130] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1816. 



cabinet; and being highly satis- 

 fied with the zeal, exactitude, and 

 affection, \vith which in the crud- 

 est times you have served myself 

 and the state, I re-instate you in 

 the use and exercise of your 

 offices, of which you will imme- 

 diately take charge." From the 

 same royal decree, it may be 

 learned, that the King had been 

 alarmed by reports of public dis- 

 contents ; for the extraordinary 

 commissions for the trial of state 

 offenders are abolished, and they 

 are remitted to the ordinary tri- 

 bunals ; and the use of the jjarty 

 appellations of liberules and ser- 

 ri/e« is forbidden. The other dis- 

 missed ministeis were not re- 

 stored, but other emoluments and 

 honours were conferred upon 

 them. Sucli, however, was the 

 mutability of the loyal counsels, 

 that the abolition of the com- 

 missions was soon after revoked. 

 In February a royal decree was 

 made public, informing the royal 

 council, that the King, in order 

 to strengthen the bonds of rela- 

 tionship between the families of 

 Spain and Portugal, had treated 

 with the Prince of Brazil, for an 

 union between himself and the 

 second daughter of the Prince, his 

 own niece, the Infiinta Maria 

 Isabel Francisca; and anothei' 

 union between the Infant of Spain 

 Don Carlos, and the third daugh- 

 ter of the same Prince, tlie In- 

 fanta Maria Francisca de Asis ; 

 and that full powei-s had been 

 given for concluding these ma- 

 trimonial contracts. The Duke 

 of Infantado, president of the 

 council of Castile, was nominated 

 to go in state to Cadiz, for the 

 purpose of receiving these Prin- 

 cesses on their landing from Bra- 



zil. Meanwhile, there being a 

 great deficiency of money, expe- 

 dients were resorted to for re- 

 plenishing the treasury, one of 

 which was, that it should be open 

 for receipt, but shut for pay- 

 ment. 



About this time a conspiracy 

 was detected at Madrid, the ob- 

 ject of which is reported to have 

 been the destruction of the king 

 and his brothers. It had for 

 some time been remarked, that 

 an unusual number of discharged 

 guerilla officers without pay had 

 resorted to the capital, and sus- 

 picions were thence excited, which 

 at length produced the discovery 

 of a plot. Many persons were 

 in consequence arrested, among 

 whom were names well known in 

 the history of the late war ; and 

 they were examined by torture. 

 General O'Donoghue, who was 

 one of the apprehended, was af- 

 terwards discharged. The con- 

 spiracy, of which nothing was 

 made known by authority, appears 

 to have been suppressed without 

 any public commotion. 



In July the King issued a long 

 deciee, in which, after lament- 

 ing the corruption of morals and 

 doctrine effected in Spjiin by the 

 late war, he announced liis in- 

 tention of employing in future 

 the leligiou.s orders in the educa- 

 tion of youth, and mentioned, 

 that he had obtained permission 

 from the Pope, that some of the 

 nuns should be abstracted from 

 their devotional exercises in con- 

 vents, and engaged in the edu- 

 cation of females. That the re- 

 establishment of the company of 1 

 Jesus might be effected as spee- 

 dily as possible, he declared his \ 

 sovereign will, that all the houses, 



collies. 



