The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-04-29
Peculiarlties Of the People-Tho Causes Of
Their Non-SucccSS.
Ex-Queen Isabel and Her Event.
full Career.
MYSTERIOUS PRODUCTION or A ROYAL FAMILY.
Sensations, Intrigues and Scan
dals Of the Capital.
CHARACTER OF THE YOUNG KING.

Madrid. April IL, 1870
Spain IL the most unfortunate country in Chrston-
dom. and all account OF the ignorance stubbornness
aud extreme conservatism OF It's heterogeneous popua
ton Almost their only points OF resemblance are In
tho defects which insure narrowncss foster superst
tion and retard progress
SPANISH IpsosyxcRAsIEs
Apart from being very mixed race (there arc tho
Basques occupying tho region they give their name TO
The Modejars, remnant OF the Moors the Gitanos or
gypses and tho spanards propcr) tho people are In
tensely and literally provincial. each mans sympahcs
and patriotism being restricted his province. They
talk and perpctually OF their country, though
they seldom consider rny one their countryman
(paisano) is native of tho neghborhood they
themselves were born and reared In. Tho Castilian
The regards himself the only true spanarc knows
little aud less for tho Andausan; the Andausan
has no community OF feeling with tho Galc;an and tho
Galician looks upon the Basque AZ IN alien.
The common people, who as a rule are superior In
character to tho more intelligent classes. have
tona bond In their adherence to the Roman Catholic
faith and in thor eAl0usy OF and hostility to foreign
influence and interference. 1t Is this which makes
them strong against invasion, and Is their Excess
sive provincialsm which creates and fosters inter.
nccine strife Like foreigners to one another in ord
band together and oppose most obstinately any OK
ternal foe.
Loyalty to their sovereign was once nearly as drm
Of the Church itself; but OF late the
spaniards have been unable agree upon sovereign,
and, moreover politics hero have grown to be so d.
versiaed as to seem chaotic There arc. among mon
archsts, the old Bourbonists, the Carlists, the
Isabellists the Alionsists (the last two APP
pear for the time united; then thore are
Tho republicans, liberal and conservative, and
the camisados 1.-THE shirtcss as they arc desig-
nated who are the most radical Of Communists, the
Heroes. and most violent OF agrarians
The pctcs Of the country are as different the
people, and they likely to continue SO, despite pres
ent Appearances The existing tranquility is merely
lul Don Carlos has quilted the country and the Car
lists declared have been put down. So they have
been temporarily, but they will risc again (heir loader
has announced that he has by surrendered
his cause, when they ind thor opportunity II would
DO well for Spain II they eectuaily suppressed;
Tor thoy represent tho traditional policy of Church and
i state, and are wholly rcacsionary.
fN POOR SPAIN.
Ono cannot help wishing that some good might como
SPAIN which 20 be the sole country Of Europe
that learns nothing and forgets everything. II Is
mournfu TO thinkhow little she has done for civillza
tion III the past 800 years Ferdinand and Isabella are
almost the last sovereigns who OF benefit her
and the world. Even Charles ]. Charles v. OF Ger
many hurt more than no helped her. He abolished
the principal rights Of tho towns and restricted the
powers Of the Cortes The vast wealth which Cortes'
conquest of Mexico and Pizarro and Almagro's sub
jugation of Peru and Chill had accumulated Charles
wasted mis- unjust wars, and he surdened the land
with taxes. Philip H. by HIS bgotry and tyranny
crippled indsnenc.rce and weakened the State, while
ism and the remainder Of Moors and Jews Nearly
all OF Philips SUCCESSORS either imbecies ty-
rants or BOTH aud the condition Of tho country has
steadily gone from bad to worse.
No wonder the people necessarily repeat, ''Poor
Spain poor spaini" She Is poor in truth; bat they
might make her otherwise II they would discard their
provincalism and rise above ther superstition. They
incapable Of taking broad or intelligent views
Of government or affairs, of anything indeed. They
are warped with stubbornness, corroded with conce
Fancyng themselves TO be tho hrst nation Of Europe
Power and they owe their infcrorty 10 causes they
can easily remove.
srAGxAxr CONSERVATISM.
Tho position OF Spain Is all the pitiablc because
there noed for whatever. Sac refuses TO march
10 and the
STEPPED poverty she has the means At hand OF bcco
ing rich In her soil are mines which, u properly
worked, would lit her to prosperity, yield bcr cduca
ton, inspire her with energy aud ambition transform
her destiny.
What country in Europe has such mineral wealth AZ
shes She has gold silver, mercury, copper tin iron,
zinc, COAL Dsmuth, cobalt, calaninc, antmony, salt
pctrc sulphur alum. salt, aiabaster, marble, Jasper
aud many precious stones. The quicksilver mines
Almadcn, the richest known, arc extensively
worked are the IRON mines In the Basque provinces;
but the mines generally arc other neglected or made
qualcly managed Gold found in considera-
be quantities in Asturas aud Galcia; silver Is album
dans n the Apuarras and the sierra &c Laar anu coal
IN the Sierra Morcna and Asturas; but no
natives arc 100 devoid OF enterprise to work tho
mines themselves and they are unwilling that foreign
shall work them with any prospect oi profit
number Of attempts have boon made by French,
German aud English companies 10 this end but they
have been abandoned because the people have thrown
SO many obstacles IN the way. The chief impedmcnt
Is the supcraiive provincialism already mentioned.
Notuny every province but every part OF province,
would lay some lax upon coal in It's passage
through the country and consequently the ore or coal
out When the matter was complained Of, when tho
fact shown that such in direct oppos
ton TO the national interest," the answer would DO
made THAT may be very true But the tax has al
ways been levied aud the custom cannot be changed"
The whole spirit OF Spain Is contained In this reply.
All that Spanard wants for Justification Of doing ay
thing or everything Is that has been done Nothing
weighs much a. thrt The past IL more than veneer
able heret sacred, and binding on the present and
future He abiors novelty or innovation VI any kind
above aught else. His most bcnignant wish IS May
nothing happen 10 you which one Of the stock
phrases OF friends AZ parting and totally and essentially
lberian
Ex-ougxx BABEL
The spaninrds-thc Nairenans al ieast-are 10 nign
spirits just what they believe % Le the end
or tho CarIst instruction; tor Don Carlos had lew
sympathizcrs IN CASTLE. They appear entirely wiling
that ox-Quecn Isabel should return she 10 daily
expected and she viii be welcomed no doubt as The
mother Of their boy KING. They drove her from tho
throne less than oigh years and there was no OPP
position TO expulsion from tho country. She was 50
odous Tor long while that they would have killed her
II she had recrosed the frontiers and now they have
entirely recovered from their hate. Indeed she -
rather liked. How long she will be quite another qucs-
ton have never heard any one more bitterly de-
nounccd than have her In this very capital She
have been better ess bad than ,st OF their sove
rcigns, too do uot mean moraly-for she cannot DO
defended on ethical grounds-although the Spaniards
very enient TO the morals OF thor princes and
Processes sabcI used TO say that her unpcpslsrity
arose from her good hcartedness that she deposed
because she refused 10 be tyrannical
II Is unsafe 20 say why any spaniard was ever liked
disiikcd by the spanish. II Is questionable " they
know why themselves They are well nigh as tickle as
they are obstinate. They will applaud man to-day
Tor what they would have torn Lin 10 pieces ycstcr
day.
When was horc In 1860. Prm virtually Die