SPAIN. 



699 



ernment of King Alfonso was closed on Janu- 

 ary 5th, when several changes in the ministry 

 took place. Martin de Herrera was appointed 

 Colonial Minister ; Manuel Silvela, Minister of 

 Foreign Affairs ; and Calderon y Collantes, Min- 

 ister of Justice. On April 25th, the Cortes 

 were opened by the King. In a speech from 

 the throne, he referred in satisfactory terms 

 to the country as at peace, and promised the 

 prompt pacification of Cuba, the insurgents 

 being totally disorganized. The Cortes were 

 asked to unite in raising the country from the 

 abyss into which it had fallen. The difference 



in the Sulu Archipelago had been settled satis- 

 factorily with England and Germany. There 

 was an enormous deficiency in the treasury, 

 owing to the war expenses, and it was iieces^ 

 sary to reorganize the finances of the country 

 with the support of the deputies. SeHor Po- 

 sada Herrera was reelected President of the 

 Cortes by a vote of 2(55 to 5, the Constitution- 

 alists abstaining from voting. Scflor Canovas 

 del Castillo, the Prime Minister, addressing a 

 meeting of Senators, said the cabinet would 

 pursue a conciliatory policy. If revolutionary 

 violence went so far as to menace the institu- 



THB PALACE, MADRID. 



tions of the country, the Government, with the 

 support of the Senate, would be able to defend 

 the throne and dynasty. On May 5th, the 

 Minister of Foreign Affairs made a speech in 

 the Senate, opposing an amendment which had 

 been moved to the address in reply to the 

 speech from the throne, demanding that the 

 Government should support the restoration 

 of the Pope's temporal power. The minister 

 pointed out that it did not become Spain to 

 interfere in questions which did not come 

 within her province, and which affected na- 

 tions allied with her. The Catholic party sub- 

 sequently withdrew the amendment, the Gov- 

 ernment being, however, at the same time, 

 requested to adopt the most suitable means for 

 securing for the Pope complete and real inde- 

 pendence. In the Chamber of Deputies, on 

 May 9th, Seflor Gamazo, a member of the op- 

 position, attacked the foreign policy of the 

 Government. With regard to the treaty with 

 Germany and England, Senor Silvela, the Min- 

 ister for Foreign Affairs, and Senor Collantea, 

 the Minister of Justice, replied, defending the 

 Protocol signed in April, and declaring that, by 



that treaty, the Spanish sovereignty over the 

 Sulu Archipelago was recognized, and liberty 

 of foreign commerce tolerated with places not 

 actually occupied by Spain. With regard to 

 the relations with the United States, Senor 

 Collantes stated that at the accession of the 

 present Government, between two and three 

 years ago, the relations of Spain with the United 

 States were in an extremely critical condition ; 

 but during that time all the subjects of com- 

 plaint on the part of the United States had 

 been satisfactorily settled, including pecuniary 

 indemnification to the officers and crew of the 

 Virginius, the prosecution of Burriol, tlio par- 

 don of sundry Americans condemned to drnth 

 for treason to Spain, the restitution of their 

 confiscated property, and the wttloment of va- 

 rious other private claim*, besides two CTMt 

 subjects which had been for many years fruit- 

 ful sources of discord between the two coon- 

 tries, namely, the subject of extradition, and, 

 above all, that of the true construction of the 

 treaty of 1795. 



The declaration of Senor CsMeron j Oollan- 

 tes as to the understanding of bis Government 



