The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-10-01
FIRST Edit O N
SPAIN.

Success OF the Insurrection- Probable
Disenthronemcut Of uAe Qu0en-HIs-
tory OF the BourbOnS i'm France and
spain.
As Il may now be regarded ss certain that
Queen Isabella and Der children will be excluded
from the thlone OF Spain, we have in her eR-
pulson another example OF that Tetrlbuttve
Justice which has followed the race to which
she belongs for the last eighty years. The
question OF who is TO be her successor being yet
unsettled, 1t would be premature to say at pre-
sent that she will be the last regning Bourbon
sovereign; but iu the meantime we give brief
sketch OF that celebrated royal house, the his
tory of which the events taking place in Spain
invest just now with peculiar interest.
ORIGIN OF TIE BoURBoSs.
The House of Bourbon, which has given so many
soveregns to France, Spain, and Italy is OF French
origin, deriving its name from the old lords
OF Bourbon, noble family which centuries ago
held very large landed possessions in the former
province of Bourbonna's, situated in the centre
OF France. Through the marriage Of member
of the Capet family wi h Bourbon heress, the
noble house became allied TO royalty in the
thirteenth century, and about the middle of the
sixteenth we find the first OF the race on
throne, in the person OF Antoine de Bourbon,
King OF Navarro. Antoine was the father of the
gallant and renowned Henry of Navarro, who
afterwards became King of france under the
title of Henry ~. With this celebrated Prince
begins the history OF
THE BOURBON DYNASTY IN FRANCE.
And what a history Extending from 1889,
when Henry ~ ascended the French throne, to
1880, when Charles X was driven out of his
kingdom by the revolution OF July, 1t embraces
period filed with events of the deepest inte-
rest and of the highest possible importance to
the human family. From the accession of
Henry ~ up to the time of the first French
Revolution, there was no break In the royal
tucce.sion of the Bourbon line in France.
Louis XIII, Louis XIV, XIV, and LOUIS
XVI, were all Bourbons; but, taking the first
and the last Of these five kings as regards
heir nothing pOuId
sent a sharper contrast than the character
OF the first French Bourbon sovereign, Henry
lighted to style him, and that of the unfortunate
"son of st. Louis" who fell by the guillotne.
Whatever the original virtues of the House
might have been, by the time that the volcanic
ouiburst Of the revolutionary spirit first shook
France, and tumbled a dishonored throne into
the dust, the race had become wofully degene-
Iate. The guillotine did not, however, irish it
in France. From the stormy days OF the Revo-
lutiCn, and through those OF the Consulate and
the Empire, the two brothers OF the unfortu-
nate Louis Lived in exile; but when Napoleon
title sa'H of Louis Louis Xvii; SON Of Louis %
XVI, who died while yet child. in
name. Louis XVIII had no children, and on
his death, which took place in 1924, he was
succ eded by his brother: Charles x. Bat ex-
peri .nce had utterly failtd d to teach wisdom to
this obstinate and tyrannical ruler. who sought
TO restore the absolutism OF the French monar-
chy, the consequence of which was that reyo-
lutionary outbreak occurred in Paris IN july
1880, com pelling. the King to fee from France,
and finally 10 abdlcate. The latter he did in
favor OF his grandson Henry, Duke of Bordeaux
but the act came too late to save his house.
Louis Philippe had already been chosen King
OF the French, and the Bourbons were, to all
human appearance, forever excluded from the
French throne. The only surviving descendant
OF Charles, and representative OF the alleged
claims of the Bourbons to the French throne, is
that same grandson, known as the Count de
.-l.N ia fAr 1iVlk Of Dc
is, OF course, an exile, but is regarded as the
lawful King OF France by the legitimists, whose
homes Of a restoration he feeds by occasionally
holding leVees IN kingly style.
THE BoURBoNs IN SPAIN
The establishment of the Spanish Bourbon
dynasty originated with Louis xiv of France,
VINO, in the year 100, succeeded III placing his
grandson Philip, Duke of Auiou, on the throne
o. Spain as Philip j. The descendants of Philip
ruled without interruption until in 1903 Napo.
le,n compelled King Charles IV to resign, and
nominated a successor to him in the person of
Joseph Bonaparte, the Emperors brother.
Charles died AT Rome in 1911 and after the over
throw of Napo'con the eldest son Of Charles
assembled the. Spanish throne as Ferdinand
VII Dyiug IN 1880 Ferdinand left the crown
10 his daughter Isabella, in whose favor
he bs l.se; aside Oy rnyal decree the Sac Ia "
forbldlng female to sit upoa the throne. The
CLAIMS of Isabella were contested by Ferdinand's
brother, Don Carlos which gave rise to the
Carlist war; but Don CaIlos having failed to
establish his pretensioDs. eventually resigned
tDem, ana OleO ID 1850. tils sOu, tue SOunL ue
Montemolin. ia 1860 renounced all claim to the
threne of Span. The Bourbon princes of Spain
have invariably exhibited all the worst charac-
terisics of their race-toremost among which
are passion for absolute power, and prone.
ness TO sensual se-indulgence-and under their
perncious rule every interest, the prosperity OF
which constitutes the strength and glory OF a
nation, has dwindled away.
NAVAL AND MILITARY eTBENGTH OF SPAIN.
The naval strength of Spain is far below that
OF either england, France, Russia, or the United
States. According to the latest official returns
1blshed last year, The Spanish navy, at the
end of The year 1885, consisted OF total OF llS
vessels, having an armament of l07l guns. O
these 20 ships were OF the first class, l8 OF the
second class, "a of the third class, Is of smaller
dimensions, and not classhel-the whole
number including several then building, Most
of these vessels are steamers, and OF the hrsi
class IA are iron.c.ad frgales, carrying
among them l6l guns. In the same class
there are IL screw irgates, carrying 46l
guns in ALL The Whole are manned by
f,ree of 1860 sailors, and 1880 marines, with
ll21 officers OF all ranks. Since Nelson at Ira
falgar, IN 1905 INFLICTED such terrible blow on
the naval power of spain, her navy has never
enjoyed that consideration which belonged to II
previous to that terrible fight, and its operations
OF late in the Pacific against Chill have MOI
added to its renown. Doubtless it has suffered
in common with every branch Of the Spanish
service, from the blghting influences of reac
tionary Government. Sill, tor a power MOI
ranking as first class, 1t presents on the whole 6
very res pectable show, and its adhesion TO the