The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-02-11

| Ming AWsucus eno AS rfOo"ohc
Erect.
The news from Madrid, published in to-day's
HERALD. if it does not excite surprise, will,
nevertheless, be found deeply interesting. King
Amadeus appears to be DESTROYS of abdicating
the throne of Spain, to which he was called
about two years since, not by the voice OF the
people, but by the exigencies of the situation
and through the intrigues of the politicians OPP
posed to republican form of governments. Inc
immediate cause of the royal resolve Is re-
ported to be the determination of the Zorrilla
Ministry to stand by Don Hidalgo, who, in
November last, was appointed Captain General
of the Basque provinces, and against whom
the artillery arm of the military SER
| vice appears to entertain an irremovable pre-
judice in consequence of his participation in
the execution, or, as it is called, the massacre
at the San Gil barracks in 1866 A majority
OF the artillery officers resigned on the occa-
sion OF this appointment, and the opposition
was so marked and embarrassing as to induce
Don Hdalgo to throw up his command,
whereupon the officers withdrew their resigna-
tons. Subsequently, however, the Ministry
appointed Hidalgo to on important post in
Catalonia, whereupon the artillery officers
renewed their protest and again sent in their
designations, indicating their unwillingness to
serve under him in any capacity. The Zorrilla
Ministry resisted this last manifestation, and
on an appeal to the Cortes on the issue that
had grown up between themselves and the
military, received nearly unanimous vote Of
confidence. Strengthened by this vote they
resolved to adhere to Don Hidalgo and to re-
sist the demand made by the artillery arm Of
the service for his overthrow. King Amadeus,
who sympathizes with the military, is opposed to
this course, and has chosen to make the quarrel
an irreconcilable one between himself and the
Ministry. Hence he insists upon abdication,
and only consents, upon an urgent appeal, to
postpone his final determination for twenty
rally thrown into condition of intense
excitement. The Carlists, taking advantage
Of the dilemma, are pushing their risings in
the provinces with renewed Ngor, and appear
to have admirable sources of information
within the enemys lines. Seior Gorilla,
ton, announces that oil is yet uncertain, and
that the Ministers are not OF present in con-
dition to make any proposals or to ask any
vote from the Congress Of the Kingdom. The
Congress, despite the protest of the Prime
Minister, who can see no good in o protracted
meeting, resolves to hold permanent session.
and at half-past ten o'clock last evening the
Cortes had not adjourned.
While the Don Hidalgo story is "a good
enough Morgan to account for the determi-
nation of King Amadeus to return to his own
country and to relinquish the attempt to
rule over the Spanish nation, it is beyond
doubt only a convenient excuse for
a very discreet act The young King
has evidently been disappointed in his
expectations in regard to his foreign
throne He believed that he would find in
Spain a chivalrous, warm-hearted people,
ready to receive him with open arms and
to follow him with enthusiasm in
his gallant efforts to revive some of
the brilliancy Of the Spanish monarchy.
His intentions were donhtless good.
but his youthful imagination led him to
country which experience would have taught
him could never be realized. He found the
chivalry of Spain, upon whose support
he had principally relied, either luke
warm in his cause or indignant at the
idea of being ruled over by foreign Prince.
Probably in earnest in his professed desire to
conciliate and benefit the people, he bent
tor ,orJc t1,o
sions to popular sentiment only to dis
cover the insurmountable obstacles in the
way of o sincere union of the dem
ocratic and monarchical elements. Eager to
prove that his sympathies were with the
masses and that he was ready to entrust him
| self to their honor, he went among them only
to encounter risk from the bullet of the as-
sassin. Driven to change one set of ad-
visers for another before any well-defned
policy could be fairly tested. he has
| been constantly in state Of suspense and un-
| certainty, ignorant of the real wishes of the
people and without any really devoted follow
ing. At home, he has seen the suppression of
one revolutionary rising only the precur-
sor of another. Abroad, the Cuban
instruction has been a constant source
of anxiety as well as a reproach to his govern
ment. Destitute of the stubborn Spanish
pride which revolts against the idea of o re-
linquishment of the Queen of the Antilles
under any circumstances, he has seen in
the miserable Cuban war only humiliation
to Spain and scandal to humanity,
and he would doubtless have rejoiced at
its termination even at the alternative of the
loss Of the colony. At heart o monarchist, he
has had no genuine sympathy with the men
who have recently been his advisers and who
could only be faithful to him by being false to
kha rea1 continents tbav y,rofaooa1 T~ootoI