CONVERSATIONS WITH A SPANISH LIBERAL. 38 i 



power, there will remain for my unhappy country either the alterna- 

 tive of a restoration under Don Carlos or his son, or a frightful revo- 

 lution which will reduce the social edifice to a chaos of confusion." 



" The attempt to fetter the press in Spain has produced an unfor- 

 tunate result to the juste-milieu; and the rejection of Torreno's mea- 

 sure by the committee of finance, headed by Flores Estrada, already 

 shews to what lengths that party are prepared to go." 



" Who is this Flores d'Estrada, to whom public report has given 

 the portfolio of foreign affairs in the new ministry ?" 



" Flores d'Estrada was formerly one of the richest landed proprietors 

 in all Spain; like Arguelles, he is an Asturian by birth; he distinguished 

 himself during the war of independence, and the liberal character of 

 his political opinions may be gathered from two pamphlets which he 

 wrote some years ago : one on the South American Revolution, and 

 another to the king on the Revolution of 1814, Flores d'Estrada 

 has been intendant of several provences, and for a short time, in 1823, 

 was minister for foreign affairs. He resided upwards of eight years 

 in England, has great experience in politics, and is moreover well 

 acquainted with the views of the leading cabinets of Europe. It is 

 chiefly to his efforts that the failure of Torreno's celebrated measure 

 is to be ascribed a measure which on cool reflection those who raised 

 such an outcry against it now admit to have been the best that could 

 be adopted. Torreno had a most difficult card to play ; he had to 

 act as mediator between a numerous party in the cortes, who having 

 just returned from exile, it could scarcely be expected would recog- 

 nise the loans which had forged their fetters; and the exaltados, 

 headed by Flores d'Estrada, whose object was nothing more or 

 less than a bankruptcy, pure et simple. Between these two con- 

 flicting parties Torreno thought to steer a safe course by adopting a 

 middle course, but in which he has failed through the obstinate perti- 

 nacity of Flores d'Estrada." 



" Then, on the accession to power of the ultra-liberals, we may pre- 

 pare ourselves for innovations of the most sweeping nature ?" 



" Most unquestionably ; the objects of that party being to declare, 

 not to receive a constitution ; they will endeavour to reorganize on a 

 new basis the political edifice, and as there is not even the shadow of 

 a rial in the treasury, it will afford an admirable pretext for their 

 darling project a crusade against the property of the church." 



" In that case, Don Carlos has more to hope from the imprudence of 

 his enemies than from his own popularity and the number of his par- 

 tisans." 



" Cela va dans dire" said the Spaniard. " A rash and intemperate 

 attack at the moment upon the property of the church, by the liberal 

 party, will be the coup de grace of the constitution, and lead to results 

 which defy calculation." 



te Yes," said I ; " and, in spite of his repeated defeats, Don Carlos 

 still maintains his ground ; while the war is carried on by both par- 

 ties with a spirit of exasperation which leads to the most bloody 

 atrocities. Rodil, at Elizonda and Bilboa, has displayed the same 

 wanton cruelty, the same cold-blooded ferocity, which, in 1821, at 



M.M. No. 106. 3 D 



