Francisco Martínez de la Rosa person

“He now outbid four other companies to secure the new contract—essentially by bribing Toreno and the Queen and by offering, instead of a sealed bid, to pay 5 per cent more than the highest rival bid.…”

“Heine joked that Mendizábal (who became Finance Minister in 1835) had pawned an ancient pearl necklace “to cover certain / deficits in state finances”…”

“Like the British ambassador in Spain, Mendizábal assumed that the Rothschilds would back this project, not least because of his business links with James, with whom he had done business in Portuguese bonds.…”

“The Spanish Prime Minister was now “that stinking Mendizábal,” whom James had “never trusted”...…”