The correspondence of Freyre appeared in the Official Gazette here, on the 21st March: his first letter will be a sufficient specimen of the whole.

"Most Excellent Sir!

"The garrison of Cadiz, ever faithful to the King, our Master, has, to my great satisfaction, just given me the most public and affectionate proof of the submission, fidelity, and love it entertains for his august and royal person; drowning, with its general cry of Long live the King! the effervescence of the people, who, collecting and mutinying yesterday in the square of San Antonio, cried, Long live the Constitution! In this state of things, I succeeded, by traversing the streets and squares, in restraining those loyal troops, who, enraged with the riot ers, fired in all directions, and on every group they saw, repeating nothing but the joyful cry of Live the King! At the present hour, half-past three, tranquillity is, in some degree, restored; but I will still continue to make every exertion to re-establish order and discipline.

"With this courier, I send instructions to Seville, in order that it may follow the noble and just example set here; having already dispatched officers in various directions to give it publicity. Two of my aides-du-camp have gone to the army for the same purpose.

"Although I have not received answers to the letters and orders which I dispatched, I do not like to lose any time in depriving his Majesty of such pleasing and satisfactory intelligence; but when tranquillity is effectually restored, I will transmit all the details to your Excellency.

"Your Excellency will be pleased to make these circumstances known to his Majesty, assuring him of the fidelity of the troops, and that we only aspire to defend his rights, and secure tranquillity and order. God preserve your Excellency many years. (Signed) MANUEL FREYRE." "Head-Quarters, Madrid, March 10, 1820."

It is needless to say that neither confidence nor tranquillity were established at Cadiz till the removal of those who had destroyed both one and the other. This event took place on the 17th, when Freyre was replaced by General O'Donoju, while Don Cayetano Valdes, and Francisco de Jauregui succeeded Campana and Rodriguez, the King's Lieute nant.

The first care of the new Captain

General was, to make all the compensation in his power to the outraged patriots and inhabitants, by causing the Constitution to be proclaimed in a way more becoming the importance of the subject. To prevent the possibility of interruption, it was arranged that no person should appear armed within the walls of Cadiz during the ceremony. This was performed on the 20th, at noon, in the presence of the national army, which, led by Quiroga, Riego and the staff, made its triumphal entry that morning. After the civil and military authorities were sworn, they proceeded to the cathedral, followed by the whole population; here, Te Deum was sung, and a solemn thanksgiving offered up to Almighty God, for the consummation of their wishes.

Pursuant to orders received on his appointment, that a rigorous inquiry should be forthwith instituted, relative to the late outrage, Freyre and his coadjutors were arrested and sent to the prisons of La Caraça, from which Calderon and his staff were liberated on the 20th: the culprits are still confined, and till overtaken by the too tardy sentence of the law, suffer under the awful anathema of public opinion.

GENERAL RISING.

The rising in Galicia and Navarre was almost simultaneous: Mina, who had eluded the vigilance of spies and inform ers, employed to watch his movements in France, left Paris early in February, and entering the valley of Bastan, on the 25th, found a numerous band of patriots ready to receive him. His proclamation, dated on the 2d March, besides declaring in favour of the Constitution and Cortes, contained an energetic appeal to his former companions in arms, who were now called upon to join the standard of freedom, and imitate the heroic resolution of the national army.

At Corunna, the garrison and inhabitants, headed by Don Carlos Espinosa, a colonel of artillery, rose on the 21st of February, placed the Captain-general and some other authorities under arrest; after which the code was proclaimed, and those who had been shut up for political offences liberated. The conduct of Espinosa on this and all other occasions had raised him to an envied height amongst the Spanish Patriots.

A Junta of the principal inhabitants, with Don Pedro Agar, the former Regent, as president, being installed, the Generalin-chief departed, at the head of a flying column, to proclaim the Constitution throughout the province. This was ef

fected

fected at Santiago on the 24th, and at Orense the following day: although opposed by San Roman, a blustering Servile, entrusted with the military command in Galicia, the progress of Acevedo was triumphant, till the 9th of March, when he fell a victim to his intrepidity and misplaced confidence in a party of provincial militia, posted in the vicinity of a small town, called Padernalo. Unsuspicious of the treachery which was about to deprive Spain of his services, the patriot chief advanced alone, and unarmed, to stay the flight of the enemy, calling upon the fugitives to join their brethren, and no longer serve as the blind instruments of selfishness and ambition. His address was scarcely ended, when some of the party, concealed behind a thicket, fired on the general, who fell mortally wounded.

The body of Acevedo, disinterred from the spot in which it had been deposited after his assassination, was conveyed to Corunna, where it received the honours of a public funeral, and general mourning. Like Porlier, too, the statue of Feliz Acevedo will also ornament the national pantheon.

Although Mina did not enter Pamplona before the 11th of March, his presence in the neighbourhood with a considerable force obliged the CaptainGeneral, Espeleta, to open the gates much sooner than he had intended: a staunch partizan of the court, and surrounded by priests, Espeleta betrayed the greatest unwillingness to embrace the constitutional system. The establishment of liberty in Navarre was celebrated by a series of festivities, and the liberation of many state prisoners; amongst whom was the celebrated Quintana, whose writings have done so much towards enlightening his countrymen.

The garrison of Zaragoza had risen and proclaimed the constitution on the 5th, without committing the slightest excess. An eloquent statement of the event was addressed to Ferdinand by the provincial Junta. This important paper also contained a true, though lamentable, picture of the wretched condition to which Spain was reduced under the late government, and is justly regarded as one of the most valuable historical documents of the day.

The people of Catalonia began to assemble, and declare themselves, the moment they heard of what had occurred in Aragon. Castanos, who had been suffered to occupy the place of CaptainGeneral since Lacy's death, vainly en

deavoured to check the popular feeling at Barcelona: as the means adopted for this purpose, that of arming the dregs of society, might lead to scenes of violence, which the constitutionalists had determined to avoid, a large party of the latter, uniting themselves to the garrison, sallied forth, and proclaimed the code at Tarragona, Reus, and several other towns. Meanwhile, the orders from Madrid reached Castanos, and were soon followed by the arrival of General Villacampa, who assumed the command, causing the constitution to be promulgated on the 12th. Driven from Barcelona by the people, Castanos came to Madrid, and notwithstanding the events of 1817, and his recent conduct, he has contrived to get himself appointed a counsellor of State. With respect to Villacampa, his demeanour was in this, as in every other act of his civil and military career, entitled to the utmost praise, and found its reward in the approbation of his fellow citizens.

The inhabitants of Carthagena, Valencia, Murcia, and Granada, animated by a similar spirit to those of Catalonia, declared in favour of freedom nearly on the same day. When Elio received the Minister's circular, he mounted his horse and rode to the town-hall, whence an immediate summons was sent to the Municipal body. Affecting the most ardent zeal in favour of freedom, the executioner of Vidal, young Beltran de Lis, and his companions, were about to proclaim the charter, when the people, who had by this time collected in great numbers, unanimously declared they would rather continue slaves than receive liberty from such contaminated hands! The past atrocities of Elio next rushed across every mind; unable to repress the indignation excited by a recollection of his barbarous conduct, he must have fallen a sacrifice to popular fury, were it not for the interposition of Count Almodovar; who being called upon by the people to exercise the functions of Captain-General till the King's pleasure should be known, insisted on their sparing the life of Elio; thus proving that there was no sacrifice of resentment and personal feeling they were not prepared to make in favour of liberty. Being conducted to his house by a strong guard, the obnoxious general was removed to the citadel, where he still remains, brooding over the innumerable sorrows which his former conduct has brought on Spain; and like the criminals of Cadiz, given up to the execration of mankind.

THE

THE CAPITAL.

Having noticed some of those circumstances which marked the transition from slavery to freedom, in the provinces, it remains for me to add a few facts relative to what took place in the capital previous to the adhesion of Ferdinand.

The following is a list of the Ministers when the insurrection broke out:-Duke de San Fernando, Foreign Affairs; Mata Florida, Grace and Justice; Alos, War Department; Cisneros, Marine and Colonies; Salmon, Finances; Infantado, Alagon and Ugarte formed part of the secret Council or Camarilla, and were supported by Ben Como, the Confessor; Ramirez, the King's Valet; and Vargas, Treasurer of the Household.

Ballesteros therefore waited on the King, to undeceive him, by describing the real state of things, and ended the audience, by informing his Majesty, that the Government could not calculate on the obedience of a single regiment. This being fully confirmed by the accounts hourly arriving from the provinces, Ferdinand yielded to the empire of necessity, and consented to sign a decree, in which he promised to accept the political code of 1812, and convoke the Cortes. The period of believing in promises having, however, gone by, and suspecting that the party who had hitherto enjoyed the royal confidence only wanted to gain time, the populace and soldiery took the alarm, assembled before the municipality, and elected a corporation of the most distinguished citizens; they then proceeded to the Palace, and called aloud for the King. This appeal being made in such a way that it could not be resisted, Ferdinand appeared at a balcony, with a copy of the Constitution in his hand, and holding it up, signified his readiness to conform to the assurances he had given the preceding day.* Next to his reception in the Hall of Cortes on the 9th July, this must have been the proudest day of Ferdinand's life. Orders being immediately issued to execute the desire of the populace, relative to naming a junta of government, liberation of state prisoners, abolishing the holy office, and

* The efforts of Don Francisco de Paulo to remove the hesitation betrayed by Ferdinand, while the tranquillity of Madrid was threatened, were seconded by those of the Queen and the two Princesses, her sisters-in-law. An attendant of her Majesty has informed me, that she implored Ferdinand, with tears, to come forward, a few moments before he appeared at the balcony.

various other establishments connected with the late system, the people with drew, exclaiming, "Long live Ferdinand! Long live the Constitutional Monarch!"

From the Palace the crowd hastened to the Inquisition, destroyed the instruments of torture, and placing the prisoners in an open car, bore them in triumph through the principal streets. The night closed with a spontaneous and general illumi nation. On the next day Ballesteros was charged with the pleasing office of visiting the prisons, and restoring their haggard inmates, confined for political offences, to liberty and light.

Besides the decrees for abolishing the Inquisition, and regulating the liberty of the press, two proclamations were pub lished; the first, bearing the King's sig. nature, explained his reasons for adopting the fatal system of 1814, on the plea that it was recommended to him as the most popular! repeating the fact of his own adhesion, his subjects were congratulated on the event; this address concludes with the following remarkable sentence: "Let us march frankly, and myself the first, in the constitutional path, by showing an example of wisdom, order, and moderation, in a crisis which has been accompanied with so many tears and sorrows in other countries: let us make the Spanish name revered, at the same time that we lay the foundation for ages of happiness and glory."

The formation of patriotic societies here, and in the provinces, afforded those who took no part in the administration the means of expressing their sentiments, and had an excellent effect in suggesting useful hints to government, as well as teaching the people how to appreciate their newly acquired rights. Neither the calumnies nor falsehoods circulated with regard to these associations, have removed the impressions of their utility, in consolidating and maintaining the constitutional system.

There was but one solitary class that appeared dull in the midst of this gra tifying scene. Though the liberal portion of the priesthood entered freely into the sentiments of the people, stimulating them to espouse the cause of freedom, with becoming zeal, others found only a source of dejection in the general joy. It would have been well, had this discontent at seeing others happy been confined to the solitude of their cloisters; but, taking a wider range, it was vented in an attempt to get up a conspiracy. As usual, excessive piety, and a conviction that the change would bring down the vengeance

of

of heaven, was the pretext for tampering with the soldiery, some of whom were even bribed to aid in the projected trea

son.

The decree for convoking the Cortes, published on the day of Ferdinand's adhesion, was followed by preparations for the election of representatives, who were chosen soon after. Most of the Members had reached this by the end of June, and when I arrived here, were anxiously waiting for the august ceremony already described.

THE INQUISITION.

The principles on which the newly modelled tribunal was to be conducted were laid down in the edict of denunciation, which required the faithful, on pain of excommunication, and other punishments, to give immediate information against their very parents, nearest relatives and friends, of any deviation from the puerile and absurd prohibitions, contained in this monument of human ignorance and depravity. The Manual of Eymeric had previously regulated the mode of trial and punishment; so that the inquisitors had little more to do than give a loose to their thirst for blood: how well they fulfilled the wishes of his holiness, Pius IV., twenty thousand victims, who either perished in the flames, or were given up to other penalties, during the first two or three years of the establishment, is the best proof.

After describing the terror spread throughout Andalusia, when the inquisitors began their operations at Seville, by enjoining the instant return of all those who had fled at their approach; and alluding to the place of execution, at the gates of that city,+ Llorente asks, "who will dare assert that such punishments for mere alleged errors of the understanding were conformable to the spirit of the gospel?" Amongst the important services rendered by the historian of the Holy Office, he has most effectually exonerated the people of Spain

and their representatives, from having, in the smallest degree, contributed to, or countenanced its establishment. His statements relative to the tumults which occurred in Aragon and Castile, soon after the nomination of Torquemada,‡ as well as the formal remonstrances of the Cortes of Valladolid and Zaragoza, in 1518 and 1523, are conclusive on this subject. It is also evident, that Isabella was led into sanctioning the measures proposed, by the emissaries of Pius IV., in the first instance through fear.

That neither the opposition of the people and Cortes, the scruples of the Queen, or the letter addressed to the inquisitors by Charles V. in 1521, produced any effect, appears from their subsequent proceedings; in the course of which not less than 340,000 human beings were either consumed at the stake, or consigned to perpetual imprisonment, and other severe penalties.

To form a judgment on the undeviating constancy with which the inquisitors pursued their course, it is only necessary to glance at the pages of the "Critical History," in which the author has stated all that is necessary to be known of the Holy Office. A few examples selected from his interesting volumes, and from those other writers whose testimonies have been confirmed by the living historian, may not be without some share of interest, and will have the effect of confirming my previous conclusions.

In order that the converts to Luther's

doctrines might be terrified into an adherence to the catholic faith, two grand Auto-de-Fes were celebrated at Valladolid in 1559. Don Carlos, the presumptive heir to the throne, and the Princess Juana, his aunt, who was left as Regent during the absence of Philip, were present at that held on the 21st of May: it was

It has been long thought in Spain, that Torquemada was the first inquisitor-general; Llorente has rectified this error, by giving the names of the two inquisitors of Castile: two monks, named San Martin, and Morillo. It was not till February, 1482, that Tomas de Torquemada received his appointment: so that this minister of vengeance found the Holy Office organized, and all the prisons full of victims, on his assuming its direction. Torquemada was prior of a Dominican convent, and confessor to Ferdinand. The number of those who suffered from persecution, during the first eighteen years of the inquisition, while he filled his station in it, amounted to 105,291; of whom 8800 were burnt in person, and 6500 in effigy.

also

also attended by the flower of the Spanish nobility, of both sexes, and an immense concourse of the people. Some idea may be formed of this ceremony, when it is added, that the bones of Dona Eleanora de Vibero, who had been interred some time before as an irreproachable catholic, were burned, together with her two sons and a daughter! As the house formerly inhabited by Dona Eleanora, had been denounced as the scene of Lutheran worship, it was rased to the ground, and a column erected on the spot, bearing an inscription with the particulars of the event. Llorente says, that this monument of human ferocity against the dead was not demolished before the occupation of Valladolid by a French corps in 1809. The second Auto took place on the 8th of October, and was got up for the express purpose of gratifying Philip, on his return from the Low Countries.

A writer who describes the event, relates that the great square presented the most pompous and magnificent sight imaginable; in the centre were placed thirteen stakes, three feet and a half high: the whole of one side of the square was fitted up with boxes, richly ornamented, for the court, while the other three were arranged with seats in the form of an amphitheatre. His Majesty and the Princess his sister, together with Don Carlos, the Duke of Parma, and the French Legation, entered the great balcony prepared for their reception, at nine o'clock in the morning; the bishops, grandees, and other dignitaries with their wives and daughters, occupied the boxes on each side of the royal family. The Countess of Ribadavia, the most beautiful woman at the court of Philip, attracted all eyes, and is said to have disturbed the devotions of many of the spectators. The ringing of bells and the lamentations of the penitents, at ten o'clock, announced the near approach of the procession, for which the company were waiting with impatience. This soon appeared, pre

Dona Eleanora was the wife of Pedro de Cazella, who held a high situation in the financial department of the state. Nearly all the members of the Cazella family appeared at this Auto: one of them, Dona Constancia, a widow condemned to perpetual imprisonment, and confiscation of all her property, was recommended for mercy to the Regent, by her brother, Don Agustin, who said as the procession passed, "I pray your Highness to have compassion on this unhappy woman, who leaves thirteen orphans withoutany provision!"

ceded by a party of soldiers and some Alguazils of the Holy Office; next to these came Fray Domingo Rodriguez carrying a large wooden cross, painted green; he was followed by Fernando Valdes, the Grand Inquisitor, devoutly bearing aloft the standard of the Faith. Behind the Inquisitor were seen thirteen victims intended for the flames, habited in their sanbenitos and pasteboard mitres; their hands were bound, and each penitent was accompanied by a confes sor and a familiar, who walked by his side. After these, two men bore a coffin, containing the bones of an old woman named Sanchez, condemned for sorcery, but who had destroyed herself in the dungeons of the Holy Office. Her effigy and seventeen individuals of both sexes, completed the train of penitents. A mule richly caparisoned, having a case suspended on each side, covered with black velvet, which had a deep gold fringe, came next to the condemned, and was guarded by four secretaries. The members of the Inquisition and religious communities covered the flanks of the procession, while the Chapter of the Cathedral, officers of Justice and Municipality, brought up the rear, marching with a slow and solemn step round the arena, and bowing to the King as they passed. The victims condemned to death were tied to their respective stakes, and those destined for minor punishments ranged on each side near them. When the remainder of the procession had taken their seats, the Grand Inqui sitor proceeded to the King's balcony, and ordering his Majesty to rise, administered the usual oath. This was performed by holding up his right hand, and swearing to defend the tribunal of the Faith, denouncing all those he suspected of meriting its chastisement. The oath being signed, it was read aloud by a secretary. The sermon usual on these occasions was preached by the Bishop of Cuenca, after which, those of Palencia and Zamora degraded the ecclesiastics about to be consumed.

These preparations having terminated, the thirteen victims were led off to the Quemadero, where their sentences were carried into immediate effect. The other

• The Sanbenito was a loose yellow vest or gown, worn by all those who were conin demned to be burnt, or to do penance; the first case, it was painted all over with demons and reptiles; in the second, quite plain; and the same with regard to the

Coroza.

parts