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ART. XI.—1. The Court and Camp of Don Carlos; being the results of a late Tour in the Basque Provinces, and parts of Catalonia, Arragon, Castile, and Estramadura. By MICHAEL BURKE HONAN. 8vo. London : 1836.

2. Twelve Months in the British Legion. By an Officer of the Ninth Regiment. 8vo. London : 1836.

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THE subject of these works would render them interesting at Tthe more time at the present moment, were their merits much more inconsiderable than they are. An account by eyewitnesses of the state of things on the spot where a great struggle is carrying on,if not between the partisans of the two opposite principles that divide all Europe, yet certainly between parties in whose fate the adherents of those principles seem resolved to interest themselves, as if the fate of their respective systems were involved in the issue, cannot fail to be perused with general attention. Neither of the books is, indeed, at all equal in merit to Mr Henningsen's, which we took notice of in our last Number; and the inferiority is perhaps chiefly owing to the authors having been engaged in far fewer and less interesting transactions. But both of them are well worth a careful perusal, and both are creditable to the writers.

The Court and Camp of Don Carlos' (a kind of title borrowed from some other book, and not very descriptive of Mr Honan's work) has this advantage over the 'Twelve Months in the 'British Legion,' that the latter does not come with the authority of a name. The advantage, however, is more apparent than real; and we consider the anonymous work entitled to credit quite as much as if the author's name had been given. For we recollect to have seen it in an advertisement, and though it is now suppressed, probably through modesty, it can hardly be said to be concealed; inasmuch as whoever compares the narrative with the lists of wounded, and of honours distributed after the battle of the 5th of May, can be at no loss to discover who the author is. As he has not chosen to name himself, it is no business of ours to violate the sort of incognito in which he prefers appearing.

As for Mr Honan, he has given not only his name, but the capacity in which he was serving; namely, as the Foreign Correspondent of a London newspaper known to take the Carlist. side of the question. He is himself very decidedly of that opinion; but we really cannot say that he is at all a blind or even

VOL. LXIV. NO. CXXIX.

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violent partisan. On the contrary, he appears to tell whatever he saw or heard with sufficient impartiality; and much of his narrative is unfavourable to the side he espouses. Works like his (and the remark applies also to the anonymous author's), though they are interesting, and contain information of value, are of too slight a description to require or to justify a very elaborate examination. But some idea may be conveniently enough obtained of the state of the contest and of the country by following the writer in his excursion.

Mr Honan set out in November, 1835, and soon reached Bayonne, where the first thing that struck him was the open and unrestricted manner in which the Carlists were receiving supplies both of men and necessaries. There was a Carlist club known to be sitting and in daily communication with the insurgents within the Spanish frontier. His passport was backed for Spain generally, so that he had only to choose his route; and he seems to have had none of the difficulty experienced by Mr Henningsen in making his way by the aid of smugglers into the district occupied by Don Carlos. He had, however, been furnished with secret signals before arriving at Bayonne, enabling him there to become acquainted with emissaries of the Infante's party; although he always abstained from any party connexion himself, strongly as his opinions inclined to that side. These emissaries facilitated his progress to the headquarters, and enabled him to introduce himself there.

Some very characteristic traits of the Spaniards are given almost at the opening of the book. Their braggart disposition, not confined to mere form of expression, is exemplified by a reference to the gross exaggerations so habitually practised by both sides throughout the war, and which have wholly deprived of credit with the rest of Europe whatever comes under the title of a Spanish despatch.

Well knowing how the war was going on in the North, and that the Carlists were invariably successful, since the first defeat of Saarsfield to the final overthrow of Valdez, at the Amescuas; it was a matter of amusement to me, then resident at Madrid, to read the daily extraordinary gazettes of victories, by which the Carlists were annihilated. The very post was often filled with letters from officers in the army, detailing their misfortunes to their friends, and presaging a fatal issue to the war; while the gazette of the same day contained brilliant details of operations, and omens of final triumphs of the arms of the Queen. Every man in the Puerta del Sol knew that the gazette was false, yet still the Government was weak enough to publish it; and though every one knew it was false, yet such was the tyranny of the Liberals, that no person dared avow his opinions; and these narratives were sent into

other countries uncontradicted, except by some private letters, to form the groundwork of financial delusion, by which, in turn, each moneymarket of Europe has been sacrificed, and for the conception and execution of which the Spanish Ministers of the Treasury enjoy a special reputation. I was even told by the officer of the day, on one of these great battles, whose duty it was to count the bodies of the slain enemy on the field, that he found but forty-five corpses, while the gazette represented no less than 3400 put hors de combat-an instance of exaggeration only to be matched by a Carlist bulletin, lately published, of Cordova's retreat to Vittoria, which, headed Victory! Victory!! Victory!!!" declared that 9000 men were destroyed out of 12,000, although, in good truth, not more than about sixty poor fellows bit the dust.

It must be admitted that the Carlist exaggerations were less frequent than the others; for while the Queen's gazette announced that the Infante's force was diminished to a small mountain-band, which was about expiring from starvation, we have seen it increasing daily in number and equipment, until, from a commencement of 700 men, it has swollen to a number of 30,000 armed and organized—and that, while it was stated to be in the throes of death, it was driving a succession of seven Queen's generals before it, and finally occupying the whole of the provinces, and defying every new attempt that was made to put it down.'—Pp. 6, 7.

To be sure the part of this passage which follows what we have quoted, must be admitted to put the reader's credulity to a severe trial. So much was this habit of exaggeration admitted, that Mr Honan says the Christino officers themselves made a jest of it. So far we can go along with him. But surely, when he tells us that he heard one of them say at table, 'I was beatenI have committed faults which in any other service would 'cashier me; and look! here is the sword which the Queen has 'given me, and here is the commission by which I am appointed 'Commander-in-Chief-we are justified in pausing; and in concluding that our author has either been made game of by a bad joke of the general, or has misunderstood what his Excellency said.

The table-d'hôte which he frequented at Bayonne gave him opportunities of observing this spirit of exaggeration, so well known to all who recollect the events and the boastings during the Peninsular war.

"The Englishmen were, as they ever are, taciturn, and wondered at the bustle of their companions; while the French were gay, and chatted and laughed on indifferent subjects, and seemed desirous to throw off the political character until the moment of action arrived, when the old royalist blood would show that men were still alive, sans peur et sans reproche; but the Spaniards were not for a moment at their ease; and the most indifferent spectator must have observed that some deep spell

was upon them. Each would, in turn, break out into violent denunciations against the Queen, or some of the people most forward in supporting her; while others discussed the state of the nation, and prospects of the two belligerents, with a fluency and a wisdom which astonished me, although well accustomed to a Spaniard's flow of words. The youngest had but just arrived from the headquarters of Don Carlos, and was about to undertake a mission into one of the southern provinces-and two were, it was hinted, preparing to venture to Madrid, to wake the sluggish hopes of their party there. All were full of zeal and warmth : at least, their words were those of fire, and if their actions but corresponded to their promises, Don Carlos would be faithfully served. But I have seen too much of Spaniards to be deceived by any show of determination; and I have known a man talk by the hour at the Puerta del Sol, of honour, virtue, and patriotism, till the blood boiled within me; and I have found the same person go the round of all the tertuliás at night, with the same set of ideas, and the same inspiring language, all which was to end in his doing nothing; for the display and the pleasure of hearing himself talk was all he aimed at.'-Pp. 13, 14.

One of the most remarkable circumstances in the state of the country, through which the author passed on his way to Don Carlos's headquarters, was the little interruption given by the war to agricultural operations; or generally to the comforts of the people. Tillage, and all farming pursuits were apparently carried on as if every thing had been in a state of profound peace. The accommodation at the inns was almost uniformly good; indeed he hardly seems to have been in an indifferent one to the North of Vittoria; and the inhabitants of the country generally were in easy circumstances. Though contributions were levied for the Infante's service, this was done with regularity; and, the people being all willing contributors, the demands were light upon them.

From Irun the author proceeded to Hernani; and he says he was at some pains to ascertain the real nature of the affair which took place there between the British Legion, then for the first time engaged, and the Carlists. Why we should rather credit his account of the matter—that is, the account given him by the Carlists-than the Christino version, does not appear very clear. However, he broadly asserts, that pretending it was only a reconnoitring, when there was nothing to examine, is absurd; and that claiming a victory, because the Carlists, on being attacked, drew in their outposts (a matter of course on coming to engagement), is still more preposterous. Leaving this matter to be decided by a more narrow examination of the accounts, and of the position before and after the engagement, we may follow Mr. Honan into the presence of General Gomez, to whom he was presented at Hernani. As we have, of course, no wish whatever that the

case of the Carlists, such as it is, both against our interference, and on its prospects of success, should be kept back, we shall extract his account of this interview.

'We found him in company with General Montenegro of the artillery, and General Silvester of the engineers, two officers well known in the Spanish army, and who had, not many months since, come over to Don Carlos. We were exceedingly well received; and Gomez, attended by Colonel Esterica, who was chief of the staff on the day of the attack I have been describing, explained the whole position with brevity and simplicity, and without any of that vain boasting so peculiar to the Spanish. Both these gentlemen gave the English every credit for their bravery in the attack, and declared it was their gallantry which saved the Christinos from being cut to pieces in the retreat; but they at the same time expressed themselves strongly against our countrymen for meddling in a contest with which they had no concern, and fighting in the name of liberty against the free provinces of the North, where there has existed for centuries a representation and a constitution. They conversed freely on the state of the Carlist cause, and spoke with confidence of a favourable result; as all the late advices from Catalonia proved the insurrection was in full activity there, and that, as the candle was thus lighted at both ends, it must speedily take fire in the centre, which was Arragon. They made no scruple of admitting the weakness of their cavalry, and the want of money, which compelled them to keep the troops two months in arrear, and the variety of obstacles which time must produce against them; but they were not only full of hope, but of confidence; and they appealed to the state of the country through which we came, as to the progress which they had made within the last twelve months-the provinces then militarily occupied by the Christinos being now entirely free. Gomez was a good-looking man, about forty-five, with a high forehead, a little bald, and an air of common-sense, if not of great talent, about him. He was dressed in a blue frock, with the buttons of Carlos V. Esterica, the chief of his staff, was a tall handsome fellow, six feet high, with a pair of noble mustaches, looking the true guerilla chief, with his samara and Boyna. General Montenegro was equally amiable, and he conversed without ceremony on the nature of the service and the plans which he had in view. He is a very small man, but with a sharp clear eye that promises much for his intellect; and the Carlists made public rejoicing when he joined them, not only on account of his great experience as an artillery officer, but because his well-known prudence was a guarantee that he thought theirs the strongest side. General Silvester was also a delicate-looking man, but full of knowledge, and eminent as an engineer. He wore his arm in a sling, having fallen from his horse in one of the late excursions. Our party was strengthened by Segastibelsa, the commander-in-chief of the province of Guipuzcoa, into which I have forgotten to say we entered at Irun, and by his second in command, Isturitza, both with big whiskers and mustaches, and being fine specimens of guerilla chiefs, which they in reality were, more than regular soldiers.

'We had thus, in the apartment of Gomez, no less than five general officers, all practical men, with their staff of officers, of the best families of Spain; so that we had the opportunity of being convinced by our own eyes that Don Carlos was followed not by adventurers, but by gentlemen, who,

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