The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1871-03-10
PRIM.
Personal Impressions OF Gen. Prfm-
His Sincerity and Pat rfotism.
By PROF. @. E. STOWE.


L desire, in few simple words to gi,
my personal impressions in regard |
Gen. Prim, unmoditied as far as possib
by anything lever heard or read respec
ing him. ..sg
\ / was in Spain during the months @
September and October, 1868 At th
outbreak of the revolution / had lode
ings in the Alameda Hotel, at MalagI
The royal Governor General of Andalu
STA had his headquarters in the sam
hotel, asld there were three regiment
of the Queens troops under his com
mand to quell the first appearance O
iinsurrection. Everything seemed per
fectly qIliet and secure. We hearC
of the revolt In Cadiz. That evening a
twilight the Governor General paradeC
his three regiments on the Almedi
near the hotel, and began to address
them. Quietly, and without uttering (
word, two of the regiments, with theii
arms and music, but without single
horseback officer, marched off the
ground to the Plaza de Revolution, q
think it was called) and offered theil
services to the revolutionary iunta-
The Governor General saw at once the
hopelessness of the position, and. with
the few soldiers who adhered to him,
and the leading royalists of the city,
withdrew to the old Moorish castle on
the summit of high hill overlooking
the city and the harbor. The next
morning the chief clerk of the hotel
whispered to me, At 10 o'clock to-
morrow morning Marshal Serrana and
Gen. Prim Will take breakfast here
with 80 of the leading revolutionists
Early next morning Spanih ship of
war was seen anchored in the harbor
and the streets were thronged with an
expectant crowd. At about s o, clock
a m there was procession ofcarriages
from the harbor approaching the hotel,
and Marshal Serrano and Gen. Prim
were seen sitting together in an open
barouche. Serrano was tail, dark
grave looking Spaniard, the very ideal
of Spanish grandee of the noblest
blood and most ancient line. Prim was
Comparatively short and slight, 1.-THE as
an arrow, with complexion less swar-
thy, and evidently all palpitating with
life from the crown of his head to the
sole of his foot, though he kept him
self perfectly self-collected and quiet
he was like hanpsome music-box lock-
ed up and silent
1t had obviously. been arranged that
Terriano should be the pageant
and Prim be kept in the background,
positions which respectively were adj
mirablY suited to the physique of these
two distinguished men. There were
fuglemen unnoticed all along the line,
who led the multitude to shout Uivid
JSerrdno, to which he gracefully re-
sponded with hat in hand and dignified
bows. Prim sat by his side apparently
and unnoticed, with his
arms folded across his breast, his eyes
fixed downward, and entirely notion
less. 1t Was evident the multitude
were growing impatient, they were
longing to shout for Prim. In spite of
all the preconcerted arrangements there
would be heard along the line here and
there, Iird General Prtnl, 10 which
he made no response, but persistently
his unsympathetic position. ]
But as the barouche approached the
of the hotel the multitude
could no longer be restrained. There
was a loud universal Vi-rd General
Pr-5-n. Still not movement, on re-
cognition on the. part Of Prim. The
excitement became almost fearful. 1t
was Vi-i-ud General Prf-i-i-n1. Prim
at length responded with two or three I
short bobbing bows, cap IN hand I; and
then the shout was terrific. The whole !
atmosphere seemed filed with il, and
the earth seemed to vibrate from its
very center L had no idea that human
Iungs could pour forth such volume
Of sound. A dozen Niagaras would be \
voiceless IN the comparison, yet it was
not noisy. There was a harmony and
majesty in it, as in the roaring of the |
sea- 1t was a voice from the very in
most heart of the people, long sup
pressed and smothered under the |
vilest and filthiest of tyranny both in
church and state. z.se- 49,.
When the barouche stopped, men
we're seen olamberlng over the wheels,
over the back OF the. carriage, over the
very horses, to seize Prim by the hand. |
Not one of them succeeded He per,
refused to shake hands with |
any one; not haughtily or supercilious-
v, but with the calm determination of
man who knew he must reserve his
strength for purposes more important.
he arose to speak. and there was ST.
ence of the tomb. / am not an adept
N the Spanish tongue-I have never
been accustomed to speak it though I I
read Don Quixote in the original more
han 20 years ago. But Prim's voice I
was so clear, his ideas so perfectly /
his words so well chosen, SO !
so utterly free from every
inge of superf1uousness that / seemed
% understand. him like a book he I
lad visited the United States few
7ears previously, had studied and well
our institutions, and wish
ID to transfer them to Spain, so far as
he genius and habits of the nation
would permit. cannot pretend to
1--WE anything like Photographic re-
,ort of his speech, my want of familiar
ty with the spoken language, and the
apse of more than two years of time
ince I heard him, would plainly rend-
9 that impossible; but 1 think I can
give the substance of what he said:
we must have a government. We
atI1uOt, We VIII 1Ob, ttIiV 1OuBCI 0uQuI6
he tyranny under which for centuries I
spain has been crushed. The executive /.
nd the Legislative branches must be
operate, and the money power, the
,ower of taxation, must be with the
legislature and b with the executive.
Ye must have ehtire freedom of speech
nd of printing, just as they have in
he United States of North America
nd to carry out the idea, we must have {
free school in every neighborhood in
,pain, Just as they have in the free
,tates of North America, and every
hid must be taught 10 read and write
md keep accounts. We must have en-
ire freedom of worship, Just as they
ave IN the United States of North
Imeriea; the Catholic church, the Pro-
estant chapel, the Jewish synagogue,
be- Mohammedan mosque, must be
llowed to stand side by side withouti
nolestation, Just rs they dc in the
United States of North America, I am
Christian, lam Gathoiic, Christian :
Jathoic, but not a Roman Catholic,
nd the religious freedom which / claim
or myself Icheerfully accord to every
ne else sszs1ss--Ii si.5f ss1z IS : 1,
This, as understand il, was the sub !,
fanoa- of the Address What could he