3IARTINEZ DE LA ROSA, FRANCISCO, 1789-1862; b. Spain; studied law at the iiniversity of Grana.la, and was appointed, lecturer on ethics at the university of S. Miguel when less than 20 years old. The French had just invaded Spain, and he entered enthusiastically into the national movement. FIe was employed by the junta of Granada, his native tosvn, to get arms and supplies for the Spanish cause from the. Euglish at Gibraltar, and he afterwards went to England on the same errand. There, in 1811, his first poem, Zaragoza, was published. He wrote also. while in London, a sketch of the Spanish war of independence for Blanco White's paper, El Espaftol, then being published. On his return to Spain he produced, at Cadiz, a tragedy called La Vinda de Padilla, which was successful, and was followed by a comedy Lo que puede un. Empleo, satirizing political life. In 1813he was returned to the cortes from Granada, and at once took a high position as an orator. He was a supporter of the constitution of" 1812, which kin°. Ferdinand, on his return to Spain in 1814, overthrew, when Martinez was sentenced tO imprisonment for 10 years. Released by an insurrection in 1820, he was for a short time secretary of state, but his opinions had somewhat moderated during his absence, and he lost favor vvith the populace, to avoid whose violence he resigned. The next eleven years of his life were passed in Paris, with an occasional trip to Italy and Germany. 13etween 1827 and 1837 he published at Paris a collection of his Obras Literarias in 5 vols. These contain, besides the -Pin& de Padilla, 4 other plays: La. Niiia en Casa y la Madre en la hfaseara; Edzpo, a classical tragedy; Aben Humeya, founded on the Moorish insurrection under Philip II.; and La Conjuracion de Venecia,
written in the manner of the French romanticists. In the collection are also included a Poetica, or treatise on the art of poetry, and a number of essays on Spanish literature. In 1830 he was permitted to return to Spain, and began to write a historical novel, Doila babel de Solis, the last volume of yrhich was not published till 1846. Meanwhile he beeame the head of a liberal ministry, and was the author of the royal statute of 1834, which created a constitutional government like the English, and took away the ancient privileges of the provinces. The abolition of these privileges caused a revolt by the Basque provinces, which attached themselves to Don Carlos; civil war broke out, Martinez de la Rosa and the moderates became more and more unpopular, an attempt was made upon his life in 1835, and the next year he resigned. He distinguished himself' in opposition in the eortes, and he once more took office; but the constitution of 1812 was restored, the royal statute annulled, and on the fall of queen Christina in 1840 he azain went to Paris, and resumed the composition of Espiritu del Siglo, a work on poli tical science, whieli had been b6gini in 1835, and *hose tenth and higt 'Volume was pub .
lished in 1851. Upon the fall of Espartero he entered the Narvaez cabiret, and was afterwards ambassador to Paris and to Rome. Returning to Spain he was elected pres ident of the chamber of the peers; and be was perpetual secretary of the Spaniah academy.