Amongst  these  latter,  the  state  of  Spanish
America  was  of  course  included ;  but  all  that
relates  to  this  important  subject  must  be  deferred
to  the  next  Chapter.
As  for  Spain  Herself,  if  Her  condition  were
deplorable  at  the  commencement  of  this  year  *,
it  certainly  was  not  improved  at  its  conclusion.
Defective  as  the  Constitutional  Government  un-
doubtedly was,  and  administered  by  individuals,
whose  conduct  rather  tended  to  aggravate  than
to  mitigate  those  defects,  it  was  still  essentially
Spanish,  and  was  not  under  Foreign  dictation.
Its  aim,  therefore,  must  have  been  to  benefit
some  class  or  other  of  Spaniards,  and  whether
that  class  was  or  was  not,  less  numerous,  and
less  deserving  than  others,  still  the  interests  of
Spaniards  were  those  which  the  Government  con-
sulted. The  blemishes  in  the  Constitution  would
probably  have  worked  their  own  cure.  Already
they  had  arrayed  against  it  a  majority  of  the
Nation ;  and  publick  opinion  could  not  have
failed  in  producing  its  effect  upon  the  publick

*  1823.
459

Councils.  The  next  election  of  the  Cortes
would  have  afforded  the  opportunity.  Modi-
fications might  then  have  been  introduced,
whereby  the  form  of  Government  might  have
been  rendered  more  congenial  to  the  national
feelings,  and  an  era  of  prosperity  might  have
arisen  to  which  Spain  had  been  too  long  a
stranger.  But  the  restoration  of  the  old  Despo-
tism, unmitigated,  and  unchanged,  took  away
this  single  chance  of  internal  regeneration.
Measures  of  state  no  longer  originated  with
Spaniards,  and  every  act  of  the  Government
might  be  traced  to  foreign  influence,  or  intrigue.
Was  a  Convention  to  be  ratified  or  a  Minister
to  be  received,  the  opinions  of  the  Agents  of
Foreign  Powers  decided  the  question.
