SPAIN. 



686 



Tho value of the imports and exports, in 



1S.J7, \v ;1 , i-timutfd us follows: 



Import*. 



Exporu. 



The value of imports during tho years 1804, 

 1805, and 1800, was as follows: 



Imports in 1864 199,000,000 escndos. 



18C5 162,600,003 



1S60 129,900,000 " 



Thomas, Duke of Genoa, a nephew of King 

 Victor Emmanuel, having refused to he a 

 candidate for the vacant throne, in conse- 

 quence of the opposition of his mother, the 

 Duchess of Genoa, the Spanish ambassador 

 at Florence communicated this refusal to the 

 Provisional Government, on December 29, 1809. 

 In consequence of the failure of this candi- 

 date, whom they had warmly advocated, the 

 ministers tendered their resignation on Jan- 

 uary 10th, and a new Cabinet was formed, in 

 which Rivero was Minister of the Interior, and 

 MonterO'Rios, Minister of Justice. Topeto re- 

 entered the Cabinet as Minister of Marine. 

 General Prim introduced the new Cabinet to 

 the Cortes on January llth, saying that the 

 only cause of the late crisis had been the fail- 

 ure of the candidate, and denying the existence 

 of any dissension of consequence among the 

 late ministers on any other point. Sefior Ri- 

 vero, in addressing tho Cortes, said : 



Law, aa the foundation of order and public liberties 

 perfectly exercised, is the best title of the authorities 

 to respect. The severe castigation of those who, in 

 the sphere of authority or in tho sphere of the gov- 

 erned, are wanting to this high deposit, this element 

 of nower and command in society, will be the in- 

 flexible and invariable rule of the Minister of the 

 Government. The establishment of public order upon 

 !>ases by means of organic laws is a point the 

 Government propose to effect. They also propose to 



resolve tho question of finance, to roinc our fallen 

 credit. They believe, it' th. > 



acquiescence, that the isituution of Spanitth finance is 

 not BO bad aa U generally believed. What has oc- 

 curred to it are common and constant accident* of a 

 radical revolution. 



On January 23d tho proposition for tho ex- 

 clusion of tho house of Bourbon from the 

 !-j>.uii.sh throne caino before the Cortes for final 

 action, and was the occasion of an exciting 

 debate. General Prim participated and made 

 a personal statement. In the course of his re- 

 marks he declared that the proposition was 

 unjust to exclude all the Bourbons, lie desired 

 to explain that his words were not designed 

 particularly to favor the Duke do Montpensier. 

 lie would go with the majority, whoever might 

 be chosen. At length a vote was reached, and 

 the proposal was rejected by a large majority 

 yeas 38, nays 151. 



On January 29th an exciting discussion oc- 

 curred in the Cortes between Sefior Figueras, 

 one of tho leaders of the Republicans, and Gen- 

 eral Prim. The former defended the recent 

 Republican insurrection and asserted that it 

 was a deliberate act of the people to defend 

 their individual rights, which had been vio- 

 lated by the Government. Ho further asserted 

 that those so-called insurgents who had been 

 killed by the Government troops were simply 

 assassinated. General Prim rose and demanded 

 a retraction of the offensive words. Sefior Fi- 

 gueras refused to retract. 



The Duke de Montpensier arrived at Madrid 

 on February 14th, and had long interviews 

 with General Prim and Admiral Topete. Dur- 

 ing the sessions of the Cortes, on the same day, 

 the Government was interrogated as to the 

 urgency of the revision of the treaty with Eug- 

 land on the slave-trade, slavery being now re- 

 jected by the national conscience, and the 

 right of search which that treaty gave to Eng- 

 land leading to vexatious interference with 

 the Spanish share of the rich commerce with 

 Africa. Senor Silvela, the Minister of State, 

 replied that by the treaty England paid $2,000,- 

 000 for the right of search, so it was a fair 

 bargain; but the Government would invite 

 England to reverse tho treaty, as Spain would 

 no longer countenance or allow the importa- 

 tion of negroes. 



On the 7th of March the Infante Don Enrique 

 de Bourbon published a violent and highly-in- 

 sulting pamphlet against the Duke de Mont- 

 pensier. A challenge from the latter was tho 

 immediate consequence, and a duel took place 

 on the 12th, in which Don Enrique was killed. 

 On April 12th a court-martial assembled for 

 the trial of the Duke de Montpensier, who -was 

 sentenced to be exiled from Madrid for one 

 month, and to pay an indemnity of 30,000 

 francs to the family of Don Enrique. The 

 latter, however, indignantly refused the in- 

 demnity. 



Serious disturbances took place in Bar- 

 celona. The insurrbction soon spread over the 

 whole of Catalonia, and it was with the ut- 



