The Sun.
London, England, 1839-09-06 00:00:00

SLAVE-TRADE.-PORTUGAL.

Much allusion has been-made to a note lately ad-
dressed to the leadinc, Governments by the Portuguese
Minister on the subject of the Slave-trade. The fol-
lowing is a tran3lation of the document :
" Office of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
" Copy of a Circular which, under date of the 4th
inst., was addressed by the Minister for Foreign Af-
fairs to the Governments of the Powers parties to

the Gongress of Vienna, and to other Governments,
as well of Europe as America, respecting the Bill
presented to the British Parliament by Lord
Palmerston for power to capture by British cruizers,
and to confiscate Portuguese vessels engaged, or sus-
pected of being engaged, in the Slave-trade, which
they may fall in with to the south of the Equator.
(' Most Illustrious and Excellent Senhor—Her most

Faithful Majesty the Queen of Portugal, my august
Sovereign, has just learned, with the most profound
grief and astonishment, that the British Government
has effectively realised the threat held out to the Por-
tuguese Government by Lord Palmerston, the Bth of
March last, in the House of Commons, of presenting
to the British Parliament a Bill which authorises its
Government to cause to be captured by the cruisers of
its nation, and to confiscate all the Portuguese merchant
ships they may fall in with to the south of the Equator,
the same being engaged, or suspected of being engaged,
in the slave-trade.
" The additional convention of London, signed the
28th of July, 1817, prohibits expressly the detention
of vessels to the south of the Equator (Art. 4. of in-
structions). The separate article of the 11th of Sep-
tember of the same year declares that this convention
shall remain in force for the space of 15 years, counting
from the day on which the traffic in slaves should be
totally abolished by her most Faithful Majesty, in case
the two Crowns should not be able to execute a new

treaty.
" The decree by which her Majesty spontaneously
abolished in all the Portuguese dominions the traffic in
slaves having been published the 10th of December,
1836, it is evident that the said convention ought to con.
tinue in force till the 10th of December, 1851, as the

treaty concluded between the Seohor Viscount Sada
Bandeira, Minister and Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs of her Most Faithful Majesty, and Lord Howard
de Walden, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipo-
tentiary of her Britannic Majesty;could not be signed
by those Plenipotentiaries in consequence of the depar-
ture of the said Lord for London the 22d of May, 1838.
" The measure proposed to Parliament by the British
Government is not only contrary to the stipulation
cited of the additional Convention, but to the most
solemn confession to the effect, that the British Go-
vernment did not feel itself authorized by the treaties
to give orders to make prizes to the south of the
Equator, and which may consequently be regarded as
public testimony of the illegality with which such prizes
have heretofore been made by their cruizers.
This measure is so much the more unjust in so far
as it is taken precisely at an epoch in which the Portu-
guese Government, in order to puta stop to the slave- trade
in all its African dominions, was earryino. into execution
more rigorous orders, the force of which recognised
by the Brazilian Minister for Foreign Affairs in his last
report to the Chambers, and which is actually proved
by the prizes that have been made by the Portuguese
cruisers, one of which (the brig Maria Virginia, taken
by her Most Faithful Majesty's vessel of war Fayal) has
lately been brought. into the Tagus.
" Such a measure must be of the greatest interest to
the Governments of both worlds, for the reason that it
is a most flagrant violation of the rights of nations, and
the most direct attack on the Sovereignty and the iin-
prescriptive rights of the Crown of an independent
monarchy ; of one not liable, in default of its consent in
any treaty whatever, to have the._ same supplied by the

decision of the legislative body of a foreign nation.
Time does not permit the Portuguese Government
to
.present with clearness and precision the whole of
this unjust and unprovoked aggression of the British
Government in detail, but against which the Queen
commands me to protest in a manner the most
formal by her Minister in London. Her Majesty,
firm in her rights, which sh 3 is resolved to uphold
in a way- worthy of her crown, thinks it proper
to address the Sovereigns parties to the Congress
of Vienna, as firm supporters of the European equili-
brium, and guarantees of tho solemn declaration made
at the said Congress—to the effect that the determina-
tion of the epoch in which the slave-trade ought to
cease universally would been object of negociation be-

tween the respective Powers—which precludes all idea
that she should ever be permitted to obtain it by means

of coercion.

" It is accordingly under these considerations that her
Majesty the Queen, confiding in the spirit of justice and
impartiality which directs the Government of his Majesty
the King of has commanded me to call his most
benevolent attention to this offensive and unheard-of pro-
ceeding of the British Government, by reason of the con-
sequences that may arise to Portugal and to all Europe
from this new and extraordinary example of the greatest
abuse of force towards an independent sovereignty and
nation, with which friendly relations and a faithful and
uninterrupted alliance have been maintained for more
than four centuries,

I hare the honour to be, &c.
(Signed)" The Baron DA RIBEIRA DE SABROSA
" Lisbon, Aug. 4, 1839."

MEXICO.

(From the New Orleans Bulletin.)
By the schooner Eclipse, Captain Delaville, which
arrived here yesterday, we have received our files of
papers and letters from the city of Mexico to the Bth,
and from Vera Cruz. to the 13th instant inclusive.
Santa Anna was still President ad interim, and though,
in a precarious state of health, exercising the functions
of his office with increasing applause and success. At
the date of our correspondent's letter Busiamcnte was
momentarily expected in the capital.
The expedition to Tampico being crown;:d with such
entire success, his return was everywhere greeted with
the most enthusiastic demonstrations of affection and
regard. According to the Diaria del Gobierno, Santa
Anna and he are to effect the most salutary reform in
the Constitution, to do away with the cause of the late
disastrous disaffection, conciliate all parties, and to
crown the whole with re-conquering the " ungrateful
colony." For accomplishing this great undertaking the
Executive is to be empowered to raise the necessary
means.

All the Federalists who gave themselves up to the
dirposal of the Government are to retire to their farms,
and never to reside in a city, or .near a fortification,
under pain of death.
Urrea was sentenced by Santa Anna to be banished
for six years ; but a perverse man of French descent,
who had him in charge, allowing him too much of his
parole of honour, the quondam Generalissimo, while cn
his way- to Vera Cruz for embarkation, made his escape
at Perot° on the 30th ult., and has not been heard of

s►nce.

Lemes was chased out of Monterry by Canalizo ;
and his brother fled to Monclavo. According to the
papers in our possession the career of this General is of
late marked by much barbarity.
In several States in the interior the small-pox is raging
with great virulence.
Throughout the whole republic the censorship of the
press is maintained with the greatest rigour, but the
foreign merchants resident in Vera Cruz have been al-
lowed and are about establishing a splendid exchange
or reading-room in that city.
Two hundred thousand dollars of the second instal-
ment are on the way from Mexico to Vera Cruz. This
money will arrive only a few days after being due.
Commercial affairs have a good appearance. There
has not been as yet any arrivals from Europe, and the
want of goods is immense.
General Urena is to go to Europe.

INTERESTING DISCOVERY.--A short time
ago, in a field adjoining the road leading from
Rudston to Kilham, a tesselated pavement, about six
inches from •the surface, was uncovered ; the tessetaa
d.ffering in size from one and a half inch to half an inch ;
colours white, red, and blue, white prevailing ; laid in lines
and forming diamonds, extending over a surface of about
four yards by three yards, walled round on three sides with
large rough stones, similar to the chalk stones of the
\Voids. A great part of the pavement had been destroyed
at a former period by some labourers who had dug it up
in the hope of finding treasure, and the place filled up
again promiscuously ; it contained red bricks of a square
form 9 inch by inch, and II inch thick'; pieces of
plaster, smooth on one side and painted, some red all over,
some in lines, and some in dashes of red and green, appr-
rently water colours. The size of each tile is about
15 inches by 11A-, and about a of an inch in thickness.
Immediately under these was another layer of the same
sort of tiles, laid in the same manner, but traversely with
the other. Below these wasi a small quantity of exceed-
lingly black ashes, and near were some pieces of a rather
bony-like substance, porous, and saving a great sem-
blance to the encrusted moss from the Dropping Well at
Knaresborough. Still lower, was a layer of fine rich earth,
a few inches in thickness, and then a bed of fine natural
red day, probably the material similar to that of which
the bricks and tiles had been formed.—York Courant.