708 



SPAIN. 



ship of Antonio Canovas del Castillo, on the 

 last day of 1874, was as follows : Canovas del 

 Castillo, President ; Marquis de Molins, Minister 

 of the Navy; Pedro Salavierra, Minister of 

 Finance ; Abelardo de Ayala, Colonial Minis- 

 ter ; Marquis de Orovio, Minister of Commerce 

 and Public Works ; Alejandro Castro, Minister 

 of Foreign Affairs; Francisco de Cardenas, Min- 

 ister of Justice ; General Jovellar, Minister of 

 War ; Francisco Komero Robledo, Minister of 

 the Interior. On January 3d, the ministry 

 sent a circular dispatch to its diplomatic agents 

 at foreign courts, notifying them of the change 

 that had taken place, and instructing them to 

 bring it to the notice of the governments to 

 whom they were accredited. The King entered 

 the harbor of Barcelona on January 9th, where 

 he was received with great enthusiasm. After 



passing through Valencia and other cities he 

 arrived in Madrid on the 14th, where his re- 

 ception was as enthusiastic as it had been on 

 all parts of the route. 



He hastened to place himself on a friendly 

 footing with the Pope. Immediately upon his 

 entrance into Spain he asked for the blessing 

 of the Pope, which was granted without delay. 

 The Minister of Justice, Cardenas, soon after 

 issued a circular to the cardinals, archbishops, 

 and bishops, in which he stated that "a new 

 era was about to begin, in which the friendly 

 relations with the Holy Father, interrupted for 

 a time by the injustice 'and excesses of the im- 

 mediate past, were again to be resumed, and 

 the losses sustained by the Church were to be 

 made good." A royal decree soon after or- 

 dained the return of the church property, con- 



BARCELONA. 



fiscated under the previous governments, while 

 the Protestant churches in Madrid were closed. 

 A royal decree of February 9th revoked the 

 law passed under the Republican Government 

 allowing civil marriages. All such marriages 

 were declared illegal, as also those entered into 

 by former nuns or priests. On April 28th the 

 papal nuncio Simeoni, arrived in Madrid. In 

 May a decree was published permitting news- 

 papers to discuss all constitutional questions, 

 and authorizing public meetings of all legal 

 parties. A meeting of former ministers, dep- 

 uties, and senators, resolved to restore the 

 party of the " Union Liberal " as it had been 

 founded in the time of O'Donnell, with the 

 same political principles, and the unconditional 

 recognition of the monarchy of Alfonso XII. 

 On May 27th a meeting of three hundred and 

 forty-one members of the former Senate of 

 Spain was held in Madrid. Of these, two hun- 

 dred and thirty-eight had sent in written ad- 



hesions to the Government of Alfonso XII. 

 Resolutions were passed advocating the union 

 of all the monarchical parties, with a view to 

 support parliamentary government and the 

 constitutional rule of the young King. It was 

 also resolved that a sub-committee should be 

 formed to draw up a political programme, to 

 be submitted on a future occasion. In the be- 

 ginning of June, General Jovellar resigned his 

 position as Minister of War, to take command 

 of the Army of the Centre, and General Primo 

 de Riverda took his place. In July the com- 

 mission of nine members, appointed to prepare 

 the draft of a new constitution for the king- 

 dom of Spain, concluded their labors. The 

 draft opened with a declaration of individual 

 and religious liberty. The Legislature is to 

 consist of a Senate and Chamber of Deputies. 

 The Senate shall be composed of three hun- 

 dred members, of whom one-third are heredi- 

 tary, one-third appointed by the crown, and 



