New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-09-21

| MAJESTY her father erand-unce and twenty times,
at least, her cousin, broke him down. From ex-
cessive joy at seeing the cradle. which had re-
NAMED empty during the lives of three Queens,
occupied by fat baby, he lost whatever Will ana
reason he was endowed with. and fell into pasied,.
| dwelling dOtage. l have before me an engraving,
done in the sentimental feeling OF 1872 OF Isabella,
those adipOse little things all cheeks and rolls OF
flesh which it is agreed to call fine children TAX
| ing advantage OF the Kings senlle weakness
| and superstition, SenOr Calamente, his Prime
| Minister, aided by the Patriarch OF the Indies,
got Ferdinand to repeal the instrument ne had pro-
| mulgated but without the consent OF the COrtes.
CarlOtta, the dashing huntress, rushed TO the 9e-
! fence of her infant niece. Learning, at SeVhle,
what had happened she rode and posted 70 magIi9,
| forced her way INTO the ante-room OF the Kings
| chamber, and meeting here Calamentel Lard her
| whip across his face. Her violence cowed HIM and
his familars. To put an end TO further lntrlgues
against Isabella she made Ferdinand. on the pretext
that his i'll health obliged him TO retire from pubhc
life, appoint Christina Regent and sign VIII leay
ing the crown to the baby Infanta. She then locked
the estatOr up in his bedroom and guarded ms door
herself. He made feeble attempt shortly after the
birth of Dona LuIsa to take again into MS own
hands the rens of government. Ere the heiress to
the crown had attained her third year the agtated
bloody aud nglOr0us reign OF her father was ehueu
The first act of his reict was to submit Ferdi-
nand's will to the COrtes and proclaim an amnesty
So far. 30 good. Her next was to marry secretly
Corporal Muioz. a washerwoman's son. She be-
came his spouse in the fifth week Of her widow
her second private marriage. Her first they al
legged took place at Naples in her seventeenth year.
That Christina was an Aurora Floyd 1 quite be-
lieve also believe that on this account she never
was the legal wife of Ferdinand. With character
istc boldness-perhaps brass would be nicer mt
ting epithet, thoughno so nice a wOrd-she removed
some children said to be hers from Castemare, where
they were at nurse and had them fetched
to Madrid. They were brought up under her eye IN
that city, and launched by her in professions. Don
Enrico de BorbOn, with whom l was well ac-
quainted, spoke highly Of this irst-chop" family
Of his aunt.
Christina took a low view of her public duties
She was of the school of Peachem, in the "Beggars
OPERA" who robbed to provide for his family Little
Munozes came into the world at short and regular
intervals. To retain Isabella in her hands the
mother took care not TO develop her intellect
Catholic, and as she proved herself reactionist
the Regent confiscated the church lands and plum
dered monasteres, in the name of progress to give
estates TO the young people springing up about her.
From greed for lucre she stood in the way OF
negro emancipation IN the Spanish Colonies
percentage was allowed her on each slave imported
into Cuba. She learned IN her forced journeys into
France the trick of rigging the Bourse and became
an adept in the art Of tnancierlng LOUIS Philippe
having received Munoz at the luileries and created
him Duke, Christina plunged into the intrigue OF
the Spanish marriages; The object OF tins odlous
intrigue, which reminds one OF certain pages IN
"LIlomme Qu RIt," was TO secure the Spanish
throne to the issue OF Dona Luisa. the fayorIte
daughter and Of the Due de MOntpensier, to whom
il was settled she was TO be married.
At the commencement of her Regency Christina
represented the fine end Of the wedge which was TO
open Spain TO liberal ideas. She was an object of
enthusiastic idolatry in Madrid and many other
CAPITALS of EurOpe-nay even of America. Sir De
Lacy Evans was her preux cavalier In England
men were ready 10 fly to arms, and did take them
M to defend her aud the infant Queen against the
priest-ridden CarlIsts The Regent at that time
was remarkably fine young woman, very clever
and trimming over with animal spirits, which
she retained into her old age In her own interest
sIe was Obliged 70 surround herself with men hos
tile 10 reaction and enemies Of the Holy OtCe. Mad
rid Seville Cadz and other important towns, TO
cure 20 themselves the blessings of constitutional
freedom took their chance of civil war and its hgr-
rors But no sooner had Christina begun 20 feel the
Government well in her hands than she began TO
dole out par,moniousy the liberties she promised.
4 manifesto was published m whlch she sought TO
Justify tho despotism OF Ferdinand VII and 90 get
IL accepted precedent for her to follow. The es-
tautO real declaration OF what she deemed to be
the royal prerOgatIycs, followed In another year
the provincial juntas which she had recognized were
outlawed, aud advised by Louis Philippe she over
threw-to substitute an ilusory charter OF ms ram
ng-the pact Of CaatraYa, Whlch was "ruhg from
Charles in 1872.
Carlotta had the good sense to oppose these re-
dictionary measures. This Princess had Christmas
dash. and took higher view Of royal duties. She
auarrolled with the Regent and retired 10 France
with her family. A needy Pole who was there, set
on by Louis Philippe to make love TO her daughter
Isabella (who was to marry the heir Of Carlos, in
duced her TO elopo with him. EsparterOs victories
emboldened the Regent TO pursue course of re-
action and to submit the unpopular Ayuntamientos
bill to the Cortes. 1t was rejected. The Chambers
the Duke Of Victory pronounced against Christina,
who fed to Pans, leaving the young Queen IN the
hands Of the revolted General. The crown tumbled
down into a guard-room. From her mansion in the
Rue de Courcelles, where the Princess Mathilde
resided during the Empire, the Queen Mother
fomented intrigues against the Liberals. In
PARIS she consolidated the Moderado party
by an intimate alliance with Louis
Philippe. This party was in essence Carlist.
with Christina for its fgurehead. II dominated
the councils OF Isabella aud is overriding the Gov
eminent of AlphOnsO, who bankers after it, lnsur-
rections. fomented by the Queen Mother and the
French King overthrow tho Liberados, and the
Queen Mother returned in triumph to Madrid. lsa-
bella was at her mstgation, declared OF age in her
thirteenth year. Her legal majority was opened by
creation Of grandees in which Mufoz was included.
He was made a duke, besides a Knight Of the
Golden Fleece, and first chamberlain of his SOW
ereign a charge which enabled him to exclude Es-
partero's friends from her presence. In a word.
she was a prisoner in gildod cage, Of which her
mother and step-father kept tho key. She was
given by them for a husband the stultifed Don
Francisco, and never tasted the sweets of
liberty until the revolution of 1913 delv-
cred her from tho French party. Then she
became-the mot is Christinas-the companion in
arms of the generals she wanted 10 gam to her side
In 1854 another revolution drove Christina and her
btaal a Infn w
friendship with Louis Napoleon and the horsey
men about him. | remember seeing them with INN
at the Hotel de Vile, and again at ball given BY
the Empress Eugene's sister. Christina then did
not look two score but she must have been over