NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THE death of the King of Spain, with the few attendant circum- stances which were then known respecting it, was mentioned in part of our impression last week. The French Papers, and the correspondents of our own Daily Journals, have since supplied us with additional particulars ; from which it would appear, that his Catholic Majesty died as he had lived—a puppet in the hands of his Ministers, and a greedy sensualist to the last. • The Government paper, the Madrid Gazette, continued stoutly to affirm that FERDINAND was in perfect health till the morning 4 the 29th of September, when, for the first time, an official bul- letin was published, announcing that he was dangerously ill. He had, in fact, been in a wretched state of health since the middle of July ; and his efforts to appear in public, made in obedience to the dictation of his Ministers, brought on a pulmonary affection, which hastened his end. On the night of Saturday the 28th September, he becarne much womsestind.cpUld take no nourishment; but about one odock on Sunday,thorning, his appetite returned, and he ins deed it se greedily, that a fit of apoplexy soon arrived to carry,i;',.., oft the Queen was thstonly person in the room when he expiaxl; but her screams soon brought in CAsrEn.o, his physician, and the attendants. CASTELLO, recollecting what occurred last year, thought that the King might only have fallen into a deep lethargy; and . ran needles into his nails, put a lighted taper under his nostrils, and tried-experiments upon the body of defunct Majesty, =tine became:satisfied that the breath of life no longer remained therein.
The intelligence of the King's death was not generally known that day in Madrid: the Prado was thronged as usual in the evening, and the theatres were filled with persons who knew no- thing of what had occurred. Precautions against disturbances were taken by the Ministers ; who ordered all the troops to be placed under arms, and remain in their quarters. Everywhere, however, perfect tranquillity prevailed. All parties appeared to rejoice at the King's death, as soon as the news was promulgated, for he bad disgusted all. The Queen published three decrees, in a supplement to the Gazette of the 29th. She assumes the title of Queen Regent; but makes no reference to any will of the late King, or any other document which would authorize such an assumption of authority on her part. It appears doubtfid whether any Regency has been established. The King was empowered by law to establish in any way he thought fit a Regency during the minority of his daughter ; but if he left no will, then the Cortes will form a Coun- cil of Regency, always to be presided by the Queen, when there is a Queen Dowager. This is the account given by the correspon- dent of the Times, of the law which regulates these matters in Spain. In the first of the decrees above-mentioned, the Royal Council of Castile were summoned, in order to give directions respecting the King's funeral, and to draw up the proclamation by which Donna ISABELLA the Second was to be declared Queen. The second decree confirmed the Ministers in their respective depart- ments. This is avowedly a provisional arrangement; for the Queen hasbas declared that she should consider ita disrespect to the memory Ober late Inisband were she to change his Ministers immediately upon his deCease. By the third decree, all the Magistrates and Government functionaries are maintained in their posts through- out the kingdom. Although every thing bore an external appearance of tranquil- lity, yet it was- well known that the Carlists, who had accurate in- formation respecting the real state of the late King's health, had been and were very active in carrying on their secret intrigues. They had trained a number of beggars and mendicant friars to the service of couriers, and by their means kept up a constant cotrespofftlence -with Don CA.RLOS. There is no certain intelli- Bence respecting the movements of that Prince. He was known to be on the frontiers of Spain ; but as the Captains-General of the provinces through which he would have to pass were generally regarded as unfriendly to him, it was considered doubtful whether lie would yield to the solicitations of his partisans, and venture into' the heart of the kingdom. His wife, the sister of Doll MIGUEL,. is said to be an energetic and violent woman, possessing isoreat in- fluence over her husband, and eager to drive him into the adop- tion of dangerous counsels. The monks and the populace of Spain look upon him as their patron and leader ; and should he raise the standard of rebellion against his niece, they would no doubt flock to it in considerable numbers.
On the other hand, the Queen has the hearty support of the Liberal party, which embraces a large proportion of the talent, courage, and virtue of the better-educated classes in Spain. She may also place some reliance, but not much, upon that portion of the Absolutist party which is opposed to the claims of Don CmtLos, and of which ZEA BERMUDEZ has hitherto been con- sidered the most prominent member. She will probably find it necessary to court them with assiduity, and so far to displease the- Liberals, unless she receives firm and decided support from France and England. But she is not likely to be deserted at the present crisis by those powers. The French Government, immediately upon the receipt of the news of the King's death, and before any official notification of the event had been made to them, despatched one of the leading employes in the Foreign Office to Madrid, to inform the Regent of their intention formally to recognize her daughter as Queen of Spain. Mr. VILLIERS, the new British Ambassador, who arrived at Madrid the day before the King's death, is believed7 to have carried similar instructions out with him. His introduction to ZEA. BERMUDEZ was fixed by the latter to take place at three o'clock on the Sunday; but upon going to the Palace, he was told that the Minister was so "excessively busy " that he could not see him: Mr: VILLIERS, howe'Ver, was not to be put off in this way : lie replied, that he would remain till the Minister was disengaged. This message. soon brought . UN; Ram UDE Z who, with an 'appearance of great agitation,. infoffned Mr. VILLIERS that FERDINAND was just dead. -This little circumstance, °mining at the very 'first interview, may serve_to show the crafty Spaniard that lie has a man of spirit to deal with -in Mr. VILLIERS. It is.' indeed most fortunatesthat the departure of Mr. ADDINGTON,.who was ill fitted for the office of representative of a Liberal Govern; meat, and the arrival of Mr. VILLIERS, who is believed to have every qualification for such a post, should have happened just at this crisis in the affairs of Spain. There is good reason to believe that the French Government is prepared, if necessary, to aid the Queen Regent in the most ef- fectual manner, by despatching an army to enable her to crush the malecontents. This is what our Cabinet are clearly precluded: from doing. Let the world go as it may, let Liberals or Abso- lutists be uppermost,—we are bound to keep at peace. The most that could be expected of our Government in the way of warlike . demonstration, would be to send a squadron to cruise off the Spanish coasts, and protect the property -of British • subjects in case of a civil war. That degree of support, however, which a - recognition of the infant Queen's title can give, will not be with- held; for the WELLINGTONS and ABERDEENS are no longer the directors of our foreign policy, and Englishmen_ may once more hold up their heads when abroad.
