The Sun.
London, England, 1831-09-06 00:00:00

/4a.%hle Earl where was to be the end of all this ?
)7,
tad Were our friendly relations with Portu,2•al. to In Fe-
s Ai 7 ureTe' they to remain suspended inilefinit, ly ?
la th: Throne,
lal made his Majesty to say in his Sp ,ech
tuto -,r-enl'eruf...°,lf ,hat he regretted. that
. lie had bet zi siu-
;aur jaskm• aae, aud Iliendly relations with
ouigial,- Vhat is it then which prevented the renewal
_ ,triendly relations with Portugal? It could to: be
,111141karTHIti°4 of Miguel, for that usurpation, if it was
at, i'obeen confirmed by. the proper authorities. of. yof.r-e
atom Was by the great majority of the nation ; and if h
an,
_as satisfied with the Government we had no right
,w`i'iitertiere? and it was our duty to renew those re'ations
lenity we before stood with regard to Portia, al by
iited treaties with that country. Miguel had iof as-
,llven the Government on his own authority, bet had
to
eti the ancient estates of the count] y, and that as-
k soY had unanimously declared that he was not merely
d i vireiga, but the legitimate Sovereign of Pottugal,
iairt tnis decision the vast majority of the natlin had
-qtrrea
sr% tin ; cnd In this state things had remained fi i three
apte_der dicutnstances of unparalleled difficulty. . The
a • uad adhered to the Government Of Dan Miguel,
e I:e,ie"sequenCe of any foreign dictation, but against
'lee af• re of the principal Powers of Europe. 7he pre-
*4l usurpation, then, could be no good ground for re-
rikZplar rtlations with Portugal. As little was the
aiaiti: character of the Monarch a good reason for re-
11, ii.)ra from reaewing our friendly relations with Porto-
hiedl that would be introducing a principle of action
'as ,ilaulst be attended with incalculable mischief. There
id a,:elii certainly, in the conduct of Miguel which he
le Mt approve of, but then we ought to take into account
'rengeu'itictu in which: his Government was placed. The
'ante advice was given him by the Government of this
a
'a 4 ° conduct his Government in mercy; and then
k p-:er was, that it was the anxious desire of
14t it°-,ligue'e Government to act with mercy, .but
, 4"tild 05 necessary that the Governments of Europe
' ara °'''' the Portuguese Government their support,
,triers
fto enable it to act with mercy. The present MI-
-441411.'41 the policy which they adopted in regard to
•aelia , were in some degree responsibte for whatever
here'l:: l'4l been used by the Portuguese Government.
tieig,"e,re, lie admitted, some acts of the Portuguese So-
tve ti:tri.which he could not approve, but he could not b
'Plitt k "e had been guilty of all those excesses which
ttreon'A attributed to him, for be bad been assured by
ttne,: ad
access to the best information, and ocular
et., Is, that the published reports of these excesses
ae, Oe't grossly and absurdly exaggerated. There was
satn:Nver, which rested on the authority of authentic
l'gii:t'te, and that was that during the three years since
'Y h,l,ha- been confirmed in the Government of Portugal
',tat; Curt' a and the maim ity of the nation, there had
t'ara 22 executions, and this, too, while the Govern-
talq;a't• during the whole period, placed in circum-
ive4l of unlr,ia ra 11• Ital difficulty. rThis fact was unan- 4
Nts t' and proved that the Government of Portugal,
a it h 'iguel, was far from being so tyrannical and bloody
'tide aa been reported to be. This fact stood on too clear
oauitiel'e either to he perverted or exaggerated, and it
lidos not, therefore, be s id that Miguel had been pro-
a,4 °I blood, Of ome severity he had been guilty, the
la rial 11e( ilea • fa' weak Government ; but these
eati,,s I,a , 1 we o
ta, 'it been greatly exaggerated, and there could
~,'; reasonable doubt but that the accounts of his impri-
gaent' and ill usage of the prisoners had been much ex-
itil a w,15
uitaiteil. The Noble Earl might say that if the title of
t clear, he ought to have been acknowledged
g° ; and the Noble Earl might ask why he had been
qe,.,ek„nt'wledged ? The answer to this was, that
,-, 'lie"uel returned from this country to Portugal,
,i. three years ago, he violated the solemn pro-
, atii rwl'iYh he had elven at Vienna and in this
tad ta7"--a Promise which, while he was here, be
'llt V.'n personally to his Majesty What might be the,
tit'a_t''''n of Don Aliguel•wheit he arrived in Portugal could
sa3icertairily known.- Perhaps he might have intended to
*aural' "gagemente, but found that this would not be sati!-
4at b to the Portuguese nation, and his engagements did
tit_ tili :;',! the people. But still the Sovereign of this country
!stefil-, himaell called upon to reprobate this want.of
7 f 0,,,4 on the part of l'ili.uel, and withdrew his Minis-
lit, Lisbon, and prevailed upon other Powers to follow
etaita,'„4l,Ple• When the Government of this country had
',,a Crl'eated on the subject with the Emperor
.o.f the
'aeketi whose daughter was considered as the legi.tima e
t}at,:e.ign of Portugal, Don Pedro was then apprized of
tf this State of things in Portugal, and the Government
114re,le°untry left it to him to consider of whatever mea-
-55tri,,,,'e 'night be disposed to adopt. The Brazilian. So-
'Jtleiii-at'''i 'ti‘ at first resolved to proceed in the spirit of re-
''atia en, and renounced all idea of acting in a hostile
little er against the Emperor's brother, and then much
tiers as consumed in deciding where the negotiations
4iiat.to be carried on. Subsequently the first deter-
-I,'Nii ..,I,e,n appeared to be altered, and in this manner the
'aive''''nga were protracted for a long time. Finally,
tiala'vier, the Emperor determined to proceed by
.conc-
'tll4„'-!l,d declared that he had no thought of acting ind
that-`,"e manner against his brother, and he propose
rf it,te basis of the negotiations should be the marriage
1,ti744 'laughter to Don Miguel. This. was in the
'Le cg cl ihe last year. This last proposition the Govern-
-4i Our think it expedient to submit to Parliament.
'at, a, tile mean time the Government of this country was
l'i,,,P'eli in rue anmending to tie existing Government of
tit„,,ciugid to adopt salutary measures, and what was chiefly
6;ee 'Tan the Portuguese Government was to proclaim a
14 tlaliaantneaty- There was no reluctance on the part
the 'e rortuguese Government to adopt that measure, and
1' enlY difficulty was to the mode and the form in which
f,Jl4lca"tre should be adopted. A great deal of discussion
kr,,r.‘'ed, but at length all the difficulties were removed,
,alittilu November last, the plan of the amnesty was pre-1
ied ,and agreed upon by the Governments of Portuga
140' this country, and transmitted by his Majesty to
tra,,en on the vet y ' day on which he (Earl of Aberdeen)
vie':'.rted tie office which he then held in his Majesty's ser-
ttraliac Subsequent events had put an end to that, or, he
'lt ;aid, any other means for attaining the same object.
tidy h4-'4deil particularl to the expulsion of Don Pedro from
11
,-'44liali doniinionys by his own subjects ; and with re-
Itoe-ve to that lie might observe, that in whatever mode
4 r'
taiP"d4" might
litt°,:a,e7i :s.,aainnstinid.imvidual for he had no right whatever to
as Emperor of the Brazils. This re-
tf7Pl thcathstacille which stood in the way of the recognition
tare.,,tl Miguel, and now he might be recognised as the Sr 5
'11!,,4 de facto of Portugal ; and it was desirable that this
tatiu- lie done, if our ancient friendly relations with that
tverl',.:lY Should be renewed. This was highly desirable in
,trre ,vilely) but it became almost an imperative duty. since the
Seto fleet had entered the Tagus and in ide prize of the
tteat,lnese fleet. He did not then mean to enter into
.the
the I," of the complaints which the French made against
tu 4ertuettese Government, but he could almost venture
Nab3ithe Noble Earl had never thoroughly examined the
live -11 of these complaints, and could not give any posi-
h ti3iP'nion whether they were well founded or not, or
taker the French were justified or not in acting with
14it-ekti,to Portugal as they had alone. But it was said
%le (rtnisters meant to lay papers on the table which
they "Plain these matters ; and before lie entered fur-
lt%ato thatquestion he would wait toasee what these
I,laPtina,Wtre. l'he grievances of which the French coma
,Ihe peg could not be a violation of any treaty. Perhaps
.
eabirench had some substantial grounds of complaint,
aloe a thought they had proceeded in a very unworthy
the Fro 1 rocure redress. But whether the complaints off
the spelt were well or ill founded, it was the duty o
l'orLebic Lulls opposite to have interfered in favour of
414(1-sit' by their mediation. That mediation had been
team for by the Portuguese Government, and to that de-
' till ii; the Noble Lords turned a deaf ear ; and it was not
that-'1" the French fleet had left Toulon for
,the Tagus,
;five t 7 advice was sent to the Portuguese Government to
''irtiti" required satisfaction as to the imprisoning
. of two
:i4ffq€,'isubjtcts. The French complained of grievances
'4 Pl' by them from the Government of Portugal, and
Stiey' urtuatiese Government said they had no substantial
'tsta,44e's to complain of, and the question was, whose
N,,,t,',lit wbs the correct one ? But whether the
tea t;uduts were just or unjust, it was imperative on
j'tib,;° interpose in behalf of Portugal by our inedi-
-14111,(nd good offices. That was not done, and he
it,s d i tilt present Government for having omitted
~14a44,,,i't,. The facts were, that the Portuguese weraf
K''''let. 'I the ultimatum of the French Government, o
'''er,t e pith July, and then, and not till then, our G.ovaru-
'l,4ajave tile Portuguese Government the advice, in
:`st '1,141•10 of which the French subjects were released.
‘ble Lie Preneb Admiral was not contented with this, but
:.tea'Lt' the Tagus, and then, after a high encomium on
‘lt'kti,' ', generosit •9 he stated that they
Betookdemanded no more
[IN: tee victory .
' t a 'l• tie y had done before pos-
thi:°4 of tlitielP'ort t u'agn. es; fleet as prize of war. Now was
4,,11t1y, 114!',istent with the previous dyylar ations of the Admiral
',tit, ' rrencli Government f He contended that it was
t,rttii, lie had acted, however, as he understood, in con-
file"st4Yawitli fresh instructions from his Government, and
4t/It.' himself of the Portuguese ships. lie was in.
°l,i4i.' that Ministers had declared that they had the
4ttitie:4 of the Judge Advocate—that under the circum-
kl'itkP4 -
Ith e Portuguesei bhips were lawful prize of war;—
p,;kk ':lcara from the Ministerial benches)—hut if that
fl'ittert,,h; "Pinion of the Judge Advocate, he hoped Mi-
lure i,'•uulil la that opinion on , hear,
the Alinietyerial benches.) And although he had a