The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-15 00:00:00

in which it was stipulated that England should support
the Queen of Portugal against her subjects, and he
thought that there was room for doubt, when they re-
collected that she did not possess a single acre, save that
held by her troops ; and when they were aware that out
of one hundred and twenty-six families of the ancient
nobility, only nine were found on the side of the Queen.
The Hon. and Learned Gentleman had stated to them
that evening that he would have taken a very different
course from that which had been adopted by the Go-
vernment, of which the Hon. Gentleman was a Member.
How did they act in 1833, when Lord Grey was in
office. Don Pedro was then de facto King of Portugal,
but Spain threatened to interfere. Lord Grey stated to
the Spaniards that if they interfered for Don Miguel,
the British Government would take part with Donna
Maria. A similar course was adopted at an earlier
period, when in 1826 Mr. Canning determined to inter-
fere. The two cases are in point —the language of Lord
Grey in 1833, respecting Don Miguel, described the
very situation in which the present Queen of Portugal '
now found herself. Let them but transpose into that
speech the name of Donna Maria for that of Don
Miguel, and then show the House
what guarantees
they could give that the word of the Queen of Portugalwould be carried out in good faith. But could they de-
fend the Government of the Queen as more humane, or
offering more hope of humane measures than another
dynasty? She rule 1 the country with oppression. On
the estimates of the army were found 19,000 men;
while on the muster roll were only 10,000 men, the
surplus of the money being distributed among the officere.
It was notorious that every office was sold, and that
sanatory ltws had been passed, with a view of creating
4,000 mere places. The tobacco monopolies were also
sold, not fur twelve years as formerly, but for twenty-
three years ; so were the gunpowder and soap monopo-
lies. The elections were managed by the military—the
regiments were marched into town ; the men voted by
companies ; the ballot was conducted in the view of
compulsory force. A poll tax was also imposed, nomi-
nally for the purposes of public works, which again
contributed to the ends of corruption. The public works
were made the means of jobbing, and Jose Cabral made
50,0001. by contracts on these public works between
Lisbon and Oporto. Such were oppressions sufficient
to stir up revolutions. The people then did rise ; they
took arias ; but upon the prospect being
offered of
having their grievances redressed, they laid their
arms down, and acted in a way becoming
a people deserving of constitutional government.
The people were called upon,
at the approach of the
elections to impeach the Ministers of the Crown, who
had violated their pledges. The natural course of the
proceedings of the Queen was that the whole country
should rise in arms. The whole country was united, not
to dethrone the Queen. but to effect a change of Ministry.
This was shown by the petition presented by the Junta to
the Queen of Portugal, and from that document, which
professed great affection for the person of the Sove-
reign, it could not be established that the Junta were
regicides. In the conflict that took place between
the Junta and the troops of her Majesty the
Queen of Portugal, humanity was on the side of the for-
mer. There were no instances of cold-blooded murder
of prisoners on their part. They certainly kept De
Terceira prisoner. What had the Queen done to show
that she relented in sanctioning these violent proceedings
of her troops ? But so late ago as February last, from
900 to 400 political prisoners were arrested in Lisbon,
and kept incarcerated in unwholesome dungeons till
within twenty days after S;r Hamilton Seymour had in-
timated to the Queen that he intended to interfere
with the force of arms. And even then the pri-
soners were only set at liberty by the
breaking open of the prison when seventy of them were
cruelly butchered by the troops of the Queen. What
security had they, then, that the Queen would be less
tyrannical in future? and, therefore, the interference of
the Government bad broken the hearts of a brave and
patriotic people. It was the greatest blow, in his opi-
nion,
that had been struck at the free Governments of
Europe, while how much better it would have been—
how much more satisfactory to this country and to Por-
tugal it would have been, had the victorious party of the
two combatants been left to name the new Adminis-
tration. Here the Noble Lord had told them that he in-
tended to provide for the deposing of the Cabralist party,
but how were they to know all the members of that
faction. The more, therefore, that he looked at, and
examined the policy Government had pursued towards
Portugal, the more was he convinced of its injustice and
its folly. They had taken a step lately at variance with
all they had done for the last thirty years —at least for
the last twenty. seven. For that space of time they had
diligently endeavoured to carry out the principle of non-
interference. how differently did the Duke of Welling-
ton act in the case of Charles X. Why, by the very
return of post, he acknowledged the right of the
French people ; so likewise in the case of the revo-
lution of Belgium. They had carried out this ruling
principle of non-interference. How differently also did
Mr. Canning act in 1826, which had been so often re-
ferred to. lie felt that the conduct of the Government,
contrasted sadly and solemnly with that pursued by Mr.
Canning, who, when he felt he had the interests of Por-
tugal to protect, feared not what Spain or France might
do. Were they now, when the people of this country
said that Spain owed them 70,000,000/. to be brow-
boated and bullied by Spain ? Why should they not
hold the same language, and plant the British flag as
the banner of the protection of foreign nations? The
Noble Lord might have followed in the steps of Mr.
Canning, and then he might have come down to that
House and thrilled the hearts of every Member within it
by the proud declaration—" We have humbled Spain and
silenced France ; we go not to Portugal to dictate or to
rule ; we go to preserve the independence and the liber-
ties of the people ; we have planted the standard of
England on the well known heights of Lisbon, and where
it is planted no foreign dominion shall come."
Mr. Bolan WICK explained, that he did not dis-
tinctly admit notice to have been given by Capt. Hoffe.
Dr. BOWRING moved that the debate be adjourned.

Mr. 11UME called the attention of Lord Palmerston
to certain papers which were published, and purported to
be letter,: between Sir H. Seymour and the Conde I)as
Antas. One was dated the 20th of May, and appeared
to have been delivered only on the 31st. That required
explanations,
gather those letters together and let the House have them
and he hoped the Noble Lord would
officially, that they might know what they ought to take
as true.
Lord PALMERSTON assured Mr. Brotherton that
the Junta had notice of the intentions of our fleet, and
that their forces embarked with that knowledge, and
the reason of the delay in the delivery of that letter
lay in the absence of Das Antas from Oporto. It was
true that some correspondence bad passed since
the blue book had been laid before the House, and he
would readily have these additional papers collected and
laid up,,n the table.
Thu motion for the adjournment was then put and
agreed to.
INSOLVENT DEBTORS BILL.
This Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be
committed.

TITHES COMMUTATION BILL.
This Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be
committed.

JOINT STOCK COMPANY'S BILL.
This Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be
committed on Monday next.
REPRESENTATIVE PEERS (SCOTLAND) BILL.
This Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be
committed to day.
POR l'-NATAL COLLECTION OF DUTIES BILL.
This Bill went through Committee, and was ordered
to be read a third time to-day.
BATHS AND WASIIIIOUSES BILL.
This Bill was read a third time and passed.
LEITH HARBOUR AND DOCKS BILL.
This Bill was read a third time and passed.
ROYAL MARINE SERVICE BILL.

This Bill went through Committee, and was ordered
to be reported.
TOWNS IMPROVEMENT BILL.

Sir WILLIAM SOMERVILLE moved that the
Lords' amendments to this Bill be agreed to.—Motion
carried.
The House then adjourned at a quarter past ono
o'clock.

IRELAND.
THE CIRCUITS.
DUBLIN, JUNE 13.—The judges met in chamber yes-
terday afternoon, at four o'clock, to consider the clues.-
tion of adjournment or no adjournment of the summer
assizes. Their Lordships remained in deliberation until
nearly six o'clock, after which it was announced that
the decision was for holding the assizes at the usual time.