GENERAL HISTORY. 



[35 



tire enemy, it confirms ihe decree 

 of the extraordinary Cortes in 

 1811, by which the kin^ was not 

 to be acknowledged as free, or 

 obeyed, till he had taken in the 

 bosom of the national congress 

 the oath prescribed by the consti- 

 tution ; it directs what is to be 

 done by the generals on the fron- 

 tiers upon intelligence of the 

 king's approach, (irohibiting the 

 admission of any armed force with 

 him, or of a single foreigner about 

 his person ; and it specifies the 

 ceremonial to be observed on pre- 

 senting the constitution to the 

 king, and receiving his oath on 

 its acceptance. The reading of 

 this decree was accompanied with 

 the applause of the auditors. A 

 conversation ensued, respecting the 

 publication of documents for the 

 information of the people, when a 

 member named Senor Reyna rose, 

 and announcins: that he had a 

 motion to make, began with say- 

 ing, " When our Sovereign Fer- 

 dinand was born, he was born 

 with a right to the absolute so- 

 vereignty of the Spanish nation." 

 He was immediately called to 

 order by a number of voices ; but 

 insisting on his liberty as a repre- 

 sentative of the people to utter his 

 sentiments, he proceeded to assert, 

 that it was indispensable that 

 Ferdinand VII, as having by the 

 abdication of Charles IV, acquired 

 the right of being king and lord 

 ' of his people, should be in the 

 exercise of absolute sovereignty 

 the moment he crossed the Iron- 

 tiers. The greatest indignation 

 was excited against the member 

 by this unqualified declaration of 

 the highest monarchical principles, 

 both among the deputies and the 

 auditors in thf! gallery, and mo- 



tions were tumultuously made for 

 calling him to account. At length, 

 Reyna being ordered to leave the 

 hall, after some further discussion, 

 the affair was voted to be referred 

 to the consideration of a com- 

 mittee. It is to be added, that 

 the regency communicated to the 

 English ambassador an explicit 

 account of all that had passed 

 relative to the treaty, of the con- 

 tents of Ferdinand's letter, and of 

 their own conduct in consequence, 

 than which nothing could be more 

 honourable and decided ; as, on 

 the other hand, it was manifest 

 from the terms of the treaty, 

 which were published, that Fer- 

 dinand had entirely lent himself 

 to the designs of Napoleon. 



Intelligence arrived at Madrid 

 from the Baron d'Eroles, that the 

 French garrisons of Lerida, Me- 

 quinenza, and Monzon, capitu- 

 lated on Feb. 18th, remaining 

 prisoners of war. It was after- 

 wards announced that Gerona, 

 Olot, and Puycerda were freed ; 

 that the blockade of Barcelona 

 was become more strict, the 

 enemy, after having severely suf- 

 fered in a sally, remaining quiet ; 

 and that the French were in pos- 

 session of only three or four for- 

 tresses in Catalonia, together with 

 Peniscola and Murviedro. 



The state of affairs in France 

 would now no longer permit the 

 detention of Ferdinand. On March 

 24th, a message was sent by the 

 secretary of state to the Cortes, 

 informing "them of the receipt of 

 a letter signed by king Ferdinand 

 VII, acquainting the Regency 

 with his intention of setting out 

 on the 13th, from Valencey for 

 Perpignan, and his anxiety to 

 arrive speedily in Spain, coming 



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