Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1858-01-29
From the Philadelphia Pros.


From the Philadelphia Press.
Spain and Mexico.
The latest European papers inform us that Spain doa
not want to avail herself Of any conditional and friendly
interference to settle her dispute with Mexico Con-
slderng the state of the national finances of SPAIN this
is saucy work. and Queen Isabel may yet wear som5rc
look should her expedition end in defeat
The condition of Spain at this crisis, is what no
friend of peace, morality, and liberty contemplate
without regret One of the finest countries in Europe
rich in natural productions favored with beautiful eli
mate fortunate in The teemng fertility of her SOIL and
inhabited by of men capable of being raised to
happiness by reason OF their natural nobility of charac
ter, this country has sank into well merted contempt a.
mong the nations simply because for the last fifty wears
it has been badly governed.
Strange that where nature loved to trace
AS If for gods, dwelling place.
There Man, cnamored Of distress.
Should mar it into wilderness !''
The evils under which Spain so grievously suffers are
not of recent OIL gin growth They commenced in the
last century, under the mbecie King Charles " and
his infamous wife, who raised Manuel Godov from the
lowest condition to the rank of Prince of the Peace
This unprnciped man. ambitious and INSCRIPTIONS was
for many years the virtual ruler of Spain 1t was part
of his system to bring up the heir to the crown 1.-THE late
Ferdinand VII. in state of ignorance to surround
him with prohigates, to render him unfit to govern
The vicious example OF the Queen, coupled with her I'M
disguised and unmitgated hatred of Ferdinand which
exhibited itself in open persecution and contempt ma
uraly tended to destroy all of good land the quantity
was s1nalD which his mind possessed But his suation
excited deep sympathy in the heart of the Spanish ma
on already shocked by the misconduct of his infamous
mother, and irrated by the misgovernment of Godoy
The invasion of the Peninsula by Napoleon, the over
throw Of the Bourbon dynasty in Spain, the imprson
ment of the Royal family the usurpation of the Spanish
Crown, nOmnaly by Joseph Bonaparte, but actually
by Napoleon either directly caused by the nrgues
and reachery of Godoy sprung out of them contest
ensued from 1908 to 1914 which ended in the resora
on of the dposed Princes, and the Prince Of the Aus
trias assembled the throne of Spain, Ferdinand VII
Never had man better opportunity for regeneratng
State. But from 1914 to 1920 his entire career was
to elevate the throne at the expense of the people He
perpetuated and multiplied abuses instead of reforming
and removing them. He coldblooded tyrant, ca
PRECIOUS, cruel and ungrateul The blood of the best
of Spain was plentfully shed upon an ignominous
scaod-ther crime being that they loved their country
AT last the public mind revoted against the tyranny.
sudden revolution, in 1920, ended in Ferdinand's
adoption of the Constitution which promised to allow
political rights to the people On the very day when
Ferdinand soey swore to stand by this Constitution
he secretly sent to Louis XVIII, at Paris protest
against the acts which he executed in public. From
that hour until his death, in 1885, every act of Ferd
nands tended to the recovery of his power absolute
king. In this he was assisted by Russian gold and
French bayonets. The result was as he desired. He
autocrat indeed Dearly was this power pur-
chased by the massacre or exile of the most enlightened
Spanards the desoation of the towns and villages in the
unhappy kingdom the destruction of her internal and
foreign trade the total loss of her transatlantic colonies
and her degradation in the scale of Europe from first
rate to fourth-rate Power
At his death in 1888, he bequeathed civil war to
Spain. On the birth of Princess in $780, he issued
decree repeating the Salique law, and rendering the
hereditary in the female line, in default of male
heirs. Hence the contest between Don Carlos,
next brother to Ferdinand, and Queen Christina ap
pointed Regent during the minority of her infant daugh
ter After struggle, protracted during several years.
the Carsts were annihlated, party, and Isabella
acknowledged Queen de .fdcto. The evil exam
pie of her mother must have had the very worst influence
on the young Queens mind. The intrigues of Louis
Philippe, touching what called " The Spanish
rages had the effect of increasing the young Queens
natural progacy Welded to creature alike defective
in mind and person-she plunged into all varieties Of
vice. until her name became byword of scorn through
| out Europe.
Leaving public affairs in the hands of corrupt men,
and only interfering where caprice dictates this queen
has hitherto shown regard for the national interests
Provided that she had money to fling away in extrava-
gance after extravaganza and to bestow upon her
merous lovers she cared for little else Espartero
honest minister whom she had eXied in I843, she
compelled to recall in 1854 He is understood to have
had strong leaning for such Government the Uni
ted States prosper under. But sence Of personal
| LOYALTY forbade him to make such a change One
great thing he dd-he banished the Queen Dowager.-
To have put her upon trial before the Cortes any
other tribunal, would have involved an immensely Of
trouble, suspense and probable dissatisfaction. The
principal charges against her did not amount to what
|
conviction They had been resolved for the most part
into great accusation Of embezzement and of hav
/ ing obtained vast from the public treasury Of
SPAIN under false pretences AS Regent Of the King
dom, from the death of her husband Ferdinand w. iii
1888 until Espartero replaced her. during the minority
of her daughter) Christina had vast Of public
money under her CONTROL out of which, there is doubt
she made very extensive pickings." She married
to Munoz several years before she avowed it, and was
content to be pointed out by the finger of scom his
the large Onture of per annum to which she
was entitled as widow of the late King. The whole
amount of her illegal appropriations has been estimated
st no less than $I3,500,000.
This is a vast sum-probably more than the Queen
Dowager possibly could refund for her expenditure dur
ing the last twentyone years. has been great. Still,
considerable portion of it believed to have been invest
ed in good securities of England France, and Holland
Within the last half century, Monarchy has been so in
secure in Europe that the different Sovereigns have
usually prepared for" rainy day. by making pecunary
investments out of the countries which they govern
msgovern. Even the Gar, until lately, had $4,000,
600 in the State securities of France and England
> withdrawn not long ago, when his military plans an(
movements caused requirement for money Louis
Philippe had the precaution to provide for his family
by investments In this country well as Iii England
Leopold of Belgium, has taken the same precaution
and Queen Vctoria-sad to be haunted by forebodnG
that the British Monarchy will come to close before he
own life terminates-is very greatly beled by public
rumor, if she also has not provided against possible
future of prvate life by investments in the United State
u and elsewhere.
q Were the Queen Dowager put upon her trial. ant
even convicted the utmost power of the law could
force from her anything except what she possesses
IT gbly in Spain Therefore avoiding the scandal to lisa
e bella, the Queen regeant, of her mothers public
trial. with all the dsgracefu disclosures it must involve
Espartero allowed Christina to depart in safety with tn
total conscation of all her property in Spain amounting
q to about 81 OSOOOO