4823.] 



«n independent people the reformation of 

 its political laws? With such a theory, 

 what would become of the independence 

 of nations? What singular reformers, 

 what strange Lycurgiises, a hundred thou- 

 sand soldiers, speedily to be followed by 

 as many more, would make! Who is it 

 that it is wished to impose upon by this 

 political Don Quixotism ? Does any per. 

 son flatter himself that the secret of this 

 new crusade is a mystery to the people? 

 No; Spain, with its acquired liberty — 

 Spain, without privileged orders, is an in- 

 tolerable spectacle for pride to witness; it 

 cannot be endured, and it is necessaiy to 

 do that in Spain which it has not been pos- 

 sible to do in France— to effect a counter- 

 revolution. I know well that the invisible 

 directors of this great conspiracy agtiinst 

 the liberty of nations are not mad enough 

 to hope for any success fiom the efforts of 

 their partisans alone. Upon what, then, 

 finally, do they rest their last hopes? They 

 do not kno^^ — they would have trembled 

 if they had taken it into consideration. 

 The support upon which they rely is 

 foreign support. Let it not be imagined 

 that this is a chimerical statement; the 

 parricidal wish has been very recently ex- 

 pressed in those periodical journals which 

 are the base reflectors of tli§ impure pas- 

 sions that agitate the face of our country. 

 But at what price will the foreigners, upon 

 whom the party I have alluded to are re- 

 duced to necessity of relying, sell us their 

 fatal co-operation? Who will pay their 

 armies? Who will support them? Cer- 

 tainly it will not beunCortuuate Spain : it 

 has no treasures ; it scarcely can furnish 

 its own subsistence ; it is rich only in cou- 

 rage. Piudence prevents me from deve- 

 loping to a greater extent all the dangers 

 of a war with Spain; your knowledge and 

 yoin- reflection will suggest them to you. 

 But I have said enough to justify the ne- 

 cessity of my presence in the tribune. 

 It becomes me, who am old, who respect 

 France, who am devoted to the king and 

 all his famdy ; who have taken so great a 

 partintlie evrntsof the double restoration; 

 who, by my efforts, and I venture to say 

 my successful efforts, have estabiishetl my 

 glory and my responsibility upon the re- 

 newed alliance between France and the 

 house of Bourbon — to prevent, as mucli as 

 in my power, the work of wisdom and of 

 jastice from being compromised by foolish 

 and rash passions. The king is deceived ! 

 It is our duly to undeceive him. He is 

 told that his people desire wa?-, when they 

 wish for peace. He is told that the ho- 

 nour of his crown would be compromised 

 if he did not revenge the insults which 

 have been offered to Ferdinand VH. His 

 ancestor, Louis XIV. did not revenge in- 

 sults much more heinous ; and, on a point 

 of dignity, Louis XIV. is not a model to 

 l)e despised. The happiness of France— 

 Monthly M*r,. No 379. 



Political Affairs in February. 177 



that is the glory of Louis XVIII. ; and he 

 is worthy of enjoying such glory. It is 

 said that Spain, being a prey to anarchy, 

 is dangerous for France. Facts are before 

 us to answer this. It is true that anarchical 

 doctrines have made alarming progress in 

 France ? On the contrary, has not power 

 made its greatest acquisitions amongst us 

 since the revolution of Spain? Do not 

 fear to make the truth known to the 

 king ; he will never reject it; and, with 

 this conviction, I support the amendment 

 moved by the Baron de Barents. It is 

 my wish that the majority of the Chamber 

 should be prompted by their fidelity to the 

 king and the charter, to support it with 

 their votes. I shall say only one word 

 more, and that for the purpose of asking 

 if there be no where entertained any 

 doubts as to the secret wish of Ferdinand 

 VII. I do not presume to give a personal 

 opinion on this subject; I derive it from 

 the past, which is but too well known. 

 The king of Spain was, doubtless, never 

 more completely deprived of liberty than 

 during the seven years of his captivity at 

 Valen<jay ; and I appeal to the recollec- 

 tion of some of my noble colleagues, whe- 

 ther, at that painful period, they did not 

 find that neither their brilliancy of names, 

 nor their affecting attachment, were ca- 

 pable of inspiring that sovereign with 

 sufficient confidence to make him regard 

 the attempt which they wished to make 

 for his deliverance, as any other thing than 

 an act of temerity, of which he would 

 become the victim: and my personal re- 

 lations with King Ferdinand, authoiise me 

 to believe that his refusal proceeded only 

 from a noble confidence in the fidelity of 

 his subjects, to whose courage and love 

 he wished to be indebted for his deli- 

 verance. 



GREAT BRITAIN. 



On the 4th the Session of Parlia- 

 ment was opened with the following 

 Speech, delivered by commissioners, in 

 consequence of a protracted illness of 

 the king at Brighton. 



3Jy Lords and Gentlemen, 



We are connnanded by his Majesty to 

 inform you, that since he last met you in 

 parliament, his Majesty's efforts have been 

 unremittingly exerted to preserve the 

 peace of Europe. 



Faithful to the principles which his 

 Majesty has promulgated to the world, as 

 constituting the rule of his conduct, bis 

 Majesty declined being party to any pro- 

 ceedings at Verona which could be 

 deemed an interference in the internal 

 concerns of Spain on the part of foreign 

 powers. And his Majesty has since used, 

 and continues to use, his most anxious en- 

 deavours and good offices to allay the irri- 

 tation unhappily subsisting between the 

 French and Spanish governments ; and to 

 A a avert 



