Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-09-15
Marriage of the Queen Of spain.


Marriage Of the Queen Of spain.
A correspondent of the New York Tribune
gives an interesting account of an event that
has had an important bearing upon the recent
troubles in Spain
Il happened to be in Spain at the epochs
OF the royal marriages, and gathered some facts
concerning them which will interest you.
You remember the famous conferences at
Eu,' between Great Britain's queen and the
King Of the French. In those conferences the
Spanish marriages were thoroughly discussed
and the princesses disposed of according to po-
litical exigencies. 1t was agreed between the
two soyereigns, as you know, that the hand of
the Spanish queen should not be given to
French prince nor to prince allied to the
royal family of England, and that the alliance
of French prince with the Infanta should
take place in the event only of the queen hav-
ing children.
You recollect, also, that there were three
competitors TO the hand of Isabel L: Don En-
rique, the younger son of Don Francisco de
Paula, the queens uncle; Don Francisco de
Asis, the present king, and eldest son of the
same Don Francisco de Paula, and prince
of the House of Coburg, for at that time Count
Trapany's suit had been completely discarded,
(much to the queens regret, for she had been
somewhat smitten by his portrait, secretly,
but injudiciously, sent by the King of Ma
pies, through the French embassy by the
hatred of the Spanish nation, aroused by French
intrigues. The Queen mother, Dona Christina,
preferred Coburg, because she hated and
feared Don Enrique, for whom the young
Queen is said to have had a liking on account
Of his having unwittingly placed himself, by
manifesto at the head of the Progresista party.
England countenanced the hopes Of Don
Enrique, for the same motive Of his liberal ten
denotes which rendered him so odious to the
Queen mother. And France furthered, by
every means in her power, the pretensons of
Don Francisco de Asis, because she intended,
as events have proved, to hurry on the mar
riage between the Infanta and French Prince,
| who, by her calculations, would thus ultimately
ascend the Spanish throne. She had ascer-
tanned that the young Queen could have no
children, at least such acaS the report Of an emf
nent physician aoho acas sent to Spain by the
French court TO Investigate the probabilities Of
The Queen hdcing any issue-and moreover,
should Isabel become the wife of Don Fran.
cisco de Asis, it would, thought she, be adding
certainly to assurance, for great was the belief
not only in the public, but also in the royal
family of Spain, concerning certain incapaci-
ties said to be the misfortune of the Prince
proposed as the Queens husband.
meanwhile the Queen mother addressed
demand to the head of the Coburg family for
Prince for the Queen. A whole month elapsed,
during which the Coburgs consulted the wishes
of England; but England, faithful to the en-
gagements entered into at Eu, refused. There
remained, therefore, no other alternative but
for the Queen mother to renounce her resent
ment against Don Enrique, whom she looked
upon in the light of personal enemy--or for
the Queen to forego her dislike, which amounted
to loathing, to Don Francisco de Ass. The
Queen mother, stern, yindictive, a tyrant at
heart, informed the Queen, in conjunction
with Navaez who was prime minister, that
she would have to choose between no marriage
and marriage with her hated cousin. 1t was
midnight when this was communicated to the
Queen, and only two hours were given her to
make her choice. Those hours the poor Queen
passed in tears, and it was with breaking
heart that she made up her mind to accept Don
Francisco. Immediately messenger was de-
spatched TO the French embassy, where Count
Bresson, LOWS Phillippe's ambassador, was
waiting the result. He fastened to the palace
and demanded unofiicially 1.-THE official demand
was made in state few days later the hand
Of the infanta for the Duke Of Montpensier,
and received the royal promise.
"When the sun rose on the following morning,
Madrid heard with surprise, and the British
legation with Indignation, the events Of the
night
I" The royal marriage took place on the 10th
of October, 1876. The first time the Queen
appeared in public with her royal husband,
every eye scrutinized her features she smiled
and bowed, and hope entered the hearts Of
her royal subjects that still the union might
prove happy one; for the prince never ap-
| peared, either before or after TO such disad-
vantage, as he bent low on the chargers neck,
with hat in hand, to the enthusiastic crowd.
But it soon became apparent that the flush Of
the moment had deceived every one. Dissat-
isfaction and hatred sat already at the royal
board. Daily the Queens heart grew more
rebelious until soon she threw off all restraint,
willing even to abdicate her crown sooner than
| abdicate her happiness But she was not al
lowed to abdicate. The Queen mother, the
ministers, the foreign ambassador, interfered,
demonstrated, and Isabel l, remained queen,
but woman in open rebellion against her un-
natural marriage.
Years have passed and the statesman who
ruled the monarchy Of Spain, in conjunction
with the able and unprincipled Christina, has
fallen. Smaller men, and later wicked and
corrupt men took his place, and crowded round
the queen, until the hurricane Of popular
wrath has swept them from the scehe and
the whole nation has been thrown into convul
sions by mis-government engendered by mis-
conduct.
Had the desires and happiness of the
young Isabel wam-hearted, generous,
thoughtless, uneducated girl-been consulted,
who can say that the events we have witnessed
| would nevertheless be those recorded in SPANS
history for the last few yearsR
The McDonogh Agency.-The vexed ques-