12 The Last Days of Spain 



astonishing address, all the measures 

 t;ik( 11 by the patriots to put an end to 

 so many calamities. He wonld not 

 even allow a single patrol, guard, or 

 scuthiel, to be placed at the gates of 

 Ihc city, which should have been con- 

 sidered as l)esieged by a hostile army, 

 and the friends of liberty were entirely 

 ignorant of the operations of their ene- 

 mies. During the night of the 61h and 

 7th, the rebel;; made an attack upon 

 the capital. Two patriotic individuals 

 brought intelligence of the cireuin- 

 stance to Morillo, who tlcw into a 

 ■violent passion: "I will instantly," 

 said lie, " send yon to prison ; yon are 

 jacoliins ; you are disturliers of the 

 public peace, you are spreading i'alse 

 reports, for the purpose of exciting 

 civil commotion, and inducing us to 

 slaughter each other." He had 

 scarcely pronounced these words, when 

 some shots were heard, which pro- 

 ceeded from the assaiJers and as- 

 sailed. Some bands of the rebels 

 attacked with fury the Constitntion-.l 

 troops; the latter defended Iheniselver;, 

 and fought with noble spirit. The 

 nalional guard of Madrid gained im- 

 mortal glory ; this body of troops was, 

 for the most part, composed of 



grandees of Spain, noblemen, public 

 «;liaiacters, tradesmen, and olhcis, 

 nocustoined lo a sedenlaiy an'l quiet 

 life. Their courage, discipline, and 

 coolness, equalled those displayed by 

 the best troops of the line. After a 

 few hours, the rebels were repulsed on 

 all sides with considerable loss, and 

 they left the streets of Madrid sti ewed 

 "*vith dead bodies. Those who es- 

 caped death took refuge in the palace, 

 wiih the oilier revolted battalions who 

 bad not quitted their post. It would 

 be impossible to describe the despair 

 of those who were at the palace, and 

 Mho tully relied on certain triumph. 

 The king alone was almost indillerent; 

 •when news was broughc him that his 

 guards were cut oH", he uttered those 

 words, which strongly mark his cha- 

 racter: " ilirt ybt, qu'ils prenneiU pa- 

 tience ; pour moi, cela rnest presfjue 

 t'f/nl. J'etoisroi ronstitulionel — Je rcste 

 rui cims'itiitionel." 



'llic morning of the 7th was spent in 

 astonishment and surprise. The pub- 

 lic knew not 'how to determine the 

 real causes of the events of the pre- 

 ceding night. In the meaii time, the 

 ardour of the Constitutidnaiists did not 

 abate ; tbry perceived, witli tlii'stn.iig- 

 «.'sl indignation, that the assausiiis of 



[Feb. I, 



their countrymen had found refuge iti 

 the king's habitation, and that this 

 monarch took a delight in being sur- 

 rounded by rebels and plunderers. It 

 was impossible to contain the exaspera- 

 tion of the patriots ; at three o'clock in 

 the aiteriioon they attacked the guards 

 of the palace ; and the latter, closely 

 pressed, escaped through a private 

 passage; but, when they gained the 

 open country, the national guards fell 

 ui)on them, and killed or took them 

 prisoners. The triumph was now com- 

 plete, and the king received, with a 

 smiling coiintciiance, the congratula- 

 tions addressed to him on his happy 

 deliverance, by the constituted authori- 

 ties and the public functionaries. Mo- 

 rillo, overwhelmed by proofs of his 

 treachery, hated by the people, and 

 despised by the court, was deprived of 

 the military command of the province 

 of Madrid, and obtained permission to. 

 retire to bis country-house. Alter so 

 violent a commotion, the patriots 

 demanded a ministry composed of such 

 men as were free from suspicion, and 

 whose interests were congenial to the 

 constitutional system. Don iMaristq 

 de San Miguel, a young colunel who 

 had been chief of the st;;fl' in Ri-go's 

 army, was, in consequence, named 

 minister tor forei;;n allairs, and 

 became the acting member of the 

 whole cabinet. 'Jhe news of the events 

 of the 7fh of July at Madrid traversed 

 Europe, and plainly indicated to the 

 despots and their cabinets, that it was 

 necessary to strike a decisive blow 

 against so formidable a party, and 

 spare no means to put a restraint ou 

 the patriotic and libersl spirit which 

 had developed itself with such vigour in 

 Spain. Already the troojjs of the 

 Faitli had inundated the southern 

 provinces. A shadow of counter- 

 revolutionary government was raised 

 in the mountains of Catalonia, and 

 Ferdinand was required to invest its 

 members with full power to govern in 

 his name. Ever skilful in the art of 

 suhtcrl'ugf,and fearful of compromising 

 himself, Ferdinand obstinately refused 

 his siitnature ; Init the Count de 

 Lagarde urged him so closely, and 

 gave so much importance to this pro- 

 cedure, that the monarch consented, 

 and his executive power w as delegated 

 t<i General Eguia, a fanatic of eighty 

 years of age, and a veteran in conspi- 

 racies, liy this delegated power, 

 w hicli the general could transfer to one 

 or several perilous, he was authorise<l 



to 



