| Content Description | Reports that Mr Olosaga asked him for his views on the Italian Question, which he might mention in his [Mr Olosaga's] speech to the Congress; Mr Olosaga said that if war was to break out in Europe, the Queen [Isabel] was sure to espouse the cause of the Pope; he also said that although it suited her at present to temporise, she was entirely in the hands of the nun Patrocinio and her confessor, and if the opportunity offered she would most definitely get rid of the present government and give her assistance to the Pope; it is too late for Marshall O'Donnell to get rid of those persons from the Court, and they will eventually crush him.
He [Buchanan] pointed out that in a general European war England will hardly be interested in protecting the Pope, and that for Spain, war with England would mean loss of Cuba and the Philippines; discusses his lack of confidence in Mr Olósaga's predictions, especially his belief that the opposition parties would unite to overthrow the Government; the last 20 years of Spanish history do not inspire confidence in either the prudence of the government or the means by which the Spanish people will gratify their ambition. |