The Express.
London, England, 1849-01-25 00:00:00

PORTUGAL.

The Oriental Company's steam-packet Pacha, Capt.
Weeks, arrived at Southampton last night, and landed
her made, under the charopf Lieut. Langton, It. N.,
Admiralty agent Her dates are:—Gibraltar, 16'h
January ; Cadiz, 17th ; Lisbon, 19th ; and Vigo, 21st.
Sixty-five packages of specie form part of her cargo.
Commander Miller brings despatches for the Ad-
miralty from Admiral Sir Charles Napier.
At Lisbon the Costes was chiefly occupied with finan-
cial discussions, which were conducted with most
unseemly violence. The Oporto Wine Company
would be unable this year to purchase their annual
quantity of wine for exportation unbars pecuniary aid
and legislative protection were afforded them. Sir
Charles Napier's squadron sailed from Lisbon on the
18th, steering southward. The American frigate
St Lawrence had arrived from Southampton. A
Tema from Liverpool for Tampico 35 days out, had
arrived at Lisbon, disunited and leaky.
Exchange on London, 30 days, 521; 60 days, 521;
90 days, 82t.
Our correspondent writes u follows :
LISBON, JAN 19.
Progressieta principles have already suffered •
lamentable defeat in the Cortes, the opposition having
strongly imnibect republican sentiments ; and, having taus
every opportunity of showing them, the leading peers of
the opposition have entirely and openly abandoned them,
declaring the y will not make any opposition to the govern-
, meet, but tender them th. it advice in measures they dis-
approved of. The address to the Queen, in reply to the
speech from the throne, will therefore meet with no opposi-
tion, except as relates to the fthancial department. The
government thus gain the Duke of Palmas, Count Lavradio,
Rodrigo de Fonseca Magalhaes, and all the:peers of that
party, leaving but a few only to act by themselves. It is
much feared by many of the peers that SiJdsnha will p out ;
for, from the reconciliation between Count Timmer and the
three distinguished peers above named, it is clear, that if the
count were to turn against the present minister, he must
fail, and we might expect to see a coalition ministry in Por•
tugal. I doubt much if things can be maintained tong as
they are. The country is generally discontented, and dis-
satisfaction already begins to be rather loudly expressed.
I regret to be obliged to say the chamber has appeared more
like an arena of pugilistic defiance than an assembly of ra-
titian gentlemen, meeting calmly and dispassionately to dies
cuss the subjects which usually belong to the representatives
of a free and independent nation. Soon after the usual
national committees were elected, the opposition members
moved for documents to support the charges they by-ingot
abeinst the Minister of Finance. So brow-beaten was he nn
the flu Jeannie ultra him that he reported himself to
the pm inn ink. The miuister had let the sate cases sad
fish duty, and actual) went down to the Chamber to ask for
a confirmation ; but the °nervations made upon it by the
opp sition b. ing so stormy, it is and the minister will aban-
don the subject, annul the contract, whica has already tvon
simnel. and take a loan of 90 cantos of rein from an
insolvent bank, whose notes are at a discount at about 46
per cent. The duty upon fish is one of the most oppressive
to Portugal. Don Fedi* was aware of its oppressive nature,
and, to gain strength and the naive interference of the
fishermen in his favour, he abolished the tax ; but when the
serf-ailed liberals found they could do without the wet of
these poor but bold and daring people' the tax was re-
imposed with all the abhorrent paraphernalia of its collec-
tion. The mis-appl;cation of the public money has been so
apparent, that Mr. Antonio de Cunha Some Maim taxed
the mutiny with impudence in appearing before the depu-
ties • he was ordered to real the *amnion, but positively
and loudly declared he would not. He demeaded to know
what the minister had dose with the money ; he had in the
last session obtained all he asked for. No one had been paid,

,
and nothing remained. The minister entered into an unsa-
tiefactory explanation of his acts and deeds, declared he had
oversesumated the revenue, and met with deficits he did not
expect, in which tapes( he was however contradicted by his
own colleague, Goan de Castro, minister fur foreign affairs.
The minister, however, acted, for once, honestly, and told
the truth ; he declared the countri had Ice its credit, and
no one would discount a government bill ! and every oopo..
'Hun was offered to the colectien of the taxes. Such is the
impoverished condition of that !teat
_pert of the country, the
Oporto wine district (the Upper Douro), that the Oporto
wine company dealers they cannot purchase their annual
quantity of 20,000 pipes for exportation without pecuniary
aid, and some protecting legislative measures.
Such is still the tyrannical principle sod practice of this
liberaLy protocal government, that M. Ferreira Pinto has
been refits• d permission to work the coal mines which belong
to him in'Aleiat Peter da Cove, and the privilege has actually
been given to Count Farrubo. What woofs any Britten
landowner, who was in oppotition to the government, and
who had a mine of any description upon or in the
centre of his estate—say it he found the government had
swatted privilege to a party, stranger to kim, to work the
mine upon his estate ; and what more would he say it he
were to meet horses, carts, and workmen going througn kis
gates, and posting themselves on the spot to work end ap-
propriate to themselves what belonged to him.
Now a word as to tn e want of respect shown to the speaker
of the house, which will show the strong political feeling ex-
tstiao against the queen. The president desired Mr Cunha,
previously referred to, to be silent. " I will not," was his
reply. " Den's laugh," responded the president. " I have
now no wish to cry," replied the deputy, " I will not suffer
Olvaell to be treated as a echo el boy. n r with insolence."
(itepeatent cries of "Order " with grist confusion followed )
Senhor Canna saying, "If they wonted to turn hideut, they
:nicht said fur troops ; but he would repel force by fore! "
Among the accusatioss brought scent the ministry, was
one of a wine carrier having gone to the Duke of fiteldenha,
at head quarter', before the action of Torre. Veen..., end
offered tor a reward to assassinate the courier of the Counts
Ante and Burnam for which service the carri-r has been re-
warded by an authority to pass through the Aleantare gate'
in ihis city es much wine as he pleases, fn- of duty
The ministry have now err .yed against them &tenor Silva
Cabral, a brother of the Count Temper, perhaps the est
orator in time chamber ; he bedan a m -at clear, elucidate, and
elabe.rate speech, by reminding the ministry that they lied
in the last session said " 0. ant, gratit, and in torte months
the country wits be saved "
He then took • review of tne country as compared with
other countrie 1. It was in • state of perks.% punkt misery,
' and the administration completely ditiorgauteed, without

After dwelling forcibly upon every set of the ministry.
sad tarrying conviction to every hearer, he showed the
abuses that had been made of the power tthheeny enjoyed. The
Duke of Seldaeha had received hie quftWe salary asUil-
sister in Madrid, 1,600 000 refs. his pay es marshal, hit sa-
lary as minister, and 400,000 re% for forage. He undriganed
uss ternign policy of
the government, the srieturee upon
mblek be would reserve until the treaty with Brasil and' the
concords% with Rome were painted. aad'
Speaklng of the menet of the este Maw, be said, how
much never a 'deists, had distingelshed himself, the sot
elusion of suck an act would erase all kis former glory. 1
He considered the most delicate part of his disown to be
that upon the application of the public money aad the pay-
ment of the servants of the state. The accounts which he
produced shows that in many of the military divisions • the
last 16 days' pay for the mouth of August, 1848, was not yet
paid to the half-runished soldiers.
That the monthly expenditare of the government was cal-
culated at 640 contra ; that the nett receipt, of the revenue
for the month of July last was four hundred and odd cantos ;
in August, Ave hundred and odd ,• in September, 499 ;. Ore
tober, 600 and odd; November, 417 mates; that the whole
amounted to two thousand and odd orates. That 600 cantos
IMO to be deducted, but that he did not take into amount
the revenues of tobacco, duty upon Ask, and the drafts upon
the sixteen receiving districts, the whole amounting to
900 costae., that besides there was the revenue of the Oporto
Custom-house estimated at seven hundred and add cantos.,
and of the branch custom-houses, amounting to 400 cont.%
the whole making 3,600 cantos, they received still more;
250 cantos of ruinous loans, 40 costae advanced by the con-
tractors for the rote cease; consequently the government
have received 3,890 wow, and have paid 1,670 Gents, re-
maining consequently with a balance of 2,270 oontos. That
even admitting the expenses of English dividends, and the
gratifications to the offtons of the Peninsular war, the whole
amounting to 500 contra, there was a balance of 1,771
tante*, and he demanded, how had the government spent
that money ? The speaker read the law of the application
of the politic money and she penalty imposed upon its non-
cCa ap tion, and risked with what authority had government
d 76 cant a of old debts which did not belong to the dio-
ramas of 1848-49. He then alluded to the army. By
Ike law of the 26th April, the army was to consist of in el-
' 'lsthmian, of 24,000 men. 6,000 whereof being on furlough;
his notwithstanding, in November last the
to
ernment in-
meensed the expense by 170 contra, by refusing furlough
4,000 men, sad thereby keeping the faros at ,000, as man
on furlough receive no pay. All this was done without a
council of state.
The Chambers had also only voted psy for six companies
of the Municipal Guard, when the ministry keep up seven
companies, at an authorised increased expense of 16 contra
and odd monthly.
He showed how much the preventive police cost the nee
600 more than the sum voted for its support. That in con-
sequence it was not surprising that the public functionaries
were not paid ; that the very portrait of the Queen, which
was in the room, was an accusation to the ministry, as it had
been agreed for at 180 mitre* and they had paid 400 marsh
foe it. That if he saw in the ministry men who would sup-
port good principles and the interests of the country, he
would support them. AU he required was a jut, honour-
able, economical, and tolerant ministry ; but the present
ministry not being so, and its policy being represented in
the address, he would vote against it.
Silva Cabral occupied the house two days.