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24 February 1873 — Madrid | |
Monday. 24th February [1873]. All quiet this morning tho I hear the volunteers are called out to defend the Cortès. Thinking things were pretty safe I went out to the Prado in the carriage with Clarita, her niece, Benevenida, & Mme Palmaroli. There were a great many bad looking people about with arms & no guardia civiles to keep the road but there was no string of carriages & not many people driving. However there were plenty masks & several spoke to us & one in particular who altho’ he spoke in his natural voice I could not find out. We were driving along very happily when abt 6 o’cl there was a sudden panic & rush—the coachmen lashed their horses & rushed off—there was a general stampede & I was afraid our carriage would be driven in to– Presently I discovered that the cause of this alarm was a company of guardia coming round the corner from the Cortès– For a moment I thought they were fighting & was much alarmed. I however told the coachmen to keep out of the melée & to go home round the outside of the town & down the Calle Aneta where I left my friends at their respective houses in that street & came home. I found Henry anxiously expecting me. He said there had been a change of Govt and that the crowd outside the Cortès had threatened—that all the houses round the Cortès & in the Carrera S. Geronimo had been filled with troops. Martos had been named Dictator by the Cortès but after 20 minutes it had thought better of it & deposed him that the radicals had left the Ministry wh was now all republicans this had pleased the people & Moriones had been appointed pro tem commander of the troops in Madrid & will it is hoped restore a little order amongst them. They are now going abt at all hours & getting tipsy abt the streets wh is generally a rare sight in Spain. The Bouillés, Vernouillet, Gravenegg & Galard Bearn came to tea in the evening & just as they went Rances came & told us that things looked a little more hopeful & we went to bed quieted. | |
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