STATE PAPERS. 



40i 



the Monarchy were innovated 

 upon: and copying the revolu- 

 tionary and democratic principles 

 of the French constitution of 1791, 

 they sanctioned, not the funda- 

 mental laws of a moderate Mo- 

 narchy, but those of a popular Go- 

 vernment, with a chief, or magis- 

 trate, their mere delegated exe- 

 cutor, and not a King, although 

 they gave him that name, to de- 

 ceive and seduce the unwary and 

 the nation. Under the same want 

 of liberty this new Constitution 

 was signed and sworn to ; and it is 

 known to all, not only what passed 

 with regard to the respectable 

 Bishop of Orense, but also the 

 punishment with which those were 

 threatened who refused to sign and 

 swear to it. 



To prepare the public mind to 

 receive such novelties, especially 

 those regarding my royal person 

 and the prerogatives of the Crown, 

 the public newspapers were re- 

 sorted to as a means, some of 

 which the Deputies of the Cortes 

 conducted, and abused the liberty 

 of the press, established by them, 

 to render the Royal power odious, 

 giving to all the rights of Majesty 

 the name of despotism — making 

 King and Despot synonimous 

 terms, — and calling Kings tyrants: 

 while at the same time they cruelly 

 persecuted every one wlio had the 

 firmness to contradict them, or to 

 dissent from this revolutionary and 

 seditious mode of thinking : and 

 in every thing democracy was 

 affected, the army and navy, and 

 all other establishments which, 

 from time immemorial, had been 

 called royal, being stripped of that 

 name, and national substituted, 

 with which they flattered the 

 [»eople ; who, however, in spite of 



these perverse arts retained, by 

 their natural loyalty, the good feel- 

 ings which always formed their 

 character. Of all this, since I 

 have happily entered the kingdom, 

 I have been acquiring faithful in- 

 formation and knowledge, partly 

 from my own observations, and 

 partly from the public papers, in 

 which, up to this very day, repre- 

 sentations of my arrival and my 

 character are impudently circu- 

 lated, so gross and infamous in 

 themselves, that even with re- 

 gard to any other individual they 

 would constitute very heavy of- 

 fences worthy of severe notice and 

 punishment. Circumstances so un- 

 expected have filled rny heart with 

 bitterness, which could only be 

 alleviated by the demonstrations of 

 affection from all those who hoped 

 for my arrival, in order that by 

 my presence an end might be put 

 to these calamities, and to the op- 

 pression in which those were, who 

 retained in their minds the remem- 

 brance of my person, and sighed for 

 the true happiness of their country. 

 I swear and promise to you, true 

 and loyal Spaniards, at the same 

 time that 1 sympathize with the 

 evils which you have suffered, you 

 shall not be disappointed of your 

 noble expectations. Your Sove- 

 reign wishes to be so on your ac- 

 count, and in this he places his 

 glorjs that he is the Sovereign of 

 an heroic nation, who by their im- 

 mortal deeds have gained the ad- 

 miration of the world, and pre- 

 served their liberty and honour. 

 I abhor and detest despotism — 

 neither the intelligence and culti- 

 vation of the nations of Europe 

 could now endure it, nor in Spain 

 were its kings ever despots. Nei- 

 ther its good laws, nor constitution. 



