of the people
whom it describes.

Commencing with the fall of Espartero, the first twenty chapters of the
first volume are chiefly political in their nature;--containing
explanations of the various circumstances attending the above event;
details of the state of parties, of the intrigues against Olozaga, and his
final overthrow by the Camarilla of the day; the history of Camarillas
generally, and sketches of several of the most prominent actors upon the
Spanish political stage. The figurative signification of the word
_camarilla_, which, in its literal sense, means a little chamber, is
almost too well known, even out of Spain, for an explanation of it to be
necessary. Since the fourteenth century, the days of Alonzo the Eleventh,
and the beautiful Leonor de Gusman, it has been the wont of Spanish
monarchs, with rare exceptions, to rule, and often to be ruled, by cabals
or coteries composed of an indeterminate number of courtiers. We find men
of all ranks and classes of society taking in turn their share of this
back-stairs influence; priests and soldiers, jesuits, nobles, and lawyers,
and not unfrequently women, composed the courtier-conclaves that governed
the rulers of Spain, sent their own foes to the scaffold or dungeon, and
raised their own friends to the highest dignities of the state. In
conformity with this time-honoured tradition of the Spanish monarchy, no
sooner was Espartero expelled from Spain than Christina hastened to send
creatures of her own to Maddrid, to watch over her interests pending her
own arrival, and to intrigue against those who should appear disposed to
thwart her designs and line of policy; to form, in short, a Camarilla.
This was soon done. "It was composed of Narvaez, the Marchioness of Santa
Cruz, and Valverde, the Duke of Ossuna, Juan Donoso Cortes, and a member
of the Senate named Calvet--all faithful adherents of Christina, Moderados
in their politics, and strongly tinged with absolutist principles,
although most hostile to the claims of Don Carlos." These half-dozen
intriguing spirits soon carved out for themselves abundant and mischievous
employment. The then minister, Lopez, the same whose famous amnesty
project caused the downfall of Espartero, alike averse to encounter their
opposition or to truckle to them in his government, resigned his office
although possessing a strong majority in the Cortes; and Olozaga took his
place, having been himself designated by Lopez as the most fitti