But this is no fact; it is rather the baseless fancy of incompetent observers, to some extent acquiesced in, or at least not contradicted, by the proud Castilian, who cares not at all about the opinions of other nationalities, and who never takes the trouble to enlighten ignorance of the kind.  True, there was an exhibition of something like popular indignation when the people fancied they discovered a reference to Spain in the utterances of two leading English statesmen, during the war with America, and the feeling of soreness against England still to some extent exists; in fact, strange as it may appear, there is far less anger against America, which deprived Spain of her colonies, than against England, which looked on complacently, and with obvious sympathy for the aggressor.  But all this is past, or passing.  The Spaniards are a generous people, and no one forgets or forgives more easily or more entirely.  Those who knew Madrid in the days of Isabel II., would not have imagined it possible that the Queen, who had been banished with so much general rejoicing, could, under any circumstances, have received in the capital a warm greeting; in fact, it was for long thought inexpedient to allow her to risk a popular demonstration of quite another character.  But when she came to visit her son, after the restoration of Alfonso XII., her sins, which were many, were forgiven her.  It was, perhaps, remembered that in her youth she had been more sinned against than sinning; that she was muy Espanola, kind-hearted and gracious in manner, pitiful and courteous to all.  Hence, so long as she did not remain, and did not in any way interfere in the government, the people were ready to receive her with acclamation, and were probably really glad to see her again without her camarilla, and with no power to injure the new order of things.

No nation in the world is more innately democratic than Spain—­none, perhaps, so attached to monarchy; but one lesson has been learned, probably alike by King and people—­that absolutism is dead and buried beyond recall.  The ruler of Spain, to-day and in the future, must represent the wishes of the people; and if at any time the two should once more come into sharp collision, it is not the united people of this once-divided country that would give way.  For the rest, so long as the monarch reigns constitutionally, and respects the rights and the desires of his people, there is absolutely nothing to fear from pretender or republican.  At a recent political meeting in Madrid, for the first time, were seen democrats, republicans, and monarchists united; amidst a goodly quantity of somewhat “tall” talk, two notable remarks were received with acclamation by all parties:  one was that Italy had found freedom, and had made herself into a united nationality, under a constitutional monarch; and the other, that between the Government of England and a republic there was no difference except in name—­that in all Europe there was no country so democratic or so absolutely free as England under her King, nor one in which the people so entirely governed themselves.