The Express.
London, England, 1848-02-24 00:00:00

PORTUGAL.

We have news from Lisbon to the 16th. The most
important items will be found in the following letter
of a correspondent ;
LISBON, FEB. 15, 10 a.m.
The packet from the north, due on Sunday, has not
yet arrived, and very general apprehension exists as to her
safety. A steamer, supposed to be the Madrid, was tele-
graphed as having pawed Oporto on the ni ;ht of Friday ;
she showed the usual signal!, hut, from the state of the
weather, could not be communicated with. The avenge
time for a steamer's run between Oporto and Lisbon may he
stated at 20 hours; 24 is considered extreme tim- ; and should
the vessel telegraphed have been the Madrid, it is feared she
may have been run into or founder d during the late gales.
Had she gone ashore anywhere alonu the tout, we must have
heard of it long before this. The admiral despatched the
Scourge yesterday morning in search of her ; the Scourge
has not, up to this hour, r; turned. The Stromholi, that
has been advertised to leave or Enghted ever since the 11th,
but has bean detained waiting the arrival of the mail, will, I
belizse, be sent off in the morning. Sh.: token 1. tters, so I
take advantage of the opportunity. Of political news there
is scarcely an item that calls fer remark ; the business of the
session in either house may fairly be described as at a st
tned-
atill. One subject alone ergiosecs the public mind, and has
been, and is occupying the attereion of the lezislative
chamber. It is the Times' sffsir, to which, in brief
words, I made hurried allusion in my last. More
than one week has now been r ittered away in the
Chamber of Peers in diminish!n upon the subject,
in &trete and counter-charges, and in mutual recrimination;
in fact, the subject has assumed an interest to the exclusion
almost of every other topic, nor can a newspaper be taken up
but the eye retch, s the word "Times" in every column, nod
in all manner and all kinds of type. in fact, a perf.ct Times
testimonial. I would gladly have dispensed with the neces-
sity of returning to the subject, hut the publication in the
Portuguese journals of official coreesoundence, in which all
disguise in cast aside, and tae;' yr:claim! el, and names of
persons inserted in full, retnoves all reuse far reserve ; in-
deed, the assumption of Belie try would ha affeciation. Tire
" transaction," discreditable in all its ramifications, now
forms a page, and a pretty proiuinimt ore, too, is the
history of the tdministration of Costa Cabral and his
corrupt and mean stock-jobbing associates. In my last
letter I alluded to twoportarina of the Queen's government
being produced in, and read en. the House of Peers by the
Count Lavradio, the*: portarins being the authorisation of
the financial (Portuguese} asteut in Landon, to employ a
certain amount of the public moneys in the purchase of
l'ortuguese bonds, to be held in trust fir the benefit of a
heparty, whose llama Count Layradio, with delicacy and for-
arance, abstained from mentioning to the hoes Count
Jujal, the minister who had authorised the transaction, had
uu such scruple, and his reply you are already in possession
or. I now furnish you with a literal transl ttion of the two
portareas in nuestim:
. (TRANSLATION.)
- . .

Fir ance-office, tad Direction: Tee Queen orders, through
the Mini:try of Finance, that the financial Emmy in Lon-
don shall buy the sum of 10,0301., in inscriptions of the
external debt, with coupon:, or in their mead an equal
amount in bonds of the converted fund, preferring, however,
the fint of these operations in case it can be etlemed. These
titul-s are to he withdrawn from the market, and aro not to
be inserted in the accounts of the agency, as the operation is
made on account of Terence Mahon !Nate s ; hut the
ngeacy shall report eonfidentiMly to this department what.
tier contracts may be entered into by vir.iie of this order.
—Palace of Belem, Oct 1,181 (Si medr)—Do
(TRANeLATION.)
Finance-office, 2nd Direction.—The Queen entre, through
the Mini-try of Finance, that the financial ugvncy in London
shell buy the sum e 10,0001. in bends of tho ne-I fund on
account of Terence Malien Hughes, and shall eheierve with
respect to this transaction the instruction eeitinued in the
portarins of the lot and 23rd Octeb,r last, relative to the
purchase of an equal amount of bond-. likewiel on account of
the said Terence Mahon 11 eghee.— eidece of Necec.idades,
Nov. 4, 1844.—(Signe1)—Do T 0.1.11,
Upon the Duke e f Pelinella's ni!nistry inierueting the
Portuguese financial agent iu Londoe to communicate with
Mr. Hughes, and to pees, file a settlement cf accounts, the
Litwin.; two letters ate found connected ith the corre-
spondence. Yuu will observe that they aro here given
through the medium of a re-translation.
(oIte•TILINEILATION.)
1.. Mornington-place, Hampstead•road, July 9,184 G.—
Confidential.—Sir,—With ref.:Twice to your ,ommunication
of yesterday, I giaittly regret to say the: the recent great fall
iu the Portuguese funds has to ineulm d me it a trans tetioe
,pct from that which you have &tern* d en my account, as
to disable me completely from at once cl. eine the purchase
you have made for me. Su confident was I in the stability
of the state of things in Partnere% en 1 so dm rived with re-
epect to the defeat of the guerillas acenriling to the news pub
lieied, that I continued until very recently the transao'ion
which I kept open, in consequence of .Inch I suffered u lens
of 1,3031., the payment of wnieb, a:mottling se en aereenaent
I have made with the brokers, is to be reels '4l quarterly by '
a moiety of my salary. This prevents me front paying up the
9001. which, at the present rate of the lends, weld be required
to close the transaction w:iich you erfecte.l on my account be in-
structions front Count do Tojel ; Mutest: ere is, very likelihood
that the funds will semi rise to - 31, at which e rice the trans-
ac.ion can be closed without loss, I trust - Duke of Pa-
rnell' will allow it to remain open until price can be
obtained; because, having solemnly reeeleed r At to derive any
advantage from it, I likewise wish to avoid lose. The fact
of my having kept these bonds so lon is the clearest proof,
as will of the sincerity of my cenvictii n that reietegel could
face all her expenses, es of the ho .eat immessiun under
which I wrote, and which I still res tin, that, with tran-
quillity and an enlightened a lininissr atiou, a.l difficulties
could be overcome.
. . .

I had this conviction, and still havei,. notwithstanding my
king a victim to it. The understancli-iz I hei with Count
Tojet when you bought the bonds use -ny ace on., wan that
the business was of a friendly character, and should n• ver
be considered as en official transaction ; end et that very
time I refused with indignation the mousy oilseed to me by
Costa Cabral, as I had previously refined the commandery
ie the Order of Christ, offered to me by —, on the part of
Costs Cabral and—. I Lay's the hoveur to he
(Signed) T. al. 11171311E5.
To the Vice-President of tho Portarmese
Financial Agency in Id :ratan. •
(nie-raivesLATION.)
llanwell, Middlesex, La% August, 1846 —Sir,—ln ac-
knowledging the receipt of your letter of the liith inst., in
which you acquaint me with the greet hen re=ulting from
the sale of the 20,0001. Portuonsiee stock, I has.' to cell your
attention to my former letters, wherein I inf:rmed you of
the causes which prevent me teens at once milting good any
part of that loss ; and I maw beg that you will request of
your government to allow me time for the payment of this
debt, which you may rest assured I will satisfy as soon as I
Possibly can. (Signed) M. 'Lyceums.
Illmo. Sen. Joao Maria de Carvaliso e Oliveira
Vice-free. of the Porteeuese Financial Ageucy in London.
Comment upon this little affair I deem to be !oreieu to my
province. I place before you facts and doco:neuts, and leave
you to draw your own concession.
Count Tojal and his broths, count (Costa Cabral), have
attempted to wriggle out of tee affair in t:,o best way they
could ; but facts, and clip::. itle pen act ink facts, are
troublesome things to deal wi.h. e ienst 'DIVA, in his flippant
and shameless defence, or re jestifl eition, of the job,
boldly charges the entire licit,-dt press with senility, and as-
serts that the agents of the j,tola of Oporto, during the late
struggle, had bought the whole of the Lontom press, with
the solitary exception of the 2'imes, whsle Costa Cabral
declares himself to be ealable of preying, and hints
at the possession of docurueuts that will prove, that
the Times' correspondent, upon a oerteie ores ion, solicited
favours at his hands, °feting as the price of lb is concession
that the columns of that journal should be placed at his dis-
posal, but it is justice to remark that no such proofs have
been adduced, and that rho putlie have only M. Costa
Cabral's word for the wines d fact, end those who are to at
capable of appreciating the yelue :of It pledge attach
but small weight to the word of this greedy and mean
adventurer.
One of the letters above, you will see, heirs date front Han-
' well. The locality sugaeats a refleccion—for surely Hanwell
will be deemed the fittest resident, for any man who,
after this expos.', can be so sorry a.dup as to sp•culate in the
funds upon the faith of Times' °limier..., or who will venture
to invest even the ghost of a s sugary farthing in the bonds of
Donna Maria Seganda, or in the .ttoek which the jobbers
and legs who compose her ministry have the droll effrontery
to speak of as Portuguese securitica.
The Stromboli, that came into the Tagus on the Bth inst.,
brouzht orders for the reeal of the fleet, and in a few days
Sir Charles Napier, with kis erdeman.l, will sail fur the
Channel, unless the news from Napes should interfere with
this destination. The Ilgwe 110, is to remain for our pro-
tection, as also a couple of ilia 6112X1/CT steamers, the Comet
and the Jackal. The sickness on beard the squadron, I am
happy to say, has very materially abated.
Yesterday, the 14th, took place the great public subscrip-
tion ball, at the Abrentes Palace, on behalf of the indigent
military officers of the Miguelite party, and the widows and
orphans of those who have died since the Evors Monte Con-
vention ; the assembly we.s of the most brilliant character,
nearly four thous end guests bi lag nessent, included in the
number being nearly the entiro ut the- f.' Intl aristocracy.
Sir George Seymour and Sir t Napier were
liberal subscribers, and both life—. C.• 115111 and vice-
consul took tickets; a good sprin'..l • r the officers
of the squadron were present, but, wit:, Y. . ,zeption of the
members of the Brazilian legation, tee ago diplomatic
body were compelled to stay away ; tv..t tear eleventh hour,
an intimation, forwarded to each uni e•y..nated that their
patronage of the charity would he cu. displeasing to an
illustrious individual. Sir Charles Nee, e, Isowever, who
had presented tickets to his officers.- reiused, mail with
proper spirit, to forbid their attendance, nor did the
dread of her Majesty's displeasure prevent the gal-
lant admiral from paying a visit during the day to the
noble Marquis of Abrantee, Dom Jose de Leacutre,
who is, by the way, the descendant and representative of old
John of Gaunt, " time-honoured Lencester." The admiral,
ushered by the marquis, was conducted over the whole suite
of splendid apartments, and expressed himself much pleased
with the arrangements. The ball opened at nine in the
evening, and was kept up until alter seven in the morning,
and even then the English blue jai kets seemed to tear
themselves away with reluctance from the fascinations
of the dark-eyed doutellaa, their partners in the dance.
The funds raised by the ball must be consider-
able—hundreds of destitute families will be relieved.
The animosity and mean spirit exhibited by the Queen and
the Prince upon the occasion, is said to be explained by the
determination of the stewards of the ball to admit any
of the Cabral family, although the exclusion was in no way
whatever connected with political erouedi
P.S.—Feb. 16.—Late last night the pacee: from the north
came in, in company with the So. urje ; hes, y gales off the

English coast calmed the detention, the steamer having to
put back twice.
The admiral is to inspect the Howe to-day, and she is then
to be put in condition to proceed to Madras, to fetch her
Majesty the Queen Dowager.
The exchanges are quoted: London, 30 days, 531; 90
days, 53i

RIO JANEIRO.—By the arrival yesterday of her
Majesty's packet Peterel, Lieutenant Crewr, at Falmouth,
we have advices from Rio Janeiro to January 9, this vessel
having accomplished the voyage in the short spier of forty-
four days. She has brought hut a small freight, in gold and
diamonds, supposed not to excecd 2,0001. in value. There is
nothing reported in the shape of news of the least moment
in politics, but in mercantile matters the activity recently
exhibited in the coffee market continued to prevail, sal...
having amounted to rather more than an average quantity
for the month of December, at the cost, on board,
of ate. fW. for washe 1 ; 295. sd. for superior ; and
275. 6d. for first good, per cwt. There was, however,
a tendency to lower qualities. The sugar market fur Europe
was but very partially thought of—the quotations ruled at
2r. d. 800 re. per aerobe. Exchange, 274 to 4. Stock, 87.
The "Annual Review," published at the close of Decem-
ber, mentions, that alth6ugli business at Rio had been ex-
tensive, both in xport and import, it was not satisfactory in
its muff, from advent.: circumstances—the system of long
credits; the disadvantage of the high freights, consequent
on the scarcity of s.iipping that had prevailed; and the law
legalising payments in gold and silver coin, during the year,
being of considerable inconvenience to large payment
transactions.

CUBA.—The brig Caroline, from Neuvitas, arrived
of New York, brings news from that port to tho Bth of
January, from which it appea.a that the filanters were com-
mencing to grind. The crops were not near so fine this year
as last ; there would, hewer, r, be about the same quantity
ti go forward, as a great deal of additional cane had been
planted during the last year. Less mahogany would go for-
ward than usual, as the quantity got out WO much smaller
than heretofore, on account of the very low prices at which it
had been selling in America. Tho railroad from Neuvitee
to Puerto Principe hail been opened six miles further, and
measures were being taken to complete it to euerto Principe
during the e 'mini year, which would give a great impetus to
the trade of Neuvitas.