The Sun.
London, England, 1836-11-18 00:00:00

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

PORTUGAL.
RETROSPECT OF THE HISTORY OF THE

THREE DAYS.
(Abridged from the Supplement of the Nacional.)
LissoN, Nov. B.—We have given within the three days
just passed away the greatest proofs ever given by any
people of love of liberty and devoted attachment to na-
tional independence. The brave old Portuguese, whom
our enemies believed to be buried at Aljubarrota, and un-
der the lines of Elvas, have risen again more gallant and
valiant than ever.
Our share, the greatest in the achievements of Oporto,
Algarve, Lisbon, Santarem, Almoster, and the Asseiceira,
which the foreign faction have usurped from us, and attri-
buted exclusively to themselves, has been vindicated, and in
the days of the 3d, 4th, and sth November, we have
shown to Europe to which side belongs gallantry, honour,
and love of country,—whether to the side of the party of
the new Count Julians, who call upon foreigners to assist
them in their impotent vengeance, or on the side of the
people, who, in the presence of all the tremendous appa-
ratus and pomp of war, in the presence of the standards
of the most powerful nations of the earth, though
betrayed and sold by their chiefs and threatened with
an overwhelming power, in their indignation, said—
" Then let us make a finish here ; our native land may
be laid waste, but let the memory of Portugal live ; fo-
reigners may then lord it over its ruins, if they choose I"
The citizens of Lisbon having called for the Constitution
of 1822, the anti-national faction endeavoured to consum-
mate the long meditated work of iniquity—" the selling us
to foreigners." Their libelists and intriguers constantly
threatened us with the approach of a foreign force. From
that moment the question of institutions and forms of go-
vernment was put aside, and nationality and independence
became the sole question. No honest man hesitated for a
moment. No good Portuguese asked how many chambers
or how many vetos there were in either Constitution. The
one Constitution was Portuguese, the other was foreign.
These characteristics put an end to all doubts, and the ge-
ral exclamation was—" We will die for our own Consti-

ution."

When the Queen, carried captive to Belem, was corn

pelled to require that all the troops of the line should be
sent there, the Ministers, to avoid affording the pretext

which the faction wished to have for the landing of a foreign
force—namely, that the Queen's person was in danger, re-
solved to order to that palace, not the whole of the troops
of the line, but only a part for her Majesty's Guard. Thus
it happened that there were in Belem many officers and
soldiers as firm supporters of the cause of their country as
any of their comrades.
One corps only, the Marine Brigade, marched to Belem
without being regularly ordered, on the following morning.
These troops, and a few (at most not snore than 30) of the
Volunteer Cavalry of the National Guard, alone cast a
blemish on the unshaken patriotism of the garrison of this
capital. As the scheme of getting possession of all the
authorities could not be realized, the next thing resorted
to was the dismissal of the patriot Ministry. The Queen
was coerced to perform this act, and to name another Mi-
nistry, imposed upon her by that foreign faction. Thus,
the oaths taken on the 9th and 10th of September were
regarded as nothing, and the charter was to be restored by
the gentle means of persecution and extermination. But
here the generous heart of the daughter of Don Pedro
showed itself. Her Majesty protested against every kind
of persecution, and the malignants were obliged to re-
nounce, for that time at least, their hopes of vengeance.
Amidst so many foreigners of all countries the Queen was
the only Portuguese there ! The new Ministers, whose
names have already been given, were appointed, and on the
morning of the 4th they sent a notice of what had hap-
pened to their friends in Lisbon. There was now but one
cry—to hasten to deliver the Queen, and expel the
foreigners. The corps of the National Guard beat to
arms, and marched to the Campo d'Ourique. There they
declared the Queen a captive, and deliberated on the mea-
sures to be adopted. It was proposed that they should
maintain themselves there until the commanders of the
corps of the line in Belem should come and declare whether
they were free, or, as was said, under coercion. Colonel
Barreiros undertook to conduct them thither in the course
of an hour and a half. In the meantime positions were
taken, and the line was extended to Alcantara. The Cap-
tain of the frigate Rodrigues Franca posted a brigade there,
consisting of a battalion from the Marine Arsenal, and the
15th of the National Guard, commanded by Lieutenant-
Colonel Moracs.

The impatience of the citizen soldiers could no longer be
restrained. The cry of all was to go to Belem and set the
Queen at liberty. In order to tranquillize them, it was
suggested by Senhors Soares and Julio Sanches that it would
be proper, in the first place, to exhaust all legal means, and
that a message should be sent to her Majesty explaining to
her the state of affairs, and soliciting the prompt remedy
which that state demanded.

The idea was approved of, and Senhor Passos Manoel
commenced drawing up the proposition in writing (which
he intended should be accompanied by a private letter
from himself) ; when Senhor Luna and Jose Maria de
Sousa arrived from Belem, charged to communicate to the
commanders in the Campo, on the part of her Majesty,
that the persons around her now recognised the necessity
of compromising with opinions which they hitherto had not
judged so well supported or so general ; she desired that
some one should be sent, on the part of the people, to Be-
lem, to confer with the Commissioners which Her Majesty
for this purpose would name.
Immediately Senhor Passos Manoel offered himself, and
was accepted ; and to him was joined Senhor Sousa Sarai-
va, both of whom set out without delay.
Then it was agreed to appoint, ad interim, a commission
which, in the absence of any other superior authority, might
dispense the necessary orders for the maintenance of the
public tranquillity and of the institutions which had been
sworn to. There were accordingly chosen for this purpose
by the commandants of the battalions of the National
Guards, Senhors Bareto Feio, Sousa Saraiva, Salve San-
ches, Alexandre de Compos, and Costa Cabral. _

This Commission conferred on the Viscount Sada Ban-
deira the command-in-chief of the national forces, and im-
mediately every necessary arrangement practicable was
adopted.
Senhor Soares Caldeira was appointed Commandant of

the National Guards.
Senhors Passos Manoel and Sousa Saraiva having ar.
rived at Belem, entered into conference with the commis•

sioners appointed by her Majesty, who were—the Marquis
of Saldanha, F. M. Trigosa, and the Duke of Palmella.
Our Commissioners received the following propositions,
which they took, ad referendum, that is, to be presented to
their constituents, in order that they might deliberate upon
them.

PROPOSITIONS OF THE BELEM COMMISSIONERS.
" 1. That the General Cortes be immediately convoked,
and the representatives furnished with special powers to
make in the charter of 1826, and in the Constitution of
1822, such alterations as they may deem necessary to se-
cure the legal liberty of the Portuguese nation, the prero-
gatives of the Crown of her most Faithful Majesty, the
Senhora Donna Maria 11., and which may be conformable
with the principles adopted in the other Constitutional
Monarchies of Europe.
" 2. That the Chamber of Peers, as it was constituted
before the 10th day of September last, shall vote upon the
said alterations, with the exception of such as may relate to
the organization of that Chamber.
" 3. Respect and love for the Queen being sentiments
which flow in the breasts of all constitutional Portuguese,
whatever differences of opinion they may have held up to
the present time on the subject of political organization,
they consider themselves equally united for the future in the
desire to maintain peace and to consolidate national liberty
on the basis of a representative monarchy.
4. These articles, agreed upon by the Commissioners,
remain for future approval.
" Palace of Belem, Nov. 4, 1836."
(The signatures follow.)
Before and after these conferences the furious partisans
of the faction attempted, notwithstanding the efforts of the
Marquis Saldanha, the Duke of Terceira, and other gentle-
men, to assassinate our Commissioners in the basest manner,
but the coolness and courage with which they beheld the
daggers of the assassin raised against them struck terror
into their cowardly souls.
The noble independence with which Senhor Passos ad-
dressed the foreign Ministers who surrounded the Queen,
the respect and dignity with which he tempered that inde-
pendence when he directed himself to his captive Queen, are
among those establishments of rank which elevate a less na-
tion to a level with a greater.
Intelligence of this having reached the camp, it is impos-
sible to give an idea of the indignation which was excited ;
all were eager to sally forth to save or avenge the Commis-
sioners of the people. But, in the mean time, Senhor the
Marquis de Ficalho arrived with a letter from Senhor
Passos, in which he described himself as in a state of per-
fect liberty, and about to arrive with propositions of recon-
ciliation, and recommended order and tranquillity. The
reading of this letter by Senhor Julio Sanches to all and
each of the battalions tended to tranquillize their minds.
The Commissioners soon after arrived with the proposi-
tions, which we are now about to transcribe. The com-
mission proceeded to deliberate in conjunction with the
commandants of corps and the most distinguished citizens,
who assembled together in order to have this grand act pre-
sented to them.
(Here follows the text of the reply, which was signed by
the parties who deliberated, and a copy of which was sent
for the like purpose to all tho commandants of corps who
were in position in the line.)

REPLY TO THE PROPOSITIONS OF THE BELEM COMMIS.

MISSIONERS.

" 1. The General Cortes convoked by the decree of the