CONVERSATIONS WITH A SPANISH LIBERAL. 477 



defait, and transport him across France to the northern frontier in 

 irons. Burning with indignation, disgusted and betrayed, the general 

 returned to England ; so great is his hatred of the present King of 

 the French, that the mere report of an intervention of his in our 

 affairs would throw him into the arms of Carlism. In the meantime, 

 Mina is now on his way to assume the command of the queen's forces. 

 Whether he will effect more than his predecessors, time will shew ; 

 but I think not. Rodil, though he failed, displayed considerable 

 military talent ; he constantly baffled his active adversary, and never 

 experienced either a surprise or a check. It was the two surprises of 

 the Baron Carandolet's cavalry division, of which he was entirely 

 blameless, that paralyzed all his operations. Mina is an admirable 

 partisan, and possesses moreover an intimate knowledge of the theatre 

 of war; but he has never effected any thing worthy of the operations of 

 la grande guerre. Zumalacarreguy, on the other hand, is not only an 

 active guerilla, but a skilful tactician. Mina in the ranks of the 

 Christinos, making war on thefueros which Navarre have taken up 

 arms to defend, will derive no benefit from the prestige of his name. 

 Mina, I repeat, I much fear will not be able to put down the revolt in 

 the Basque provinces, for the result of the struggle depends upon 

 something more than the mere skill of the general, either on one side 

 or the other ; still I do not despair of the destinies of Spain there is 

 good stuff in the nation. During the late attack made on Vergara, 

 some ladies of the town, not satisfied with animating the combatants 

 from their balconies, actually conveyed ammunition to them under a 

 a very heavy fire. The queen has distributed a medal to these ama- 

 zons, bearing on one side her effigy, and on the other an inscription 

 commemorating their heroic conduct." 



A few days after this conversation I met my Spanish friend again, 

 who was then coming to seek me, with a budget full of news, fresh 

 from the seat of war. He informed me that he had, the day before, 

 accidentally encountered an old acquaintance, a Carlist, who had just 

 arrived from Spain, and who was the bearer of some important mis- 

 sion to the friends of Don Carlos in this country. I expressed some 

 surprise that the Pretender had friends in England, at least of suf- 

 ficient consequence to render it necessary to communicate with them. 



" You are mistaken," replied the Spaniard, " he has friends more 

 powerful than you suppose ; he has, likewise, English agents in 

 France and Spain ; ay, and who are paid well for their services ; 

 for it appears there is no want of money." 



" And what did you gather from your friend the Carlist ? What 

 have they done with Madame Zumalacarreguy ?" 



" The French government have ordered her off to Blois ; and very 

 properly, for her presence at Bayonne afforded a pretext for the 

 meeting of the disaffected ; in fact, the Carlists have established a 

 junta, or council, at Bayonne, with Madame at their head, where they 

 discuss all measures for the cause, and are in continual communica- 

 tion with the head-quarters of Don Carlos in Spain." 



" What sort of woman is she ?" 



" He describes her as a middle-aged woman, dark complexion, not 

 handsome, but possessing a tolerable figure. She conceives it ne- 



M.M. No. 107. 3 Q 



