GENERAL HISTORY. 



[69 



those of a popular Government 

 with a delegated Chief at the 

 head. After charging this body 

 with the purpose of rendering all 

 regal power odious, by making 

 King and Despot synonymous 

 terms, and with the cruel persecu- 

 tion of every one who had the 

 firmness to contradict them ; his 

 Majesty proceeded to declare his 

 abhorrence and detestation of des- 

 potism ; his intention to treat with 

 the procurators of Spain and the 

 Indies, and after the re-establish- 

 ment of order, to assemble a legi- 

 timate Cortes, in which laws might 

 be enacted, serving as a rule of 

 action to his subjects ; and a de- 

 claration of his royal views in the 

 government with which he was 

 about to be vested. He spoke of 

 the liberty and security of persons 

 and property, and even touched 

 upon the freedom of the press, 

 within due limits; and he con- 

 cluded much indefinite matter of 

 this kind with saying, <' I declare 

 that my royal intention is, not only 

 not to swear or accede to the said 

 Constitution, nor to any decree of 

 the General and Extraordinary 

 Cortes, and of the Ordinary at 

 present sitting, those, to wit, which 

 derogate from the rights and pre- 

 rogatives of my sovereignty, estab- 

 lished by the Constitution and the 

 laws under which the nation has 

 livedintimespast, butto pronounce 

 that Constitution and such Decrees 

 null and of no effect, now, or at 

 any other time, and that they are 

 entirely abrogated, and without any 

 obligation on my people and sub- 

 jects to observe them. And as he 

 who should attempt to support 

 them will attack the prerogatives 

 «if my sovereignty and the happi- 

 ness of the jiation, and cause dis- 



content and disturbance in my 

 kingdom, I declare, that whoever 

 shall dare to attempt the same will 

 be guilty of high treason, and as 

 such, subject tocapital punishment, 

 whether he perform the same by 

 deed, by writing, or by words," 



The paper further commanded, 

 that until the restoration of public 

 order, and the former system of 

 things, the present magistracies of 

 towns, courts of law, tribunals of 

 justice, &c. should be continued ; 

 and that from the day of commu- 

 nicating this decree to the Presi- 

 dent of the Cortes, that body should 

 cease its sittings ; that all the acts 

 and documents in its possession 

 should be delivered up and depo- 

 sited under lock and seal in the 

 town-hall of Madrid ; and de- 

 clared, any one endeavouring in 

 any manner to obstruct the execu- 

 tion of this part of the decree, 

 guilty of high treason, and liable to 

 the punishment of death. It also 

 pronounced the cassation of any 

 pending proceedings in every tri- 

 bunal of the kingdom, on account 

 of infraction of the Constitution : 

 and the liberation of all who might 

 have been arrested or imprisoned 

 on that ground. 



It was manifest, that when a 

 Court, so little distinguished for 

 vigorous resolutions as that of 

 Spain, ventured to issue a declara- 

 tion of open hostility against the 

 existing government, it must have 

 been vneW assured of the feeble 

 hold possessed by that government 

 on the mind of the nation. In 

 fact, notwithstanding the high en- 

 comiums upon the noble and ele- 

 vated spirit of the Spanish people, 

 which have been so frequent since 

 they began to contend against 

 French tyranny, it must be acr 



