STATE PAPERS. 



40Sv 



that day, I determined in my royal 

 mind to repl}' to sentiments so 

 loyal, and to satisfy the great obli- 

 gations which a king is under to- 

 wards his subjects, to dedicate my 

 whole time to the discharge of 

 such august functions, and to re- 

 pair the evils which the pernicious 

 influence of a favourite had caused 

 in the preceding reign. My first 

 labours were directed to the re- 

 storation of various magistrates 

 and other persons, who had been 

 arbitrarily removed from their 

 functions ; but the difficult stale of 

 affairs, and the perfidy of Buona- 

 parte, from the cruel effect of 

 which I wished, by proceeding to 

 Bayonne, to preserve my people, 

 scarcely allowed time for more. 

 The royal family being assembled 

 there, an atrocious attack was per- 

 petrated on the whole of it, and 

 particularly on my person, une- 

 qualled in the history of civilized 

 nations, both in its circumstances 

 and in the series of events which 

 took place there ; and the sacred 

 law of nations being there violated 

 in the highest degree, I was de- 

 prived of my liberty, stripped of 

 the government of my kingdoms, 

 and conveyed to a palace with my 

 very dear brother and uncle, which 

 served as a sort of honourable 

 prison for about the space of six 

 years. Amidst this affliction, I 

 had always present to my mind the 

 love and loyalty of my people, 

 and the consideration of the end- 

 less calamities to which they were 

 exposed formed a great part of my 

 griefs ; inundated as they were 

 with enemies, nearly destitute of 

 all means of resistance, without 

 King, and without a Government 

 previously established, which might 

 put in motion and unite at its 



voice the force of the nation, direct 

 its impulse, and avail itself of the 

 resources of the State, to combat 

 the forces which simultaneously 

 invaded the Peninsula, and had 

 treacherously got possession of its 

 principal fortresses. In this la- 

 mentable situation, as the only 

 reniedy that remained, I issued, as 

 well as I could,' while surrounded 

 by force, the Decree of the 5th of 

 May, 1808, addressed to the Coun- 

 cil of Castile, and in defect of it to 

 any other Board or audience that 

 might be at liberty, in order that 

 the Cortes might be convoked, 

 who had only to employ themselves 

 on the spur of the moment, in 

 raising the taxes and supplies ne- 

 cessary for the defence of the 

 kingdom, remaining permanent 

 f»r other events which might 

 occur ; but this my Royal Decree 

 unfortunately was not known 

 there : and although it was af- 

 terwards known, the provinces 

 provided ft»r the same object, as 

 soon as the accounts reached them 

 of the cruel tragedy perpetrated in 

 Madrid on the memorable 2nd of 

 May, by the Chief of the French 

 troops, through the instrumentality 

 of the Juntas which they created. 

 Next took place the glorious battle 

 of Baylen : the French fled as far 

 as Vittoria, and all the provinces, 

 with the capital, proclaimed me, 

 anew, King of Castile and Leon, 

 in the metropolis, with the same 

 formalities as the Kings my august 

 predecessors. This is a recent fact, 

 of which the medals struck in all 

 parts afford demonstrative proof, 

 and which the people through 

 whom 1 have passed since my re- 

 turn from France have confirmed 

 by the effusion of vivas which 

 moved the sensibility of my heart, 

 2D2 



