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2 January 1871 — Madrid | |
Monday. 2nd [January 1871]. Arthur arrived at 8 this morning & was at breakfast. Wrote some letters & at 11 went & dressed to go to the Cortès to see the King swear to the Constitution. Miss Cavendish sent me word she was going with her mother. I dressed as hastily as possible as we had to go at 12 & send the carriage back to the attachés as there was no cab or carriage to be hired as it was snowing hard. However it cleared up when we went off. We found we were amongst the 1st to arrive. I wore a mauve silk petticoat with a mauve satin tunic & body trimmed with my Italian lace & my diamond & emerald tiara & white & mauve feathers. Adeline wore a light blue silk trimmed with black lace & black velvet. Mme de Martino came in pink tulle & white lace but the others Mme Rochefoucauld, Miss Sickles & Mme Jooris were not well got up. After we had waited some time I asked M. Alvareda if I could have a glass of wine so he took me to the Salle des Ministres & gave me some; when I went back to the Tribune the others heard of my having had it & went to get some too. We waited on the whole abt 3 hours as the King had waited at the station before Madrid to know if all was ready & then on his arrival had gone straight to the church of Atocha to return thanks for his safe arrival & to see the body of poor Prim who is there lying in state. At last the President of the Cortès (Zorilla) arrived & opened the session & named a commission who went out to fetch the King. He came in with the Regent & Ministers & sat on the right of Zorilla & the Regent on the left– The Regent read an address giving up his powers & was much applauded. The Clerk then rose & read the Constitution & the King rose & Zorilla put him 2 or 3 questions on the subject to wh the King swore “Si juro” in a loud & decided voice– Then the President rose & bowed to the King & proclaimed him Amadeus I King of Spain. There were shouts of “Viva el Rey” from all the Deputies & the tribunes & then the King bowed & retired. He went from the Cortès to the War Office to call on Prim’s widow & we at once drove off to Mr Ffrench’s house to see him pass to the Palace. We hung out some of Mr Ff’s best persian carpets much to his dismay when he came & found what we had done. In abt ½ hour the King rode by on a beautiful bay horse he had brought from Italy taking his hat off to the people in a very martial precise kind of manner wh they say is peculiar to the House of Savoy. Mr Ffrench gave us some tea & we then went home abt 4 oclock. Mr Blanc & Adl Acton who had come from Italy with the King came & dined with us & Mr Sonnino. Afterwards came Mr Goschen & the De Martinos to spend the eveng. It was very cold & we sat as close to the fire as possible & even then found it difficult to keep warm. Mr Goschen & Mr Spencer had come to tea at 5 this even– | |
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