New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-04-19

prostrsie country. The provinces, which had been
the abode Of municipal freedom, Of science, hters-
ture ard ant, Of unparalleled material prosperity,
were to be reduced into absolute subsection to the
Cabinet Council st Madrid. Sach was the policy
which the Duke Of Alvs was seut to the Neither
lands 10 enforce in 1867. He was well fitted for
bis odious task He was now in the sixtieih year
Of his age His military reputation was superior
10 hat Of sny general in Europe No commands
Of hi. day had besieged so many cities No soldier
wfsLis equal in address and prudence, while his
heroic courage placed bin above the reach Of cal,
un.by. Even when youth, he was distinguished
| for bis prowess At sixteen years Of age he be-
came conspicuous at Fontarabia, where his Goa
stancy in hardship and bis brilliant. and desperate
valcr contributed in small degree to the success
| Of The Spanish AIMS. In 1880, at the age of ~,
lie accompanied the Emperor Charles V. ia his
| campaign against the Turk. Five years after, ne
took part in the memorable expedition against
Tunis In 1916 and l547, he was generalssimo in
| The war against the Smalcaldan league.
Asa dis.plinaran be was foremost in Spain--per-
| hnps il Europe. spendthrift of time, ne was an
economist Of blood, ana this was perhaps in the eye
Of humanity his principal virtue. Time and myso III
ere two was frequeot observation OF PDilp and his
tavorte general considered the maxim as appcaDf 70
war e. to politics. Such his qualities a. militia
~ commander A. a statesman, be had neither expe-
,iepce nor talent. As man, his character was sun.
ple He did Iot combine great variety Of wees od'
liz which he had were colossal and be possessed no
viriues He Was neither lustful Incorporate, bu.
his proessed eulOgss admitted Lis enormous avaflce
while the world has agreed that such an amount OF
stealth ard ferocity, OF patient vncicuvenes' ana ui
y.r.a bloOdthi stnes-, were never found In savage
heat OF the forest, and but rarely in human BOSOM
His history was now to show that his previous thriit
Of human life was lot derived from any love OF HIS
| kind Personally, he stern and Overlooking
a. difficult Of access Philip himself be was even
| rcore naughty to those who were admitted 10
| b.. presence. He addressed every one with the
depIeciatirg second person plural. Possessing the
right Of being in the pre-ence of the Spshi-h
monarch he Lad been with difficulty brought TO re-
\ nounce it before the German Emperor. lie was Ol
| an illustrous family, but his territorial possessions
were not extensive. His ducby was small QUE ilf,
| ni.bipe him with not more than fourteen thousand
crowns of annual income, and with four hundred SOL.
| oilers. He bad, however been a thrifty hnancer al
bis life never having been without handsome sum
ready money at interest Ten years before Ills sil'at
in the Netherlands, be was supposed TO have areaiy
increased lis income TO forty thousand year
| by the proceeds Of his investm' hts at Ant
| werp. AZ already minated his military character
| Was eometmos profoundly misunder stOod. lie wa,
often corsiGeICd rather peGantc thau pIacticai
commnn6er-lnoTe capable TO discourse OF battles taah
10 Gain them Notwithstanding that bis long llie haa
| been almost unbiOken campaign, the Ilulcuous n"
ua;on Of tinidy was frequently made against nun.
gentleman at the Court Of the Emperor Charles once
address ed letter to the Duke with the title OF - zen
eIa Of bis Majesty's aimes III the Duchy OF oman IN
time of pence and moi r.domO of the household in the
time of war;" 1t il said that the lesson did the Duke
good but that he rewarded very badly the Dobleman
who gave it, having subsequently caused bis head 10
be taken of. In general, however, AVA manesreu
d so,ical contempt for the opinions expressed con-
cen ing is milar fame, and was especially dlsdah
full Of criticism expressed by lis own s0diers "Keco
lect slid be- at later period, TO Don John oil Aus
tra, "that tie irst foes with whom one has 70 con-
t,,d are one own troops with their clamors for an
engagement at this moment, and their murlnurs about
results at another; with their thought that the pat
tie sboSd be fought, or 1t was my opinion tnat lee
occasion ought not to be lost Your highness VIII
| have opportunity enough to display valor, ana VIII
he weak tIough 10 be conquered by the oaoole
| OF soCieIs."
| lcIe wage lean yellow cheek, dark twinkng eyes
| adjust complt xion black bristpg hair, and long
sabe.sveied beard descending III two waving streams
| upon his bre ast.
With the uDquestionable military fame with
which the Duke Of Alva came into the Neither
lands, be left the provinces a baf1ed man. The
spirit of freedom too potent for the arts oi
military despOtism. Of the character OF his ad-
minstratoD, appalling sketch is given In tho
following passage:
Asa administrator of the civil and Judicial affairs
Of tie country Ava at once reduced Its institutions
to fghtful simplicity. In the pace OF tne anciea'
avs OF which the Netherlands were 30 proud he SUP
| s,tuted tie Blood Council. This tribunal was even
ore arbitrary than the lnquiitioD. Never was 81 IL
per apparatus for tyranny devised than this great Ia
| bon saving machine. Never WAS 70 great quautty
| OF murder and robbery achieved with such dispatch
| and IT guaIity. Sentences, executions and conhs
| cations to an incredible extent, were Turned out
| taiy with appalling precision. For this invention
| Ava alone is recpODsible. The tribunal aud It's
| coupsec,s were the wo and the creatures of his
| hand and foitlfuly did they accomplish the dark
| purpose of their existence. Nor can 1t be urged
IN extenuation Of the Governors crimes, that he WAS
but tie bird ard fanaticay 10y al slave OF his sover-
.icn noble nature could not have contaminated
iself wik such slaUghterhouse work, but might have
sought to mitigate the roy al policy without forswearing
allegiance A nature less rigid than iron would a.
least lave manifested conpunction, as II iound itse
| converted into flesLless Instrument OF massacre
More decided than lis mtster however he seemed, BY
his pronItness TO rebuke the dla DRY genius OF Philip
| Tie King seemed at times, TO loier over his work
teasiig and antasng his appetite for vengeance be-
fore il should be gratfed Aiva, rapid and brutal
scorp ed sucb epcnreanism He strobe with gigantic
steps over baughty statutes and popular constitutions
hing alike tie magnates who claimed bench OF
monsrcs for their jury and the ignoble artisans who
could appeal only the laws OF their lard. From the
poupon- and theatrical scaffolds Of Egnon and Horn
10 the Nineteen laters prepared by Master Karl, to
bspg up the chief bakers AID brewers Of Brussels on
tbtI oan the bebesdirg of the twenty
| robes on the Horse-maIket, in the opening Of the
Governors career, to the roasting alive OF ultenhoovs
| at lis close-fiom the block on which fell
| the honored lead of Anthony Straslen, to
| the obscure chair in which the ancient
eeptlevoman Of Amsterdam suffered death for act
of viCarous mefcy-from one year end to an0thers-
from the nost sgi al to The most squGd scenes Of sac
rice the eve and hand of the great master directed.
without wtariness the task imposed by the sovereign
No doubt The work of almO-t indiscrimnste massacre