GENERAL HISTORY 



[159 



his Majesty with some slight 

 variations. 



His Majesty, on January 23i-d, 

 issued the following decree 

 relative to the establishment of 

 four free ports in the peninsula. 



" The King having had under 

 his consideration the exposition 

 of the deputies of the boards of 

 trade and revenue, and desirous 

 of giving new vigour to trade by 

 every possible facility in mercan- 

 tile operations, by opening new 

 channels which may obviate delay 

 and the accumulation of charges, 

 as well as for the supply of the 

 provinces of the peninsula, as for 

 the ports of America, and with a 

 view to afford every possible 

 advantage to the inhabitants of 

 both ; his Majesty has been 

 pleased to order that, for the 

 present, Santander, Corunna, 

 Cadiz, and Alicant, are declared 

 free ports, under the conditions 

 which the Directors of the Reve- 

 nues have pointed out in their 

 report of the 29th of November 

 in the last year ; and they are 

 charged, in conformity thereto, 

 to prepare the necessary regula- 

 tions and instructions, paying the 

 most particular attention to avoid 

 and guard against any abuse 

 which, under the cloak of this 

 concession, might be attempted 

 to the prejudice of the revenue, 

 or the national manufactures." 



By order of his Majesty, 



(Signed) Garay. 



The Gazette of Madrid dated 

 March 1st contains a definitive 

 edict relative to the Spanish 

 exiles. It banishes for ever from 

 their country, all those who have 

 acted under the usurper in quality 

 of counsellors, ministers, &c. ; all 

 military officers down to the rank 



of captains inclusively, who served, 

 under his banners ; and generally, 

 all who in any way abetted the 

 cause of the usurpation. With 

 these exceptions, all the other 

 fugitives are permitted to return, 

 under certain prescribed condi- 

 tions, one of which is, that they 

 shall fix their domicile in a deter- 

 mined place, at a prescribed 

 distance from the capital and 

 royal palaces. 



Various circumstances now 

 began to press hard upon the 

 financial system of this country ; 

 and upon April 3rd his Majesty 

 thought proper to address a royal 

 decree to his minister Don Martin 

 de Garay, concerning the means 

 of giving credit to the capitals 

 called the Royal Vales, that they 

 might become productive, instead 

 of remaining in their present 

 unproductive state. His Majesty 

 said, that he had directed the 

 attention of his councils towards 

 this object ; and the result of 

 their deliberations was, that it was 

 impossible to attain it by the 

 punctual payment of the interest 

 in specie, since the nation, im- 

 poverished by numerous adver- 

 sities, could not easily find re- 

 sources sufficient for the annual 

 discharge of the excessive sums to 

 which that interest now amounts. 

 And though, he observed, Imight, 

 at the expence of extraordinary 

 sacrifices for my people, create 

 some confidence in the Vales, 

 still their credit would be always 

 precarious, and dependent on the 

 slightest political event, which 

 might render it necessary to 

 augment the expences of the 

 state, and to suspend a system of 

 economy which I have adopted. 

 His Majesty then proceeded to 



consider 



