SPAIN. 



341 



vain did Quiroga', in Corunna, where Sir Robert 

 Wilson also was, collect a troop of constitutionalists, 

 with whom he continued the struggle. The heights 

 of Corunna were taken, July 15th, by general 

 Bourck, after a bloody contest, five hours in length. 

 Quiroga then left Corunna, which was bravely de- 

 fended by Novella until August 13th, when it was 

 surrendered ; and the war in Galicia was soon after 

 terminated. Mina, with not more than 6000 men, 

 sustained a partisan warfare, in Catalonia, for two 

 and a half months, unequalled in the boldness and 

 skill with which it was carried on. June 26, he 

 took up his head-quarters near Barcelona. Donna- 

 dieu and Curial advanced upon Barcelona, July 8, 

 while Milans and Llanera gradually fell back, dis- 

 puting the ground before them. General Sarsfield, 

 at this time, abandoned the cause of the constitu- 

 tionalists, arid offered his services to marshal 

 Moncey ; the garrison of Cordova planted the 

 standard of Ferdinand, and Barcelona was blockaded 

 by sea. Meanwhile, Molitor had compelled Balle- 

 steros to evacuate Valencia, and gained several ad- 

 vantages over him, which resulted in his capitula- 

 tion, August 4, and the termination of the campaign. 

 July 23, the regency issued a decree, removing from 

 office all volunteers and members of secret societies; 

 and such was the violence practised towards the 

 friends of the constitution, that the French genera- 

 lissimo published an ordinance forbidding arbitrary 

 imprisonments, and commanding the release of per- 

 sons illegally confined for political offences ; not- 

 withstanding which the outrages were continued. 

 The duke of Angouleme presented himself, August 

 16, before Cadiz, which had been previously in- 

 vested by generals Bordesalle and Bourmont, and 

 took possession of the city on the 4th of October. 

 An act of trie cortes, September 28, had already 

 reinvested the king with absolute power, and re- 

 quested him to retire to the French camp. On the 

 first of October, the king and his family had been 

 received by the duke, in form, at Puerto-Santa- 

 Maria, with cries of Viva el rey ! Viva la religion I 

 Muera la nation (Death to the nation) ! Mueran los 

 negros ! The first measure of Ferdinand was to 

 declare all the acts of the constitutional govern- 

 ment, from March 7, 1820, to October 1, 1823, 

 void, on the ground that during that time the king 

 was acting under compulsion. The war, which 

 still continued in Catalonia, where Riego had been 

 wounded and made prisoner, September 15, was 

 brought to a close in the beginning of November ; 

 and, on the 22d, the duke of Angouleme took his 

 leave of the army of the Pyrenees, which had so 

 successfully accomplished the military objects of its 

 mission. See Pecchio's Journal of Military and 

 Political Events in Spain, translated by Blaquiere 

 (London, 1824). The political objects of the ex- 

 pedition, to secure a system of mildness and mode- 

 ration, were frustrated by the bad faith of the 

 Spanish government. (See France.} In direct 

 violation of the terms of the military capitulations, 

 a persecuting and vindictive policy was adopted 

 towards the former partisans of the constitution. 

 Among the crowds of fugitives were Mina, the 

 count del Abisbal, Morillo, &c. Riego was executed, 

 at Madrid, November 6, and on the 13th the king 

 made his entry into the capital on a triumphal car 

 twenty-five feet high, drawn by 100 men, and 

 amidst the rejoicings of the people. In addition to 

 the evils caused by the excesses of political and re- 

 ligious bigotry, the bad credit of the government 

 rendered it impossible to raise a loan ; and it be- 



came necessary to have recourse to the former 

 system of indirect taxes, and even to revive the in- 

 come tax (frutos civilcs). To restrain the violence 

 of party fury, a treaty was concluded with France, 

 stipulating for the maintenance of a French force of 

 45,000 men in the country, until the Spanish army 

 could be organized: and the debt due to France 

 for the expenses of the French expedition was fixed 

 at 34,000,000 francs. At the same time, the 

 Spanish government invited the great powers to 

 hold a congress in Paris, on the subject of the 

 Spanish American colonies; but the opposition 

 of Britain prevented the execution of this pro- 

 ject. February 9, 1824, Spain, therefore, opened 

 the ports of her American colonies, as she con- 

 tinued to call them, to the subjects of all friendly 

 powers. The personal moderation of the king to- 

 wards the constitutionalists led to the formation of 

 a plot by the absolutists, to compel him to abdicate, 

 and to raise don Carlos to the throne (thence their 

 name of Carlistas). The introduction of the in- 

 quisition was successfully resisted by the moderate 

 party, supported by the French, and was pronounced 

 inexpedient and impolitic even by the pope. The 

 decree of amnesty finally appeared, May 1, 1824, 

 but contained so many exceptions that those who 

 were to enjoy its benefits seemed rather to form 

 the exception than the rule. The year 1825 was 

 disturbed by several insurrections of the Carlists, 

 which were attended with numerous executions ; 

 and the frequent changes of ministry which occurred 

 at this period show the weakness of the govern- 

 ment. The independence of the colonies was ac- 

 knowledged by foreign powers, and the general in- 

 terruption of commerce and industry, with the flight 

 of many persons of property, occasioned much dis- 

 tress. The disturbances continued during the sub- 

 sequent years, attended with the same marks of 

 feebleness on the part of the government, and a 

 continuance of the general distress. In 1827, 

 Spanish subjects were permitted to trade with the 

 Spanish American republics, but under foreign flags; 

 and in the following year Spain was evacuated by 

 the French troops. The fort of St Juan de Ulloa, 

 near Vera Cruz, was lost November 22, 1825, and 

 Callao, near Lima the last post on the American 

 continent in the possession of Spain January 22, 

 1826. The foolish and ill-concerted expedition 

 against Mexico was terminated by the surrender of 

 Barradas to Santa Anna, in September, 1829. The 

 French revolution of 1830, although it excited some 

 Spanish patriots in exile* to attempt to awaken 

 their countrymen to a struggle for more liberal in- 

 stitutions, had little effect on the people at large. 

 By a royal decree of March 29, 1830, the succession 

 to the throne, which hitherto had been limited to 

 the male line, was extended to the female ; and in 

 October of the same year, the queen was delivered 

 of a daughter, Maria Isabella. Since the death of 

 Ferdinand, the succession to the throne has been 

 disputed by Don Carlos, his brother, on the ground 

 that no royal decree could alter the Salique law of 

 the land. This has led to an unhappy contest, 

 which has not yet terminated, although meanwhile 

 the crown remains in the possession of Maria Isa. 

 bella, under the regency of her mother Christina. 

 A history of the war between the Carlists and 

 Christines, or Absolutists and Liberals in which so 

 many hundreds of our own countrymen have taken 



* One of the most distiniruislipd of these svas general Torri- 

 jo:-. M ho filtered Spain, with a lew companion*, for the purpose 

 of stirring up the people, but failed, was taken, and executed. 



