St. Paul daily globe., 1895-11-29
STORY OF HOW FRANCE FAILED
TO SECURE A DO
MANIA.
BARGAIN NEARLY FINISHED.
CLANDESTINE TRANSFER PRO-
POSED BY CHRISTINA TO
PHILIPPE.
He Made the Most of an OppOrtu-
nifty offered by the
King.


more seeking her independence and
trying, by means of an insurrection,
to throw off the yoke under which
the island has now been suffering
for so many years, it may be inter-
esting to know that the Spanish
government, or rather it's then un-
conscientious rulers, have tried to
dispose of their most important col
ony to France against the payment of
stipulated sum to be disposed of in
settling the debts incurred by Span
ish royal extravaganza, says the
Fortnightly Review. The following
narrative of the meetings held in
view of negotiating the sale by Spain
of both Cuba and Porto Rico will
show how nearly those two impor-
tant colonies were about to change
hands. There took place in Paris on
the Sth day of January, 1887, an oc-
currence which, had it been made
public, would have aroused all Eu-
rope as with the shock of thunder
bolt. The mystery was not divulged,
however, the secret being we'll kept
among the few admitted into the plot,
who, being all men of honor, held it
as a sacred duty that not word Of
the transaction should be bruited
abroad.
On the day mentioned Prince Tai
leyrand received, through his secre-
tary, private message from Mr..
Aguado, the Spanish banker, request
ing a strictly private interview at
which no witnesses would be pres
ent. This condition was so imper-
ative that it was considered advis-
able for the meeting to take place in
the most informal manner; not, there
fore, in the princes private cabinet
at his hotel in the Rue Saint Flor
entin, or even in the study occupied
by the princes secretary, but in the
secretary's own private apartment,
situated in street at some distance
from Prince Talleyrand's residence.
Much mystery had been observed in
the wording of the message. The
apartment chosen for the interview
was to be completely secure from all
intrusion and inaccessible to listeners,
as the affair to be discussed, although
honorable in itself and conducted by
men whose honor was irreproach-
able, might be almost considered in
the light of a conspiracy against the
whole Spanish nation. Aguado's
message was couched in most mys-
terious terms, limiting at dark and
evil combinations which, if success
full, would bring fortune to the few
engaged in the negotiations, and, If
otherwise, would forever remain
secret, never even to be suspected by
the rest of the world.
An envoy from Christina, queen
of Spain, had been dispatched, bear
er of secret overtureS to Louis Phil
ippe for the cessation of an impor
tant portion of the Spanish posses
sions. The mission had been con-
fided to Senor Campuzano, known
for his diplomatic ability, and high
in favor with the queen. This gentle
man had accepted with the greatest
reluctance the task imposed upon
him of signing away the brightest
jewel in the Spanish crown, the rich
island of Cuba, whence the greater
part of the revenues of the country
were drawn, with Porto Rico and the
Philippine islands thrown in, as it
were, by way of make-weight at the
persistent importantly of Queen
Gyic T1rEn " o. q
involved her so deeply that every
thousand reals was considered of
sufficient Importance to furnish mat
ter of bargaining and dispute. The
secret interview sought by Aguado
had but in view to procure a meet
ing between Campuzano and the
prince.
Thus it was that one fine frosty af-
ternoon the parties interested met in
the little green salon of the Tuileries,
under the guidance of the Banke:
Aguado, whose countenance kindled
with smiles at the prospect of the
stupendous financial affair he was
about to launch upon the bourse. The
terms of the settlement had all been
arranged with the princes secretary,
who disdained any participation in the
affair further than the introduction of
Senior Campuzano to Prince Talleyrand
and the exposition of the motive which
had brought the envoy to Paris. The
aspect of the envoy meanwhile was
pftiable; all the proud Spanish blood
in his veins had been reused to wrath
at the compulsion under which he was
forced to fulfill the mission he had
accepted, simply, as he afterward said,
in fear lest the office should be seized
upon by any one of the queens favor
ties, who, without faith or patriotic
loyalty, would seek nothing but the pc
cuniary advantage to be derived from
the successful transfer of the gigantic
sums to be thrown upon the bourse.
The reading of the document was most
painful to witness; poor CampuZano,
although seated close to the blazing
fire, shivered notwithstanding, and
now and then turned pale, evidently
suffering with shame for the RESPONSE
bility which had been forced upon him
to fulfill so foul mission. For few
moments a death-like silence pervaded
the group of expectant yet overbur-
dened and deeply affected participat-
ors in this deep conspiracy.
The antagonism felt by each individ-
ual against the other in their pursuit
of personal greed was counterbalanced
only by the honesty of poor Campu-
zano, whose emotion was SO great that
his voice suddenly failed him; and so it
was that, without the utterance of
single word, he unrolled the paper he
had been manipulating in nervous ag-
itation, and began to read 1t aloud,
without preamble, as if by a desperate
determination to get over the task be-
fore his courage deserted him.
And in truth, much courage was
needed to enable even the secretary
to listen to the contents of the docu-
ment. Before the reading was conclud-
ed he had grown as pale and agitated
as the envoy himself, the proposition
was so monstrous, SO rascally, so base,
that, according to description given
later of the scene by the secretary,
the indignation of both listener and
reader burst forth at the same moment,
under the form of a blow. on the table,
accOmDanied bV a. .muttered curse eX-