CONVERSATIONS WITH A SPANISH LIBERAL. 205 



the Alcacle de Mateo Calvarez, a violent Constitutionalist, and personal 

 enemy of Merino's. The royal court of Valladolid, having taken 

 cognizance of this murder, despatched a troop of lancers and a com- 

 missary, arrested the assassins, and conveyed them to the prison of 

 that city, at the request of the unfortunate widow of the deceased. 

 At this period, Merino was at Madrid, high in favour with the royal 

 Ferdinand. His sister repaired immediately to the capital, to intreat 

 him to use his influence to save her husband. The alcade/ she 

 added, ' was your enemy, and it was to avenge you that my husband 

 killed him.' Merino replied to his sister's request by a look of 

 withering contempt, and was on the point of driving her from his 

 presence, when, suddenly, his manner altered, and he made her sit 

 down, while he penned and folded a letter, which he handed to her, 

 saying, e Return immediately to Valladolid, and deliver this letter 

 yourself.' It was for Don Ignacio Romero, judge of the Sala del 

 Cremin. His sister obeyed, and returned immediately to Valladolid, 

 not doubting but that she was the bearer of an order for her husband's 

 release. The letter was delivered, and the judge on breaking the 

 seal read as follows : 



" ' Sir, This letter will be delivered to you by my sister. I 

 charge you to find her a second husband, and to hang the first, as a 

 punishment for the assassination of the Alcade of Villahoz. It was 

 not for him to constitute himself the judge of men's opinions.' 



" The royal court, however, did not fulfil the wishes of Merino to 

 their full extent the delinquents were only condemned to the galleys 

 for ten years. And now one more anecdote to paint the extraordi- 

 nary influence of Merino over the Castilians. 



" The judge of the the town of Corrio, Don Pedro Martinez de 

 Velasco, a true Constitutionalist, came to Villahoz to see his family a 

 few days after the murder of the alcade. The town was at the time 

 full of royalists, who had assembled in order to revenge the arrest of 

 Merino's brother-in-law. They had already commenced operations 

 by committing to prison all the rich liberals in the place ; and having 

 heard that Martinez de Velasco had returned home, they proceeded 

 to his residence with the intention of arresting him. On their arrival 

 the patriot produced his passport ; it was written in Merino's own 

 hand, and signified that the bearer, Don Pedro Martinez de Velasco, 

 might traverse without fear the Two Castiles. The commandant of 

 the board had no sooner read at the top of the passport, " In the 

 name of Geronimo Merino/ than the crowd uncovered themselves, 

 and listening in profound silence, retired immediately. The officer 

 kissed the passport before returning it, and placed a guard of honour 

 before the house of him he came to arrest." 



And now we shall attempt to develop the real cause of the present 

 insurrection of this extraordinary man for numerous are the projects 

 and ideas imputed to him by the daily press, which have never for a 

 moment had a place in his imagination. Of this we are convinced, 

 and should the priests and the Carlists derive any advantages from 

 the super-human influence of the man, they will owe him no grati- 

 tude it is not for them that he sacrifices his repose. The men 



