Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1821-06-12
DISTURBANCE IN MADRID.

DISTURBANCE IN MADRID.
A letter from Spain, communicated to
the editor of the Norfolk Herald, gives
the following account of the late disturb
ances in Madrid.
"a plot has been detected in the Mc-
tropolis, nay even in the Palace, ior
overturning the present system-which
it is not absolutely certain may not yet
succeed. A Priest of the palace, was
arrested on the LIST inst. upon some i'm
formation lodged against him, and
amongst number Unreasonable papers
found upon him, were ten thousand cop
les of proclamation calling upon the
people to oyerturn the present system
and revive the old one.
"Upon this discovery, the people OF
Madrid assembled tumultuously before
the palace and demanded of the king
that the priest should be Immediately
erecuted. II. M. said he should be dealt
with according to the constitution. The
people said the forms of law for such Ia
grant offences were too slow and uncer-
tain as had been demonstrated in other
cases, and that if he would not order ex-
emplary ard instantaneous punishment
to be inflicted upon the delinquent, they
would do it for him. In this state OF
things the priest was consigned to prison,
and the town during the night was in
possession of vociferous and most dis
orderly mob, denouncing the bitterest
imprecations against the priest and his
adherents, and some of them going so
far as to implicatc the king in the plot,
who, they said, could not be altogether
ignorant of such transactions originating
amongst the servants of his own house,
hold, of which this was not the first ex-
ample Guards were called out and sta
toned at all public places, and the in
habitants to give light to the streets and
prevent assassinations illuminated theip
houses
Next day the king was passing to some
public place attended by his body guard,
when the mob became numerous, and
some of them crying out" Viva ell Rey
nuestro Soberano, (long live the king
our sovereignty but omitted the title
d" Constitutional :" the guard pretended
to take offence at the cry, and fired upon
the mob, by which several were wound
ed. The outrage incensed the mob to
desperation, who Immediately implicated
the guard in the detected conspiracy,
and the king being present, was not omit
ted in the fury of their imprecations-
On his return, the palace was beset, and
one general cry prevailed, that the body
guard should be Immediately DISSOLVED.
An increased excitement took place on
this occasion, in which all the machina-
tons of parties were visible, and the tu-
multi did not abate until the sth, when
the king gave assurance that the guard
should be dismissed-and the order was
accordingly given that it should be dis
tributed in various corps to wait tho
pleasure of the Cortes.
"Upon this, the guard retired to their
barracks where they fortified themselves,
declaring they would not be disbanded,
and that they would defend themselves
against all attempts TO enforce it: they
are 600 strong, of high Castilian blood.
The king shut himselfu up in his palace
and the people swore if he appeared ac-
companied with his guard they should
assassiuate both.
In this state, with all the accompa-
niments of sedition, heresy and rebellion,
Madrid continued until the 9Th, to which
our accounts extend.
"Secrets were disclosed every day,
the most important of which was to re-
volu,ionize Madrid on the 9TH, in which it
is asserted, all the guard, the kings
household, and all officers, civil and mill
tary, attached to his establishment, were
concerned. Arrests were made every
moment--the body guard was besieged
! in their qnarters-the palace was guard
ed by 1000 militia, and all the approach
es to it protected-and state council,
at which the king presided, as well as
the municipal body, was under the pro-
lection Of strong military forces-the
streets were in possession of the mill