
without any other resources than that o
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