Poor Marshal Prim died, after all. Though struck by eight
balls, he believed himself only slightly wounded, ascended the stairs of the Ministry of War unassisted, and reassured his wife ; but one of the bullets had gone too deep, and he died on 30th December. His death removes a very prominent figure from the European stage, but it may be questioned whether history will enrol Marshal Prim among the great men of Spain. He was not only a good soldier, but a soldier who attached his subordinates to himself ; bu4-, we search his speeches and proclamations in vain for any sign of original genius, of statesmanship, or even of full com- prehension of Spanish facts. He was evidently more sincere in his wish for a King than his rivals at first believed, but he co- quetted for months with the Republicans, by whom at last he was shot down. His great personal fault is said to have been that of
the Duke of Marlborough, an inordinate thirst for money, and his greatest intellectual merit a clear idea that the Government of Spain was beyond his powers. His real character must remain obscure until we know a little more of the inner history of his reign, but our impression is that he was merely an unusually able trooper.
