From old prejudices, and other causes, the Spanish people have not
as yet learned how to work the more liberal form of government now
enjoyed by their country. But there is no doubt that the experience
necessary to do so is daily being acquired by them at home, and when
it becomes prevalent, its effects may be expected to be shown by the
class of men selected to administer the government of their colonies,
the white population of which are of considerably more advanced
intelligence than their countrymen in Spain.
In most colonies the people appear to possess a superior degree of
vigour or freshness of mind to those born in Europe, or in old and
thickly inhabited countries. This may result in a great degree from
their comparative freedom from conventional prejudices, the results
of a long and insensible growth in families, which trammel nearly
every mind in densely peopled countries, and more especially in places
where commerce is languidly carried on. Perhaps also in some measure
it may be owing to the greater facility the poorer classes have in
all colonies of earning a livelihood, which, by freeing their minds
from anxiety on that score, leaves some room for their speculations
on other matters.
In the administration of government, they are even now guided
essentially by the most imperative rules; but I hope that, ere long, in
many cases, the very arbitrary proceedings of their chief authorities
abroad, may become subject to approval by a council such as exists
in our Indian possessions, and in Java among the Dutch, as there can
be little doubt but that it would prove advantageous to the country
did such a body exist.
As an example of the procedures of the Manilla government, I may
mention the following facts, which occurred to an acquaintance of my
own, and on which every dependence may be placed.
Don Francisco P. de O---- having been presented with the governorship
of one of the best or most lucrative provinces in the Philippines,
set out for his residency and commenced his duties, which he continued
to fulfil satisfactorily to himself and the people for upwards of
a year--about fifteen months, I believe. His commission as Governor
embraced four years from the date of his appointment; however, at the
end of the first year in his office, a nephew of the then Governor
happened to arrive at Manilla, and it became an object of interest
to his uncle to get him into some good place before the term of his
appointment as Governor expired. Casting his eyes around on everything
that might serve his turn, he happened to recollect Don Francisco's
alcalde-ship, and forthwith despatched an order to my unfortunate
friend to return to Manilla, there to answer some complaints which,
he alleged in the order of recall, had been made against his
administration of the province, and at the same time told him to
deliver over all authority to the person he sent for the purpose,
that individual being neither more nor less than his own nephew.
Don Francisco, ignorant of committing any crime or fault, or of
anything that could justify this very unceremonious recall, hastened to
Manilla, and presenting himself at the palace, demanded what charges
had been lodged against him, and by whom they had been made. But
he could learn nothing of them, and was commanded by the Governor
to wait in Manilla till he should be formally summoned to answer
them. It is now, however, upwards of ten years since this happened,
and from that day to this he has never been summoned, nor has he been
even able to find out what the charges were on which he was recalled
from his lucrative appointment, although repeated applications were
made to the Governor who recalled him for a trial. All the subsequent
Governors have professed their inability to give him the information,
which, had such charges actually been framed, must have been found in
the archives, so that no doubt can now exist but that this villanous
trick was trumped up by the Governor to serve his own family by the
bestowal of Don Francisco's place. And as my friend has since filled
other situations, (and, in fact, is an Alcalde,) having been selected
by different Governors for office, the accusation does not in the
least affect his character.
But, in truth, many of the natives of Spain who are even now selected
to fill the highest offices, are about as despotic and as unscrupulous
as any Asiatics in their notions of government and in their exercise
of power, and as bad even as the Turks themselves are in their
administration of justice and equity; while the Spanish government,
and the political knowledge of the people, are infinitely behind the
Turkish government in everything concerning their commercial policy.
During the time of electing members for the Cortes, or parliament
in Spain, of course the existing government were anxious to secure
the tide of the general election running in their favour--but what
means do you, my courteous reader, imagine they took to secure this
object? Why, neither more nor less than to order the police to seize
all persons suspected of being likely to oppose their party actively
at the ensuing elections throughout the country. Thousands of people
were actually seized and hurried off to jail, to be confined there
till the danger was past; and many of them, on the jails becoming too
full to contain them all, were hurried to a seaport town and put on
board ships sailing to Manilla, or, by hundreds at a time, sent out
on a voyage of four months' duration, to reconsider their political
opinions, and then to find their road home as they best might.
These people were captured in all situations of time and place, and
were not allowed to communicate with their friends while in prison
in Spain, which must have given rise to at least as much distress
and privation among as many persons as the numbers of those seized,
for very many of them were people with families entirely dependent
upon them for support.
About a thousand of these _deportados_ reached Manilla in 1848-9, and
being entirely destitute of all resources or means of subsistence, they
had to be taken care of by the Colonial Government, who allowed them
some rice and water every day, and had, finally, to charter vessels
to re-ship them for the Peninsula. One of them was an Irishman, who
having entered the Spanish service when a lad, had reached the rank
of Colonel; his father was a general officer and K.C.B. of our own
army, who, I believe, had married a Spanish lady, and after his death,
his family had become resident in Spain.
The bad accommodation of a crowded ship, together with the want
of change of clothes, which he was not allowed to procure from
his friends, and the general filthiness of the people with whom he
was obliged to be cooped up during the long voyage, acted on him so
severely that it caused his death a very short time after his arrival
at Manilla. Thus the poor fellow fell a sacrifice to this abominable
stretch of arbitrary power, and dying destitute, was buried there,
after having been maintained decently in a hotel during the remainder
of his existence, at the expense of his countrymen then at Manilla.
When acts so atrocious as these can be done with impunity in any
European country by a powerful minister of the crown, we may form some
idea of its advance in the arts of self-government and the security
of its people.
This young man was very far from being the only person who fell a
victim to these acts, as many died from causes similar to those which
deprived him of life; and his case is only mentioned to give some
idea of the lengths men will proceed to when no checks are placed
on the Government machine, to prevent its bursting, and damaging
thousands. These abuses are so shameful, that they are scarcely
credible in Britain; but they are easily capable of corroboration
by inquiry and a little knowledge of Spain, where very frequently
caprice is the only law in existence, or at least is the only one acted
upon. I might multiply instances, but this is doubtless sufficient.
The orders of the Court at Madrid are not always laws in their
colonies, for every now and then the most imperative commands come
out from Spain which are refused obedience to at Manilla, where it
is openly asserted that the home government gives orders in favour
of importunate suitors, without the least expectation that they will
be acted upon by those to whom they are addressed; granting them,
in fact, merely to get rid of troublesome people who might annoy them
at home if their demands were refused.