The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-17 00:00:00

Freemason Government in Portugal.

LETTER IV.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE TABLET.

Sir,—l see by the public papers that the resignation o.
the Loule Cabinet in Portugal has been accepted. We have
no details, and know not how the thing took place ; to me
it seems probable, as Saldanha was expected in Lisbon
very shortly, when my last letters and papers left that
capital, that the arrival of the late Ambassador in Rome
may have had an influence in the change of Ministry. We
shall soon know how that happened ; but certain it is that,
however the partners be changed, the game will continue
to be the same—viz., Freemason war more or less dis-
guised against the Church, its institution; and its most
worthy ministers.
•By the Portuguese papers I find that my correspondent
at Covilhan was very moderate in his letter, copied into
mine, last week, when he spoke of the scandalous case of
the Rev. Dr. Grainha. The particulars and manner of the
occurrence are more important and significant in showing
the Masonic rage and bitter animus against all those who
do not favour Freemason rule, than the arrest itself. Such
particulars I find in a letter addressed to the Nacao, No.
5,162, by a gentleman well known who signs it. The letter
fills a column and a half of the paper, and is full of indig-
nant reflections and severe animadversions against the
ruling party; I shall only give its substance and facts :
"To the Editor of the Nacao,—There is a fact which
your journal and other papers have mentioned already, but
which will never be too severely stigmatised as it deserves,
and whose circumstances are still very imperfectly known
by the public—l mean the rancorous persecution against
Dr. F. Grainha, now in prison at Castello-Branco. I do
not know which contributed more to this despotic act,
whether it was prompted chiefly by political rancour, or
by hatred against religion ; as the convictions both poli-
tical and religious of our friend are well known, and he
has always been the same, an exemplary priest, an in-
trepid defender and preacher of the truths of Holy Gospel,
and a Legitimist of the rather breaking than bending sort,
qualities now become rather scarce, and such that cannot
please the powers that be.
" The Rev. Dr. Grainha, had understood in his conscience
that he ought not to give his vote to a man for a deputy
of the Portuguese nation, unless the same man professed
sound religious convictions. Mr. Barros Lima:was presented
to him as a fit candidate ; the doctor scrupulously investi-
gated about the qualities and principles of the candidate,
and finding them satisfactory, he used his advice and influ-
ence to secure the election of the gentleman, who succeeded
and was elected. This aroused the ire of the dominant
party, who determined to wreak their vengeance on the
doctor, and taking advantage of some expressions in a pri-
vate letter of his to a fellow priest, regarded as his friend,
they determined to prosecute him. They brought also
against him the charges of preaching gratuitously (!), re-
ceiving from his auditory great demonstrations of attach-
ment, and of having called some Liberals Freemasons. On
such grounds he was declared guilty. The moment he
heard of it at Rome, he hastened back home in order to bear
all the consequences, not wishing to belie by his conduct
the doctrines he had constantly preached and inculcated.
"As soon as he reached Covilhan, he wrote to the two
principal authorities, acquainting them with his arrival,
and begging the prison to be designated where he was to be
detained, as he would at once proceed there and enter it.
They did not deign to answer him, and the second of these
functionaries even told Dr. Grainha's family that no order
of the sort existed, and that should it be issued, they might
rest assured he would inform them of it. Thus was Dr.
Grainha denied the courtesy customary to be granted to
any decent person in similar circumstances. And imme-
diately after all this they sent their sbirri to arrest the rev.
doctor publicly, when coming out of church from saying
mass; this in order to give the insult more eclat; and, at
the same time, they made also on the occasion a most
wicked attempt at provoking resistance from the people,
and then punishing their sympathy for the doctor, by a dis-
play of military force without any necessity for it.
"No greater demonstrations of attachment and affection,
however, could be shown to anybody than those mani-
fested to the rev. prisoner, both on the day of his arrest,
and on that of his removal from Covilhan to Castello-
Branco. They seemed days of general mourning, and
then it was not only the persons more attached to Dr

Grainha that took part in these demonstrations of sor-
row, but even the formally indifferent shared in them,
as if ashamed of not participating in the general feeling.
The clergy came in a body to take leave of their colleague.
The streets he passed through when leaving the town
were encumbered with people, exclaiming in loud lamen-
tations, and denouncing the shameful proceeding of the
authorities.

" One person, whose conduct was the most honourable
and praiseworthy, proved to be the officer who commanded
the military escort, ordered to conduct Dr. Grainha to
Castello-Branco ; he obeyed, of course, his orders, like a
soldier, but in every other respect behaved like an honour-
able and kind gentleman, treating the doctor throughout,
not as a prisoner, but as a worthy and respected friend.
Honour, therefore, to this officer, Mr. Antonio de Campos,
whose behaviour exhibited such a contrast with the pro-
ceedings of those above him.

("At Castello-Branco (where the doctor had never been
before), he was treated with great respect by the municipal
body, by the clergy, and by almost everybody. There I
saw him receive attentions such as had never boon offered
to any prisoner. Not only the Municipal Council offered
him for his habitation the room of their sittings, but there
he was visited by almost every person in the city and its
neighbourhood; the people flocking in crowds, eager to
behold ' the apostle of God,' as they call him.
" These demonstrations could not please the devil, nor
did they please the Freemason superior authorities, who,
seeing this, forbade any person being allowed to visit Dr.
Grainha, except those who shbuld come well-dressed, and
should be known to the gaoler (!) By these means they con-
trived to exclude from seeing the doctor by far the greatest
number of visitors—who enjoy not the honour of the gaoler's
acquaintance; this happening especially to those who come
from without the city, often from considerable distances,
with great inconvenience, as well as with sacrifice of time
and expense. These are obliged, therefore, to content them-
selves with having simply a look at the doctor when he ap-
pears at the prison window. I have myself seen some, in
such case, actually shedding tears both of sorrow and an-
noyance. I heard that the superior authorities at Castello
Branco, had received from Colvilhan, a telegraphic des-
patch, announcing them, that a large portion of the people
of the town, including all the clergy, were preparing to
come in a body to the chief city, and pay a solemn visit to
Dr. Grainha ; but that an order was for warded from Cas-
tello Branco for such demonstration to be authoritatively
prevented.

" Dr. Grainha with true Christian resignation certainly
bears all this patiently, and without murmuring ; but it is
not less certain that he deeply feels the regret of not being
allowed to see dear friends who come to visit him ; above
all, however, he feels the deprivation of celebrating the
Holy sacrifice, even on sanctified days, permission for which

has been asked most pressingly and refused by his perse-
cutors (!)

" There is a specimen of the persecution to Catholics
who do not fear earthly powers, who only look for the re-
wards that are eternal, and who, in spite of all, pray fer-
vently for their bitter enemies.

"If the above is worth appearing in your paper, I shall
feel thankful for your giving it publicity.—Yours, &c.,
N
"JOSE DE PISA CARVALHO FARIA FALCAO.
" Lousan, Feb. 11, 1865."
The above abridged letter shows, I think, as good a speci-
men of the blessings of Freemason Government as even the
most fastidious Catholic can desire. The facts do not re-
•

quire my comment to recommend them to the attention
and reprobation of even serious Protestants. I shall only
add this remark : the gentleman who writes tho letter
guarantees what he says with his name and address ; I do
not know how to write anonymously. Would the Free-
masons, who so scandalously calumniated here my party,
my King, my country, dare to append their names to their
infamous slanders ?

A. R. SARAPTA.

Aprill2, 1865.

OUR COLONIAL GOVERNORS.—Commenting on
the Shenandoah affair, thb Times thus speaks of the
position of our colonial governors :—" The berth is not
easy, the pay is scanty, and service is no inheritance.'
There are most excellent and accomplished gentlemen
in our streets such objects of compassion that they will
certainly be one day caught up by the police and sent to
casual wards, who have been so unfortunate as to be
f
British viceroys over large populations, with the power. of
life and death, the command of fleets and armies,
levees and drawing-rooms, and all that sort of thing. These
people, who are kings to-day and nobodiersthtoo-
cmhance of
without even the formality of a deposition
a attor s gloriousof
international decapitation, hlaffvee. now
Twelve
to t
and a
home, they have to distinguish betweenshi
an ad hi
m
fhos
warranttile
k e
thousandshship
roei
oft sternestmiles from
itspprovious pirate; the present position of
fwarotnligeior
his-
toryoguip;mtehnetr;ighhutmosfnaitpyeaancedfnuel.iri.etratiathantypd;
htohwo
present themselves.
will run on the deck ofanayfotheoingrnemr ianytheir own ports, and
other questions which
thy.
theirW e w
difficultiesi will not suppose
sufferingtha that hey
the
eve
growth
of a aggravated
synsympathy.
For the future wo feel sure that anybody ambitious of colo-
nial sovereignity will most carefully deny himself the
luxury of an opinion. But if he has none, he will never-
theless find the surrounding atmosphere not so favour-
able for impartial justice as tho calm of his own mind.
While the Governor and his Cabinet are carefully analys-
ing the grammar of acts and the logic of despatches the
person most concerned may be enjoying an ovation within
aight and sound of the Government House. All this is
delightful to colonists; but what is to be done for the poor
governors ? The position itself is fast becoming impossible.
Not even the fertile genius and prolific humour of a com-
petitive examiner can hit upon all the cases in which a
governor will have to prove himself perfectly and imme-
diately at home. We will not venture to anticipate the
next dilemma ; but no doubt it will be somethingquite dif-
ferent from the last. Meanwhile we may say a word to
the Victorians and all the other Australians themselves.
They are assuredly not prepared to bite, and they had bet-
ter bark as little as possible."