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Madrid. Second Gazette Extraor.

dinary, April 22.

The board of government, presided over by his most serene highness the infant Don Antonio, has, this day, received dispatches, with the welcome intelligence, that our lord the king safely arrived at Irun on the 19th instant, at eleven o'clock at night; and that his majesty expected to have, on the next day, the satisfaction of seeing his intimate and faithful ally and friend the emperor of the French, king of Italy.

For this reason, and on account of the uncommon attachment which the loyal inhabitants of Vitoria and of the province of Alara have expressed to our lord the king, upon his setting out from that town, his majesty has been pleased to issue the following royal decree, which the board has received in print:Copy of the royal decree issued by his majesty at Vitonia, on the 19th of April, 1808.

"The king feels the utmost gra. titude for the extraordinary attachment of the loyal inhabitants of this town and of the province of Alava; but is concerned at its ex. ceeding all due bounds, and being liable to degenerate into want of respect, under pretence of giving him proofs of that sentiment. His majesty, however, being aware, that his subjects are actuated by their tender love for his royal person, and by the solicitude to which it gives rise, conceives himself bound to undeceive all and each of them, by assuring them that he would not undertake this important journey, if he could not depend upon the sincere and cordial friendship of his ally the emperor of the French, and that it will be attended by the VOL. L.

happiest consequences: wherefore he enjoins them to make themselves easy, and to hope, that, before four or five days are elapsed, they will thank God, and the prudence of his majesty, for the absence, which, at present, gives them uneasiness."

MAY.

From the French Papers. Bayonne, May 2.-Our newspapers contain the following particulars respecting the journey and arrival of the Prince of Peace :

"The Prince of Peace was, on his arrival, accompanied by colonel Maries, aid-de-camp of his imperial highness the grand duke of Berg; he appears to have suffered much during his imprisonment. Not a day passed by, during which persons did not come to his dungeon, and tell him he would soon be led to the scaffold. When he was taken from prison, in order to be delivered over to the officer who was to take him to Bayonne, he had a long beard; during a whole month he had no clean shirt; he had no person to wait upon him.

On the road, he had the con solation of receiving a letter from king Charles IV. and the queen, full of testimonies of their affection. It is said, that on receiving the king's letter, there were the marks of his tears. When the prince received this, he said, 'See there, the only consolation I have had this month; every one abandoned me except the king; the ungrateful, whom I had loaded with benefits, did not dare to raise a voice in my favour. The gards du corps, who sold their king, will sell his son also. I have no other am. C

bition

bition now, than to find an asylum in France, and to have my children about me.'--The officer who accompanied him, shewed him on the way the newspapers, which affirmed that he possessed a fortune of 500 millions. The prince answered-Slander will never cease to stain my actions; yet I dare challenge my bitterest enemies to lay any thing to my charge in this respect. Nothing further could be found by me than the sums necessary to discharge the daily expences of a house like mine. I possess no funds in England, France, Italy, or Genoa, and I can appeal to the testimony of the merchants of those countries. I have employed the benefactions which I have received from my sovereign in purchasing estates in Spain, which every one knows, and which have now been taken from me by injustice and ar. bitrary power. Having now wit. nessed the horrid deeds which I foretold, I wish now for nothing but peace and repose. The approbation and friendship of Charles IV. are enough for my consci

ence."

The following important document has been published here :→

"By authority, travellers and the public are informed, that all passports and other instruments issued by the Spanish government in the name of Ferdinand the Seventh, since the 29th ult. will not be ac knowledged by French civil and military officers."

2. At this period of the year it is very uncommon to experience such severity and change of weather as has been for the last ten days. The fall of snow during the last weck was almost general through out the country. Accounts from Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, and

Scotland, mention that it lay on the ground for two days.

6. A litter of six young foxes was a few days since discovered in the ivy over one of the gateways of Warwick Castle.

New Game Laws.-Many per. sons are of opinion, that fieldfares, larks, and sparrows, might be in. cluded in the class of game, with as much propriety as woodcocks and snipes. However this opinion may be well or ill founded, those at all acquainted with rural economy, know that it must be as mischie vous to protect rabbits by this description as it would be to include rats therein. Where the soil is dry and light, if rabbits are suffered to abound, the mischief they do is in. calculable, not only by devouring corn, turnips, clover, &c. but still more by undermining and thereby destroying fences, and eating down the young quick and newly planted trees of every description; and it is only by continual attention, and no inconsiderable degree of labour, that they can be prevented from swarming wherever they once gaina footing. Naturalists have calcu. lated that a single pair of rabbits may, in the space of four years, increase to the astonishing number of 1,274,840.

Caution.-Ann Watts, of Bury, in Lancashire, eat a quantity of plums in September last, and swallowed the stones. In December she began to be ill, and continued so till January, when she felt so overloaded in her stomach as to be induced to take an emetic, and threw up a few plum-stones. She afterwards took several emetics, and each time threw up more stones; the last emetic was taken on Friday scu'night, when she threw up sixtyfour stones, making in all one hun

dred

dred and ninety-six stones so discharged, since the first of January. She began to be unwell very soon after she had swallowed them, and wore away as if in a decline.

A man undertook one day last week, for a small wager, to carry copper to the amount of 10. in money from Stockport to Manchester without resting: it weighed 108 pounds; and he effected the arduous task with difficulty in two hours.

A singular instance of canine sagacity occurred a few days since in the Thames below Black wall: Mr. Turnbull, the master of a coasting trader, kept a Newfound. land dog on board. Whenever the. vessel dropt anchor in the river, the dog swam to shore, and generally swam on board again the same evening. Having recently attempted to get to the ship in his usual way, the tide drifted him with so much velocity, that he could not reach the vessel; he was consequently forced to re-land, and to the astonishment of all who witnessed the sagacity of the animal, he went near half a mile from the spot where he had first started up the bank, and by swimming across the stream, made an angle, which enabled him to gain the ship. The master of the dog does not say the animal is ■ mathematician, but he asserts, with reference to this instance of sagacity, no waterman on the river could have reached the ship with more judgment.

7. About half past nine o'clock on Saturday night, the house of Wright Izzard, of Great Paxton, in the county of Huntingdon, was broken into, and Ann Izzard, his wife, was dragged out of bed by a man, at present unknown, who,

with the assistance of two other men, with great violence forced her into the yard without any clothes on; here a most barbarous assault was committed upon her person by three women, aided and abetted by several men: her head was injured by the pin or stick which fastened the door on the inside; she received. a wound under her right eye; her right breast was very much bruised, whilst her arms and legs and other parts of her body were lacerated with pins or some sharp pointed in. struments, till they were literally covered with blood. On the next evening an assault, very nearly similar, was again made upon her. The parties offending were brought before the bench of magistrates of Huntingdon on Saturday se'nnight, and were bound over to keep the peace, and to appear at the ensuing assizes, to answer the charges which shall then be preferred against them.

8. Bonaparte and the Royal Fa mily of Spain. The following particulars respecting the Bayonno usurpation, are given in a private letter from that city, dated May 8:

"On the first arrival here of prince Ferdinand, there were 2 number of private interviews between him and Napoleon; in the first of which the emperor offered to him the crown of Etruria, and his niece in marriage. Subsequently to them, however, Ferdinand was de prived of his carriage and of his guard of honour, remaining only with the commandant of his private guard, a Jewish officer of the national guard of Bayonne.

"The object of these conferen. ces seemed to be that of gaining time for the arrival of Godoy, and

of the king and queen. But in the meanwhile Napoleon intimated to Ferdinand, that the reign of the Bourbous was at an end; adding, that his and their interests were at variance, and that the continuance of the sceptre in their hands could no longer conduct to the developement of his plans, and the vast political objects he had in view. Not withstanding this, however, he pressed Ferdinand to accept the kingdom of Etruria, and directed the grandees to counsel their prince to accede to his proposal.-Ferdi. nand answered boldly, I will not accept the crown of Etruria, nor any crown in the world, whilst nature gives me a rightful claim to that of Spain. My only ambition is, to render my people happy; and I would choose to die in the midst of my faithful Spaniards, though it were my fate to wear the chains of servitude, and to resign whatever would most attach me to life.' Reproaching afterwards Napoleon with having deceived him, in thus inviting him to visit France, he answer. ed, if he had not come voluntarily, he should have made him by force. "On the arrival of Godoy and the king and queen, who were received and entertained with the greatest magnificence, the sitting of congress of the 5th of May, was held, at which Napoleon and Charles IV. presided; present, the queen Maria Louisa, the infant Don Carlos, Godoy, the grandees of Spain, and the first minister Ze. vallos. The queen, transported with rage, addressed her son Ferdinand, Traitor and wretch, for years you have been imagining and contriving the death of the king your father, but by the vigilance of the Prince of the Peace, by zeal

and loyalty, you have not attained your object; neither you, nor those traitors who have served or co.ope rated with you in your base designs. I tell you to your face that you are my son, and not the son of the king. Yes, without having other right to the crown than that which you derive from your mother, you have sought to wrest it from us by force; but I will and consent that the great Napoleon shall be the arbitrator between us, in favour of whom, we renounce and cede our right, to the exclusion of our family. I call upon him to punish you and your associates as traitors, and I commit the whole nation to Napoleon.' Napoleon put an end to this rage, by saying, 'No! I give to Ferdinand the crown of Naples, and to Carlos that of Etruria, together with two of my nieces in marriage. Let them say if they will accede to this proposal.' To this the infant Don Carlos boldly answered, Empe. ror, I was not born to be a king, but infant of Spain.' And addressing his brother, And you, my brother, and king, speak, do not be alarmed, defend your right, you are a Spaniard; your country will be ready to sacrifice its blood for you and its independence. Be not alarmed, but let us go hence, though it were to the scaffold, or perpetual imprisonment. For that Providence which directs a faithful nation shall, in due time, visit his vengeance upon a faithless empe ror, who can thus disregard his own promise, and lay aside every semblance of right and reason. Ah! Fernando, who robs you of the crown of Spain? An ignorant father and infamous mother, and her favourite Godoy. He, in truth, is the traitor, the plotter of the

death

death of your father, the usurper of the legitimate rights of your family, the author of the calumny, and an apostate in religion. Who countenances these machinations? The tyranny of an emperor, to whom we have looked for protec. tion! And he finished by saying, 'Napoleon, I am no longer an infant of Spain, but I was born one !'" 9. On Monday se'nnight died, to the inexpressible grief of the grunt. ing amateurs, on its road to the metropolis, where it was to be exhibited, the remarkable Lincolnshire fat pig. This wonderful ani. mal was the property of Mr. Gardiner, of Elsham Lodge, near Brigg, by whom it was bred. It was at the time of its death about two years and a half old. It mea. sured in length six feet; height two feet four inches; width across the shoulders, two feet four inches; girth seven feet; and the circum. ference of its neck five feet and a half. It was supposed to weigh upwards of fifty stone, and was certainly one of the greatest natural cariosities of the kind ever seen in this country.

A letter dated on Thursday last, at Drayton, Dorset, states, that a horrid murder was committed on the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Sledger, of Thaw Farm, two miles from Drayton, on Wednesday morning, at two o'clock. Three robbers broke into the house and alarmod the family, at the hour stated, and the farmer and his wife were bound together in bed. There was only a maid-seryant, of the name of Sarah Cullum, in the house, and she fled at the alarm. At four o'clock in the morning, two hours after the servant had escaped, she procured assistance; when the poor old man

and woman were found dead, and mangled in a shocking manner. Their ages amounted to 120 years; they were unable to make resistance, and the house had been com. pletely plundered. One of the villains worked on the farm, according to the information of the servant, and he has decamped.

Coroner's Inquest.-A shocking accident befel the lady of W. G. Althorpe, esq. of Clewer, Surrey, last Monday night:-Mrs. Al thorpe, her son, and two daughters, had returned home from a visit, at half after eleven o'clock, when the former went into her bedroom, leaving her family in the drawing-room underneath. The shrieks of the mother alarmed her children, and on their hastening up stairs, Mrs. A. was lying on the floor with her garments literally reduced to tinder. Surgical aid was as quick as possible administered to the unfortunate lady, who died in about three hours after the accident happened; she had, it appeared, stood too close to the fire, which caught her light garments, and which were consumed in a very few seconds. The verdict was--Accidental Death. The deceased has left eight children to bewail her loss.

Feline Ferocity.-On Tuesday last, Mr. C. Burton, steward to John Gurney, esq. of Earlham, perceived a lamb, which had lost its ewe, lying dead, with its neck bloody, and its eyes out; it was quite well at dusk the preceding evening; he took it home, and found it to have a small hole in its neck, about the size of a goose quill, and just below it a small place about the size of asixpence with the wool off. On lookC 3

ing

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