Year: 1869

MADRID, January S, 1859.


The Government continues to protest-wth sin


eerty. OF good imitation of it-that il dOoe not In


tend to disaTm the militia Of Madrid There is rea


son why it should not, aside from considerations Of
prudence. To sOmo extent the Madrid militia il
bourgeois is composed Of the shopkeepers, who are
always willing to sustain any government that will
give them order-and orders They are InOnarchsts
by choice but they for whatever authority is up
permost. don't know how large a proportion Of
the militia is included in this class but perhaps as
many are in the ranks could be included in a
reorganization. The Governor General of Madrid,
Mlano del Bosch, lately took the responsibility OF
advising the Council to send all the troops away
from Madrid, promising to maintain order and au-
thority with the militia alone. ...


Yet this same militia is ready to spring to arlns ON
suspicion that their weapons are to be taken fron.
them. They still muster in the Puerta del SOL keep
guard at the GObernaciOn on the south side Of the
Puerta and long as they hold that post they are
power which the Government will not rashly attack.
On Monday night, Jan. 4, there was real alarm.
AL day the report had flown through the city that
the Minister Of War was planning a surprise, that
the were to be seized without notice or order
perhaps that ODOnnells plan was once more to be
tried 0'DOnnell was veteran in all the arts Of
dealing with a revolution. Caballero de Rodas is an
old pupil and aid-de-camp Of his, yet he has never
had the wit the wish to follow his masters teach
ings and disarm Andalusia, as he might have done,
without challenging resistance. 0'Donnells way
was to send columns Of troops at midnight to occupy
the strategic points of the city and detachments to
hold the entrances of every street. Between u and
Sin the night officers with small squads of troops
knocked at the door of every house. notifying the
master that all arms must be given up, and that any
man in whose house arms were found on the morrow
hao obo A.
houses in search of weapons that might be secreted
by their seryants-for O'DOnnell was man of his
word in such matters. Such system saved blood
shed. because it permitted no opposition yet ODUn
nell did not always find it feasible. Tho Madrile-
mans came to know it so well that sometmes-as in
1855, when ODOnnell was suddenly made Minister
by the Queen in order to overthrow the Revolution
OF 1854, of which he had himself been leader-they
rose on the mere knowledge of his accession to
power. --


It is likely enough that they moan IN anticinote
Prim aud SerranO in the same way. The headers Of
tho National Guard issued orders on Monday for the
different battaliOns Of the Guard to hold themselves
In readiness, Rendezvous appointed, the places
for barrcades selected. all the preparations for an


other revolution completed with as much regularity
as general makes dispositions for an expected con.
fict in the field. 1t is art which this oppressed
but brave and restless people has learned by frequent
and sad experience. Placards posted everywhere
In the streets early in the morning containing what
appeared TO be appeal from the people of Badajoz


but which the Madrilenians. quick -witted in such
matters, easily understood protest in their own
behalf They denounced the Government as one
which arrests and mprisons citizens arbitrarily COM


mts all outrages on liberty, and for the sake Of
secure despotsm TO deprive the people Of
1T Is despOtism we cannot much longer endure"
e1claims the writer in conclusion; "we must
defend ourselves OF all hazards when the signal is
given" Crowds gathered about every placard


the streets were filed all day with
groups every face wore an uneasy, expectant
look. But the day wore on. II the Government
bad really resolved to make the experiment its
courage failed or its purpose changed The members
are not agreed on such policy; and though there
may be numerical majority for it, the minority is
too strong TO be merely voted down The last alarm
came about II o'clock at night. was sitting in


ox at one Of the theaters the pit Of which was half