looked upon as the immediate author of the misfortunes which impended over the nation. His house was attacked by the multitude, and if he had been found, he would assuredly have been murdered. They were, in some degree, calmed by a promise which Ferdinand gave them, that, happen what might, he would not quit the country. Already the favourite of the people, they then proclaimed him their king. The queen, terrified more on account of her paramour, for whom the multitude were eagerly searching every part of the palace, than even on her own account, advised Charles to abdicate. The act was quickly drawn up and signed, and the reign of Ferdinand commenced. Godoy, who had lain concealed beneath some mattresses during twenty-four hours, urged by a violent thirst, rushed into a gallery, where he met a sentinel, to whom he offered a costly gold repeater for a glass of water. The sentinel knew the traitor, and delivered him to the people. It was one of Ferdinand's first acts to preserve the life of this his most deadly enemy, by declaring that it was necessary to discover from him his accomplices. The revolution of Aranjuez afforded Napoleon every diplomatic facility which he could have required, in order to lend a slight form of decency to his usurpation of the throne of Spain. Murat, who was then at Madrid with a large force, was of course unprepared to recognize Ferdinand as king. It was an event which had not been provided for in his instructions. He must wait for the orders of his imperial master. But in the mean time he placed himself in active correspondence with the queen, took Godoy under his own protection, and was soon furnished with abundant evidence of the discord which prevailed in the_royal family. The abdication was then made out to be an act forced upon Charles by armed rebels, instigated by Ferdinand. The abdication was, therefore, of no validity, and Ferdinand possessed no title to the crown, which he so wickedly assumed. His mother painted him in her letters as a monster, prepared by his natural dispositions for the perpetration of any crime. The wily Savary next appeared upon the scene of treachery. He came directly from the emperor, whom he had left at Bayonne, preparing to realize a promise previously given to Charles, that he would visit Madrid. Savary congratulated Ferdinand upon the turn which events had taken in his favour, but forgot to address him by the title of "Majesty !" When this slight mistake was hinted at, he answered that he reserved for the emperor the honour of being the first among Frenchmen to salute the new king. Napoleon had not yet arrived. Not yet; but doubtless he was already at Burgos, whither of course Ferdinand was about to proceed to receive his distinguished guest. Ferdinand, attended by his feeble advisers, set out post haste to meet the emperor at Burgos. But to their infinite surprise there was no Napoleon, nor any symptoms of his approach, at Burgos. Business, the management of important state affairs, had detained him on the No doubt could be entertained that his majesty was at Vittoria. Off the deluded Ferdinand and his mules scampered to Vittoria. But Vittoria was as free from the presence even of an imperial page as Burgos. It was, however, full of French troops, who surrounded the town, and prevented Ferdinand, when he resolved upon such a measure too late, from returning to the south. He had no alternative but to advance to Bayonne. He had scarcely alighted at his hotel when he was visited by Napoleon, Felicitations upon their meeting were lavished on both sides; way. 326 of the 1: the.par pastors those turi their mu by see 1 1 Duroc stayed behind to invite at Marac-the artillery barracks charmed by his reception, returned was smoking a cigar when Savary was "said the military diplomatist, "to state, , that the dynasty of the Bourbons has that it is about to be replaced by that of me to receive your renunciation in his favour yourself as for all the princes of your family." ded. When he found words, he declared, with hatever he might do as to his own rights, he would se of his family. By the contrivance of Murat they nce to answer or themselves, and a course of negotiation, recrimination alowed, which we could wish, for the un anity, that hisor we enabled to erase from her scroll. special arbitrat ready hered, upon their own showing, that o exercise the functions of sovereignty. sent to Valençay; Charles and his Athem were STRON and and his puts tee conse, together wet Sites, vere venned, and permitted to fix their ence at 5 Some who fr. extra the.. in 14 "S", a person named San Martin, VEL (=&zz/wit "Tassion of the queen, なみ but now a thousand sist her guilt. To his escere instantly, and sought werence which he had le Jever recovered ssd, repented to it im to the tomb undered among the Sapoleon the hand Ley he repeated nen rendered him ents which took 2812 and 1813, No longer a and if, instead ruerile amuse ཁvox, "po Jis education, he ich she deserves eral anarch a more unan the happiBU NATssed when, from w the ernie gelds of Spain. ng principles of the constitution. He might have easily reformed the political errors with which the theory of that scheme abounded, and have reconciled all the useful attributes of his crown with the freedom of his subjects; but with the levity which disgraced his character, he flung the volume of the constitution into the fire, the moment he heard the enthusiastic "vivas" with which he was saluted on all sides upon passing the frontiers. He dismissed, in the most insulting terms, the Cortes which had been mainly instrumental in the preservation of his throne, and proclaimed his resolution to extinguish every trace of that liberal spirit which had been the liberator of his country. Ingratitude and folly combined to plunge him in a course of evil government, which for six years placed every respectable family in the kingdom in a state of constant alarm. The blood of some of the best men of Spain-of men who had fought heroically against the enemy for their hearths and altars-was shed upon an ignominious scaffold. Compelled, at length, by the sudden revolution of 1820, to accept a new version of the constitution, he basely temporized with the events of the hour. Immediately after swearing in the most solemn manner faithfully to perform the duties assigned to him by the new order of things, he despatched agents to Louis XVIII. who carried his secret protest against the acts which he executed in public. His conduct during the three years of the constitution was marked by so many indications of insincerity, that we are surprised at the facility with which the leading men of the Cortes suffered him to lead them, step by step, to their own ruin. From the recovery of his absolute power, through the intervention of France, to the last hour of his existence, his sole object seemed to have been how he might render it most injurious to the country that was intrusted to his care. The massacre or exile of all her most enlightened men-the desolation of her towns and villages-the destruction of her internal and foreign trade the total loss of her noble colonies-her degradation in the scale of Europe, where she scarcely ranks as a third-rate power, remain to mark the reign of Ferdinand VII. as an epoch of disaster and shame in the annals of the Peninsula. Nevertheless, the personal biographer of the late king might find some traits in his character, which, though they could not, indeed, redeem his political transgressions, must secure him, at least, from being considered as his nefarious mother pronounced him to be "Monstrum nulla virtute redemtum." I myself have witnessed the condescension with which he attended to the petitions of the poor. Loitering one day about the palace of Madrid, which, by the way, is well worth the attention of a stranger, as one of the handsomest edifices of the kind in Europe, my attention was attracted by a number of state carriages which were proceeding towards the principal entrance. I followed them almost instinctively, and soon found myself stationed among a number of grenadier guards, who were drawn up near the lower steps of a magnificent staircase. In the passage to which the staircase opened there were seven or eight old women, with papers in their hands, ready for presentation. In a few minutes the king and queen (his third wife Amelia, of Saxony) descended, followed by a brilliant group of officers in full dress. The king, wore a dark blue coat, turned up with crimson, laced with gold, white small it was too soon to think of politics. Duroc stayed behind to invite Ferdinand to dine with the emperor at Marac-the artillery barracks near the town. Ferdinand went, and, charmed by his reception, returned to his hotel in high spirits. He was smoking a cigar when Savary was announced. "I have the honour," said the military diplomatist, "to state, on the part of my royal master, that the dynasty of the Bourbons has ceased to reign in Spain, and that it is about to be replaced by that of Napoleon, who has directed me to receive your renunciation in his favour of the crown, as well for yourself as for all the princes of your family." Ferdinand was astounded. When he found words, he declared, with some dignity, that whatever he might do as to his own rights, he would never sacrifice those of his family. By the contrivance of Murat they were all soon there to answer for themselves, and a course of negotiation, accusation, and recrimination followed, which we could wish, for the sake of humanity, that history were enabled to erase from her scroll. The imperial arbitrator quickly decided, upon their own showing, that none of them were competent to exercise the functions of sovereignty. Ferdinand and his brothers were sent to Valençay; Charles and his spouse, together with Godoy, were pensioned, and permitted to fix their residence at Rome. Some time in the year 1816 or 1817, a person named San Martin, who frequently visited Charles, happened to converse with him on the extraordinary fortunes of Godoy. In the course of the conversation, the ex-king, as if himself astonished at the rise of a man of no birth, innocently asked to what circumstance it could possibly be traced. San Martin thoughtlessly replied, "To the well-known passion of the queen,' without doubt." Strange to say, this was the first time that this unwelcome truth had reached the ear of Charles. He never had the slightest suspicion of the infidelity of his wife-but now a thousand circumstances rushed upon his memory to establish her guilt. To his honour it must be added, that he quitted her society instantly, and sought refuge at the court of Naples. But the intelligence which he had obtained so unexpectedly was a blow from which he never recovered He died very soon after. His consort, who, it is said, repented towards the end of her life of her early crimes, followed him to the tomb in 1819, and in the year 1823, Godoy was also numbered among the dead. Before Ferdinand quitted Spain, he solicited from Napoleon the hand of one of the princesses of his family. While at Valençay he repeated his wishes on this point more than once, in terms which rendered him the laughing-stock of the imperial court. But the events which took place in the Peninsula and the North of Europe, in 1812 and 1813, produced an important alteration in Ferdinand's fortunes. No longer a prisoner, he was restored to his throne and his country; and if, instead of spending his exile at Valençay in indolent repose or puerile amusements, he had endeavoured to repair the deficiencies of his education, he' might have raised Spain from her ruins to the rank which she deserves as one of the first-rate powers in Europe. Never had a monarch a more admirable opportunity of placing upon a secure foundation the happiness and prosperity of his people, than Ferdinand possessed when, from the Pyrenees, he once more looked down upon the fertile fields of Spain. He had pledged himself to the maintenance of the leading principles of the constitution. He might have easily reformed the political errors with which the theory of that scheme abounded, and have reconciled all the useful attributes of his crown with the freedom of his subjects; but with the levity which disgraced his character, he flung the volume of the constitution into the fire, the moment he heard the enthusiastic "vivas" with which he was saluted on all sides upon passing the frontiers. He dismissed, in the most insulting terms, the Cortes which had been mainly instrumental in the preservation of his throne, and proclaimed his resolution to extinguish every trace of that liberal spirit which had been the liberator of his country. Ingratitude and folly combined to plunge him in a course of evil government, which for six years placed every respectable family in the kingdom in a state of constant alarm. The blood of some of the best men of Spain-of men who had fought heroically against the enemy for their hearths and altars-was shed upon an ignominious scaffold. Compelled, at length, by the sudden revolution of 1820, to accept a new version of the constitution, he basely temporized with the events of the hour. Immediately after swearing in the most solemn manner faithfully to perform the duties assigned to him by the new order of things, he despatched agents to Louis XVIII. who carried his secret protest against the acts which he executed in public. His conduct during the three years of the constitution was marked by so many indications of insincerity, that we are surprised at the facility with which the leading men of the Cortes suffered him to lead them, step by step, to their own ruin. From the recovery of his absolute power, through the intervention of France, to the last hour of his existence, his sole object seemed to have been how he might render it most injurious to the country that was intrusted to his care. The massacre or exile of all her most enlightened men-the desolation of her towns and villages-the destruction of her internal and foreign trade the total loss of her noble colonies-her degradation in the scale of Europe, where she scarcely ranks as a third-rate power, remain to mark the reign of Ferdinand VII. as an epoch of disaster and shame in the annals of the Peninsula. Nevertheless, the personal biographer of the late king might find some traits in his character, which, though they could not, indeed, redeem his political transgressions, must secure him, at least, from being considered as his nefarious mother pronounced him to be "Monstrum nulla virtute redemtum." I myself have witnessed the condescension with which he attended to the petitions of the poor. Loitering one day about the palace of Madrid, which, by the way, is well worth the attention of a stranger, as one of the handsomest edifices of the kind in Europe, my attention was attracted by a number of state carriages which were proceeding towards the principal entrance. I followed them almost instinctively, and soon found myself stationed among a number of grenadier guards, who were drawn up near the lower steps of a magnificent staircase. In the passage to which the staircase opened there were seven or eight old women, with papers in their hands, ready for presentation. In a few minutes the king and queen (his third wife Amelia, of Saxony) descended, followed by a brilliant group of officers in full dress. The king wore a dark blue coat, turned up with crimson, laced with gold, white small |