Catastrophe of Spain. 
371 
Ty subjects convinced Europe, by 
their fidelity and their constancy, that, 
although Spain nourished in her bosom 
some unnatural children, the sons of 
rebellion, the nation in general was reli- 
gious, monarchical, and passionately de- 
voted to its legitimate sovereign. 
The whole of Europe—well aware of 
my captivity, and that of all the royal fa- 
mily, of the deplorable situation of my 
loyal and faithful subjects, and of the 
pernicious doctrines which Spanish agents 
were disseminating on all sides—resolved 
to put an end to a state of things, which 
constituted a common reproach, .nd 
which menaced with destruction all 
thrones and all. ancient institutions, in 
order to substitute impiety and profli- 
gacy. 
France, entrusted with so sacred. an 
enterprise, has triumphed in a few 
months over the efforts of all the rebels 
of the world, collected for the misery of 
Spain upon her classic soil of fidelity and 
loyalty. 
My august and well-beloved cousig, the 
Duke d’Angouleme, at the head of a 
valiant army, a conqueror throughout all 
my territories, has rescued me from the 
slavery in which [ pined, and restored me 
to my constant and faithful subjects. _ 
Replaced upon the throne of St. Ferdi- 
nand, by the just and wise hand of Pro- 
vidence, as well as by the generous 
efforts of my noble allies, and the valiant 
enterprize of my cousin, the Duke d’An- 
gouleme, and his brave army, desirous of 
applying a remedy to the most pressing 
necessities of my people,.and of mani- 
festing to all my real will in this, the first 
moment of my recovered liberty, I have 
authorised the following decree : 
Art. 1, All the Acts of the government 
called Constitutional (of what kind and 
description they may be), a system which 
oppressed my people from the 7th of 
March, 1820, until the 21st of October, 
1823, are declared null and void, declar- 
ing, as I now declare, that during the 
whole of that period I have been de- 
prived of my liberty, obliged to sanction 
laws and authorize orders, decrees, and 
regulations, which the said government 
framed and executed against my will. 
Art. 2, Lapprove of every thing which 
has been decreed and ordered by the 
Provisional Junta of Government, and 
by the Regency, the one created at 
Oyarzun, April 9, the other May 26, in 
the present year; waiting, meanwhile, 
until sufficiently informed as to the 
wants of my people, I may be able to be- 
stow those laws, and adopt those mea- 
sures, which shall be best calculated to 
secure their real prosperity and welfare, 
the constant object of all my wishes. 
ou may communicate this decree to all 
the ministers. 
(Signed by the royal hand.) 
D. Vicror SAEZ... 
Port St. Mary, Oct. 1. 
A second Decree orders the purification 
of all the civil authorities and the sup- 
pression of the constitutional army; no 
officer shall be admitted into the royal 
army till he shall have purified himself; 
(purificads ) in one of the Councils of War, 
which shall be formed for that purpose. 
A third Decree repels from the Spanish 
dominions all foreigners of whatever na- 
tion they may be, who have taken part 
in the revolution, or supported or served 
the cause of the revolutionists. 
A fourth Decree convokes the ancient 
Cortes of the kingdom, and fixes the 
mode of election. 
A fifth, gives splendid recompence to 
the French generals. 
A sixth, ordains that, on his journey to 
the capital, no individual who, during 
the existence of the system styled Con- 
stitutional, has been a deputy to the Cortes 
in the two last legislative sittings, shall 
present himself or be within five leagues 
of the route to Madrid. This prohibition 
is also applicable to the ministers, coun- 
cillors of state, the members of the Su- 
preme Tribunal of Justice, the com- 
mandants-general, political chiefs, the 
persons employed in the several depart- 
ments of the secretaries of state, and th 
chiefs and officers of the ci-devant na- 
tional volunteer militia, to whom _ his 
majesty interdicts for ever (para siempre) 
entrance to the capital and the royal 
residence, or approach thereto within a 
circumference of fifteen leagues. 
A seventh is in the following terms.— 
My soul cannot be at rest till, united to 
my beloved subjects, we shall offer to 
God pious sacrifices that he may deign 
to purify by his grace the soil of Spain 
from so. many stains. In order that 
objects of such importance may be at- 
tained, I have resolved that in all pla- 
ces in my dominions, the tribunals, the 
juntas, and all the public bodies, shall 
implore the clemency of the Almighty in 
favour of the nation, and that the arch- 
bishops, bishops, and capitular. vicars 
of vacant sees, the priors of orders, and 
all those who exercise ecclesiastical ju- 
risdictions, shall prepare missions, which 
shall exert themselves to destroy erro- 
neous, pernicious, and heretical doctrines, 
and shut up in the monasteries, of which 
the rules are the most rigid, those ec- 
clesiastics who have been the agents of| 
an impious faction. 
An event, which doubtless hastened 
the fall of Cadiz, was the unfortunate 
capture of the. brave Reco, the 
chivalrous: 
