The National Register.
London, England, 1823-03-09 00:00:00

PROJECT OF A DECREE.

The Cortes, &c. considering that it is absolutely necessary to
maintain the national independence, and resist every attempt of
threlgn invasion, on account of the alterations and changes which
the nation, by its sepresentstives, has legally mails in our polt-
steal system, decrees as follow '
L. Every invasion of the Peninsula, made for the purpose of
destroying or modifying the political institutions adopted by
Spain, shall be honsidared as a direct aggression of Portugal.
3 he whole Mice shall- be immediately assembled, and posted in
the positions proper to mist such aggression.
2. The recruiting shall be carried on with the uunostdiligence
W raise the army sat the lint line to 60.000 men, at least, of all

Stmt.
3. The corps of militia shall be raised to their full comple—
ment, and the Government shall organize them in a manner
suitable to the service which they are to perform. •
4. A naf,nal guard shall be formed in Lisboa and Oporto.
5. Those soldiers who have received their discharge shall be
invited to serve dining the war, sad a bounty *ball be offered
them.
'Mlle following articles relate to various imposts

proposed by the Cominttee.
lie prtlject was declared urgent by above two-
thirds of the Deputies; read a second time, and sub-
mitted to discussion.
• M. Fratizini.—" At all times, and especially un-
der resent circumstances, it is proper to strengthen
the union between this kingdom and its ancient and
faithful. ally, Great Britain, and I therefore•juAge it
imperiously necessary, that the diplomatic commit-
tee should give, as soou us possible, its report on the
liminess which has been repeatedly brought forward
by the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, in order that
the Government may be relieved. from all the art;-
des which may impede any negotiation which, it is
so necessary for us to conclude with our faitlthil
ally, Great 13ritain." This was generally supported,
and the President directed the Committee to give its
report with the least possible delay.
In the sitting of the 19th. the order of the day was
the debate on the report of the Committee.. On
this occasion all the Ministers of State were intro-
duced, and having taken their places, the President
addressed them as follows:
" Gentleinen,—The importance of the subjects of
the present sitting, and the urgency with which they
ore to be discussed, have induced the Cortes tc invite
all the Ministry, that each of your Excellencies may
give, in his department, the explanations asked of
him ; and your Excellencies may give your opinion
on each of the articles of the project which is going
to be discussed, and fur this purpose ask leave to
speak when you think. proper."
The debate then commenced on the preamble and
the first article.
M. Mount spoke fsrst in support of the project,
shewing the injustice of the attack on Spain, and
'that Portugal was indisputably equally an object of
their aggression.
M. byes Curneiro made a long speech aga :st the
Iloly Alliance, whose prieession of faith, he said, was
to be found in the declaration issued at Laybach,
from which he quoted several passages, especially di.
iected against the Spanish Constitution, as anarchi-
cal and revolutionary, its establishment in Naples us
a conspiracy, and in Piedmont as a most odious re-
bellion. Several other members spoke, all of whom
agreed that the invasion of Spain must be considered
es an aggression against Portugal, but some disap-
proved of the Ist article as part of the decree, and
on the motion of M. Martianso d'Asevedo, it was
resolved to include the Ist article as far as the word
Portugal, in the preamble.
The debate was then adjourned.
The expedition to Bahia, consisting of about two
thuusaud men, &taut on the lath of February.

We learn by the Plato, that the new Constitu,
(ion had been accepted at St. Michael's, on. which
4,,casion the place was briliantly illuminated, and
the King's etligy burned. The property of those
tvlio were not .in favour of the change had been
confiscated ; the ikew crop was large and good.