SPAIN. 



767 



The movement of shipping, in 1862, was as 

 follows: 



The Cortes, which had been opened in De- 

 cember, 1864, adopted (March, 1865) a new 

 law abolishing the seizure of journals, and 

 the necessity of naming a responsible editor, 

 and of furnishing caution money. Though 

 less stringent than its predecessor, the new 

 law did not satisfy the Liberal party, and a 

 protest against it was signed by the editors of 

 twenty-two Madrid journals. A proposal for 

 electoral reform, brought forward with the ob- 

 ject of terminating the withdrawal of the Pro- 

 gressists from political action, was opposed by 

 the Government, and rejected by 160 against 

 105 votes. 



On February 20th Marshal Narvaez read a 

 bill, drawn up at the instance of the Queen, and 

 offering the immense property forming the royal 

 patrimony, with the exception of the royal 

 residences and the estates entailed upon the 

 crown of Spain, for sale for the benefit of the 

 nation. The bill provides that seventy-five per 

 cent, of the proceeds go to the public treasury, 

 and twenty-five per cent, to the royal treasury, 

 the purchase money of these estates being pay- 

 able in four instalments. The bill was received 

 with enthusiasm, and the Chamber unani- 

 mously agreed to a proposal for an address ex- 

 pressive of gratitude to the Queen. A commit- 

 tee was formed to draw up the address imme- 

 diately. The sale was estimated to produce 

 600,000,000 reals. The whole Chamber, ac- 

 companied by the committee, went to the place 

 to present the address to the Queen, expressing 

 the gratitude of the country for the proposed 

 sale of the royal property. 



From April 8th to 10th, Madrid was in a state 

 of great excitement. A demonstration of the 

 students of the University, who intended to 

 serenade the rector whom the Government had 

 dismissed, called forth an interference of troops, 

 who killed and wounded a number of persons. 

 The greater part of the Madrid newspapers, 

 viz., the "Iberia," "Nacion," "Bolsa," "Dem- 

 ocracia," "Discusion," " Razon," "Espanola," 

 " Reino," " Patria," " Contemporaneo," and 

 "Novedades," described the events in colors 

 most unfavorable to the Government, maintain- 

 ing that the disturbance was altogether the 

 work of agents provocateurs to gain political 

 capital for the ministry. The majority of the 

 Cortes, being adherents of the ministry, did not, 

 however, hold the latter responsible for blood- 

 shed. 



In June a military conspiracy was discovered 

 at Valencia. The authors of the plot were the 

 colonel and officers of the regiment of Barce- 



lona, garrisoned in the town. In the night of 

 the 9th the captain-general of the province of 

 Valencia, whose suspicions had been raised for 

 some days, surprised at midnight the colonel, 

 some officers, and several sergeants of the Bour- 

 bon regiment, assembled together at the bar- 

 racks, and had them arrested. In the Chamber 

 of Deputies it was explained on the part of the 

 Government that information had been received 

 from various quarters that Gen. Prim had in- 

 tended to head the insurrection, and that there- 

 fore he had been ordered by the Government 

 to return to Spain. 



On June 19th Marshal Narvaez tendered his 

 resignation as President of the Council, and on 

 June 21st a new ministry was formed, com- 

 posed as follows: President of Council and 

 Minister of War, Marshal O'Donnell ; Foreign 

 Affairs, Senor Bermudez Castro ; Interior, Se- 

 nor Posada Herrena; Public Works, Senor 

 Armijo ; Colonies, Senor Canovas ; Marine, 

 Senor Zavala; Finance, Senor Alonso Marti- 

 nez; Justice, Senor Fernando Calderon Collan- 

 tes. On June 23d Marshal O'Donnell delivered 

 a speech in the Cortes, defining the policy of 

 his administration. The Government, he said, 

 had decided upon recognizing the kingdom of 

 Italy, and in preserving amicable relations with 

 foreign powers. With regard to the home policy, 

 Marshal O'Donnell announced the general am- 

 nesty for offences against the printing law, and 

 stated that the ministry would shortly bring for- 

 ward an electoral law, diminishing the quali- 

 fication for the suffrage, and establishing elec- 

 tions by provinces, according to the law of 1837, 

 and also a new and very liberal printing law. The 

 rector and professors of the Madrid University, 

 who were dismissed some time ago, would be 

 restored to their posts. The electoral law pro- 

 posed by the Government was adopted by both 

 Chambers; in the House of Deputies by 171 

 votes against 27. The new law lowers the 

 electoral franchise so as nearly to quadruple 

 the number of electors, particularly in the 

 great cities. The total number of electors ac- 

 cording to the new law is about 800,000 ; in 

 the city of Madrid, 35,000. The clergy have 

 about 40,000 votes. 



A new election of a Chamber of Deputies 

 took place in November. The majority of the 

 Progressist party and of the Democrats again 

 decided to take no part in the election. The 

 only notable exception among the leaders was 

 Senor Madoz, who presented himself as candi- 

 date at Barcelona^ and was elected. Alto- 

 gether about 217,000 voted at the election. 

 Of the successful candidates, 4 belong to the 

 Progressistas ; 20 to the u Neo-Catholics" (Ul- 

 tramontanes, Absolutists) ; 30 to the " Modo- 

 rados" (of whom Narvaez is the chief) ; the 

 others (about 300) to the " Liberal Union" (Min- 

 isterial party). 



The Progressistas defined their position by a 

 manifesto issued on November 26th, in wftich 

 they demanded the following reforms : Individ- 

 ual civil and religious liberty ; great reductions 



