The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-12 00:00:00

Nov,.ury in FRENCH CORNICES, at 205.
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extra), is now on A LE at WILLIAM IC. BURTON,.. (late HIP-
PO s; and BURTON'S), 39, Oxford-street, comer of Newman-street.
Detailed catalog es, with engravings, as well as of every iron-
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—EBtablielied in Well-ltreeti 1820.

Dlt. CULVERIVELL on HEALTH, HAPPINESS, and
• LONG LIFE.
In pocket volumes Is. each, by pest (in stamps), Is. 6d. each.
it 0 w TO B E
Jucande Vivere."—Cic. HAPPY,

WHAT to EAT, DRINK, and AVOID.
(With Diet-tables for II Complaints.)

MARRIAGE and its MYSTERIES.
To be. or not to be. tkat the quation."—Shakspeare.

The PAI',SIONS—Their ADVENT and CONTROL.
" Cura ut ateas."

These publications are tree from empyrical mysticism, and are
adapted to the intelligence of the times.
• :a: had of •herwood, 23, Paternoster-row; Mann, 39, Corn-
hill 147, Fleet-street ; and all Booksellers, or direct from
the .Anti or, whose practice is exclusively devoted to home consulta-
tion, Mornings till Three, and in the Evenings from Seven till Nine,
at 10, rgyie-place. Regent-street

-.----_
SCHOOL FOR THE INDIGENT BLIND.--Thursday
a gem.!.ral Court of the governors and friends of the above in-
stitution, situated in St. George's-fields, Surrey, and at
which about 150 boys and girls are supported, was held at
the London Coffee-h mse. Ludgate-hill, to receive the report
of the half-year, and on general business. Mr. T. H. Sterry
in the chair. The Rev. T. Evans, A.M., the chaplain, pro-
duced the financial statement., which showed the receipts to
be 3,5101. Pis.. and the balance in hand, after paying all ex-
penses, 5201. 18s.

" I had previously the honour of stating that the terms
granted to the Queen of Portugal's subjects in arms against
her Majesty's authority were, in the opinion.of her Majesty's
Government, acceptable and gracious; and a record now
exists of the same views being entertained by the allied
Courts principally interested in this affair.
" The knowledge, then, which I possess of the feelings, as
well of the Portuguese Government, as those of the Govern-
ments closely allied to Portugal, clearly does not warrant
the expectation, that a negotiation between her Most Faith-
ful Majesty and the Junta can have been looked to.
" Her Most Faithful Majesty took certain engagements
towards her Britannic Majesty's Government—made known
certain intentions towards her subjects; and the one and
the other were placed on the same secure basis, the unques-
tioned good faith of your gracious Sovereign.
" It follows from what precedes, that it would not be in
my power to become a party to a plan which may have for
;ts object the nomination of comm►ssioners by the Junta,
appointed to treat and negotiate with the Government of
her Most Faithful Majesty respecting an extension of the
concessions made by the Crown.
" At the same time I beg to assure you—indeed the assur-
ance, I hope, is not necessary—that no one would more than
myself rejoice on seeing a body of her Most Faithful Ma-
subjects, at present, and I am willing to believe from
misapprehension, alienated from their gracious Sovereign,
standing again before her throne.
" Such respectful communication would, I feel confilent,
lead to the best results, and such it would be not only my
duty, but my happiness to promote.
"G. H. SEY MOITR."

Thus closed the Sunday night, some degree of confi-
dence being given to the few English families remaining
by a hint that nothing hostile would be done by our
fl .et in this vicinity, on account of the great value of
British property in Oporto ; and that the expedition
would not be disturbed till it reached Cascaes. In fact,
on Monday morning, the whole of our squadron and the
ships of the Junta were seen peaceably, and to all ap-
pearance sociably, at anchor off the bar—" the wolf
lying down with the lamb"—but a notice placed on the
bar book soon altered the case, and we saw, as it ex-
plained, that the Portuguese fleet was in fact environed
by the British squadron. The whole truth then became
known, and it wai found that, at 4 A.M. on Monday, Sir
Thomas Maitland had captured the whole of the Junta's
ships, and had disarmed the expedition.• This was done
in so offhand and characteristic a manner that I cannot
do less than give the correspondence which accompanied
it. The correspondence begins with the following sum-
mons to surrender from Sir Thomas Maitland Si) the
Count das Antes :

er
•' I have"H eMhalsostuY;B toS Ompyortordo,eMr3aayre3l.
nab:tort
im-
perative to take possession •f the Junta's vessels of war,
troops, &c. If they do not immediately anchor near the
America, I shall be compelled, however reluctantly, to use
force. rinAmeyrio

"‘T. MAITLAND."
Of course Das Antes, on receiving this letter, saw
that he had no chance of escaping, and so, making a
virtue of necessity, he struck his flag and wrote the fol-
lowing answer to Sir Thomas:....
if mindello, off Oporto, May 31.
" I have received the communication which your Excel-
lency has made me. Surrounded by forces so much superior
to those under my command, I consider myself a prisoner of
war. I protest most solemnly against this violent infraction
of the laws of nations; against war, without any previous de-
claration of war, on a friendly nation ; against the greatest
abuse of force ever made under circumstances of the greatest
aggravation, which dishonours for ever the English nation.
Your Excellency will be pleasedjto give orders as to the ulti-
mate destination of the force now under your command.
" CONDE DAS ANTAS."
Sir Thomas Maitland did not leave Das Antos long in
ignorance of his intentions, and he proceeded at once to
the disarmament of the troops in the following charac-
teristic manner:—
" America,
command are now prisoners of
war, in order to prevent unnecessary bloodshed, I have the
honour to request that YOU will give the necessary directions
to them to lay down their aims, otherwise I must use the
means in my power to oblige them to do it.
i troopser
Ma j
e underty Majesty's
ship
your
" A s the

" T. MAITLAND."
This order was obeyed without resistance. I am told
that one of our boats fired unnecessarily into one of the
smaller Junta vessels, and that two men were killed; but
as that affair is under inquiry, I will not more specially
allude to it. I hear that one officer stabbed himself to
the heart sooner than give up his sword, and that two
sailors threw themselves overboard, one of whom had the
good luck to swim to shore.
The full extent of the news was not known till the
afternoon of Monday. It, of course, produced a violent
irritation in the town, and caused the remaining English
subjects to reflect very seriously on their situation. The
Junta, however, behaved admirably ; not one of them
quitted his post, and by their orders strong patrols of
cavalry and infantry were put in movement, with strict
orders to protect strangers and to repress every symptom
of disorder. Had the Junta shown the white feather.
had they consulted their personal safety and fled,
bea‘p
appeared
ai alive
d tod
uwrriint write
tthhei this d
a letter,
e came
m nor
e to
-residents. Towards evening
I
anysthe
heard—groups
xtd,
.hinteeogrmtr
0.
upni
prt osmwboayhlf:
tallow-residents.
leinoiivs
armed
with z
esv
stickswere

Mindello steamer, May 31.
" When I was prepared this morning to proceed with the
expedition placed under my command, according to the order
of the Junta, I received an intimation from the Commander-
in-Chief of the naval forces of her Britannic Majesty, close
to the bar of Oporto, to anchor under the cover of its artillery.
I required that the said order should be given to me in writing,
in order that I might comply with my duties to the Junta as
a soldier under its command, though obliged to yield to a
superior force. I then received the accompanying notice from
the Commander of the English forces. Under these circum-
stances, surrounded by several English ships of war superior
to us in force, and my strength consisting chiefly of soldiers,
fit to act on land and not at sea, I felt myself unable to repel
force by force, and was compelled to lay down my arms, which
I did, accompanying the act by a protest (a copy of which is
annexed) against the unjust aggression made on Portugal.
"I am, &c., " CONDE DAS ANTAS."
The Junta at the same time addressed a formal pro-
test to the English Consul, but as this document is too
long for your columns, I only extract the moat pointed
passages. After reciting the facts of the case, the Junta
say, " We protest solemnly against this fcreign inter-
vention in the domestic affairs of Portugal, which, as a
nation free and independent, has an indisputable right
to constitute itself politically according to the existing
laws. We protest against this flagrant violation of the
rights of nations." The Junta adds, " Yielding to force
and violence, but still solemnly protesting,- we assent to
the armistice required by Sir 11. Seymour, on the con-
dition contained in his letter, that the forces of the
Government of Lisbon shall at the same time abstain
from all hoitilities by sea and land; but, as before the
-receipt of the said letter of Sir 11. Seymour the com-
mander of the British naval forces off the bar of Oporto
thought proper, without any declaration of war, or
previous intimation, to take possession, against the usage
of civilised people, in a manner hitherto unknown, of
the squadron and troops belonging to the Junta, we
protest solemnly against the act, as one which vio-
lates all national law, and which we never could have
expected from the old and faithful ally of Portugal."
The Junta then say, "We are engaged in drawing
up a protest to be addressed to all the Powers of Eu
rope and the civilised world ; but, in the meantime,
we call on you to restore to us the ships and soldiers
of the expedition, because the orders of the British Go-
vernment apply only to ships of war and not to land
forces. Secondly, because the pretext having ceased
under which the ships were arrested, those vesaels should
he allowed to re-enter the Douro, and be placed in the
position in which they were antecedent to the capture;
and, thirdly, because the expedition was sent out under
the faith of national law by the Commander-in-Chief,
who obeyed orders given by the Junta in ignorance of
the intentions of the British squadron.
The Junta at the same time issued the following

proclamation to the Civil Governor of Oporto for
conservation of order and the protection of
strangPrs!—
" The Provisional Junta, in the name of the nation anl the
Queen, command the Civil Governor of Oporto to publish
the necessary orders that all strangers resident in the terri-
tory obedient to the Junta shall continue to enjoy the pro-
tection and guarantees hitherto received bythem—no matter
what may be the relations of the Government of the said
strangers with the Portuguese nation—and that the utmost
rigour of the law shall be directed against those who shall
offend or injure such strangers as occupy themselves with
their private affairs and do not interfere in domestic political
questions. The Junta anticipates that all persons under its
administration will in this important crisis afford indubitable
proof of their advance in civilization."
The Junta followed up these orders with the most
energetic measures, and I am glad to say that not a
single Englishman has had reason to complain of the
slightest insult or injury. The people were much
irritated on seeing their fleet carried to the south-
ward, each of our steamers having a Portuguese
vessel in tow ; but the peace of the city was so well
preserved that we walked about in full security,
and even those who- committed the imprudence of
being out at late hours of the night reached their
homes in safety. This good conduct was observed
under the additional aggravation that Marshal
Saldanha, in defiance of the armistice, advanced his
head-quarters to Grigo within two leagues of the city,
and his advanced posts to Campo Grande, only one
league, and that a Spanish force had crossed at Valence,
from Galicia, and defeated with great loss the Junta
troops stationed near that place. lam told that Sal-
danha, when remonstrated with for disregarding the
armistice, said, that the orders for advance had been
previously given, and that he was glad to be near
Oporto to assist the Junta in protecting the persons
and property of strangers. I suppose the leader
of the Spanish troops at Valenta will offer a similar
excuse. The conduct of Saldanha does not escape
criticism here—and men exclaim against the Duke who
remained four months quiet at Oliveira, and never
moved a step forward until he had the cover of an
armistice, and found that the Junta lost 2,400 men in
one sweep. The Marshal must not be too sure, for if
there be not treason in the town, and the negotiation be
broken off, he has not the means of reducing Oporto.
The garrison was kept under arms for two nights in con-
sequence of Saldanha's approach ; the lines of the south
were fully manned; the head of Villa Nova, and the
river, protected by artillery ; and as the duty seemed to
be cheerfully done, I should think the Marshal would
not have been pleased %with his reception had he attacked.
The Valenga affair is more serious, the Junta troops
suffered severely—a toes of 100 men is the minimum ;
an immediate retreat took place to Ponte do Lima, and I
believe that not one, but many, have come back to Oporto.
I am very glad, before I close this letter, to say that I
have had an opportunity of ascertaining whether Sir
Thomas Maitland, the Spanish Consul, or the:Duke of
Saldanha, had conformed to the armistice now offered to
be accepted by the Junta. ; and I find that none of these
persons have officially a; ;reed to it. They contend that
the armistice was proposed merely to give time for re-
ceiving the answers of the great Powers ; and that pur-
pose having been answered by the Bulldog's dispatches,
the offer of an armistice terminates of itself. I believe,
however, that friendly steps have been taken to induce
Saldanha to suspend his onvi -ard march, and that while
he appears to accede the Spaniards obstinately refuse.
The sortie from Valenca is b ut the first effort of Spanish
determination, and other trc iops will immediately pass
the frontier, unless orders tt the contrary have been
iven. I also find that the Jut Ata are willing to accept
the amnesty and the four artist es ; and I therefore pre-
sume that our Minister and the Court of Lisbon will
accept the offer, and thus term irate an affair which may
lead to unpleasant consequence s.
I conclude my letter by givit tg you copies of an ad•
dress, presented by all the British residents now remain-
ing in Oporto to the Junta, that. Acing that body for its
vrotection of their persons and r?roperty in the present
crisis ; and of an address presen t.ed to Captain Robb,
of the Gladiator, previous to that , officer having left the
Douro ;•-..

at the mouth of the Tagus, was determined on as being,
all things considered, the most fitting place for the pur-
pose. The prisoners were disembarked there in the
course of yesterday, Sir H. Seymour, Admiral Parker,
and Colonel Wylde, having taken active measures to se-
cure the twofold object of their safe keeping and the best
accommodation, with a view to their personal comfort,
that could be obtained. Sir 11. Seymour was especially
engaged for many hours of yesterday and the day before
in settling various difficulties connected with our occu-
pation of the fort as a place of secure and healthy
custody of the prisoners, and as to its sanatory ar-
rangements, quite as much as the Effectual garrisoning
of it.

The news of this important capture was carried to
Lisbon by the Madrid Peninsular packet, which reached
this in the afternoon of the Ist inz,tant. It speedily be-
came disseminated through the metropolis, and pro-
duced a most extraordinary sensation, having taken
every one by surprise, and filling the Queen's supporters
with joy, and the adherents of the Junta with Elismay.
The arrival of the vessels from Oporto followed shortly
after the receipt of the intelligence, and it is impossible
to conceive anything more brilliant than the appearance
of the river, thus filled with ships of war and vessels of
all descriptions. The question of the safe custody of the
prisoners immediately gave rise to extensive negotia-
tions and ttansmission of instructions between Lisbon
and the mouth of the Tagus, about five miles distant,
where the ile( t of captured vessels and their convoy
(nearly 20 sail in all) lay. The Spanish brig of war
Soberano, 12, entered the river on the following day,
bearing a portion of the crew of the captured corvette
Eighth July ; and on the same day the Spanish cor-
vette Venus, 18, entered from Cadiz,:and the war-
steamer Isabel Segunda, from a cruise on the coast.
On the previous day, in addition to the captured squa-
dron and its convoy, our ship of war the Superb, and
our brig Recruit entered the river from a cruise on the
coast, as did likewise our war-steamer the Geyser, from
Portsmouth in four days. It is impossible to describe
the splendour of the scene which this most beautiful of
rivers thus presented, covered with beautiful moving ob-
jects that seemed imbued with life, yet showed in their
armaments such powerful materials of destruction, ansl
lit up by a sun of incomparable brilliancy. Amongst the
ships of war in the river were four Spanish, one French,
and English almost innumerable.
The landing and securing of the prisoners within the
precincts of St. Julian's was completed yesterday after-
noon; they are guarded by a strong body of our marines.
On Wednesday some 50 cavalry and 16 artillerymen
went down in a steamer to conduct the captured horses
and mules to Lisbon, and arsenal boats to bring up the
armament, &c.
The greater number of the captured vessels arrived
here in a miserable state, short both of provisions and
water, which the leaders of the expedition, with the cus-
tomary negligence of the Peninsula, entirely forgot to
put on board in sufficient quantity. Too many men
were likewise crammed on board some of the vessels,
and they arrived, like the human cattle of a slaver, ter-
ribly exhausted by the excessive heat and confined
space. We have thus got a little army of prisoners on
our hands, and will not perhaps find it so easy to get rid
of them. Whenever set at liberty they may immediately
proceed to make a fresh rebellion, of which their num-
bers would form a sufficient nucleus. The country must
be in some degree re-organized before they are set free,
and the Queen's army established on a footing of real
efficiency. As the prisoners persevered in their con•
tumaciousness to the last, and surrendered, not to the
Queen, but to the allies, it is probable that they will not
get the benefit of the amnesty originally proposed.
On Wednesday morning, two aides-de-camp, com-
missioned by Sada Bandeira, presented themselves at
Vinhac's head-quarters, outside Setubal, offering to
accept an armistice. Dispatches were instantly for.
warded by Vinhaes upon this subject to the capital. 1 I
am informed to-day that a steamer is to go to Oporto
immediately with the two aides-de-camp of Sa who
came over on Wednesday evening with Lieutenant Van-
sittart and an aide-de-camp of Vinhaes. It is understood
that Sa proposes an armistice until ho shall have received
v
instructions from the Junta. A Council
of
fweas
elithigeldgenoenratlhlye
prevailsarrial of
htehsee
proposeddispatches,
suspension andis t t h e,
of hostilities has been accepted.
Amongst the prisoners captured at the bar of Oporto
were some who had fled very recently from Lisbon and
• • joineci the Junta's forces. Two had done so only the
other day. The Q
.eptembrists are putting it about that
Das Antes had been bought over, and, in short, sold
them.
Yesterday was Corpus Christi day, when the grandest
annual procession of Portugal would, in ordinary cir-
cumstances have taken place, but the disturbed state of
the country prevented it.
The liberation of the Duke da Terceira by the Junta