New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-07-25


Fernando have revoked the remuneration of their
rights TO the Crown of Spain which they signed
the other day at TOrtosa, when they were prison
ers after the abortive attempt of Ortega for their
restoration No doubt they were in duress, and
could honestly plead that they were in fear of their
lives at the time. Nor do we suppose the Queen
of Spain and her Cabinet counted much on the
sincerity of the act, or are much surprised at it's
being rescnded. It was one quite as much for
her relief as for theirs. pretender to her crown
| and his brother, her own cousins, whose rights
according to the csnons of legitimacy and the i'm
memorial laws of the Spanish monarchy are IRE.
frapable, were as uncomfortable customers to deal
with as could well be imagined. The public senti-
ment of Europe would not suffer her to put them
out of the way by the AK, and their presence as
prisoners of State within the realm would be q
continual irritant of Carlst sympathy and constant
ly provocative Of attempts for their deliverance.
Queen Isabella was, doubtless, as glad of an ex-
cuse to be rid of them quietly, as they were to be
allowed to escape on 80 easy terms as Lies.
pecially as their remuneration of their rights only
left them open to be claimed by their intermediate
brother, Don John, which claim he did not delay
| to make.
1t must be owned that, according to the good
old notion that nations came into the world sadded
and bridled, and kings ready booted and spurred
to ride them, the case Of these Carlist Princes is
hard one. Ferdinand VII. had been twice mar
ried without issue, and was generally believed in
capable of any, On the death of his second wife,
Princess of Saxony, he married the notorious
Christina of Naples his near relation, in 1881. Two
daughters, the present Queen and her sister, the
Duchess de Montpenser, were born after this mar
rage, in 1852 and 1888 respectively. Whether
they were born of it was scarcely question in
Spain, and the relations of the Queen with MuiOz,
now Duke de Rianzares left little doubt as to their
real paternity. Had there been son. there would
probably have been no opposition to his succession
whatever scandal might be mixed up in the matter.
But the king died in 1885, having, not long before
under the influences of his wife, repealed the an
| cient Sale law by which none but males could
succeed to the throne of Spain, and settled the
crown on his heirs female, in case he should die
without heirs male. 1t is hardly to be wondered
at that Don Carlos, who was the rightful heir pre-
sumptiye to the crown according to all Spanish
| law and custom, should have engaged in q long
war of succession, in which be had the sympathy
of all legitimacy and all toryism. And, failing in
bis attempt to recover it, it is very natural that his
sons should feel acutey the injury of being thus
thrust aside to make way for the Muhoz dynasty
by apy rules of legitimate succession, Charles W.
is the true sovereign of Spain and the Indies, or
what is left of them.
But, happily for mankind, other elements than
due legtm ate succession now enter into the ques
ton of who shall sit booted and spurred on the
back of the many headed beast of burden. The
interests of the oDg-enduring nation have now
some slight share in deciding who he shall be, and
how he shall use his whip and spurs. The very
dubiousness Of the title of Isabella has compelled
a better vovernment at her hands than any BOur-
bon of undOubted Legitimacy would have consented
to- except under compulsion. The popular senti-
ment and will have some weight there, and hence
the country has been prosperous beyond precedent
FIR the last quarter Of q century. Spain is prob
ably now richer and stronger in all the elements of
national greatness than she has been in cent lry
and half 1t is by no means certain that this
would have been the case had Charles V. sue
ceeded with all the hereditary obstinacy and big.
otry of the Bourbons, to the throne of Ferdinand
VII The title of the Jaeobite princes to the Brit
ish throne was much more perfect than that Of the
Hanoyerlan usurpers, as they held them to be; but
the greatness of England is owing to the circum.
stance that her interests were put above the dy-
nastic rights of royal family. So 1t will BIZ in
Spain. The remuneration of their rights by the
Carlst princes, or their reclamation of them, are
matters of small consequence now. Or they are of
consequence only damaging their prestige in the
eyes of the party which stood manfully by them,
"whsn dubious title shook the msddsnsd And,'
and has always held to the sacredness of their title
We doubt whether it will ever think il worth its
while to risk coRfscation and death 10 their behalf
again. And the nation will not be swift again to
endupser its substantial prosperity and growing
freedom for such shadows as these.
Pretenders are rot now what they once were.
Tie French Revolution has done much to vulgarize
and mediatize them, by the shock it gave to all the
old rooted notions of the divinity of kngship.
We imagine that there is very little of that old
feeling of loyalty which made the English Jacobtes