1831.J 



Domestic and Foreign. 



99 



vels, and writes his book. Within a few 

 months Mr. I. has thus contemplated all 

 the most interesting portions of Spain, 

 especially of the south, and in no book of 

 travels will readers find the character of 

 the S])aniards better described, or the 

 condition and circumstances of the peo- 

 ple, in the different and even dissimilar 

 parts of the country, more satisfactorily 

 detailed. The north, and centre, and 

 south of Spain are strikingly distin- 

 guished from each other ; they are in- 

 deed three separate nations, with few 

 qualities in common among them. Mr. 

 Inglis's attention is closely drawn to the 

 political state of the country, and his an- 

 ticipations of any advance towards a con- 

 stitutional government are very far from 

 encouraging. The government is in 

 much greater danger of falling into the 

 hands of the Absolutists. The Basque 

 jirovinces are already comparatively free 

 — they have their political privileges, 

 and trouble themselves little about the 

 matter — vvhile the south, from indolence 

 or ignorance, care nothing about free- 

 dom, and will not wag a finger to pro- 

 mote it 



" I left England," says Mr. I., " in 

 the belief that there existed in Spain 

 two great parties — the constitutionalists 

 and the adherents of the government ; 

 the latter, indeed, somewhat divided, 

 and comprising many shades of opinion, 

 ranging from absolutism to a point .some- 

 where between that and moderation. 

 But this estimate I discovered to be very 

 erroneous. I found three parties in 

 Spain — the absolutists, there denomi- 

 nated Carlists ; the government party, 

 there called the moderate party ; and the 

 liberals. The most influential of these 

 parties is, beyond all question, the first, 

 ilcckoning the total population of Spain, 

 this party is by far the most numerous ; 

 it comprises the great mass of the lower 

 orders throughout Spain ; and in many 

 parts almost the whole population, as in 

 Toledo, the towns and villages of the 

 Castiles, and the provinces of IVIurcia 

 and Catalonia. It comprises, with few 

 exceptions, the 130,000 friars, and a 

 great majority of the clergy, and it com- 

 jirises a considerable proportion of the 

 military, both officers and privates, but 

 chiefly the former. AVith such compo- 

 nents, it is evident that this party does 

 not dc])end for its power solely upon its 

 numerical superiority. The wealth of 

 the church and the convents is inmiense. 

 This ])arty is devoted to l.'arlos, the 

 king's brother, and chiefly because he is 

 considered to be a man of more firmness, 

 and more to lie relied upon in case of a 

 struggle than the king. 



" In j)oinl of numbers the liberals 

 come next, better known in iMigland as 

 constitutionalists. J$ut if, by tliis party, 

 says Mr. I., be meant those who desire 



a return to the constitution of 18'20, or 

 who would be satisfied to leave the set- 

 tlement of the government to an army 

 of refugees, thei-e is no such party in 

 Spain ; but if, by the liberal party, we 

 are to understand those who perceive 

 the vices of the present government, and 

 Avho dread still more the ascendancy of 

 the Carlists, those who view with satis- 

 faction the progress of enlightened opi- 

 nions in politics and in religion, and who 

 desire earnestly that Spain should be 

 gradually' assimilated in her institutions 

 with the other civilized nations of Eu- 

 rope, then the lil)eral party comprises 

 the principal intelligence of the country, 

 and subtracting from the population the 

 lowest orders, the employ e'es, the friars, 

 and the priests, it possesses a great nu- 

 merical majority. In any other country 

 than Spain, this party would wield an 

 influence to which its numerical strength 

 would not entitle it; but in Spain, the 

 light of intellect spreads but a little 

 way ; for it has to Struggle with the 

 thick mists of ignorance and supersti-- 

 tion ; and when we say that the liberal 

 party comprises nearly all the intelli- 

 gence of the coimtry, it must be remem- 

 bered, that intelligence is but scantily 

 sprinkled over the face of Spain ; and 

 that, therefore, enlightened Spain and en- 

 lightened England ought to convey very 

 thfFerent ideas of numerical strength. 



" With respect to the adherents of 

 the existing government, it is a curious 

 fact," adds Mr. I., " that they should be 

 the fewest ; yet this is certainly the 

 truth. With the exception of perhaps 

 the majority of the employees, a part of 

 the regular clergy (meaning the secular 

 clergy), and the greater part of the army, 

 its friends are very thinly scattered ; and 

 its influence scarcely extends beyond the 

 sphere of its actual benefits. Its patron- 

 age has been greatly circumscribed since 

 the loss of the Americas ; its lucrative 

 appointments are centred in a few ; and 

 above all, its power and patronage are 

 held by so uncertain a tenure, that few, 

 excepting those in the actual enjoyment 

 of office, feel any assurance that their 

 interests lie in supporting that which 

 seems to hang together almost by a mi- 

 racle. 



" The Spanish government will fall by 

 its weakness, rather than by its vices — 

 it is the prospect of a stronger, not of a 

 more virtuous government, that excites 

 the exertions of the Carlists. The mass 

 of the population of Spain take little 

 heed of the vices of the government, 

 and are entirely inditterent about poli- 

 tical privileges. Tlie Bascjue provinces, 

 which are the most enlightened, have 

 little to complain of, for they enjoy a 

 multitude of jjrivileges and cxemjitions, 

 which are well defined and jealously 

 maintained ;— and as for the Spaniard of 



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