GENERAL HISTORY. 



[73 



narehy in Spain was very naturally 

 followed by the re-establishment 

 of the court of Inquisition. The 

 king published a decree at Madrid, 

 dated July •21st, with the follow- 

 ing preamble : " The glorious 

 title of Catholics, which distin- 

 guishes us among all other Chris- 

 tian princes, is due to the perse- 

 verance of the kings of Spain, who 

 tolerate in their states no religion 

 but the Catholic, Apostolic, and 

 Roman. This title imposes on 

 me the duty of rendering myself 

 worthy of it, by all the means 

 that Heaven has placed in my 

 power." His Majesty proceeds to 

 speak of the causes which have 

 injured the state of religion in his 

 country, among which is men- 

 tioned, ♦' The sojournment of fo- 

 reign troops of different sects, 

 almost all infected with sentiments 

 of hatred against our religion ;" 

 and it is to be remarked, that this 

 is the only allusiou he had made to 

 the assistance afforded by England, 

 in expelling the usurpers of his 

 throne and kingdom. He then 

 declares, that for all these reasons 

 he has thought it necessary in 

 the present circumstances, that 

 the tribunal of the Holy Office 

 should resume its jurisdiction;" 

 adding, as a further motive, its 

 suppression by the Usurper of 

 Europe, and by the General and 

 Extraordinary Cortes. He re- 

 establishes the Supreme Council 

 of the Inquisition, and all its 

 other tribunals, in their powers, 

 ecclesiastical sud civil, according 

 to the ordinances in force in the 

 year 1808. He concludes, how- 

 ever, witW saying, that as soon as 

 the Supreme Council of the In- 

 quisition shall be assembled, it is 

 his intention to appoint two of 



its members, with two members 

 of the council of Castille, to exa- 

 mine the modes of proceeding of 

 the Holy Office, and if the interest 

 of his subjects, or the rights of 

 sound justice, require any reform 

 or alteration, to report them to 

 himself, that he may adopt reso- 

 lutions conformable to the cir- 

 cumstances. 



A royal ordinance was pub- 

 lished in the beginning of Au- 

 gust, by which the civil judges, 

 superior and inferior, are forbid- 

 den to make use of the torture 

 towards criminals or witnesses in 

 order to force confession. At the 

 same time his Majesty directed, 

 that in the construction of pri- 

 sons, attention should be paid to 

 healthfulness as well as security, 

 that the persons confined might 

 not undergo an anticipated pu- 

 nishment. The arrested mem- 

 bers of the Cortes were at this 

 period still detained in prison, and 

 were said to bear their fate with a 

 great appearance of fortitude. 

 The pope's nuncio, who had been 

 banished the kingdom, for his re- 

 sistance to the abolition of the in- 

 quisition, had, as might be ex- 

 pected, been recalled, and was 

 enjoying the highest degree of 

 court favour. 



An article in the French papers, 

 dated Rome, if it may be relied 

 on, is gratifying to humanity, as 

 affording the expectations of a 

 much milder future administration 

 of the inquisitorial jurisprudence 

 in Spain. It affirms that Ferdi- 

 nand has addressed a memorial to 

 the pope, in which it is proposed 

 to abolish the code called Direc- 

 torium Inquisitorium, and to adopt 

 the following rules : Mahometans, 

 Jews, and other infidels, no long«r 



