The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-09-28
SPAIN.
Queen isabella.


Isabella III, of Spain, whose troublou. reign
seems to oe about drawing to close, is no longer
young woman. ehe was born at Madrid, oo-
tober 80, 1880, and, consequently one month
hence Will have completed her 3Sth year. The
daughter of Ferdinand VII of Spain, she is
Bourbon, and being the only sovereign Of that
house which the revolutions OF the last eighty
years have left upon European throne,
with her downfall the word will in
all PROBABILITY see the last Of the race
an event which the world will certainly
have no reason to deplore. The circumstances
attending her accession to the Spanish throne
were of a peculiar kind, and have doubtless
eXerted powerful influence both upon her
personal character and upon the fortunes Of the
nation subject to her rule. Through the in
trigues OF her mother, the notorious Maria
Christina the order OF succession to the Gro wn
OF Spain had been set aside some months before
the birth OF Isabella, through the suppression
by Ferdinand of the law excluding females
from the throne of the Kingdom. kThree
years after her birth Ferdinand died. and
Isabella, his Oldest daughter, was proclaimed
Queen under the regency Of her mother.
But there. was another claimant TO the
throne in the person OF the late Kings brother,
Don Carlos, whose pretensions were supported
by large farty in Spain; the consequence of
which was that Immediately after the Kings
death formidable insurrecton broke cut in
the northern part of the Kingdom. This was
the commencement OF civil war which lasted
for nearly seven years, and which ended at lehg tn
in The triumph Of the Christina party, tho adhe-
rents of the Regency were called, over the Car
lists, or supporters OF Don Carlos. This was in
1889, when Isabella was only nine years old; but
she was not destined TO enjoy the tutilage Of
her mother, whatever that was worth. Previous
to the close OF the war the supporters OF the
Regency had become divided into two great
parties, the M0derddOs. or Conservatives, and
The EraAGdos, or LIBERALS Between these par
ties the Regent oscillated, but the latter had
succeeded IN e1torting important conces-
sions sh from her IN their t iSVor among
tion of 1872. Ne sooner, however, had the
war ended than Christina, believing herself
hrmly established in power, began TO withdraw
the concessions she had made, the result Of
which was an immediate popular reaction
against her Government, ending in her being
compelled to flee the kingdom and take refuge
in France, leaving her daughter behind her.
The regency then devolVed upon Espartero,
whom Christina had been compelled to summon
to the head OF affairs, and the guardianship OF
the young Queen was entrusted to his friend
kingdom might have been very different
from what we find them. had she re-
NAMED in the hands of those men, who were
solicitous to prepare her, by a proper
the duties awaiting her as sovereign; but the
downfall OF Espartero in 1S43 restored the Mode.
RADIOS or Conservatives to power, and led even
tually to the return to Spain of Maria Christina.
This latter event took place in 1876; but in lS43
the Cortes had by anticipation, eleven months
before the time fixed by law, declared the majo-
rlty Of Isabella: On her arrival in Spain, then,
I'm Iouhd ASA uauSuhcl III aCbual potsCs-
sion OF the throne, and the first care Of the
mother was to provide for the marriage OF
the young Queen. There were several aspi,
rants for her hand-the Infante Francisco
d'Assis, her cousin; the Count de Trapani,
son OF Ferdinand III, King of the Two Sici.
lies; the Count de Montemolin, son OF Don
Carlos, sustained by Russia aud the other Courts
of the North; and, lastly, Prince Leopold of
CobouTg, presented by England. French inhu
ence, which WAS favorable TO the 6rstnamsd
candidate, assisted by the intrigues OF the Queen
mother. prevailed, and Isabella became the wife
of her cousin. The match turned out to be an
ill-assorted one. or uncongenial dispositions
Isabella and her husband have never known
what domestic peace means, and their repeated
arrangements have given rise to no end of pain
ful scandals about the Queen. After her mar
riage which took place October 10, ls46, JUS
before she had completed her l6th year, Isabel,
seemed to lean towards the Liberal party IL
Spain; but this was only for short time. Com
Nodefados soon succeeded in making
her their own, and a decidedly reactionar!
policy was adopted by the Government DOtl