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CHAP. disposal of the political authorities."

XI.

1822.

June 16.

Such extreme measures necessarily produced reprisals on the other side, and led to a war where quarter was neither given nor taken. A few days after, a decree was passed putting 20,000 of the militia on permanent duty, and establishing national guards throughout the kingdom on the same footing as in France during the Revolution-that is, with the officers of every grade appointed by the privates. They at the same time summoned the Ministers to their bar to give an account of the state of the kingdom, and supplicated the king in the most earnest terms to change his advisers, and intrust everything to the Liberal party— a demand which he had the address in the mean time to evade. The wisdom of this determination on his part was soon apparent; for a few days after, on a represen1 Ann. Hist. tation by the Ministers of the alarming and distracted 437; Mar state of the kingdom, the Cortes themselves saw the neces412, 413. sity of conferring upon them the extraordinary powers which the public exigencies imperiously demanded.1

v. 432, 435,

tignac, i.

60.

tension of

the civil

pre

In truth the state of the country had now become Great ex- such, that such a measure could no longer be delayed if the shadow ever of peace and tranquillity was to be served in the kingdom. The Royalists in the north, far from being discouraged by their reverses, were daily increasing in numbers and audacity, and, sheltered by the

war.

* “Que le peuple voie le pouvoir confié à des hommes qui aiment les libertés publiques, que la Nation Espagnole voie que le titre et les vertus du véritable patriote sont le seul droit, le seul chemin, pour monter jusqu'à Votre Majesté, pour mériter la faveur, et pour obtenir les honneurs qu'elle peut accorder, et que toute la rigueur de la justice et l'indignation du roi retombent sur les méchants qui osent profaner son nom auguste et sacré, pour opprimer la patrie et la liberté. Les Cortès supplieraient V. M. instamment, pour faire cesser les craintes auxquelles nous sommes livrés, et prévenir les maux que nous avons indiqués, de vouloir bien ordonner que la milice nationale volontaire soit immédiatement augmentée et armée dans tout le royaume. En même temps les Cortès espèrent que V. M. fera connaître à tout gouvernement étranger qui, directement ou indirectement, voudrait prendre part à nos affaires domestiques, que la Nation n'est pas dans le cas de recevoir des lois; qu'elle a des forces et des ressources pour se faire respecter, et que si elle a su défendre son indépendance et son roi avec gloire, c'est avec la même gloire et avec de plus grands efforts encore qu'elle saura toujours défendre son roi et sa liberté."-Adresse des Cortès au Roi, 24th May 1822; Ann. Hist., v. 433, 434.

4

XI.

1822.

mountain ridges which in that quarter intersect Spain in CHAP. every direction, they had come to extend their ramifications over half the kingdom. Eguia, Nuñez, and Quesada, who had taken refuge in France after the disaster at Cervera, issued from thence a proclamation June 11, in the name of the Royalist provisional government, in which they offered 160 reals (32s.) to every Spaniard who should repair, armed and in uniform, to the headquarters of the Army of the Faith at Roncesvalles before the end of the month. This proclamation put every part of Navarre, Biscay, and the north of Catalonia on fire. In a few days Quesada was at the head of fifteen hundred men, with which, ascending the Pass of Roncesvalles, he entered the valley of Bastan; and as General Lopez-Baños, with the regular troops from Pampeluna, which had been considerably reinforced, succeeded in cutting him off from France and Biscay, he boldly threw himself into Arragon, where nearly the whole rural population joined him. Meanwhile a still more important success was gained in Catalonia, where Miralles, Romagosa, and the Trappist, having united their forces, to the amount of five thousand men, suddenly moved upon La Sue d'Urgel, a fortified town on the June 15. frontier, in which were deposited large stores of artillery and ammunition. Encouraged by their partisans within June 21. the town, the Royalists in a few days ventured upon an assault by escalade. The attempt was made at dead of night the Trappist, with a huge cross in one hand and his whip in the other, was the first man of the assaulting columns that ascended the ladders; and, after a sanguinary contest of several hours' duration, the whole forts and town were taken, with sixty pieces of cannon, sixteen hundred muskets, and large stores of ammunition. Great part of the garrison were, in retaliation for the massacre v. 438, 439; at Cervera, and subsequent decrees of the Cortes prohi- i. 414, 415. biting quarter, put to death without mercy.1

This great success, by far the most important which

1 Ann. Hist.

Martignac,

XI.

1822.

61.

Spanish

finances.

June 30.

CHAP. had yet attended the Royalist arms, gave an entirely new character to the war, by diffusing universal encouragement among their partisans, and giving them a base of operaDeplorable tions, the muniments of war, and a secure place of refuge state of the in case of disaster. It in a manner stilled the passions of the Cortes, which, after voting extraordinary powers to the Ministry to meet the danger, was prorogued, shortly after the intelligence was received, without opposition. Even before the session was closed, however, several quarrels, attended with bloodshed, of sinister augury, had taken place between the royal guards and the national guards of the capital; and the budget exhibited a melancholy proof of the deplorable state of destitution to which the treasury had been reduced by the distrust and convulsions consequent on the Revolution.* Though the army had been reduced to 62,000 men from 80,000, and the expense of the navy from 104,000,000 reals (£1,040,000) to 80,000,000 reals (£800,000), it was found necessary to contract a loan of 102,000,000 reals (£1,020,000), to cover the ordinary expenses calculated on for 1823. The interest of the debt contracted by the Cortes since 1820 amounted to 65,586,000 reals (£655,800), and the interest of the 1 Finance national debt was no less than 148,894,000 reals (£1,488,000), although three-fifths of it had been held 1822; Ann. as extinguished by Church confiscation, and of what remained no less than 2,069,333,613 reals (£20,693,336) had been set down without interest,1 as having been also

Moniteur

Exposé,

June 21,

Hist. v. 440,

441.

* The entire debt of Spain in 1822 was thus disposed of by the finance committee of this session of the Cortes :Total Debt,

Extinguished by confiscation of

church and charitable funds by
decrees of the Cortes,

Remained,

Of which bore no interest,

Remained bearing interest,

14,020,572,591 reals, or £140,205,725

[blocks in formation]

-Finance Commissioners' Report, June 21, 1822; Annuaire Historique, v.

440, 441.

XI.

provided for by the Church property confiscated to the CHAP. state, which was estimated at eight milliards of reals, or £80,000,000 sterling.

1822.

62.

Landabura.

Such a state of the Spanish finances said but little either of the benefits which the nation had derived from Riot in Madrid, and the revolutionary régime during the three years it had death of endured, or of the resources either in warlike preparations June 30. or national credit to meet the difficulties with which it was on every side beset. But the march of events was so rapid as to outstrip the convulsions inevitable under such a state of the national finances, and induce a crisis much sooner than might have been expected from the comparatively slow progress of pecuniary embarrassment. On the very day on which the Cortes was prorogued a melancholy event occurred, which brought matters to a crisis. An immense crowd assembled and accompanied the king's carriage from the hall of the Cortes to the palace, part shouting "Viva el Rey Netto! Viva el Rey Assoluto!" part "Viva Riego! Viva Libertade." To such a length did the mutual exasperation proceed that it reached and infected the royal guard itself, which was nearly as much divided and inflamed; and as 1 Ann. Hist. Landabura, an officer of the guard, of decided Liberal v. 442, 445; Martignac, feelings, endeavoured to appease the tumult among his i. 416, 417. men, he was shot in the breast, and instantly expired.1

ment of the

guard and

son.

This atrocious murder, for such it really was, though 63. disguised under the name of a homicide in rixa, excited Commencethe most violent feelings of indignation among the Libe- strife be rals of all classes in Madrid; for however willing to tween the excuse such crimes when committed by, they were by no the garrimeans equally tolerant of them when perpetrated on, June 30. themselves. The whole city was immediately in a tumult; July 1. the militia of its own accord turned out, the troops of the line and artillery joined them; the municipality declared its sitting permanent, and everything presaged an immediate and violent collision between the Court and royal guard on the one side, and the Cortes, soldiers of the

XI.

1822.

CHAP. line, and militia on the other. The night passed in mutual suspense, both parties being afraid to strike the first blow; and next day nothing was done, except an order on the part of the king to have the murderers of Landabura punished, and a decree settling a pension on his widow. Meanwhile the royal guard, against which the public feeling in the metropolis was so violently excited, remained without orders, and knew not how to act. Being more numerous and better disciplined than the regiments in the garrison, and in possession of all the principal posts, it might with ease have made itself master of the park of artillery in the arsenal-an acquisition which would have rendered it the undisputed master of the city. Had Napoleon been at its head, he would at once have done so the seizure of the park of artillery near Paris by Murat, under his orders, on occasion of the revolt of the Sections in October 1795, determined the contest there in favour of the Directory. But there was no Napoleon in Spain; and the indecision of the Government, by leaving the guard without orders, exposed them v. 444, 445; to destruction, and lost the fairest opportunity that ever Martignac, i. 418, 419. occurred of reinstating, without foreign aid, the royal authority. 2

1 Hist. of

Europe, chap. xix. § 60.

"Ann. Hist.

64.

guard from Madrid. July 1.

Two of the six battalions of which the guard was comDeparture posed were on service at the king's palace; the remaining of the royal four were in barracks, detached from each other, in the city. Fearful of being shut up there by the troops of the line and militia, they took the resolution, of their own accord, of leaving the capital and encamping in the neighbourhood-a resolution which was carried into effect, without tumult or opposition, at nightfall on the 1st July. Meanwhile the most energetic preparations were made by the municipality to meet the crisis which was approaching, and a fresh corps, called the "Sacred Battalion," was formed of volunteers, consisting for the most part of the most desperate and energetic revolutionary characters, who threatened to be even more formidable to their friends

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