Blaquiere’s Spain and Spanish Revolution. 
fected at Santiago on the 24th, and at 
Orense the following day: although op- 
posed by San Roman, a blustering Ser- 
vile, entrusted with the military com- 
mand in Galicia, the progress of Acevedo 
was triumphant, till the 9th of March, 
when he fell a victim to his intrepidity and 
misplaced confidence in a party of provin- 
cial militia, posted in the vicinity of a 
small town, called Padernalo. Unsus- 
picious of the treachery which was 
about to deprive Spain of his services, 
the patriot chief advanced alone, and un- 
armed, to stay the flight of the enemy, 
calling upon the fugitives to join their 
brethren, and no longer serve as the 
blind instruments of seifishness and am- 
bition. His address was scarcely ended, 
when some of the party, concealed be- 
hind a thicket, fired on the general, who 
fell mortally wounded. 
The body of Acevedo, disinterred from 
the spot in which it had been deposited 
after his assassination, was conveyed to 
Corunna, where it received the honours 
of a public funeral, and general mourn- 
ing. Like Porlier, too, the statue of 
Feliz Acevedo will also ornament the 
national pantheon. 
Although Mina did not enter Pam- 
plona before the 11th of March, his pre- 
sence in the neighbourhood with a con- 
siderable force obliged the Captain- 
General, Espeleta, to open the gates much 
sooner than he had intended: a staunch 
partizan of the court, and surrounded by 
priests, Espeleta betrayed the greatest 
unwillingness. to embrace the constitu- 
tional system. The establishment of 
liberty in Navarre was celebrated by a 
series of festivities, and the liberation of 
many state prisoners; amongst whom 
was the celebrated Quintana, whose 
writings have done so much towards en- 
lightening his countrymen. 
The garrison of Zaragoza had risen 
and proclaimed the constitution on the 
5th, without committing the slightest ex- 
cess. An eloquent statement of the 
event was addressed to Ferdinand by the 
provincial Junta. This important paper 
also contained a true, though lamentable, 
picture of the wretched condition to 
which Spain was reduced under the late 
government, and is justly regarded as 
one of the most valuable historical docu- 
ments of the day. 
The people of Catalonia began to as- 
semble, and declare themselves, the mo- 
ment they heard of what had occurred 
in Aragon. Castanos, who had been 
suffered to occupy the place of Captain- 
General since Lacy's death, vainly en- 
597 
deavoured to check the popular feeling 
at Barcelona: as the means adopted for 
this purpose, that of arming the dregs of 
society, might lead to scenes of violence, 
which the eonstitutionalists had deter- 
mined to avoid, a large party of the lat- 
ter, uniting themselves to the garrison, 
sallied forth, and proclaimed the code at 
Tarragona, Reus, aud several other towns, 
Meanwhile, the orders from Madrid 
reached Castanos, and were soon followed 
by the arrival of General  Villacampa, 
who assumed the command, causing the 
constitution to be promulgated on the 
12th. Driven from Barcelona by the 
people, Castanos came to Madrid, and 
notwithstanding the events of 1817, and 
his recent conduct, he has contrived to get 
himself appointed a counsellor of State. 
With respect to Villacampa, his demea- 
nour was in this, as in every other act of 
his civil and military career, entitled to 
the utmost praise, and found its reward 
in the approbation of his fellow citizens, 
The inhabitants of Carthagena, Valen- 
cia, Murcia, and Granada, animated by a 
similar spirit to those of Catalonia, de- 
clared in favour of freedom nearly on 
the same day. When Elio received the 
Minister’s circular, he mounted his horse 
and rode to the town-hall, whence an 
immediate summons was sent to the 
Municipal body. Affecting the most 
ardent zeal in favour of freedom, the 
executioner of Vidal, young Beltran de 
Lis, and his companions, were about to 
proclaim the charter, when the people, 
who had by this time collected in great 
numbers, unanimously declared they 
would rather continue slaves than receive 
liberty from such contaminated hands ! 
The past atrocities of Elio next rushed 
across every mind; unable to repress the 
indignation excited by a recollection of 
his barbarous conduct, he must have 
fallen a sacrifice to popular fury, were it 
not for the interposition of Count Almo- 
dovar; who being called upon by the 
people to exercise the functions of Cap+ 
tain-General till the King’s pleasureshould 
be known, insisted on their sparing the life 
of Elio; thus proving that there was no 
sacrifice of resentment and personal feel- 
ing they were not prepared to make in 
favour of liberty. Being conducted to 
his house by a strong guard, the obnox- 
ious general was removed to the citadel, 
where he still remains, brooding over 
the innumerable sorrows which his for- 
mer conduct has brought on Spain; and 
like the criminals of Cadiz, given up to 
the execration of mankind. 
THE 
