The Sun.
London, England, 1831-08-06 00:00:00

f _ •
.1101'001e and a word from the Noble Earl would have
: r .
Pei?"—(Hear; hear.) But was the cause of Ptirtngal
Had the Earl examined it in all its bearings
, US to be able to Say whether it was unjust or not?
Had be examined into the subject of the complaints of
France, so as to enable him to say whether' they were
Well founded or not? A Frenchman residing in Portugal
hail been tried in the ordinary way, and by the ordinary
tribunal, for a kind of sacrilege too beastly to be men-
tioned, and complaints had been made for this and
some other things, with more or less foundation. He did
not mean himself to give any opinion as to,whether the
complaints on the part of the French were well founded or
• not. All he meant to say was, that he very much doubted
whether the Noble Earl was so well informed on the
grounds of the complaints as to be able confidently
t° say that the matter did not admit of netociationa before
honilities were commenced. But his accusation against
the Noble Earl did not depend on whether the French
Complaints were well or ill founded. His objection to the
Noble Earl's conduct was that he had refused his media-
tion between France and Portugal. To that mediation
the Government of Portugal had an unquestionable right
under the treaties, whether the complaints of France were
Well founded or not. He called their Lordships' attention
• to the treaty made between this country and Portugal in
the reign of Queen Anne, by the second article of which
it was provided that her Majesty and the States-General
Would interfere by their good offices to protect the dominion
°f Portugal, as well as her dominions beyond seas, -from
War on the part of Spain or France, or any other nation.
4:110 the ground of this treaty alone, Portugal was entitled
to the good offices of this country to prevent this extraor-
• ,dain,arY aggression, and yet, although the good offices of
" country had been solicited by the Portuguese Govern-
neat, they had been refused. But why did he talk of
treaties? Even if there had been no treaty; and no so.
"citation had been made on the part of the Portuguese
%iertiment, itn effort ought to have been made on the
Part of this country to prevent the aggression, and it was
!',:groki neglect of duty not to have made the attempt; and
,tho
forattempt ad bmade, it wou have been success-
a single woen ]a
from the Governld ment of this country
a°"l,l have been auffielent to prevent this disgraceful
gression, Ho had said the other day that, perhaps, it
might be matter of congratulation to the Noble Earl that
'`ls French fleet bad enured the Tagus. He did not mean
msay that it was so hut this he would say, that, if it
bete 50, he did not know what better course the Noble
srl could have taken to produce the desired result.
11'4 then it was said that the Portuguese Govern-
ment had refused all satisfaction. This he (Earl
f/'erdeen) denied. They had not obstinately re-
a'ed any satisfaction whatever. It was true that the
tltilguese Governinent had refused to accede at once to
6', list of peremptory demands made by the French
vovernment, and these too made not by the French
't,°ll.,Thia but through the medium of an agent acting in-
lu-a(' of a Consul. They had not at once implicitly ac-
''n'eseed in the justness of these demands ; but they did
‘.11" dery satisfaction. They only required that sonic in-
a"lgation should previously take place, in order to ascer-
tilis hury far the demands were reason dile and it was f
anor
• POrpose that they had solicited the interference d
ti of the British Government. To that applica-
however, the British Government had turned a deaf
41.* He saw by the answer of the Portuguese Govern-
taent to the French Admiral that they had yielded the
Zint as ta the two French subjects, in consequence of the
.viCe given by the British Cabinet to that effect ; ,but lie
inforrned that that advice had been very tardily given
be9lat it had not been given in time to prevent that matter
ctl'nZ made a pretence for this expedition, but only after
'e French fleet had sailed, and when it was too late. He
di i?ld not help suspecting that the real object of the expe-
tht`" was not to procure satisfaction for the whipping of
les or that French subject. Of that there was pretty
it,ll. evidence. It was obvious from some accounts that
RAPeared in the French newspapers, that in France the
cle
Pedition
ar was considered as a failtire. It was pretty
from the documents in. these journals that the result
s,,`" ,xpedition bad given but very small satisfaction. It
s rather considered as a disappointment, or what the
I,:t:neli called a coup nianqu.—(Hear, hear, bear.) It
did
"manifest that the present Government of Portugal
its .boy the affection of the Portuguese nation. It
44,egarded with the greatest affection and confidence
Ifie great majority of the people of that country ; and
Wt'aPa this was in no small decree owing to the treatment
Thhieh that Government bail received from other nations.
year present Portuguese Government had existed for three
face „under circumstances of great difficulty, and in the
tin:. 'min}, attempts made to upset it. One attempt to
tit had been made by the Marquis Palmella, with
d'eeater means, and a greater numerical force, than the
cloveernment had to bring against him. But the present
IThe
shop rnment enjoyed the affections and confidence of the
'Ts and the Marquis Palmella was compelled to aban-'
hiea ms enterprise, openly declaring it was impossible for
The t 0 succeed, as the whole country was against biro.
present King of Portugal had nothing to dread from
„)1 internal commotion supported by any considerable'
t'e".!l/ among his own subjects—whatever danger he might
r In from the darer of the assassin, or from the plats
I,lned against }limb, some of which had come to his (Lord
-verdeen's) knowledge. He might fall under the dagger
°E some ruffian, which is quite as likely to be directed
.lainst the good as the bad. Henry IV., of France, had
alien tinder the assassin's dagger, and Lewis Xl. had died
:n his bed.—(Hear, hear.) But the present King of Por-
"'gal had nothing to dr ad from the open hostility of any
eOriSiderable party among his subjects, and in evidence of
this, he might, in addition to the other circumstances lie
had mentioned, appeal to the result of the French expedi-
t,ion.—(Hear, hear, bear.) He could tell the Noble Earl,
'owever, that if his object Was to overthrow the Govern-
'tient of Portugal, a French fleet in the Tagus would
40.._t be sufficient; he must carry his complaisance a
in further, and allow also a French army to land
Portugal.—(Hear.) The question for the British
'cbvernnaent to ask was not what was the moral cha-
tter_
of the King of Portugal, but only whether lie
ti;:..seally the Monarch of that country ; though, perhaps,
bt Noble Earl might bring the former forward as another
4tutiful specimen of non-interference.—( Hear, hear.)
Of itcase with Don Miguel was the same as with the King
0151 ;g
French after he had seized the inheritance of his
o,iong nephew, in whose favOur Charles X. had abdicated;
the instead if instead of the present Duke of Orleans it had been
Ivgictiinmaster Egalite who had been chosen King, the policy,
ste respect to this country, would be pretty much the
the •,„, If the object of the Noble Earl was to overthrow
01,4"overnment of Portugal, let him state so at once,—
haved"%hear.) lie was afraid that the Noble Earl had al-
as,' his better judgment to be overcome by the passions
1,
wkinrefleeting feelings of others ; but he was sure that
iateould in the cod, discover that it was plunging him
aliait,if4ulty and embarrassment. The Noble Lord con-
Patah 11 moving for the production of ca plea of the dis-
tlolui es from our Consul at Azores, and of the representa-
taie, of the British residents there, complaining of out-
ptc„ committed on the British flag, and against their
• tiler
by the Government of Terceira ; also for a copy
'tost:r number of vessels chartered for the conveyance of
ties ; and also for a copy of such information as the
the cem
'Went may ;lave received relative to an intention, on
i'ortPtiartl of. Terceira, to send an armed force to attack
Hear, bear.)
100 IT,ti("IILY. —lf any of your Lordships had come i_nto
r'e'ly use while the Noble Earl was speaking, and had
that wtard the last three-fourths of his speech', I am sure
°Urpra ", lie came to his motion you would be not a little
.(Ittleedl4eid••••—(A laugh.) The Noble Earl, after having in-
(I•
leer. much declamation, in much confident assertion—
not a little repetition—in bitter coridemna-
ifi4i he acts of the present Government of this country,
°
utlieligLa.greeable interlude respecting the French attack
Was W!!';!gal, actually concluded all these multifarious
tke ub • •
• poi ;Tipton 7li:ch, if agreed to, will produce no
ttliti
i. th nt e 01 information except a; to whqa has been passing
rlrak
mAzores.—(Cheers.) A more unprecedepted—l
aft) ziti aY 'ay, a more unfair—proceeding, it has never
tt.ltee•.,.Y‘ fortune to have witnessed in this House.—
ota The Noble Eail stated that, as he understood
Ave,nle it►•
- igfcc •a4tit pe inconvenient to the Government to
art, ronatina on the subject of the French attack on
th• eat, 1
4t he )e had abandoned that part of the subject, and
would confine himself to those parts on whial there
t`.)' fiaq eb.,"_o such objection.—(A laugh.) But what has
4‘,tl tte '7l the e Noble Earl's conduct ?—(flear, hear.)
~"Ythi„, real object of his motion he has said little—scarcely
i:tl± witri .owhile the whole of this speech has been taken
ttio ,t4tpd
.bsiervations on that very subject on which
that he thought himself precluded from
tho_ory Motion, and which lie has therefore
rots
proer to bring forward without even
'Llts ltd4at information. by which alone his argu.
da'cv,'.''t'seoeup..
.supported. The same reasons which
tee -y being able to give my consent to the pro-
oh't anY papers relative to the passage of the Tagus,
4t,liat puotl'i_ke toe abstain from entering into discussion
` ktatjpe"'• All that I shall state upon it is that when
t t comes fairly before the House, I think I shall
5 ht 11- h
lEarj
Onaptein. t e onour of this country
.has not
he
en e,
—(Cheers)—and that its true interests
veruNat has nsutted.—(Hear,' hear, hear.) The Noble
td hiaen upon himself to say that reparation was not
Y the aa„,..
mat tOl —.uguese Government to the French, Go-
,
441 that
i)T(,)", I will say, that I think (from the infor-
' ''ave received) that reparation was refused