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hero of the revolution. I allude to Anto- 
nid Alcala Galiano, one of the most elo- 
quent men in Spain. The court having 
long wished to rid itself of this powerful 
orator and resolute patriot, had named 
him Secretary of Legation at Rio Janeiro, 
and he went to Gibraltar under pretence 
of procuring a passage. 
These important matters settled, it was 
finally decided, that Ricgo, with the bat- 
talion of Asturias, which he commanded 
in second, stationed at Las Cabezas de San 
Juan, and the Seville regiment at Villa 
Martin, should march on Arcos, the head 
quarters of Calderon, while Quiroga pro- 
ceeded at the head of two other regi- 
ments, those of Spain and the crown, 
from Alcala, the place of his detention, 
to the bridge of Suazo, thence to La Isla, 
and passing along the Cortadura, so as to 
reach the walls of Cadiz by day-break, 
when the gates were to be instantly 
thrown open. 
Owing to the time occupied by the 
election of Constitutional Alcaldes, and 
some other arrangements, it was late in 
the afternoon before the regiment could 
leave Las Cabezas: proceeding in the 
dark, over cross roads broken up by the 
Trains, which even now fell in torrents, it 
arrived within a short distance of Arcos 
at daylight on the 2nd, after a most haras- 
sing march of more than twelve hours. 
Instead of meeting the corps from Villa 
Martin, as previously agreed, Riego was 
informed that it had, from the ignorance 
of its guides, taken a wrong direction, 
and could not therefore be expected to 
join for some time. This unlooked for 
disappointment was the more irksome 
from the battalion being exposed to the 
view of the garrison of Arcos, twice, as 
numerous, and strongly posted; whereas 
Riego’s men had been under arms nearly 
twenty-four hours, and were quite ex- 
hausted with their march. To increase 
the dilemma, every possible method had 
been tried to preserve the fidelity of the 
troops at Arcos, and fears were enter- 
tained lest the civil authorities might per- 
suade the people to join them. It was 
while the officers and men were rumi- 
nating on the danger of their situation, 
and when many began to relinquish 
every hope of success, that Riego, who 
had advanced to reconnoitre the force at 
Arcos, suddenly returned, and ordering 
the drum to beat to arms, repeated his 
instructions to those appointed to arrest 
Calderon and his staff, entered the town 
preceded by the band playing a popular 
air. Having posted a part of the regi- 
ment on a rising gronnd close to the bar- 
Blaquiere's Spain and Spanish Revolution. 
rier, and occupied the market-place with 
a few companies, the arrest of Calderon, 
Salvador, his second in command, and 
the whole of the staff, was effected in 
less than an hour after. The fears, of 
Riego were in some degree realized by 
the main guard firing on the party which 
was about to enter the residence of the 
commander in chief; this was, however, 
returned, and two of the aggressors were 
killed on the spot. On hearing the re- 
port of musquetry, Riego rushed forward 
to ascertain what had given rise to it, 
but before he reached the head-quarters, 
Calderon had surrendered his sword, and 
together with the rest of the staff were 
confined in his own house. Not a mo- 
ment was lost in proclaiming the politi- 
cal code, and electing local authorities. 
After transferring the prisoners to a 
place of greater security, the attention of 
Riego was turned to gain over the troops 
found at Arcos; this he effected, though 
not without some persuasion, for Calderon 
had taken infinite pains to prevent their 
defection. Still ignorant of Quiroga’s 
movements, the time could not be better 
employed than in collecting such batta- 
lions as were quartered round the neigh- 
bourhood. A previous understanding 
had been established with some officers 
of the regiment of Bornos, but whose: 
colonel was known to be hostile; neither 
this circumstance, nor the excessive 
fatigue he had undergene, prevented 
Riego from selecting a detachment of 
three hundred men, and marching to that 
place. Having halted within a few hun- 
dred yards of the-town, and proceeded 
alone to the entrance, Riego was met by 
some of his friends, to whom he commu- 
nicated the result of his labours at Arcos; 
the tidings spread with rapidity through 
the battalion, which assembled immedi- 
ately, ari was, in less than an hour, on 
its way to head-quarters, leaving the 
colonel to his meditations, and the com- 
mand of some convalescents recently re- 
covered from the yellow fever. On 
reaching Arcos, the party was received 
with loud shouts of long live Riego and 
the constitution. A general muster 
taking place soon after, the officers and 
soldiers expressed their admiration of 
Riego’s heroic conduct still farther, by 
unanimously investing him with the rank 
of general in chief. 
The same causes which rendered the 
march from Arcos to Medina impractica- 
ble, prevented Quiroga’s moving before 
the afternoon of the 2nd. An officer 
and party sent on earlier in the day; had 
succeeded in disarming the — 
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