GENERAL HISTORY. 



[77 



ingratiate himself with the public 

 by acts of condescension and kind- 

 ness. Particularly, it is related 

 that, on the morning of October 

 4th, he visited the royal prison of 

 Madrid, and examined its different 

 departments inquiring into the 

 cases of some who were detained 

 for slight offences, and giving them 

 their discharge, and ordering the 

 demolition of a horrible part 

 called the Grillera, destined to so- 

 litary confinement. 



The high character formerly 

 sustained by General Mina cannot 

 foil to interest readers in his fate, 

 notwithstanding his failure in an 

 enterprize perhaps rashly under- 

 taken, and the precise object of 

 which is only matter of conjec- 

 ture. We therefore subjoin the 

 following particulars respecting 

 him, taken from a French account. 

 His nephew, a gallant young 

 man, after the miscarriage at Pam- 

 peluna, took refuge at Pau with 

 several officers attached to him 

 and his uncle, and having pre- 

 sented himself at the police-office, 

 addressed a memorial to Louis 

 XVIII. In this he represented 

 that he had constantly supported 

 the Bourbon cause in Spain, and 

 that his great object had been to 

 effect their restoration to the Spa- 

 nish throne on the basis of a free 

 constitution ; that such a constitu- 

 tion had been acknowledged by 

 the whole nation, but that Fer- 

 dinand, unmindful of the blood 

 which had been shed in his cause, 

 had persecuted with the greatest 

 rigour those patriots who had 

 most exerted themselves in his 

 behalf, and had plunged the nation 

 in the greatest calamities. On 

 this account, he (Mina) with 

 many of his companions in arms 



had made an exertion in support 

 of the constitution, but having 

 failed, they now applied to his 

 Majesty to grant them hospitality 

 in France, or to furnish them with 

 passports to any other country than 

 Spain. About this period Espoz 

 de Mina arrived in Paris with four 

 or five of his officers, and applied 

 under fictitious names for pass- 

 ports to Count de Casa Flores. 

 the Spanish Charge d'Affaires. 

 Being recognized by one of the 

 legation, notice was given to the 

 Count, who amused Mina till he 

 had obtained from the French 

 commissary of police an order for 

 his arrest. The French minister 

 for foreign affairs, apprised of the 

 fact, caused the commissary to be 

 arrested in turn for having vio- 

 lated the laws of France, by obey- 

 ing the order of a foreigner, who 

 had no authority whatever in the 

 kingdom. The king was then 

 informed of the whole affair, and 

 directly ordered Mina to be li- 

 berated, and dismissed the com- 

 missary from his office ; and in 

 consequence of what subsequently 

 passed, the Spanish Charge d*Af- 

 f aires was ordered to quit the 

 French territory. Nothing could 

 be more honourable to Louis and 

 his ministers than the proceedings 

 on this occasion. 



Another instance of the preva- 

 lent policy in the Spanish govern- 

 ment of reverting to old institu- 

 tions, was given by re-investing 

 the council of the Mesta in its 

 former function, by which the- 

 flocks of Merino sheep will be per- 

 mitted, as formerly, to traverse all 

 Spain, notwithstanding the injury 

 thence accruing to agriculture, 

 which has been demonstrated by 

 various enlightened writers. 



