The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-15 00:00:00

THE DOURO QUESTION.

Mannar), JAN. 4, 1841.1--Tne amended code of re•
gulations for free navigation of the river Douro, because
the former one had been agreed upon and signed, in
1836, by the Commissioners Trubrecht and Cambronero
on behalt of this country, and Messrs. Braga and Main,
two wealthy Oporto merchants, en that of Postugal,
was only concluded and signed at Lisbon by Messrs.
Crcus and Blanco on the one side, and Mail airl
Ferreira on the other, on the day prexious to the opening
of the Portuguese Cortes, the latter end of last May, but
the Spanish Charge d'Affaires, Don Carlos Creus, re-
ceived the solemn assurance of the King Consort, as well
as of the Ministers, Count de Villareal, Rodrigo da Fon-
seca Magalhaes, and Count de Bomfim, that the same
should be ratified by her Majesty, without previously
submitting it to the approbation of the Legislative
Chambers, the very moment that the Queen Regent of
Spain had sanctioned it. M. Creus was further desired
to send an express off to Madrid to convey such an as-
surance, in strict compliance with the pledge that had
been given to Spain at the time when M. Perez de Cas-
tro so powerfully contributed to bring about the over-
throw of the Sabrosa Administration on the 26th of
November, 1839. M. Creus accordingly sent off his
attache, M. Areizaga, a son of the General who lost
the battle of Ocana during the Peninsular war, en cour-
tier, to Madrid, in order to obtain the ratification of his
Government to the said " revised regulations." It is
proved that great duplicity was at that time made
use of by the Portuguese Government. Nothing
can be more removed from my intention than to
sanction the late hasty proceedings of the Spanish
Government towards the neighbouring nation, or the
harsh terms in which the last note presented by the
Charge d'Affaires, Viniegra, now in Madrid, was
couched. Neither can 1 admire the hostile leading ar-
ticles inserted in the official journal, the Gaceta de
Mathid, inithe early part of last month on the same
subject ; but it is but fair that the British public
should bo in possession of the whole, not of one por-
tion, of the facts. Fully convinced do I continue to
be, that force of arms will not be resorted to, in
spite of the persevering manner in which the Ilioderado
journals urge the Regency, for the sake of the nation's
dignity, to the immediate invasion of Portugal.
Thn ultra Progresislas consider that the most vital
question which the Cortex will have to decideis, whether
the Regency shall be inviolable like the Sovereign ?
gcfweeelrrrneTettnatihitioneerptryoiarlsiritte thatmi
shall
member
et
ryb
oei
payingtjie
Regency.
appointed for the whole time
of her Majesty's minority, or only during the plea-
n
sure of the Chambers ? and lastly, whether it shall
be intrusted to one person, or to three or five
individuals ? It is said that General Espartero leans
towards its being confined to one man, but he will find
few of his political friends willing to coincide with him
in this respect ; as to the Infante Don Francisco de
Paula, he does not
ppea:
j thatr it
tole thoaumgohutnotsf-btoy
aolmurosdtifa-
lhe parties,
will not be named either as sole Re-
gtlerencsye.rvants of the Crown
—of only issuing out to them four or five month's pay in
the year—is necessarily productive of the most pernici-
ous consequences ; it tempts them to receive bribes as
well as to plunder the State, whentheybavethemeans
ofdoin doing
This cryingmorel evil
articul arlyif they have a family to
support. extends to the Magistrates
—pento
sertshoosfe
juwsltrioceo, uagnhdt
ttho be the
e re a
r efewmowsht impartial
ocan d
holduisp-
against temptation.