46S 



Political Affairs in Mai/. 



[June I, 



■rope, by the very powers which now pre- 

 tend to invalidalo I heir just and most 

 glorious origin. 



" As forme, who, placed by Providence at 

 the head of a generous and magnanimous 

 nation, owe every thing to it, I shall not fail 

 (I swear it to yon) in the sacied obligation 

 which so elevated a post, and such distin- 

 guished benefits, point out and present to 

 me. Resolved to follow your fortunes, I 

 will not, and must not, accept any other 

 treaties or conventions, (thoiiiih none have 

 been proposed to my government) but 

 such as are conformable to the political 

 Constitution of the monarchy. The mo- 

 narclis of Europe, who have united against 

 US, seduced by an implacable and ra^h 

 )iarty, allege my liberty as a pretext for 

 their violence; but they are wholly mis- 

 taken if they think to deceive the world, 

 and still more me.'' — His Majesty says, he 

 has not forgotten how he was deceived by 

 Napoleon. He declares, therefore, that 

 he will be King for them and with them 

 alone ; that his liberty is more properly 

 guarded by them than by hostile bayonets, 

 tinited with the nation, with his people,, 

 lie does not fear the rash invaders, v\ho 

 will find the tields, the precipices, the ca- 

 verns, the walls, and even the houses, 

 covered with the bones, and drenched 

 with the blood, of their predecessors. 



Accounts are received from Vigo, 

 dated the otii inst. that Sir Robert 

 Wilson, Col. Light, Capt. Erskine, 

 and some French and German officers, 

 arrived there on the 1st, for the pur- 

 pose of enrollina: themselves among 

 the Constitutional Spaniards; and on 

 the 4tb Sir Kobcrt Wilson made the 

 follow ing admirable speech to the local 

 militia of Vigo : — - 

 Citizens, 



I am not in the habit of .«peaking the 

 Spanish language, but it is necessary 

 that I should make the attempt on this oc- 

 casion to express my sentiments in the 

 best manner I am able. I am persuaded 

 that you will regard the expressions of my 

 heart, rather than well-chosen words which 

 come merely from the lips. 



The moment is enine in which I am to 

 take the oath to the Constitutional King of 

 Spain, to his government, and to the Spa- 

 nish 'aatLon, during the war which it has to 

 maintain against the French government, 

 not against the Fiench nation, in defence 

 of its indeprndenee, and of the rights of all 

 free men. For this I have lelt my country, 

 and what is most dear to me, and sus- 

 pended my duties as a ineuiher of the Hri- 

 tish parliament. Yes, my companions, we 

 have come to combat at your side, and to 

 shed our blood, if necessary, in defence of 

 a common and so noble a cause. Let us 

 hope that our example will have some in- 

 fluence oil the errmg cbildicn, unworthy of 



belonging to Spain, who are waging ft 

 sacrilegious war against their mother 

 country, to impose on her the most dis- 

 graceful chains, through the slave of 

 slaves. 



All the English anticipate yonr hopes 

 and sentiments. This will not be the first 

 time of my combating on the side of the 

 brave Spaniards. In the last war of inde- 

 pendence, 1 had, on various occasions, 

 many thousands of them under my com- 

 mand ; and, in the field of Mais, 1 learnt to 

 eilipreciaie the rare and illustrious quali- 

 ties of this invincible nation. In the war, 

 pretended to be in favour of the independ- 

 ence of Europe, I gained the in.vignia 

 which I wear, and which are not due to 

 the favour of the Allied Sovereigns, nor a 

 reward for servile actions ; I and many 

 others have been deceived by them, since, 

 instead of being the liberators and pro- 

 tectors of European independence, they 

 have become unjust and despotic sove- 

 reigns. I have placed my insignia over 

 the uniform of a Spanish soldier of liberty, 

 to shew that it is not I who have aban- 

 doned my principles; but that it is they 

 who have violated the obligations con- 

 tracted with their subjects, wiili their 

 allies, and with the whole civilized world. 



Now, in the sacred name of my country, 

 in the piesence of God, and before those 

 baniieis of liberty, I request his excel- 

 lency to receive from me and my compa- 

 nions the oath to defend them. 



GREECE. 



Milus, A/inl 1 2. — The Greeks have ter- 

 minated the maritime armaments destined 

 for the campaign of 1823. Their fleet has 

 received a new organization, much supe- 

 rior to that of the last two years. Each 

 Greek vessel forming part of the fleet is 

 arranged in such a manner that it may be 

 converted in five minutes into a fire-ship; 

 in an extreme case, the captain is to set fire 

 to his ship rather than abandon her to the 

 enemy, even though he should be blown' 

 up with her. It will be seen how the 

 Christians embarked on board the 'I'urkish 

 fleet will respond to this resolution of the 

 intrepid seamen of the Archipelago. 

 Almost all these Christians consist of peo- 

 ple still very ignorant, known by the 

 name of Dalmatians, Sclavonians, &c. who 

 occupy the Eastern coasts of the Adriatic 

 belonging to Austria. The Greeks will 

 probably endeavour to blow some of them 

 into the air, in order to disgust the others 

 with a conduct so little Christian. 



In the island of Candia the Greeks have 

 sei?.ed the fort of Selina, The numerous 

 Tnrks who occupied it, i epulsed with great 

 loss towards the north of the island, have 

 taken refuge in the fortress of Candia, 

 which is thus much encumbered by the 

 augmented numbers of Mussulmans in- 

 closed in it, and who furnish new aliment 

 to the plague, which is making its ravages. 



This 



