The system of cyphers is a means frequently made use of for corresponding in secret matters of great importance. The single leaf, with out signature, is written by one of the prince's servants, whom he had dismissed from his service, and has nothing to do with the present busi ness. The following day, (the 29th of October,) at midnight, the secretary general of the cabinet and the provisional president of the council, met by order of the late king in his apartments, who gave it as their opinion, that his present majesty should be examined concerning the contents of those papers. His present majesty was accordingly called into the apartments of his royal father, where he was arrested, and precluded from all intercourse with any person, except some new attendants appointed on the occasion. During the same night all his present majesty's servants were arrested. On the 30th of October the late king sent an order to the Marquis de Caballero, signed the same day and published all over the kingdom, whereby our king and sovereign was declared a traitor, together with his servants. According to the deposition, upon oath, made by his present majesty, and four secretaries of the departments of justice and war, that order was entirely written in the hand-writing of Don Manuel Godoy, prince of peace, who at that time was in Madrid. The original order could not be annexed to these proceedings, because, in such cases, the original is always returned to the king, and the copy dispatched and published. The same day, the 30th of October, finding himself confined, and precluded from all communication, he deemed it right to make public what he had done for the benefit of his country; and in order to extricate himself from the state of oppression to which he was reduced, he declared the same day, the 30th of October, to the Marquis de Caballero, that with a view of promoting the prosperity of the Spanish empire, he wished to marry a French princess of the blood, and that the steps he had already taken for that purpose were perfectly his own, and without compulsion; and that whatever he had done had no other object than to open the eyes of his royal parents with regard to the implicit confidence which they placed in Don Manuel Godoy; that, fearful lest he should continue to make an improper use of his influence and power, his majesty has judged it necessary, for the welfare of the kingdom, to give the Duke of Infantado a power of attorney in his own, (the king's,) hand-writing, to assume the command of the troops in New Castile, in case of the decease of his royal father. At that time the Prince of Peace arrived at the palace of the Escurial, and having entered the apartments of his present majesty, he presented to him the copy of a letter by which his present majesty was made to ask pardon of his royal father. His majesty being desirous not to refuse this new pledge of his veneration for his royal parents, signed the letter which is annexed to the decree of the 5th of November. His majesty being perfectly convinced that neither the Duke of Infantado nor Don John Esquoquix, the author of the letter dated Talavera, are guilty of any misconduct, deems himself obliged to declare No. 17.*-Letter from King Carlos SIR, MY BROTHER, Your majesty will assuredly hear with pain of the events which have taken place at Aranjuez, and their consequences: you will not without sympathy see a king who has been compelled to resign his throne, throw himself into the arms of a great monarch, his ally, placing every thing in his protection who alone can fix his happiness, and that of his whole family, and his trusty and beloved subjects. Under the pressure of the moment, and amid the clashing of weapons and the cries of a rebellious guard, I found that I had to choose between my life and death, and that my death would be followed by that of the queen: I was compelled to abdicate the throne; but to-day peace is restored; and full of confidence in the generosity and genius of the great man, who has at all times declared himself my friend, I have taken my resolution to resign myself into his hands, and await what he shall resolve on my fate, that of the queen, and of the Prince de la Paz. I address myself to your majesty, and protest against the events which took place at Aranjuez, and against my dethronement. I rely with confidence, and altogether, upon the cordiality and friendship of your majesty, praying that God may have you in his holy keeping. Sir, my brother, your royal and imperial majesty's affectionate brother and friend, CARLOS. Aranjuez, March 25. NO. II. decree of the 19th of March, in I protest and declare, that my which I renounce my crown in favour of my son, is a deed to which I was compelled, in order to prevent greater calamity, and spare the blood of my beloved subjects. It is therefore to be considered as of no authority. No. (Signed) I, THE KING. 18.-Letter from Ferdinand t● his Father, Charles IV. Venerable father and lord,-I deposited in the royal hands of your majesty, on the 1st current, the renunciation of the crown in your favour. I have believed it to be obligatory upon me to modify the renunciation by such conditions as were agreeable to the respect due to your majesty, to the tranquillity of my dominions, and to the preservation of my honour and character. It is not without great astonishment, that I have seen indignation produced in the royal mind of your majesty, by modifications dictated by prudence, and called for by the love that I bear to my subjects. Without any other ground, your majesty thought proper to insult me in the presence of my venerable mother, and of the emperor, by appellations the most humiliating; and not content with this, you require my renunciation without any conditions or restrictions, under pain that I, and those who composed my council, should be treated as conspirators. * The reference to this has been accidentally omitted in the body of the work. In such a situation of things, I make the renunciation which your majesty commands, that you may return to those sentiments with which your majesty has hitherto been pleased to regard me, and to the exercise of the power of the crown, unfettered by any stipulations on the part of, Venerable Father and Lord, &c. FERDINAND. of which I have already felt, is still in motion. In the midst of these important and critical circumstances, I am occupied in concerting with my ally, the emperor of the French, all that concerns your welfare. Beware of listening to the enemies of it. All those who speak to you against France, thirst for your blood; they are either the enemies of your nation, or agents of England, who are busily No. 18. *-To the Supreme Junta of availing themselves of circumstances, the Government. Having judged it expedient to give the same direction to all the forces of our kingdom, in order to maintain security of property, and public tranquillity against enemies, as well exterior as interior, we have thought it fit to nominate our cousin, the Grand Duke of Berg, lieutenantgeneral of the kingdom, who, at the same time, commands the troops of our ally, the emperor of the French. We command the council of Castile, and the captains-general and governors of our provinces, to obey his orders. In the same quality he shall preside over the junta of the govern ment. Given at Bayonne, at the Imperial Palace, stiled the Palace of the Government, May 4, 1808. (Signed) I, THE KING, NO. 19.-PROCLAMATION, Spaniards! My beloved subjects, perfidious men seek to mislead you. They would put arms into your hands against the French troops; they seek alike to arm you against the French, and the French against you. The sacking of all Spain, calamities of every kind, would be the result. The spirit of faction, the sad effects and whose intrigues would involve the loss of your colonies, the separation of your provinces, or a series of years of trouble and calamity for your country. Spaniards! trust to my experience, and obey that authority which I hold from God and my fathers; follow my example, and think that, in the position in which you stand, there is no prosperity and safety for Spaniards, but in the friendship of great emperor our ally. Given at Bayonne, from the Imperial Palace, stiled Palace of the Government, May 4. I, THE KING. the and the preservation of our holy religion, not only as the predominant, but as the sole and exclusive religion in Spain. We have therefore thought proper to send you this letter, that you should conform yourselves thereto, publish its contents, and make every exertion in support of the emperor Napoleon. Display the utmost frankness and friendship towards the French, and, above all, direct all your care to preserve the country from insurrections and tumults. In the new condition upon which we are entering, we shall frequently turn our eyes towards you, and happy shall we be to know that you enjoy peace and contentment. Given at the Imperial Palace, I, THE KING. No. 21.-Resignation of the Crown of Spain by King Charles IV. and the Prince of Asturias. Napoleon, emperor of the French, king of Italy, and protector of the confederation of the Rhine, and Charles IV., king of Spain and the Indies, animated equally by a desire to put an end to the anarchy to which Spain is a prey, and to save that brave nation from the agitation of faction, and the convulsions of civil and foreign war, and place it in the sole position which, in the extraordinary circumstances in which it is now found, can maintain its integrity, guarantee its colonies, and enable it to unite all its means to those of France to obtain a maritime peace; have resolved to combine all their efforts, and to regulate by a particular convention interests so dear to them: to this effect they have appointed, His majesty the emperor of the French, king of Italy, and protector of the confederation of the Rhine, the general of division Duroc, grand marshal of the palace; His majesty the king of Spain and the Indies, his serene highness Manual Godoy, prince of the Peace, count of Evora Mont, who, after having exchanged their full powers, have agreed as follows:Art. I. His majesty King Charles having, during his whole life, only had in view the happiness of his subjects, and constantly adhering to the principle, that all the acts of the sovereign ought solely to attend to that object; as the present circumstances can only be a source of dissensions the more fatal, because factions have divided his own family, has resolved sents, to his majesty the emperor to cede, and does cede, by these preNapoleon, all his rights to the throne of Spain and the Indies, as the only means, in the state at which things have arrived, which can re-establish order: it being always understood, that the said cession only takes place in order that his subjects may enjoy the two following conditions:-1. The integrity of the kingdom shall be maintained. 2. The prince whom his majesty the emperor Napoleon shall judge proper to be placed on the throne of Spain shall be independent; and the limits of Spain shall undergo no alteration. II. The catholic, apostolic, and Roman religion shall be the only one in Spain; no reformed religion shall be tolerated there, and still less infidelity, according to the usage now established. III. All acts contrary to those of our faithful subjects, since the revolution of Aranjuez, are null and of no validity, and their property shall be restored to them. IV. His majesty King Charles having thus secured the prosperity, the integrity, and the independence of his subjects, his majesty the emperor engages to give an asylum in his states to King Charles, to the queen, to the prince of Peace, as also to those of their servants who shall wish to follow them; who shall enjoy in France a rank equivalent to that which they possessed in Spain. V. The imperial palace of Compeigne, and the parks and forests dependent on it, shall be at the disposal of King Charles during his life. VI. His majesty the emperor gives and guarantees to King Charles a civil list of 80,000,000 of reals, which his majesty the emperor will cause to be paid him without delay every month, from the treasury of the crown. At the death of King Charles a revenue of 2,000,000 shall form the dowry of the queen. VII. His majesty the emperor Napoleon engages to grant to all the infantes of Spain an annual rent of four hundred thousand livres, to be enjoyed by them and their descendants in perpetuity, saving the revertibility of the said rent from one branch to the other, in case of the extinction of one of them, according to civil laws. In case of the extinction of all the branches, the said rent shall revert to the crown of France. VIII. His majesty the emperor Napoleon shall make such arrangements as he shall judge proper with the future king of Spain for the payment of the civil list, and the rents stipulated in the preceding articles; but his majesty King Charles IV. is understood to have no relation with respect to that object, except with the treasury of France. IX. His majesty the emperor Napoleon gives in exchange to his majesty King Charles the castle of Chambord, with the parks, forests, and farms, dependent on it, to enjoy in fall property, and to dispose of as shall seem to him good. X. In consequence, his majesty King Charles renounces, in favour of the emperor Napoleon, all the allodial and particular property not appertaining to the crown of Spain, but possessed personally. The infantes of Spain shall continue to enjoy the revenues of the commanderies they possess in Spain. XI. The present convention shall be ratified, and the ratifications exchanged, within eight days, or sooner, if possible. Done at Bayonne, May 5, 1808. THE PRINCE OF THE PEACE. No. 22.-King of Spain's last Proclamation. I have thought proper to give my beloved subjects this last proof of my paternal love. Their happiness, tranquillity, prosperity, and preservation, and integrity of the dominions that divine Providence had placed under my sway, have been the sole objects of my constant care during my reign. Every step and measure that have been adopted since my exaltation to the throne of my august ancestors have been directed to those just purposes, and could not be directed to any other. This day, in the extraordinary circumstances in which I am placed, my conscience, my honour, and the good name I ought to leave to posterity, imperiously require of me, that the last act of my sovereignty |