S P 
justice, and without consenting that, under the pretext or 
appearance of attachment to my royal person, and to my 
authority, those who shall seek by those means to cover their 
disobedience and insubordination shall escape just punish¬ 
ment. Strict observance of the laws, the prompt execution 
of my decrees and ordinances, and respect for the autho¬ 
rities, are the solid foundations of order and prosperity ; 
those which every Spaniard who is truly a royalist, and 
devoted to the sovereign, ought to make the rule of his 
conduct; and those which, notwithstanding the acts and 
attempts of malevolence, will secure the peace of my king¬ 
doms, and the happiness of my beloved subjects, which are 
the objects dearest to my heart.” 
In accordance with the principles of this decree was an 
ordinance, issued by the intendant-general of police on the 
26th of May, which, after a long preamble on the necessity 
of repressing the plots still carried on by the revolutionists 
and by the enemies to the king and to order, contained seven 
enacting clauses:—“ 1. No person whatever shall attack in 
an insulting manner the measures of his majesty’s govern¬ 
ment : and every person taken in the act, or convicted of 
so doing shall be immediately arrested and delivered to the 
competent tribunal.—2. He who, by words or by writing, 
shall insult the agent of the civil, military, or ecclesiastical 
authority, shall be treated in the manner prescribed by the 
first article.—3. Keepers of hotels, coffee-houses, taverns, 
and other public establishments of all kinds, shall hinder 
political discussions in their houses, and the quarrels to 
which these discussions might lead, and shall denounce to 
the inspector of the quarter the censures passed on the 
government, and the plans formed against the safety of the 
inhabitants, against our holy religion, against the authorities, 
and against good morals. All who offend against this article 
shall be punished the first time by a fine of 100 ducats, and 
of 200 for the second; for the third, their establishments 
shall be closed.—4. Every person who shall spread reports 
against the sovereign authority of his majesty, and against 
his government, shall be arrested and punished according to 
the lav/s.—5. Every person who shall receive by the post, 
or otherwise, pamphlets on political subjects, shall immedi¬ 
ately deliver them to the police, to do with them as it shall 
think proper; and no copy shall be taken, on pain of a fine 
of 100 ducats. The same penalty shall be inflicted on those 
who shall have read or known of such pamphlets, without 
giving information of them.— 6 . The same penalty shall 
be inflicted on those who shall receive, copy, and read 
pamphlets or letters signed, which treat on such subjects in 
a revolutionary manner, without immediately giving notice 
to the police.—7. Those who shall hold public or private 
meetings, in which the measures of the government shall 
be criticized, or in which attempts shall be made directly or 
indirectly to decry it, shall be prosecuted ; and, besides the 
penalties which shall be inflicted on them by the laws, each 
member shall pay a fine of 100 ducats.” 
The ultra party, however, were far from being satisfied ; 
and complained loudly of the government as too liberal. 
The monks were especially active in exciting the spirit of 
fanaticism ; and at last M. de Zea Bermudez, suspected by 
all and aided by none, yielded to the intrigues of the adverse 
courtiers, and in the beginning of August tendered his 
resignation. Ferdinand refused to accept it, and Zea con¬ 
tinued in his post. The discontent became more general, 
and a project was now entertained of setting up the Infant 
Carlos as king. There was scarcely a town in Spain, in 
which great numbers of persons were not thrown into prison. 
At Seville, nearly two hundred persons were placed in con¬ 
finement on the 5th, 6 th, and 7th of August: and as all the 
prisons were filled, orders were given to the superiors of 
convents, to place at the disposal of the civil authorities, all 
such parts of their respective houses, as they had no imme¬ 
diate necessity to use. 
The arrests were exceedingly numerous in all the towns 
of upper Andalusia, and particularly at Cordova, Carmona, 
and Ecija. lathe capital, many monks were sent to prison. 
I N. 443 
A Junta of public safety was created, and the Duke de l’ln- 
fantado was appointed its president. 
In spite of all these precautions, the zeal of the fanatical 
party did not abate, and they openly avowed their purposes. 
On the 13th of August, a monk haranguing in the public 
square a very numerous collection of people, said that all 
was lost in Spain, as it appeared beyond doubt that the king 
was a freemason; and that in such a state of things the 
object of all Spaniards, who were the friends of their country 
and of religion, should be, to place on the throne the Infant 
don Carlos, whose good principles and whose Catholicism 
were well known. “ Ah !” said he, “ if we could, with the 
assistance of God, effect so important a change, the state of 
unhappy Spain would not yet be quite desperate.” It was 
asserted that upwards of 200,000 reals had been expended 
by conspirators in corrupting the guards. 
At length, on the 16th of August, a decisive step was 
taken by the factious. Upon the morning of that day, at 
sun-rise, the cry of “ to horse” was heard at Getafa, a village 
about a league distant from Madrid; and a few minutes 
afterwards, three companies of the regiment of Santiago, 
who were quartered there, were discovered arrayed upon the 
public square, their officers at their head, and with accoutre¬ 
ments and baggage ready for their march. They were soon 
in motion, and took the road towards Alcala, saying, that 
“ they were going to deliver the king, whom his ministers 
detained a prisoner.” The moment that the colonel of the 
regiment, the different companies of which were quartered 
in the three several villages of Getafa, Leganez, and Caraba- 
chel, became apprised of this movement, he immediately 
reported the circumstance to the minister at war, by whom 
it was in turn communicated to the Junta of public safety. 
On the preceding evening, Bessieres had left the capital; 
and had pursued the high road to Alcala, until he arrived at 
Torrejon Dardoz, which is about three leagues from Madrid. 
There, having had a conversation with the Alcalde, and 
having received from him a large sum of money, he returned 
on the ISth by a cross-road to Torrija, where the rebels had 
stationed themselves, and on the same day assumed the com¬ 
mand of them. He was joined by considerable numbers, 
and published a list of persons who were to be proscribed 
and put to death. The first name on the list was that of 
Zea Bermudez. 
In the mean time, the count d’Espagne had been des¬ 
patched with a considerable force in pursuit of the rebels. 
On the 25th of August he overtook and arrested Bessieres 
and his accomplices, one league from Molina d’Arragon. 
On the following day, Bessieres, notwithstanding his former 
services, was shot with seven of his associates. They all met 
death with the greatest fortitude. They made no disclosures. 
The revolt of Bessieres was not a solitary unconnected 
event. It was followed, or rather accompanied, by an 
insurrection in Valencia, headed by general Chambo, and 
one in La Mancha excited by general Locho. Ortiguela in 
the province of Burgos, and another chief in the province 
of Grenada, followed the example of Locho, and proclaimed 
the Infant don Carlos. But the parties which joined the 
standard of these leaders, were very insignificant; and they 
were soon dispersed. At Tortosa, the chief of the conspiracy 
was a Catalonian, named Wach, the commander of a bat¬ 
talion in garrison in that city. His plan was, by an insur¬ 
rection of the inhabitants of the country, and part of the 
population of Tortosa, to depose the governor, to seize the 
citadel, to fall upon the constitutionalists, and to pillage their 
houses. But the captain, who commanded the fort, having 
caused the bridge to be drawn up, instead of favouring the 
projects of the conspirators, their accomplices in the city 
did not venture to make any hostile attempt, and the country 
people, who were already arriving at the gates, thought it 
prudent to retire. Wach, with two officers, immediately 
fled ; and in the evening two battalions sent by the marquis 
de Campo Sagrado, in consequence of previous information, 
entered Tortosa, and secured the tranquillity of the place. 
In Biscay, in Alava, in Gallicia, throughout Arragon, and 
indeed 
