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ment of the Persians; and the nobles, who foresaw, in the cruelty of their master, their own destruction, conspired against him and assassinated him in 1747, after he had reigned twenty years over one of the most extensive and powerful empires in the world.

HISTORICAL FACTS CHARACTERISTIC OF THE SPANISH PEOPLE.

Of all the nations of civilized Europe, there is not one the character of whose people is so little understood as Spain. Even before the usurpation, which has laid that country waste, and drained the blood of its inhabitants, the true character of the Spaniards was as little known in Britain at least, as if it had been for ages surrounded with an impassable wall. Of this we speak from our own knowledge. Not only has this ignorance been perpetuated to the present time by indolence and accidental circumstances, but has, ever since the usurpation, been increased by those friends of freedom who wish to see the Spaniards placed, whether they will or no, in the soft gripe of that champion of liberty, Bonaparte. These represent that gallant people as slaves by nature, who are neither informed by the spirit of freedom, nor animated by courage to act upon it; as cowards, dastards, bigots, so inured to servility and bondage, and so willing to bend and hug their chains, that nothing but the protection of some such generous chieftain as Bonaparte can save them from despotism—that like children they require a nurse, and that none is so fit for that office as Napoleon. We have heard these sentiments uttered very often of late, and in less guarded terms than we now use.

Now if the history of this people be examined, it will be found that facts exhibit them in a very different attitude. Even so late as 1766, they will be found, though loyal, resisting, and effectually resisting, what they considered a dangerous encroachment, and compelling their king to redress the grievance. The incident to which we allude is not only interesting in itself as an historical fact, but may be useful, as it serves to throw a light upon the character of a brave people, now placed in a more affecting and interesting situation than any other that we know of since the commencement of the christian era, and therefore we extract it for our readers: Thus, then, says the historian.

"It has been observed, that it is easier to conquer half the world than to subdue a sinful prejudice, or error; most nations

have a degree of superstitious attachment to those habitudes which they derived from their ancestors, which seemed to come along with them into the world, and with which they have been nursed and brought up. Wise princes have generally been very cautious how they attempted to combat these particular prejudices; though they have, without ceremony frequently overturned the political, civil, or even religious system of their countries; yet, except Peter the great, they generally suffered the inhabitants to wear their beards their own way. Of all the nations in Europe, the Spaniards seem the most tenacious of their old customs, and of those peculiarities which they inherit from their ancestors: among these, a cloak, a long sword, and a flapped hat, have from time immemorial been looked upon as distinctions which were the birth-right of every true Spaniard."

"The present king of Spain (Charles the third) had received an early tincture of French manners,* together with a strong predilection for every thing belonging to that nation.-By his long residence in Italy he had also acquired a great affection for the natives, as well as modes of that country; though there is a wide difference between the manners of the nations; yet as they agree in being opposite to those of the Spaniards, it is no wonder if the peculiarities of the latter appeared disgusting to him. Upon his accession to the crown of Spain, he was attended by a number of his Italian favourites, who were followed by shoals of their dependents. It was soon found, that the foreigners had an entire possession of the king's ear: one of them, the marquis de Squillacei became prime minister: and others succeeded to places of less consequence. Foreign councils produced foreign measures; the nation was precipitated, much against the sense of all true Spaniards, into a destructive war (in which it had no manner of concern) with England: the consequences were as disgraceful, as the manner of entering into it had been rash and unadvised."

"The same counsels still prevailed; the foreigners, not contented to rule the Spaniards, wanted to metamorphose them into a new people-to make them Frenchmen, or Italians. Intoxicated by the power which they possessed over the sovereign, they

* His unfortunate son, Charles the fourth, and grandson Ferdinand, may now truly say as he reflects upon that fatal predilection-"HINC ILLE LACHRYME."

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blindly split upon the rock which had been so generally fatal to favourites, by setting the collective body of the nation at nought, and vainly imagined that a whole people may be offended with impunity."

"A severe edict was published against the wearing of flapped hats, and long cloaks, which was put in execution with an ill judged rigour. The minister had also granted a monopoly in favour of a certain company, who were allowed an exclusive right to supply the city of Madrid with provisions, by which means the prices of bread, oil, &c. were considerably augmented, and these commodities making a principal part of the food of the poorer people, the consequences were severely felt, and excited a general dissatisfaction."

"It must be observed, in justice to the Italian minister, that - some of his regulations deserved praise; among which was that for lighting the streets of Madrid, for which purpose he had above five thousand lamps fixed in that metropolis. And if the invincible aversion of the people to the minister, and attachment to their own customs, could have been got the better, the prohibition of concealed weapons, and disguises, would have prevented many those disorders, which so much disgrace the police of that city.”

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"On the 23d of March, about four in the afternoon, a young gentleman, dressed (in defiance of the edict) in a long coat, and broad beaver, was stopped near the palace by a sentinel, whom the gentleman attempted to stab for intercepting him; the sentinel presented his musket at him, but did not fire. The gentleman immediately thereupon gave a whistle, which seems to have been a concerted signal, and some hundreds of people came in a few minutes to his assistance, who were fired upon by the Walloon guards, and after several were killed, the rest were dispersed. They soon assembled, however, again in prodigious bodies, and overpowered the guards, after an obstinate engagement, in which between seventy and eighty of the soldiers were killed. They then proceeded to the house of the marquis de Squillacei, who escaped out of it by a back way, having sent his carriage, with the blinds up, a contrary road, in order to deceive the populace; which stratagem taking effect, they pursued the carriage in hopes of finding the minister in it, and were so enraged at the disappointment, on coming up, that they tore it to pieces. They then demolished the marquis's house; after which they pursued him to the Dutch ambassador's, where he had fled for refuge; but from whence he also

escaped on the appearance of the rioters. The Dutch ambassador having assured them that the marquis was not at his house, they proceeded to break all the lamps, and obliged every one they met in the streets, whether on foot or in carriages, to let down the brims of their hats. They also dragged the bodies of the Walloon guards through the streets, and offered them numberless indignities, because they had fired upon and killed many of the populace. Towards midnight they quietly dispersed, and the city seemed to have recovered its former tranquillity."

"Next day the rioters assembled in greater bodies than before; and marched to the royal palace, to the number it was said, of thirty thousand, where they insisted on speaking to the king. This being at length complied with, the king appeared to them about five in the evening, in the great balcony in the middle of the palace. The mutineers then made the following propositions to his majesty; that he should discharge his Italian ministers, as they were determined to be governed only by their own countrymen; that the several offensive edicts lately passed, should be repealed, the prices of bread and oil reduced, and the monopoly for supplying the city with provisions totally suppressed. And lastly, that his majesty should give his royal word, never after to call any person to an account for what had passed on the present occasion; and that upon these conditions, they would disperse and continue good subjects. The king thought proper to comply with these demands, and the rioters retired from the palace. In their return, they happened to meet the earl of Rochford, the English ambassador, in his coach, whom they saluted with the general acclamation of viva la libertad;* some of them then desired that his lordship would put on his cloak and beaver, which he having readily complied with, they cried out-" No French fashions!—Peace with England and war with all the world beside!!"

"The mutineers having dispersed and retired quietly to their respective houses, the city of Madrid was as calm in a few hours, as if no such disturbance had happened. This quietude however was not of a long continuance; the king and royal family having thought proper to quit that city, at one o'clock the succeeding morning, retired to Aranjuez; whither they were followed by the

* In common English, "liberty for ever"

!

Walloon guards, who had suffered severely in the late scuffles, and were mortally hated by the people."

"Nothing could equal the surprize and rage of the people, when they discovered in the morning, that the king and royal family had retired from the palace. They cried out, "their fidelity was suspected;" and running immediately together in large bodies, they stripped the invalids of their arms, who quietly suffered them to be taken, without making the smallest resistance."

"A large body of the populace, consisting of ten thousand men, then surrounded the city, and suffered neither carriage, mule, nor man to go out; while the Spanish guards kept close in their quarters, and remained all the time quiet spectators of what passed. Some of the populace broke open the drinking houses, and inflamed themselves with spirituous liquors, which made the scene the more terrible to such foreigners, as know the dangerous consequences that attend mobs in other countries, even without intoxication. The danger appeared greater at night; the women who were particularly outrageous, carrying lighted torches and palm branches through the streets. The general cry was, viva espagna.”

"In the mean time, the rioters sent a deputation to Aranjuez to the king, complaining of his doubt of their fidelity, and desiring that the court might come back, in order to walk about the town as usual on holy Thursday. The deputation returned with an account that his majesty was greatly indisposed, had been twice bled, and therefore could not come; but that he granted them a general pardon, would send away Squillacei and his family for ever, and would appoint Mousquiz minister of the finances; and that the only means to induce the king to return to Madrid, would be their immediate dispersing and obeying his orders. This message had a most happy effect; the people were thoroughly satisfied with it, gave up their arms, and having retired to their respective homes, every thing resumed its former state of quiet.-The marquis of Squillacei and his family set out immediately for Carthagena, under the guard of a strong escort, from whence he embarked as soon as possible for Naples."

"There were many circumstances attending these commotions, which serve strongly to mark the character of the nation concerned in them. Not a single individual suffered in his person or property by the lawless assembling of so many thousand people; except the Wallooon guards, who had violently opposed them, and

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