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 continued 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 confinement on the 5th, 6th, 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 immediate necessity to use. Among the persons arrested were the marchioness de Tabares, and her whole family; the prior of the consulate of commerce, Andueza; the merchants Bayo and Gongora, and many monks and canons. Similar proceedings occurred at Cordova; and there, as in other towns, monks, canons, and individuals of considerable wealth, formed the great majority of those who were suspected. The arrests were exceedingly numerous in all the towns of upper Andalusia, and particularly at Cordova, Carmona, and Ecija. In the capital, many monks were sent to prison. A Junta of public safety was created, and the duke de l'Infantado 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. So daring were they, that, on the 13th of August, a monk of the order of Mercy, 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 as serted that upwards of 200,000 reals had been expended by conspirators in corrupting the several corps of the guards, and in distributing proclamations in favour of "El hombre de la Plazuela."* 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 accoutrements and baggage ready for their march. They were soon in motion, and took the road towards Alcala, saying, that "they By this name the Exaltados desig nate the infant don Carlos, in allusion ta a bronze statue of the emperor Charles V, in the Plazuela, or petite place of St. Anne, in Madrid. 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 Carabachel, 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 Dardez, 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 18th by a cross-road to Torrija, where the rebels had stationed themselves, and on the same day assumed the command 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 Lea Bermudez. In the mean time, the count 'Espagne had been despatched 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, otwithstanding his former services, was shot with seven of his associates:- Bagnos, a colonel; Gomez, a captain of cavalry; Pematon, an officer commanding a party; Ortega, an adjutant of cavalry; Belosco, Guisbona, and Torres lieutenants of cavalry. They all met death with the greatest fortitude. They made no disclosures. Two other officers, who were taken with Bessieres, were pardoned upon the declaration of Gomez, that he induced them to accompany him without acquainting them with his designs. The soldiers were sent to Madrid. 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 battalion in garrison in that city. His plan was, by an insurrection 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 in every quarter of Spain, symptoms of revolt displayed themselves; and it was said, that it had been ascertained from the papers of a monk, who had acted as treasurer to the faction, that the chapters of all the metropolitan churches of Spain, and many rich convents of the orders of Carthusians, and of St. Bernard, St. Jerome, St. Augustin and St. Basil, had taxed themselves to raise 14,000,000 of reals for the support of the conspiracy. Though the open progress of revolt was checked, it can scarcely be said, that order was restored. In every province disturbances either occurred or were apprehended; and no man's person or property was safe, either from the fanatical zeal of the people, or from the suspicions of the king. The royalist volunteers of Salamanca voted an address to Ferdinand, soliciting from him the reestablishment of the holy office, as the surest method of securing the public tranquillity. In September various plots for placing the crown on the head of don Carlos, were formed and detected in Valencia, Grenada, and divers other places. In these plots, as well as in the previous commotions, the name of don Carlos was used, it was believed, without any approbation or concurrence on the part of that prince. To cure the miseries of Spain, Ferdinand and his advisers could devise no better expedient, than to create a Consultative Junta of government, who were to aid the council of ministers. This new body was formally installed on the 26th of September. Among other arduous duties imposed on them, they were to discover "What were the means calculated for conciliating the colonies, and bringing them back to their former obedience to the mother country? and what means should be adopted to facilitate the negotiation of a loan, and to render its conditions less onerous?" The Junta promised to do their utmost for their suffering country. "Our integrity," said they, in the address presented by them to his majesty on the day of their installation, "shall not be dismayed by the dread of the enmity or persecution which usually attends truth; we will endure its shafts with undaunted constancy. The glory of your majesty; the splendor and perpetuity of your throne; the integrity of your hereditary dominions; the decorum of your august family; the indissoluble union of the empire and priesthood; the re-establishment of the fame the Spanish state once enjoyed among other powers; the encouragement of individual riches, endeavouring to bind them to those of the state and government; the replacing the many deficiencies, and losses we have experienced; the adaptation of the contributions to possibility, and no more; the consolidation of a credit, to supply the place when contributions fail; the saving of every thing that may not be indispensably necessary; the suspension of all allowances not arising out of just demands; retrenchments, which do not bring with them indigence; reforms and modifications, which may re-animate the nation without depressing the subjects-such will be the objects for the guidance of the Junta; and the will of your majesty, and the directions of your council of ministers, shall be their only rule of action." In spite of their good intentions, however, they were unable to do their country any service; and even the advice, which they presumed to give, was not followed. They recommended the publication of an amnesty, and the cessation of political prosecutions, as one means of restoring order; but the council of Castile opposed this recommendation, and the ministry joined the fanatical party. In this spirit, one of the ministers, having adopted or pretended to adopt the notion that Freemasons were the great cause of national anarchy and public misery, demanded a more severe set of enactments against masonic aprons and symbols. A body of persons, calling themselves "defenders of the faith and of the king," had been lately detected at Grenada in possession of secret symbols: for this offence, they were ordered to be tried and executed as Freemasons. Sufficient evidence was sent to Madrid to prove that the place where they met was not a lodge, that the badges which they wore were not masonic, and that the objects which they had in view had nothing in common with the subjects generally discussed in the conclaves of the craft; but the order was peremptory, and the "defenders of the faith" suffered as masons. being himself suspected of liberalism, could not venture to put down the rebellion of fanatics, without at the same time proving that he was ready to support the faction, whose furious excesses had alarmed Zea the fears, and endangered the throne of his master. But even these sacrifices to the bigotry and alarms of his master, and to the fanaticism of the courtiers and of the people, were insufficient to secure his power. In October, Zea and the whole cabinet, of which he was the head, suddenly received their dismissal; and the ecclesiastical and fanatical faction came into full possession of power. The duke del'Infantado, who was high in credit with that party, and was supposed to be on bad terms with the French cabinet, now became the chief of a new ministry. Notwithstanding the bigotry of his character, the general opinion was, that his administration would be more steady than that of his predecessor: for, though he might be willing, in general, to be the prompt instrument of the priesthood, and might thus longer oppose salutary reforms; yet as the church could place reliance on his zeal, they would more readily listen to his counsels, and he would possess more power to execute moderate measures, if so inclined, than a man like Zea. If ever the time was to come when any portion of the property of the church would be mortgaged for the relief of the nation, the proposition was more likely to be heard with favour from him than from any other minister. CHAP. XII. PORTUGAL Change of Ministry-Recognition of the Independence of Brazil-Treaty with Brazil-Change of Commercial System BRAZIL-Executions-The Emperor's Course of Government-The Relations between Brazil and Peru-Invasion of Chiquitos by Brazilian Troops-The Emperor's disavowal of this Step-Insurrection of Fructuoso Rivera in the Banda Oriental-Expedition of Lavalleja Provisional Government of the Banda Oriental-Incorporation of the Banda Oriental with the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata Military Successes of the Independents-Victory of Sarandi-The Emperor's preparations-Blockade of Buenos Ayres. IN N the beginning of the year it was generally believed that sir William A'Court, the English ambassador at the court of Lisbon, was exerting all the influence of Great Britain to bring about such a change in the Portuguese ministry, as might pave the way for the recognition of the independence of the Brazils. Strong representations were made to the king on the subject; while M. Hyde de Neuville threw his weight into the opposite scale. Though the topic could not be very palatable to his majesty, he was too sensible of his complete dependence upon the power of England for protection against the intrigues of the queen's faction, not to give way ultimately. Accordingly, on the 14th of January, a change of ministry took place; and immediately afterwards decrees were issued appointing Jose Joaquim de Almeida de Aranjo Correa de Lacerda, minister of the interior; Fernando Luiz Perreira de Sousa Barradas, minister of justice and ecclesiastical affairs; the count de Barbacena, minister of war; senhor Silvestre Pinheiro Ferreira, minister for foreign affairs; don Miguel Antonio de Mello, minister of finance, and president of the royal Exchequer ; and admiral J. J. Monteiro Torres, secretary of state of the marine and colonies. Pinheiro, it was understood, was nominated pro tempore merely, to the department of foreign affairs, and was to retain that office only until the count of Villa Real, then ambassador in London, could resign his functions there and return to Lisbon. The effects of the British influence were seen, still more plainly, in the new footing on which the relations between the Brazils and Portugal were placed. On the 13th of May, the king, by his letters patent, created and recognized Brazil as an empire, independent of Portugal, and ceded and transferred the sovereignty of it to his son don Pedro. This preliminary step being taken, the proffered mediation of Great Britain between the two states was accepted; and sir Charles Stuart proceeded from Lisbon to Rio Janeiro as plenipotentiary of the king of Portugal, in order to negociate a treaty be tween the mother and the new trans-Atlantic empire. He does not seem to have met with many |