236 Anti-monastic movement.—Mendizabal in poiver [1834-6

appeared in noisy conflicts between the Ministry and the large body of Radical deputies in the Lower House. Nor were extreme reformers satisfied with the ministerial measures, resembling the Liberal legislation of 1820-3, and directed against the intrusion of the clergy in politics and against the Religious Orders. The extreme Radicals, steeped in anti-clerical ideas, and dreading the power of the enormous number of monks and nuns — 31,000 monks and 22,000 nuns according to the census of 1835 — and indignant at the support of Carlism and of absolutist ideas by the Religious Orders, simply desired their destruction. The agitation for that end, together with the accusation, frequent in the history of epidemics, that the cholera which then visited Madrid was produced through the poisoning of the water by monks, brought about in July, 1834, a popular sedition, in which some disorderly crowds attacked the monasteries and murdered several monks. The Government failed to check these acts of savagery, showing once more their weakness and vacillation. Early in 1835 and after the fall of Martinez de La Rosa the murders were repeated in other cities, unchecked by the first measures of the new Ministry, which once more expelled the Jesuits and closed every monastery of less than twelve monks.

But the movement which had begun with violence against the monks soon became an insurrection against the Government, whose moderation was disliked; and, the revolutionary movement spreading to almost all the provinces, the Government was powerless, although anxious to chastise the rebels severely. In this crisis appeared the man who was to lead the Liberal forces, to remedy by a bold stroke the confusion of the Treasury, and to create new interests in defence of the constitutional system. This was Mendizabal, whom we have already seen in Cadiz in 1819. He was now named Minister of the Treasury by Toreno. His arrival in Madrid in September, 1835, from exile in England, and his frank declarations to the Queen and to the Ministers, produced a decisive change. The new-comer undertook the Government and contrived to pacify the revolution simply by publishing decrees which satisfied some aspirations of the advanced party, granting pardon to all insurgents and reorganising some branches of the administration. He also promised in his programme of September 14 the restoration of the public credit, and the termination of the war " by the unaided resources of the nation "; and he contrived to inspire such confidence that the Chambers, by a vote of December 23, authorised him to reform the Treasury. This he accomplished by means of decrees, of which the most important are, that of February 19, 1836, which declared all the real property of the extinguished Religious Orders to be for sale ; and that of March, which, supplementing another decree of October 11, 1835, suppressed with some exceptions the monasteries, diminished the nunneries, and confiscated the property of the suppressed Houses.

The result of Mendizabal's policy soon appeared both in the war

1835-6] MendizabaV s policy and fall 237

and in the opinion of the so-called Conservative classes. In the war, by increasing the army, improving its equipment, and paying attention to the soldiers, he encouraged the Isabelinos, and rendered possible the improvement of the military situation in the north. Among the Conservative classes the sale of ecclesiastical property, which took place under conditions more favourable for the purchaser than for the State, created a network of interests, which necessarily thenceforth told in favour of the preservation of Isabel's throne, since Don Carlos could not be expected to respect these purchases. Thus the Minister enlisted material interests as indirect support for the legitimate dynasty. In international affairs his Government had further important results : he gave greater influence in Spanish policy to Great Britain than to France; whereas, notwithstanding the doubtful conduct of LouisPhilippe, Martinez de La Rosa and Toreno had always leaned towards France, although unsuccessful in their requests for intervention. Assured of the co-operation of Mendizabal, whose political education had been English, as he often showed in his conduct, the British Cabinet prepared to act independently of France, desiring at all costs to prevent French intervention and the execution of the supposed design of LouisPhilippe to marry one of his sons to Queen Isabel. A momentary breach between Thiers and Metternich threatened to thwart the British plans, although for the benefit of Spain, since Thiers induced his sovereign to modify his former attitude of tolerance towards the Carlists, to increase the French legion, and to permit the troops of Cristina to traverse French territory in executing an enveloping movement.

In this condition of things a new revolution, caused by the fall of the Mendizabal Ministry and the renewed preponderance of the Moderates in the Government and in the Court (May 15,1836), disturbed all combinations. The dissolution of the Cortes, whose majority was advanced or " Progressive," and the publication of a proclamation by Cristina vehemently accusing the supporters of Mendizabal, brought about an insurrection, which in August involved all that part of the Peninsula not dominated by the Carlists. The victory of the revolutionists led to the insurrection of a part of the garrison of La Granja, a royal residence then occupied by the Court. These troops, led by two sergeants, compelled Cristina to order the proclamation of the Code of Cadiz (August 13). This revolution was largely attributed by the Moderates to intrigues on the part of the British ambassador, Lord Clarendon.

The state of anarchy, which had prevailed in the country since May, 1836, favoured the Carlists, who, though several times defeated by C6rdoba, Narvaez, Evans, and other generals, recovered from their losses, and continued to maintain the war, at least in the north. In Valencia a new leader had appeared, Ram6n Cabrera, a man of remaikable military faculties, although not equal to his predecessor. He gave to the struggle in the eastern districts and in Aragon a ferocious character by

238 Carlist War. — Progressive Government [1836-7

his cruelties to prisoners, which led to sanguinary reprisals by the Isabelinos, especially the shooting of Cabrera's mother, which was terribly avenged by him. The Carlist General, Gomez, made a daring raid through the two Castiles and Andalusia, without decisive results. Bilbao, besieged a second time, was again relieved by Espartero after a brilliant victory (December, 1836), which, however, did not conclude the war. The British Government, which decidedly favoured the Queen, lent her £540,000 for military expenses; while the British Legion fought admirably before Bilbao and elsewhere. On the other hand, the eastern Powers sent monetary aid to Don Carlos. The year 1837 was marked by an energetic campaign under Espartero, which closed triumphantly with the capture of most of the Carlist fortresses. Two other expeditions in that year require some preliminary explanation.

The new Progressive Government, raised up by the revolution of 1836 and directed by Calatrava, passed two sets of important measures : one relating to the Carlists and the opponents of the Liberal cause, whose property was seized, and to the war, which was pushed on by a new conscription of men from 18 to 40 years, and by a forced loan of two millions sterling; the other of a social character, insisting upon a policy of desamortising the landed property accumulated by corporations, civil and religious. In the field of pure politics, departing from the spirit of the revolution, which had demanded the Constitution of 1812, Calatrava formed a new Constitution, that of 1837, which agreed with the former in some of its principles, particularly that of the national sovereignty, but differed from it in the institution of two Chambers, in the absolute veto of the Crown, and in the restriction of the suffrage. But even here Progressive influence appeared in the elective character of the Upper House or Senate, in the right granted to the Cortes to assemble of themselves if the King should neglect to summon them in any year before December 1, and in other details. The influence of the English Reform Bill of 1832, which also appears in the Constitution of 1837, deserves mention as a new example of the intellectual action exercised by English institutions upon Spanish politicians almost from the beginning of the century. Although the new Constitution was not welcomed either by the Moderates or by the recalcitrant doceanistas, it was for a long period the fighting banner of the advanced Liberals; and it had the twofold importance of assuring the constitutional principle, which thenceforth was never denied, and of ending the sentiment of idolatry for the Constitution of 1812.

The Moderates, seeking means of injuring the Progressives, now attempted to suborn the troops in order to rouse an insurrection, and succeeded in sowing disaffection in the army. Among other expressions of this disaffection was a demonstration made by a group of officers of Espartero's brigade, then stationed in Madrid. This movement, which was not chastised by the general as might have been expected, produced

18.37-8] Moderate Government. — Decline of Carlism 239

the fall of Calatrava's Ministry, and the appointment of another with Espartero himself as Premier (August 18, 1837). The presence of these troops in Madrid was due to the approach of two Carlist expeditions, one led by General Zariategui and the other by Don Carlos himself. The former was defeated at the very gates of the capital and retired upon Valladolid. The second, after traversing Aragon, Catalonia, and Valencia, with varying fortunes, and having been reinforced by Cabrera's troops, approached Madrid, and reached Vallecas at the moment when Espartero had left the place, called away by necessities elsewhere. Madrid, weakly garrisoned, was in great danger of capture; but Cabrera, marching upon the capital on the morning of September 13, was stopped on the way by an order from Don Carlos. The motive of this order is not clearly known; but, from some contemporary allusions, the following explanation seems probable. Cristina had for some time been negotiating with Don Carlos for the termination of the war by means of a marriage which should unite the two dynastic branches. The understanding implied in these negotiations was probably the reason of the expedition of Don Carlos, who, upon approaching Madrid, expected that the gates would be opened to him by the Queen, and that a reconciliation and a change of policy would follow. But at the last moment, for unknown reasons, Cristina drew back, informing Don Carlos of her altered resolution; thus the plan fell through. The expedition retired through New Castile, joined temporarily the forces of General Zariategui, and at last re-entered the Basque Provinces, pursued by Espartero and other generals. The Carlist cause had been morally defeated and undone. Fresh raids, attempted in 1838, were unsuccessful; and, on the other hand, the first movements in favour of peace appeared among the troops of Don Carlos. In Aragon and Valencia alone Cabrera obtained in this year some successes, marked by barbarous cruelties to prisoners, which produced further sanguinary reprisals by the Isabelinos in Valencia, Murcia, and Alicante. In political matters the year 1838 is marked by a fresh predominance of Moderate tendencies in the Government, showing itself chiefly in a project of municipal law involving almost absolute centralisation, with the loss of the greater part of the political and administrative independence of the municipalities. This project was strongly opposed by the Progressives. In November a popular movement, probably fomented by the Moderates, occurred in Seville, in which two generals were concerned, who thenceforth were to play a large part in politics, C6rdoba and Narvaez. The latter, who had distinguished himself in the Carlist War, alarmed the Liberals by his dictatorial tendencies and his ambition, which presently clashed with that of Espartero, producing between the two generals a bitter personal enmity, which was afterwards to affect events at least as much as political differences. Narvaez, being banished upon the accusation of Espartero, fled and left Spain.

240 End of the Carlist War [1839-40

The year 1839 was to be fatal to the Carlist cause, already profoundly undermined by various causes of disorganisation, among them the personal insignificance of the Pretender, his departure from the army, the group of intriguers who continually aroused his jealousy towards his best generals, his ingratitude towards these generals, and the administrative disorder which left the soldiers unprovided, while the expenses of the Court increased. As usually happens in such cases, two parties were formed — a Court party, uncompromising and fanatical; and a military party prepared for compromise and ready to give an energetic and orderly impulse to the war, and to avoid alienating the sympathies of the people by violence, cruelty, and uncertainty of political aims. The leader of this party from the middle of 1838 was General Maroto, who was placed in command of the army by Don Carlos, and who soon won the firm attachment of the soldiers. The struggle between him and the courtiers began at once, producing frequent acts of disrespect and defiance of authority in military matters, and calumnies which aimed at discrediting the General. When matters went so far that his life was threatened, he took energetic measures, and arrested and shot several generals and courtiers who were plotting a military insurrection against him (February 19). This bold act impressed Don Carlos, deprived the courtiers of their preponderance, and was the prelude to negotiations with Espartero, initiated by Maroto, who placed himself at the head of the movement towards peace arising from weariness of a war of which the end could not be discerned, and from disillusion concerning the person of Don Carlos. Several proposals, in which Great Britain and France had a share, having been rejected by Espartero, the two generals at last concluded an agreement which was signed on August 31,1839, at Vergara. Espartero undertook to recommend to the Cortes the confirmation or modification of the fueros, while the military grades and civil posts of the Carlists who submitted were to be recognised. Don Carlos, who had attempted in vain to carry with him the troops of Maroto by presenting himself to them, naturally declined to accept the agreement; but, although he still commanded the allegiance of considerable forces, he retired to France without attempting any resistance. Cabrera maintained the war for some months in Aragon and Valencia; but repeated defeats at last compelled him also to cross the frontier, accompanied by many followers (June 6, 1840). Thus closed the struggle which for seven years had stained the Peninsula with blood.

At the time when this occurred, the political contest between Moderates and Progressives was reaching an unexpected solution. The former, being masters of the situation, pushed forward the already mentioned project of Municipal Law, which was passed by the Cortes of 1810. In order to pass into law, it only required the sanction of the Queen Regent, who on June 11 had started for Catalonia, probably with the double object of testing public opinion and of attempting to win