also it belongs to my office to watch over the execution and fulfilment of those laws, and especially of the fundamental law of the monarchy, in which the hopes and wishes of the Spanish people are centred. This will be my most grateful and most constant duty. To the establishment, and to the entire and inviolable preservation of the constitution, the power which that constitution grants to the royal authority will be devoted, and in that will also consist my duty, my delight, and glory. To fulfill and bring to perfection this great and salutary enterprise, after humbly imploring the aid and guidance of the author of all good, I require the active co-operation of the Cortes, whose zeal, intelligence, patriotism, and love to my royal person, lead me to hope that they will concur in all the necessary measures for the attain ment of such important ends, thus justifying the confidence of the heroic nation by which they have been elected." The president replied: "The Cortes have heard with singular satisfaction the wise address in which your majesty has expressed your noble and generous sentiments and described the state of the nation. The Cortes presents to your majesty its most respectful thanks for the ardent zeal with which you promote the general prosperity, and promises to co-operate with your majesty's intelligence, and to contribute by all possible means to the attainment of the important objects for which it has been convoked." It was supposed that the chief difficulty in the way of the reception of the constitution, by the mass of the people, would arise from the influence of the priests over them. This, however, does not appear to have been the case: the new government felt itself strong enough to abolish the Inquisition, to establish the freedom of the press, and even to abo. lish the monasteries, and to make use of ecclesiastical property to relieve the finances of the country. Embarrassed and impoverished as Spain had been for a great length of time, it was not to be expected that the exertions of the ablest and most patriotic men could easily extricate her from her difficulties. To this end, however, the Cortes and the ministers seem to be directing their efforts; and though the conduct of Ferdinand has more than once excited the apprehensions of his subjects, yet his fears, if not his good sense and his principles, have brought him back to the safest conduct for himself, as well as the best for the nation. Spain therefore at the close of the year 1820 may be considered as gradually working out for herself more liberty, prosperity and happiness, than she ever enjoyed in any former period, That Spain required regenera tion in all the departments of the state, is sufficiently evident from the following abstract of the exposé of its situation presented to the Cortes. FOREIGN. The minister for foreign affairs announced that the relations of the nation with foreign powers were perfectly pacific and amicable, except with regard to the court of Portugal and the United States. With the former, he observed, some differences exist respecting the capture of Monte-Video, and with the latter on the subject of the treaty of the Floridas; but but the principles of moderation and justice which direct the diplomatic operations, give us reason to hope that these differences will be adjusted honourably for Spain, and that they will not alter in the slightest degree the system of peace established in Europe. INTERIOR. The minister of the interior gave a detail of all the branches of the public administraticn connected with his department, and specified the means adopted for its improvement. This depart ment of government will require the longer time in organizing, as every thing must be regenerated conformably to the report on the political economy and civil administration of the kingdom, in order to give a new stimulus to agriculture, commerce, manufactures, and the arts, and to promote the general prosperity of the nation. - COLONIAL. The minister of the colonies, in his exposé on the situation of America, detailed among a variety of other topics the measures adopted by the king for the reconcilement of subsisting differences, and the re-union of the colonies to the mother country. He dissipated the mischievous rumours which had been circulated of a contemplated expedition to America, and explained what had given rise to those false rumours. JUSTICE. The report of the minister of justice embraced only the period subsequent to the 9th of March of this year. He gave an account of the decrees signed by the king for consolidating the constitutional system, and causing the laws to be observed-of the state of the royal courts, and other tribunals of the country-of what has been already done for the establishment of the judges in the first instance, conformably to the district divisions adopted by the Cortes. He stated that some ecclesiastic prebendaries have been disposed of to recompense different individuals named, and who had been persecuted on account of their adherence to the constitutional system. He dwelt much on the measures adopted with respect to the regular clergy, which he represented as equally advantageous to that body and the nation, and stated the arrangements made for preventing the increase of Jesuit convents, by allowing only one in towns which before had several, and taking public instruction out of their hands. The minister finally defended the measures which had been adopted for securing the deputies who signed the representation of the year 1814, and on whom it is reserved for the Cortes to pronounce judgement. WAR.-The report of the minister of war produced the most afflicting impression. It appeared that this department was in the most deplorable condition; that it is indispensably necessary immediately to effect a reform in the army, and to change its organization; that the existing military force, comprising all the arms, is about 53,705 men, exclusive of the royal guard, and 7,083 cavalry; that, notwithstanding the reduction of 10,000 officers, the number retained was beyond all proportion to the army; that the corps of the royal guard was greatly diminished; that the want of money, and partial distribu tions of pay, had reduced the officers to the greatest privations; that the major part of them had remained for years on half-pay, though though in active service; that the army is in a state of shameful nudity; that in the cavalry only 15 regiments have their clothing and equipments in tolerable condition; that the clothing and arms of the infantry were not uniform, and generally bad; that they had only 87,000 muskets, of which 6,000 were unserviceable; that the cavalry had 10,000 carbines, and that in the pistols and swords there was no uniformity; and that the saddlery articles were regular only in seven regiments. surgents, which cannot occasion any apprehensions; but it is necessary, he observed, to keep that country on a war footing. The ravages of the revolutions are se verely felt in South America, which experiences the effects of a war excited by the ambition of foreigners. Though it is impossible to give a correct statement of the military forces in these countries, the minister announced that, since 1815, not less than 42,177 men of all arms have been transported thither, of whom 5,000 are of Porto-Rico. The minister next described the deplorable state of the artillery, The forces in the island of Cuwhich was wholly destitute of ma- ba, including the militia, amount teriel, and had a supply of ammu- to 10,995 men, and 977 horses; nition scarcely sufficient for sin- those in North America to 41,036 gle day's service in battle. The infantry and cavalry, who occupy militia corps raised in 1818 pre- an extent of 82,142 square sent a force of 33,809 men, com- leagues. Lastly, by adding the manded by 140 chiefs; the garri- troops which are on other stations sons, castles, &c., are in the most of South America, consisting of wretched condition, as well as the about 10,178 men, who form the fortresses on the coast. The mi- garrisons of the Philippines, it litary education has not undergone will be found that the army in the any change; and the department colonies amounts to 96,578 men, of theoretical and practical in- and 8,419 horses. The garrisons struction for the military requires in America are in the worst possi. no reformation. The retirements ble state. granted to officers have produced a saving and the number of invalids is 7,838 men. He then recapitulated the total force of the peninsula: that of the infantry, including the militia, he stated to consist of 87,779 men; the cavalry of 6,338; and the expense of the whole army he estimated at 352,607,000 reals (88,151,750 francs). He then entered upon the details of the colonial establishments. The islands of Porto-Rico, St. Domingo, and Cuba, enjoy profound tranquillity. In Mexico there exist only a few bands of in MARINE. The minister of marine gave an account in his report of the dilapidated condition to which his department had been reduced; he urged the necessity of regenerating this most important branch, and of increasing it to the highest possible pitch, by building as many ships as the state of the finances will admit. He referred to a proposition submitted to the former Cortes, to increase the navy to 20 ships of the line, 20 frigates, 18 corvettes, 26 brigantines, and 18 sloops of war. FINANCE. The minister of the finances entered into a long and complicated complicated statement. He rendered an account of the state of the treasury on the 9th of March, explained the available resources, and pointed out a practicable a practicable mode of supplying the deficiencies. He proposed some modification of the dotations to the royal family, and solicited the approbation of the Cortes to a loan of 40,000,000 opened by the king, and towards which only 5,000,000 had been subscribed. He described the wretched state of the finances, indicated the node of improving the system, and the difficulties opposed to a reformation. He specified the abuses-and one of the principal, the taxes imposed as merely provisional, and which were never suppressed in Spain. Hence the necessity of consulting the opinions and the abilities of the people before they should be subjected to a new plan of taxation. He explained the causes which were opposed to the establishment of direct contributions, and mentioned the indisposition of the clergy, the nobility, and persons in office, to contribute their proportions, as one of the principal impediments. He demonstrated the necessity of a reform, and to give publicity to every thing connected with the finances. The minister concluded his report by pointing out the inaccuracy and the inutility of custom-house codes; the injurious and mischievous tendency of the prohibitory laws: he proposed the union of the department of the posts to that of the finances, and reprobated the absurdity of the penal laws with regard to the system of finance. With respect to the finances, the committee of finance reported to the Cortes that the extreme penury of the public treasury had giv en occasion to the suggestion of many plans for affording immediate relief. ate relief. They had particularly noticed a plan of colonel don Juan del Castillo, who proposed to coin copper-money to the amount of 3,200,000,000 of reals. A long discussion arose upon this plan, which was eventually rejected as unconstitutional and impracticable. The Cortes, however, approved of another project of the committee of finance for establishing entrepôts in several ports of Spain and America. There are to be eight of the first class in Spain; viz. at Bilboa, Santander, Corunna, Cadiz, Malaga, Alicant, Tarragona, and Barcelona; seventeen in America; and one in the Phi lippine islands, at Manilla. There are to be in Spain, and the adjacent islands, seven ports of entrepôt of the second class, and eighteen in America. The budget for the financial year, which commenced on the 1st of July last, was definitively fixed as follows:Reals. The king's house hold 45,090,000 12,000,000 8,410,375 1,368,235 11,131,110 . 173,351,669 . 355,450,915 96,000,000 702,802,304 The total revenues. 530,394,271 172,408,033 The definitive organization of the army, as sanctioned by the king was as follows. 1. Revolution in Portugal-in Naples-State of Germany and Russia. Tcould scarcely be expected that Portugal would remain quiet long after the revolution had broken out in Spain. In many respects, indeed, Portugal was differently situated from the latter country; she had not the same causes of complaint and dissatisfaction, but she had others which were sufficiently powerful to lead to decisive results, when an opportunity occurred. The two great sources of the dissatisfaction of the Portuguese were, that they were become now, in fact, colonists of their own colony; that Portugal had ceased to be the principal country since the king had established his residence and court in the Brazils. The Portuguese who had fought so nobly to restore to their sovereign his European dominions, at a time when he had fled from them, thought themselves very harshly and unjustly treated, when that sovereign refused to return among them. This undoubtedly was one source of complaint. Besides, Portugal, which had been drained and impoverishedduring thedreadful and arduous struggle it had so honourably and successfully sustained against the French, requir. ed, and thought she deserved, the The Portuguese also were averse If to these circumstances we add the impulse given to the minds of the Portuguese during their struggles with the French, and the information on the subject of political rights and liberty which must have broken in upon their minds from their long and intimate connexion with the English, we shall not be surprised that they were desirous of a more liberal form of government. The revolution broke out at Oporto on the 24th of August; it was not opposed by the troops, but it appears to have been the wish of the people. The rights of the legitimate dynasty were not |