It was generally known that, though the coup d'état had been carried through by General Pavia, Marshal Serrano was the instigator and real leader of this movement. Immediately after the dispersion of the Cortes, General Pavia summoned the most eminent men of all parties -excepting the Intransigentes and the Carlists -as well as the principal members of Señor Castelar's cabinet, in order to form a new ministry. General Pavia himself, however, declined to be a member, The new ministry was formed under the presidency of Marshal Serrano, as chief of the Executive power of the Republic. It was composed as follows: Sagasta, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Zavala, Minister of War; Figuerola, Minister of Justice; Becerra, Minister of Agriculture; Echegarray, Minister of Finance; Garcia Ruiz, Minister of the Interior; Topete, Minister of Marine. While the majority of the members of the new cabinet had during the reign of King Amadeo belonged to one of the monarchical parties, the Minister of the Interior, Garcia Ruiz, is the most prominent representative of a centralized republic, and in his journal he praised the coup d'état as a victory of the centralized over the federal republic, and as a salvation of the nation from the dangerous illusions of the Federalists. On the 5th Señor Martos was appointed Minister of Justice in place of Figuerola, who resigned, and Señor Mosquera Minister of Commerce. Castelar not only declined to have any thing to do with the new Government, but issued an address to the Spanish nation in which he says: "I protest with all the energy of my soul against the brutal act of violence committed against the Constituent Cortes by the Captain-General of Madrid. My conscience will not permit me to associate with demagogues, but on the other hand my conscience and my honor keep me aloof from the state of things just created by the force of bayonets." Several deputies belonging to the majority adhered to the protest made by Señor Castelar. The new ministry, in its turn, addressed a long manifesto to the nation, explaining the events of the 3d. It says that the same parties now placed in power made the revolution of 1868, and the constitution of 1869. They neither condemn nor destroy their previous work-the voluntary abdication of the monarch, and the proclamation of the republic, only destroyed one of its clauses. They will not consent that this work, which has thus been modified, should be changed in its essence. The Government will oppose both absolutism and anarchy. A decree was also issued dissolving the Cortes, and announcing that the Government would convoke the ordinary Cortes when the maintenance of order was secured, and universal suffrage could be freely exercised.

Only a few days later, on January 12th, the last stronghold of the Intransigentes, Cartagena, fell into the hands of the Government. Its surrender had been certain for some time.

On January 11th the Junta, which had before resisted all entreaties addressed to it in the name of humanity, itself sent commissioners into the besiegers' lines. But by that time the Madrid Government felt that it had required too many sacrifices of the army and Spain to consent to terms which would have been willingly granted four months before, in order to spare life. Besides, the offer had not been made until Cartagena was visibly within the the compass of the besiegers' means of attack. Thus all stipulations were refused. The insurgents were to have until noon on January 12th to surrender, and pardon was promised to all who should surrender with arms in their hands, save only the members of the Junta. This answer appears to have determined the leaders of the insurrection to separate their cause from that of a city which could be of no further use to them; and they took their departure very speedily on board the Numancia, and the city on the afternoon of January 12th was occupied by General Domingues. The fugitives on board the Numancia, Contreras, Galves, the members of the Junta, and other fugitives, ultimately disembarked at Oran, in Algeria, and delivered themselves up to the French authorities. They alleged that Cartagena surrendered through the treachery of the commander of the principal fort, a charge which was fully confirmed by later reports. The town was found to have suffered severely, though not so much as had been supposed, except near the Madrid Gate, where the damage was very great. Scarcely one house had escaped untouched, and some were riddled with shells; two houses had been thrown down and the street pavement ploughed up. Immense damage had been done by the recent explosion of the powder-magazine, where over 200 persons were said to have been killed. The walls near the Madrid Gate had suffered much, but there was nothing approaching to a breach. A few guns had burst, but most were in their places. The forts appear to have received little injury, the Atalaya Fort so little as to confirm the suspicion that it was surrendered by treachery. No guns were dismounted or spiked. The entry of the troops was effected very quietly and without bloodshed, except the shooting of eight men who tried to escape.

The capture of Cartagena enabled the Government to concentrate all its forces against the Carlists, who in December, 1873, and during the first weeks of the new year, had been eminently successful. The attempt of General Moriones to relieve Bilbao, the capital of the Basque provinces, had been a wretched failure, and on January 8th the troops of Don Carlos began the siege of the fortress in form. Portugalete, near Bilbao, was captured by the Carlists on January 22d. General Moriones collected all the available forces of the Government, and, being strengthened by the Republican troops set free by the fall of Cartagena, marched to the relief of Bilbao, and for the

first time during the war there seemed a chance of a fair trial of strength between the two armies. But once more he was to receive a severe check. On February 21st, the preparations for the siege of Bilbao being terminated, Don Carlos left Durango, a town some miles to the southeast, and took up his quarters at Baracaldo, on the north side of Bilbao, at a short distance from the mouth of the river where the Republican squadron was stationed. The next day the Carlists began shelling the city. According to one of the dispatches, they had 1,500 shells and an abundant supply

of powder-perhaps not material enough for a prolonged and vigorous siege, but formidable against such a town as they attacked. Bilbao had kept them at bay since the beginning of the war, but now its safety must depend on the energy of the Republican commander in the field. General Moriones had advanced a week before as far as Somorrostro, and every day it was expected in Madrid that he would attack the enemy. About the time when the fire on Bilbao opened, he telegraphed to the Government that he was ready to advance, but had been prevented by the bad weather. His

forces were variously estimated at from 20,000 to 30,000 men, but there can be little doubt that he commanded the most powerful force which has been at the disposition of any General since the abdication of King Amadeo and the disorganization of the regular army. Moriones advanced against the Carlists, and attacked them on the 24th in their lines at San Pedro; but the troops, after crossing the bridge of San Pedro, were encountered by a bayonet-charge of the Carlists, and, after suffering a loss of about 800 men, he was obliged to fall back on his position at Somorrostro. He telegraphed that he was able to maintain himself there, and to keep up his communication with CastroUrdiales and Santander. But he demanded new reënforcements, and also desired that another general should be sent to command the Republican forces. The Carlists were highly elated at their new success, and their prospects at this time appeared all the more hopeful as considerable progress had also been made in other quarters. Tolosa was in their hands, and, in Catalonia, Vich and Manresa had been taken; General Nouvitas had been defeated by them at Olot, and had himself been captured. In the provinces of Aragon, Valencia,

and Murcia, they numbered about 20,000 infantry, 1,000 cavalry, and 12 cannon. In the two Castiles and in Estremadura the movement was also gaining ground. Don Carlos appointed governor-generals for all the provinces, even for those in which there were as yet no organized forces of his partisans. The siege of Bilbao, which had been opened on February 22d, was vigorously pushed, and from that day to March 4th about 2,600 bombs were thrown into this town. The conservatives of the besieged town were willing to capitulate, but the volunteers, the middle and lower classes, were utterly opposed to any negotiations concerning surrender.

Under these circumstances, Marshal Serrano deemed it best to assume himself the chief command. He appointed, on February 27th, Señor Zabala prime-minister, retaining only the title of chief of the executive power, and placed himself at the head of the army. From March 25th to 27th severe encounters took place between the two armies. The Republicans made some progress, but the key to the Carlist position, the church of San Pedro Abanto, they could not take, the Carlists making a desperate resistance. On the Republican

side, General Loma was wounded, and also Primo de Rivera; Brigadier Prillo was killed. The troops lost at the least 1,500 in the three days; the Carlists must have lost about 1,000. Serrano was in the thick of the fight throughout the day, and Admiral Topete had a bullet through his coat.

Soon after these indecisive engagements, Serrano and Topete left for Madrid, where dissensions had broken out among the ministers, which Serrano succeeded in terminating. Don Carlos, on the other hand, organized a complete government, appointing General Elio Minister of War, Admiral Vinalet Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Count Pinal Minister of Home Affairs and Finance. His army, in the northern provinces, consisted of the six divisions of Navarre, of Guipuzcoa, Biscay, Alava, Castile, and Santander.

Having returned to the army, which had received large reënforcements, Serrano again assumed the offensive, but, instead of assaulting the impregnable heights of Somorrostro only in front, decided simultaneously to develop flank and direct attacks. The plan of operations was that of Marshal Concha, who, with the divisions of Echague, Martinez Campos, and Reyes, constituting a corps of about 15,000 effective combatants, was to advance by Valmaseda; while Serrano himself, with about 20,000 men, was to engage the Carlists in front, and to press them if he saw an opportunity of doing so. On the 29th Serrano's right opened communications with Concha's left, and the cannonade was opened against San Pedro de Abanto, and, as had been anticipated, was but feebly answered. On the 30th Concha succeeded in taking the heights of Valmaseda, and the cannonade of Pedro de Abanto by Serrano, and the bombardment of Portugalete by the fleet, were kept up with vigor. On the 1st of May, Concha continuing to gain ground on the right, the Carlists abandoned their positions at Monte Abanto and Santo Juliano, which were immediately occupied by Serrano's, troops. Marshal Concha redeemed his pledge to relieve Bilbao on the anniversary of Dos de Mayo, the great national festival of Spain. He made his triumphal entry, Marshal Serrano having chivalrously waived his claim to enter first. The entry of the troops was a very fine spectacle. The inhabitants turned out in their best attire to give an enthusiastic welcome to their deliverers. Cannon fired salutes, the church-bells rang, and flags of all hues and the national colors were conspicuous. Serrano returned to Madrid, where he met with an enthusiastic reception. In Madrid, in the mean while, a new crisis had declared itself at the Council of Ministers. Señor Martos maintained the necessity of continuing the policy of conciliation, while several other ministers wished to place certain restrictions upon that policy. On May 13th, after much discussion and difficulty, another new Spanish cabinet was formed, composed as follows: General Zabala, Presi

dent of the Council and Minister of War; Señor Sagasta, Minister of the Interior; Señor Ulloa, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Señor Camacho, Minister of Finance; Señor Alonso Martinez, Minister of Justice; Señor Alonso Colmenares, Minister of Public Works; Señor Ortiz, Minister of Colonies; Señor Rodriguez Arias, Minister of Marine. The new ministers entered office with the suspicion of anti-republicanism very freely cast upon them, and their advent produced great alarm in the real Republican camp. Señor Castelar still refused to emerge from his retirement, and his action in this respect, in spite of the direct solicitation of Serrano and other leading men, not a little tended to produce the above solution. The more excitable and timid of his followers predicted the speedy proclamation of the monarchy of Prince Alfonso or that of the Duchess of Montpensier. The ultra-Reds began already to talk of a rising. The Radicals did not know how to find invectives bitter enough to hurl at Serrano for his decision. The Alfonsists were delighted, as they considered the ultimate triumph of their cause only a question of time, which was brought nearer by the presence of Sagasta as the leading spirit in the new cabinet. The Sagastinos were in ecstasies of joy.

On May 15th the new ministry issued a manifesto to the nation expressing regret that it was still unable to convoke the representatives of the people, and calling on all the liberal parties to support the Government. It also appointed Marshal Concha commander-inchief of the Northern Army. The available strength of the entire Republican army was at this time stated to be about 120,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry. Marshal Concha had with him 38,000 men and 87 guns. The military operations during May were of no special importance. At the beginning of June the brother of Don Carlos, Don Alfonso, crossed the Ebro, at the head of about 12,000 troops, in order to carry the war into Valencia and the heart of Spain; but he was totally defeated in the battle at Alcora, in which also the Infante, Don Enrique, was killed. General Concha used nearly the whole of May and June to prepare for a grand attack upon the fortified position of the Carlists at Estella. The result of the movement was very different from what the Government confidently expected. Not only did the Carlists, when attacked on June 27th and the two following days, make a desperate resistance and maintain their position, but Marshal Concha himself lost his life. The bloodthirsty Carlist general, Antonio Dorregaray, ordered every tenth man of the captives and all the officers to be shot. Among those put to death was the German Captain Schmidt, who accompanied the army as correspondent of German papers, and was shot under the pretext that he was a spy. The Carlist commanderin-chief of Biscay, Horaechea, ordered all the Liberals of the district of Zoruaza to be imprisoned, and one Liberal to be shot for every

cannon-shot fired by a Government steamer upon the towns and villages of the coast. Don Carlos, from his headquarters at Morentin, issued on July 16th a manifesto to the Spanish nation, defining the policy which, as King of Spain, he would pursue, and promising especially that he would reestablish the authority and the influence of the Catholic religion. The Government of Madrid declared, on July 31st, all the provinces in a state of siege, clothed the captain-generals with extraordinary powers, established in all the provinces permanent military commissions, and ordered the property of the Carlists to be confiscated, in order to prevent it from being used for continuing the war, and in order to indemnify from it all persons who had been injured by the war, especially the families of the killed soldiers. In the mean while the Carlists had obtained some remarkable successes on the seat of war. On July 15th they even entered the town of Cuenoa, in Castile, which, however, they had again to evacuate on July 20th. In Catalonia, the Carlist chief Saballs occupied a few places between Barcelona and Montserrat, and caused 160 captured soldiers to be shot at Olot, a fate which soon after was shared by 250 other captives, belonging to the corps of General Nouvilas. In Navarre the Carlists took the town of La Guardia, but this victory was more than neutralized by a great victory which General Moriones gained over them at Oteiza, southwest of Pampeluna. The cruelties committed by the Carlists, especially the shooting of Captain Schmidt, induced the Government of Germany to recognize the Republican government of General Serrano, and the example of Germany was almost immediately followed by Italy, Belgium, France, and England. Only Russia declined to take the same step. From France, the Spanish Government, aided by the diplomatic influence of Germany, obtained a promise that the frontier would be strictly watched, and due care be taken to prevent reënforcements to be sent to the Carlists. The latter captured the border - fortress of Urgel, but were unable to take Puigcerda, and even suffered, near this town, a severe defeat. The Government of Madrid, in order to make a decisive attack upon Estella, ordered another levy of 60,000 men. The commander of the Northern Army and prime-minister, Zabala, resigned both positions, as he was too outspoken in favor of the restoration of monarchy under Alfonso, the son of Isabella, and he was succeeded as general-in-chief by General Laserna, and as prime-minister by Sagasta.

The military operations during the last months of the year were destitute of any interest. The commander-in-chief of the Government troops, Laserna, had sent General Loma by sea to San Sebastian, in order to raise the siege of Irun. Loma was successful in this mission, though his success remained without further results. The Carlists retired, but they were not pursued by the Government troops.

More harm was done to the Carlist cause by the dissensions among the Carlist generals. General Dorregaray, in October, resigned the chief command of the Carlist troops, and went to France; according to Carlist reports, in consequence of ill-health, but, according to the Republicans, in consequence of difficulties with Don Carlos. That Cabrera, the most famous of the military champions of the Carlist cause, had openly fallen out with the Pretender, was generally known. Reports were even rife of serious mutinies in the Carlist camps, and of attempts against the life of Don Carlos. Nevertheless, the Carlists, at the end of the year 1874, had lost but little of their territory; and although Serrano, at the beginning of December, went once more himself to the scene of war, the army of the Government appeared to be inactive, or, at most, to prepare very slowly for another aggressive movement.

The year closed with another coup d'état, which, though it had long been planned, surprised the world by its sudden and unexpected execution. In the last days of December two battalions of General Martinez Campos pronounced, at Murviedro, in favor of Prince Alfonso, the son of ex-Queen Isabella; the garrison of Madrid and the fleet followed; soon the same news was received from the Armies of the North and the Centre; and thus the Spanish Republic was overthrown, and the Bourbons were restored to one of the many thrones from which they have been, since 1848, expelled. At the first news of the pronunciamiento, the prime-minister, Sagasta, and the Captain-General of Madrid, Primo de Rivera, appeared to be desirous to put down the movement. Sagasta issued an energetic manifesto against the troops, and the captain-general had several prominent Alfonsists arrested, among them Canovas de Castillos, who, as long ago as August 22, 1873, had been authorized by Alfonso to assume the government in his name. But when the Armies of the North and the Centre declared in favor of Alfonso, Sagasta, Primo de Rivera, and Serrano, hastened to recognize the new order of things, and Canovas de Castillos assumed, in the name of Prince Alfonso, the reins of government.

The struggle of the Cubans for their independence was not abandoned in 1874, but it attracted little attention. Near the close of February, Carlos Manuel Cespedes, ex-President of the Republic of Cuba, was betrayed into the hands of the Spanish authorities, by whose orders he was shot.

ST. GOTHARD TUNNEL. This great engineering enterprise is making steady advancement; and it is expected that its progress will be more rapid as the work approaches completion. At the close of June, 1874, the contractors had completed nearly one-seventh of the whole distance. The tunnel is being constructed for an international association of capitalists, known as the St. Gothard Company, which was founded October 10, 1871.