Daily union appeal. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1862-186?, 1862-08-17
LIFE AND DEATH In THE PALACE.
BIZ JOHN $. c. ABB9Tr.

years ct Valencay, returned to the throne of
Spain. With his three brothers under the
protection of England, who had "intervened"
| 10 inAict upon Spain the heaviest curse that
could befall nation, Ferdinand, with great
splendor, resumed his despotic sway. He had
| first married his cousin Msris, princess of
/ Naples. She was lovely woman, gentle,
| timid, eonidiDg. Her wretchsd spouse, in his
drunken brawls, would assail her with the
NEST profane and vulgar abuse, often proceed
| ing to even personal violence. After i've years
of misery she died, probably poisoned by her
/ husband.
In three months Ferdinand married Maria
| Isabel, princess of Portugal She, after one
| long year of anguish, died in q fit. A few
| months after Ferdinand married Maria Amelia,
| a princess of Saxony. She endured life with
| the monster ten sorrowful years, and then, ut
/ terly worid-weafy, glad to escape from life,
sank into the grave. All three of these
| queens were childless. The constitution of
| the king was exhausted by life of measure
/ less debauchery, and there was but little pros
pect that he could transmit the crown to any
| descendant Of his own. Should he die child
| less, the crown would pass to his next brother,
| Carlos. He was a frantic monk, and all the
religionists Of the cloister rallied around him.
| The two brothers were implacable foes.
Ferdinand, hoping to exclude MIN from the
| throne, Immediately married again, taking
! Christiana a daughter of the king of Naples.
] She 49, a. 1bItous, fTiy ol1-s, unE l44-4. ed
+ girl Of twenty, utterly devoid Of conscience,
/ and totally devoted to her own personal graft
/ fcation She hated Carlos, and was deter
mined that he should never ascend tie throne.
| Her drunken, bloated old husband she des-
pissed but she loved the wealth, the splendor,
| and the freedom of the court Her principal
| friend and companion was very elegant
Young courtier, Munoz, introduced 10 the pal
I e l., al.
wealthy tobacconist. Upon him the queen
lavished dignity, wealth and titles.
There was great excitement throughout
! Spain when it was announced that an heir was
| expected TO the throne. Carlos and his party
! were in CONSERVATION. Still there was hope
] left; for the succession was limited to male
| heirs, and daughter could not succeed TO the
| government. But Christina succeeded in caus-
/ ing this decree to be abrogated. Carlos and
| his friends were now reused to fury, declaring
that the court had no right to annul this an
| cient law of the realm, and that they would
resist it with all the energies of civil war. The
murmur OF the rising tempest began to be
/ heard all along the base of the Pyrenees, and
among the Businesses of the Sierra Montana.
| On the tenth of October, $780, the child was
! born, a daughter, Isabella, the present queen
of Spain. Ferdinand was now miserable old
man, upon the verge Of the grave. The ar
mics of England had placed him upon the
throne as the Legitimate" king, and until he
| died, none who recognized the rights of legit-
| imacy could dispute his sway. But the whole
nation was preparing for an appeal to arms,
! Immediately upon his death, one half to main
| tain the rights of Isabella, and the other to
/ support the claims of Carlos. When Isabella
was three years old, the Cortez was assent led
to strengthen her title, BY taking the oath of
allegiance. The ceremony took place on the
Goth Of June, 1888. Madrid had seldom wit
messed go imposing spectacle. A bull fight
/ of barbaric grandeur, exhibited In the
/ Plaza Mayor, and all the ancient customs and
! costumes of the nation were revived. Asnight
| came the blaze of millions of torches threw
| the glare of MONDAY splendor upon the ca
| rousing multitude. The pale and feeble
Isabella gazed in infantile wonder upon these
! festivities, little imagining their significance.
! And when the grandees bowed before the child
| to take the oath of allegiance, she little knew
that that oath WAS to deluge the whole nation
| in blood and flood it with misery. The Carl
! lists gazed upon the scene in moody silence,
| grasping their swords, and threatening venge-
ance. Such are the beauties of the hereditary
Transmission of power.
At last the dying hour Of Ferdinand came.
In the interior of the palace, on the royal
couch, emblazoned with velvet and gold, the
wretehed monarch lay, moaning and paral-
lied. The pitisble old man, pitiable ia in
trinity and vice, tortured by pain and by the
| stings of remorse, trembled in view of ap-
preaching judgment Though life still lin
gered, his scepter was broken, and no one was
found to turn to him an eye of kindness.
Angry disputsRts surrounded his bed and the
groans of the dying king were drowned by the
tumult and angry vociferation of the courtiers.
The king, half delirous, gazed with amaze
ment upon the unearthly elamor. The dspu-
tsnts, regardless of the death scene, from oaths
proceeded to blows. They seized each other
by the collar and by the hair, fierce struggles
ensued, and knives cleaned over the bed of
death. In their mad wrestling they staggered
4 against the royal couch, and were almost
thrown upon the body of the dying king.
The noise penetrated the most distant apart
ments o: the palace, and attendants rushed to
the room. At length the combatants were
separated-the mob was quelled, aud some
one going to the bed of the king, found that
he was dead. Such was death in the palace
Dead how much is contained in that one
short word ! The grave, corruption and the
worm are not its end. There rise beyond, the
visions Of Judgment eternity and retribution.
"After death eometh the Judgment 1t may
be doubted whether there were ever more
worthless man than this Ferdinand VII, whom
the Intervention OF England placed % savA-
eign over twelve millions Of people.
TIE death E Inc king was he sigma loE the
| grasp of arms and the uprosr of war. For
many years the parties had been preparing
for the conflict. Spain was about equally d.
vided. Over the whole peninsula the flames
, of war instantly burst forth. Cities were
sacked, villages burned, and haryests tram
pied. Nearly all industry was paralized /;
robbery and violence were everywhere, and
hills and wales were crimsoned with blood.
For twelve years this cruel civil war ragged
. with ferocity perhaps never surpassed Mad
drid, the capital of Spain, was now in the
possession Of one party and now Of the other.
7 Christina was regent IN behalf of her daugh-
; ter Isabella At one time she was driven ovel
5 the PyreRees into France. Again Carlos, in
: utter dismay, was running from her armies