he Revolution of 1868 has really been extraordinary, and it
has gone steadily forward. Spain has always been celebrated for the
making of _convenios_--a word which is scarcely correctly translated by
"arrangement." During the Carlist wars, the Government, and even
generals in command, made _convenios_ with the insurgents to allow
convoys to pass without interference, money value sometimes being a
factor in the case; but one of the strangest of these out-of-sight
agreements, and one which English people never understand, is that
which has existed almost ever since the Restoration between the
political parties in the Congress, or, at least, between their leaders.
It is an arrangement, loyally carried out, by which each party is
allowed in turn to come into power. The Cortes is elected to suit the
party whose turn it is to be in office, and there is little reality in
the apparent differences. Silvela and Sagasta go backwards and forwards
with the regularity of a pendulum, and the country goes on its way
improving its position daily and hourly, with small thanks to its
Government.

Perhaps it is as well! It gives assurance, at least, that no
particularly wild schemes or subversive changes shall be made. When one
administration has almost wrecked the ship, as in the Caserta marriage,
the other comes in peacefully, and sets the public mind at rest; both
parties wish for peace and quietness, and no more revolutions, and the
political seesaw keeps the helm fairly straight in ordinary weather. To
what extent the insane and disastrous policy which led to the war with
America by its shilly-shally treatment of Cuba, now promising autonomy,
now putting down the grinding heel of tyranny, and to what extent the
suicidal action of the oscillating parties--for both share the
responsibility--in their instructions to their generals and admirals,
and the astounding unpreparedness for war of any kind, still less with a
country like America, may be traced to this system of "arrangements,"
which allows one party to hand its responsibilities over to the other,
one can only guess. It is to be hoped that when the two figureheads at
present before the country go over to the majority, there may come to
the front some earnest and truly patriotic ministers, who have been
quietly training in the school of practical politics, and can take the
helm with some hope of doing away with the crying evils of _empleomania_
and _caciquismo_. Until then there wi