598 
THE CAPITAL. 
Having noticed some of those circum- 
stances which marked the transition 
from slavery to freedom, in the provinces, 
it remains for me to add a few facts rela- 
tive to what took place in the capital pre- 
vious to the adhesion of Ferdinand. 
The following is a list of the Ministers 
when the insurrection broke out :—Duke 
de San Fernando, Foreign Affairs; Mata 
Florida, Grace and Justice; Alos, War 
Department; Cisneros, Marine and Co- 
Jonies; Salmon, Finances; Infantado, 
Alagon and Ugarte formed part of the 
secret Council or Camarilla, and were 
supported by Ben Como, the Confessor ; 
Ramirez, the King’s Valet; and Vargas, 
Treasurer of the Household. 
Ballesteros therefore waited on the 
King, to undeceive him, by describing 
the real state of things, and ended the 
audience, by informing his Majesty, that 
the Government could not calculate on 
the obedience of a single regiment. This 
being fully confirmed by the accounts 
hourly arriving from the provinces, Fer- 
dinand yielded to the empire of neces- 
sity, and consented to sign a decree, in 
which he promised to accept the political 
code of 1812, and convoke the Cortes. 
The pericd of believing in promises 
having, however, gone by, and ge | 
that the party who had hitherto enjoye 
the royal confidence only wanted to gain 
time, the populace and soldiery took the 
alarm, assembled before the municipality, 
and elected a corporation of the most 
distinguished citizens; they then pro- 
ceeded to the Palace, and called aloud 
for the King. This appeal being made 
in such a way that it could not be resisted, 
Ferdinand appeared at a balcony, with a 
copy of the Constitution in his hand,and 
holding it up, signified his readiness to 
conform to the assurances he had given 
the preceding day.* Next to his re- 
ception in the Hall of Cortes on the 9th 
July, this must have been the proudest 
day of Ferdinand’s life. Orders being 
immediately issued to execute the desire 
of the populace, relative to naming a 
junta of government, liberation of state 
prisoners, abolishing the holy office, and 
* The efforts:of Don Francisco. de Paulo 
to remove the hesitation betrayed by Fer- 
dinand, while. the tranquillity .of Madrid 
was threatened, were seconded by these of 
the Queen and the two Princesses, her 
sisters-in-law. An attendantof her Majesty 
has informed me, that she implored Ferdi- 
hand, with tears, to come forward, a few 
moments before he appeared at the balcony. 
Blaquiere’s Spain and Spanish Revolution 
various other establishments connectea 
with the late system, the people with 
drew, exclaiming, “ Long live Ferdinand! 
Long live the Constitutional Monarch !” 
From the Palace the crowd hastened to 
the Inquisition, destroyed the instruments 
of torture, and placing the prisoners’ in an 
open car, bore them in triumph through 
the principal streets. The night closed 
with a spontaneous and general illumi- 
nation. On the next day Ballesteros’ was 
charged with the pleasing office of visitin 
the prisons, and restoring their hagga’ 
inmates, confined for political offences, to 
liberty and light. Ig r 
Besides the decrees for abolishing the 
Inquisition, and regulating the hberty of 
the press, two proclamations were pub- 
lished ; the first, bearing ‘the King’s’sig- 
nature, explained his reasons foradopting 
the fatal system of 1814, on‘the plea that 
it was recommended to him asthe most 
popular! repeating the factof his own 
adhesion, his subjects were congratulated 
on the event; this address ‘concludes 
with the following remarkable sentence: 
“Let us march frankly, and myself the 
first, in the constitutional path, by show- 
ing an example of wisdom,- order, and 
moderation, in a crisis which has been 
accompanied with so many tears and 
sorrows in other countries: Jet us make 
the Spanish name revered, at the ‘same 
time that we lay the foundation for ages 
of happiness and glory.” 
The formation of patriotic societies 
here, and in the provinces, afforded tliose 
who took no part in the administration 
the means of expressing their sentiments, 
and had an excellent etfect in suggesting 
useful hints to government, as ‘well as 
teaching the people how to appreciate 
their newly acquired rights. Neither the 
calumnies nor falsehoods cireulated with 
regard to these associations, have removed 
the impressions of their utility, in con- 
solidating and maintaining the consti- 
tutional system. BAY 10). sera 
There was but one’ solitary class that 
appeared dull in the midst of this gra- 
tifying scene, Though the liberal portion 
of the priesthood entered freely into the 
sentiments, of the. people, stimulating 
them to.espouse-the cause of freedom, 
with becoming zeal, others found-only.a 
source‘of dejection in the general joy. It 
would have been well, had this discontent 
at seeing ‘others happy been confined: to 
the solitude of their'cloisters; but;:taking 
a wider range, it was vented in an attempt 
to get up a conspiracy. As usual. ex- 
cessive piety, and a conviction that the 
change would bring down the aes 
° 
