I am Jorge Palacios de Urdániz, superintendent of Valencia and Murcia.

I was born in Madrid 59 years ago. Because my father, also a military man, was transferred to Barcelona, I studied in the Academy of Mathematics there and earned the title of infantry lieutenant and the insignia of the Order of Santiago in 1765, each at only 25 years old. Soon after that I was sent to Madrid, where I became a part of the Ministry of War. A year ago I was named superintendent of Murcia and Valencia and, as such, I am responsible for the armies of His Majesty in my company. Right now I am entrusted with recruiting the provincial militias for the war against England; though the nobles are cooperative, the townspeople are resistant. My predecessor has already advised me that while these Valencians are hard-working in agriculture, silk, and other industries, they are rebellious in spirit, as they demonstrated in the anti-french riots only a few years ago.  What we need is a firm hand like they have in France, where military generals like that young Napoleón Bonaparte continue to exert more and more influence.