text:  His father who had been dismissed from a government employment for malversation received the appointment of under-secretary to the Treasury; his wife's brother a hanger-on at one of the theatres was made state-groom to the Queen; while a number of other equivocal characters were appointed to the diplomatic corps and half the political chiefs and public employes in Spain were dismissed to make room for the new premier's friends including a considerable number of newspaper scribblers