Blaquiere’s Spain and Spanish Revolution 595 
ceived numbers of both sexes running 
towards us, demanding, with loud cries, 
to be shielded from the soldiery, who 
were firing in every direction, and cut- 
ting down all before them. To this ap- 
peal, the General very coolly answered, 
‘make yvuurselves easy, my children ; 
there is no danger, don’t be afraid!’ 
Meanwhile, the tumult augmented, and 
we heard the reports nearer: as to the 
General, he left us, apparently with a 
view of putting an end to the disorder ; 
but, so far from doing so, he authorized, 
in some degree, by his presence, the hor- 
rors which followed. 
““When the above dreadful scene 
commenced, we resolved to return, and 
were encouraged to do so by Freyre: two 
of the deputation ascended the roof of 
the house, followed by the Adjutant 
Sylva, who had come in our suite, and 
passing over adjoining terraces, found an 
asylum not far from the residence of the 
General: one of the party, who attempt- 
ed to escape through the front door, had 
to brave many of the assassins, whom he 
met at every corner; fortunately, they 
did not recognize him: having, with the 
greatest difficulty, reached the house of 
Villavicentio, he there met Freyre and 
Campana. It was in vain that our 
companion claimed the rights due to his 
character of Delegate from the National 
Army: they replied, by stating, that no 
protection could be afforded by the laws, 
as these were not obeyed. Thus aban- 
doned to his fate, he sought refuge with 
a friend, and did not rejoin us till eleven 
o'clock on the following day. 
“When tranquillity was somewhat 
restored, we discovered the place of our 
retreat to the Government of Cadiz, if 
such it could be called, and peremptorily 
demanded the treatment due to us as the 
bearer of a flag of truce: the only an- 
swer, was a file of soldiers with drawn 
swords, who seized and conducted us to 
the castle of San Sebastian, where each 
was thrown into a separate cell, deprived 
of communication, and otherwise treated 
with every species of indignity. We re- 
mained in this state of solitary confine- 
ment until the night of the 14th, when, 
owing to farther intelligence from Madrid, 
our imprisonment was changed into sim- 
ple detention, preparatory, as the keepers 
asserted, to our being exchanged for some 
of the officers arrested at Las’ Cabezas. 
This must have been a mere invention, 
as we were soon after embarked in a 
smal] boat, and landed on the beach 
near San Fernando.” 
In addition to the foregoing particu- 
lars, confirmed in all respects by the ac- 
counts of others, it appears that the bat- 
talion of Guides and Lealtad, or Ferdi- 
nand's own, made up of deserters, and 
galley slaves liberated from prison, were 
the instruments employed on this occa- 
sion; and that, being liberally supplied 
with brandy, they remained shut up in 
their barracks till the square of San 
Antonio was completely thronged, and 
the ceremony of proclaiming the poli- 
tical code about to commence. It was 
then that Campana issued his orders: 
in another instant the work of slaughter 
began: rushing into the square at dif 
ferent points, neither sex nor age was 
spared; those who could not escape 
were butchered on the spot, nor did the 
foreign consuls escape without insult and 
violence. The number ‘of victims, in- 
cluding killed and wounded, exceeded 
five hundred, and would have been much 
greater, had not the drunken state of the 
perpetrators prevented their taking a 
more regular aim. Not content with 
butchering old and young, women and 
children, the whole of the night and 
part of the next day were devoted to 
plunder; nor, with the exception of 
those who endeavoured to allay the 
tumult, was a person to be seen in the 
streets of Cadiz, which resembled a be- 
sieged city for some days after. Owing 
to the measures of precaution adopted 
by Freyre and his associates, the mur- 
derers were transferred to Xerez in the 
night, and replaced by the Patriotic regi- 
ment of Valangay, thus escaping the 
fury of the populace. 
To judge of the share which Freyre 
and Campana had in this sanguinary 
proceeding, it is necessary merely to 
read the following order of the day, 
issned immediately after the event: and 
some extracts from the communications 
of Freyre to the Minister at War. 
“ General Order. 
Cadiz, March 1], 1820. 
“Long live the King! long live Reli- 
gion! honour to the brave and loyal 
troops forming the garrison of Cadiz! 
Their fidelity, and the decided manner 
in which the soldiers conducted them- 
selves yesterday, merits the gratitude of 
all the king’s subjects, and that of the 
general who has the honour to command 
them. 
‘<Jt is, in the name of his Majesty, 
therefore, that 1 return the officers and 
other individuals of the garrison, my 
warmest thanks, for their brilliant mili- 
tary conduct. : 
“(Signed) =“ CAMPaNa.” 
The 
