The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-16 00:00:00

HEALTH OF TOWNS:

Captain PECHELL wished to know if it was intended_
to go on with the Health of Towns Bill on Thursday
next, in preference to the Prisons Bill.
POOR-LAW ADMINISTRATION. . _

Sir G. GREY, in answer to the preceding question of
the Hon. and Gallant Member, said that it was the in-
tention of the Government to go on with the Poor•law
Administration Bill on Thursday, before the other orders
of the day.

PORTUGAL.
Mr. B. OSBORNE said that he understood that a
correspondence had taken place between this Govern-
ment and those of France and Spain, which, if produced,
was likely to give an entirely new complexion to the
intervention in the affairs of Portugal. He wished to
put a question to the Noble Lord, in order to ascertain
whether he was prepared to lay on the table copies of
any dispatches, dated May the Ist, authorising Colonel
Wylde to threaten Count Das Antas with the armed
interposition of the British Government?
Lord J. RUSSELL said that he believed all the papers
containing instructions to Colonel Wylde had been laid
upon the table.
Mr. BANKES said that, in the event of the re-
solutions proposed by the Hon. Member for Montrose
being-negatived and the proposition of the Hon. Mem-
ber for Finsbury being carried, he proposed to move as a
resolution, " That this House laments that her Majesty's
advisers had taken upon themselves the responsibility to
recommend an interference, by force of arms, on behalf
of one of the two parties now engaged in a civil war in
Portugal, without there having been some communica-
tion from her Majesty upon the subject to her faithful

Commons."

Lord J. RUSSELL wished to address a few words to
his Hon. Friend the Member for Finsbury, with respect
to the amendment he had proposed to the motion of the
Hon. Member for Montrose. His (Lord J. Russell's)
Right Hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh had
stated, and in that statement he fully concurred, that in
the sentiment and language of that amendment the
Government were quite ready to agree • but be (Lord J.
Russell) was afraid, that if that amendment were put to
the House as a substitute for the motion of the Hon.
Member for Montrose, it might be interpreted that no
decision of the House had been given upon that motion.
He should wish, therefore—if his Hon. Friend had no
objection—that the motion of the Hon. Member for
Montrose, which was a direct censure on the Govern-
ment, should be put to the House first • and that his
Hon. Friend should afterwards move his resolution,
which, either in the shape of a resolution or of an ad-
dress to the Crown, he should be happy to support.—
(Hear, hear).
Mr. T. S. DUNCOMBE said that he had no objection
to the adoption of such a course under the distinct
understanding that he should not withdraw his motion.
Mr. TRELAWNY wished to ask the Hon. Member
for Finsbury, whether by the words of his resolution,
" every just means in their power," he contemplated the
use of arms in order " to secure to the people of Por-
tugal the full enjoyment of their constitutional rights
and privileges ?"
Mr. HUME objected to this. The House was engaged
in a discussion on the question, and not upon words. He
objected to the question, which entirely turned upon
words.

Mr. TRELAWNEY again rose amidst general cries
of " Order," and began to repeat his question, when,
Mr. BERN AL rose to order.
Mr. T. S. DUNCOMBE said I am not the Minister of
War for the country I—(Loud laughter.)
PORTUGAL—ADJOURNED DEBATE.

On the order of the day for the adjourned debate being
read,
Sir DE LACY EVANS said that he would not detain
House at any length, but he would state his
opinions briefly and precisely upon the subject.
He begged leave to say, in reply to the statement of an
Hon. Member, that it was a mistake to suppose that the
civil war in Portugal was provoked by her Majesty's
Government. The fact was that the war in Portugal
had not been caused by the Government of the
Right Honourable Gentleman or by the pre-
sent Government, but when the present Government
came into office a civil war existed in that country.
He believed that there was no doubt that a
civil war was raging in Portugal for the last two
years. The Hon. Gentleman to whom he here
alluded inquired if the people of this country had
added anything to their military reputation, or obtained
any advantage from their interference in this war. He
did not mean to say that any commercial treaty had been
obtained by the course adopted by her Majesty's Go-
vernment in their interference in the civil war of Portu-
gal ; but that interference had led to the important
results that had taken place. As to adding to their
military renown, it could not be supposed that the trans-
cendant military reputation of this country could derive
any additional lustre from an engagement in this contest
Various statements had been made by Hon. Members of.
the superiority of the British troops, and the higher
abilities of British officers, but he (Sir De Lacy Evans)
could refer to the victories achieved by General
Espartero as being unsurpassed by anything effected by
British arms upon the continent. The Noble Lord the
Member for Lynn and other Hon. Members spoke in a
florid and exaggerated strain of the evils to which these
civil contests had exposed the countries of Spain and
Portugal. They described these countries as degraded
in their population and almost ruined in their agricul-
tural wealth, as destitute of trade and of commerce, and
they traced these evils to the effects of the civil warfare
that bad prevailed there. It was impossible to deny that
the interference of the Government was required, and
even in the case of the great French nation, it had been
found impossible to restore the legitimate monarchs of
the country without the armed intervention of foreign
powers. It bad been represented by the House that
interference of foreign arms must be attended with gross
mischief. He (Sir De Lacy Evans) denied this • the
consequences were not always mischievous. But: said
they, this country had no right to interfere. That cer-
tainly was contradicted by the position of international
laws. The rul* of non-interference extending to a cer-
tain crisis was illustrated by as many exceptions as ob-
servances. He needed only to refer to the French
revolution, and the subsequent war, the civil,
and the American war with this country, when
the interference of the French was solicited.
The proclamation that was issued declared that all that
was required was a free government. The four proposi-
tions that were contained in that declaration went, how-
ever, further than that. The principles contended for in
that proclamation, however they might abstractedly be
deserving of approval, were, under the circumstances,
impracticable. His Hon. Friends who took a part in this
debate had all expressed themselves satisfied with the dis-
patches that had been laid before the House, but they con-
tended that Government had not adhered to their word.
A Spanish party was formed, and there was no knowing
what the consequences might have been. Several pro-
vinces of Portugal, which had formerly been under the
influence of Spain, would have, no doubt, reverted to
that country on the first appearance of an uncontrolled
Spanish army. Having said so much, be would not
trespass longer upon the House ; he would rather apolo-
gise indeed, for having already obtruded himself so long
upon them. He had every confidence in the liberal
Government of Spain. It might not appear fitting for
him to revert to these matters, but having had ex-
perience in those countries, having been asked by the
liberal and by the opposite parties of that country to
return to the command of their armies, not because of
his professional merits, but because of his acquaintance
with their national constitutions ; having this experience
he might be allowed to pretend to some little knowledge,
and he was sure that the course pursued by the Govern-
ment, was that which would tend to the best results.
Sir It. PEEL rose with several Hon. Members on dif-
ferent sides of the House, but the other Hon. Gentlemen
giving way, the Right Hon. Baronet proceeded to ad-
dress the House; he said,—Sir, as this debate has lasted
two nights, and as I think the practice that has grown
up of confining the more important part of the debate to
two or three hours at the close of the evening—(Hear,
hear)--is
to
)—is prejudicial to the public service, because it
leads an unnecessary consumption of the public time
—(Hear, hear)—l intend, as far as my humble au-
thority will go, to enter a practical protest against it,
by delivering the few observations I have to make at
this, to a speaker, unpopular hour of the evening.
(Hear, hear.) Sir, I perfectly concur in an observe,-
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