The Sun.
London, England, 1823-03-06 00:00:00

P011:11UGAL,

LisliON, FEB. the sitting of the Cor.
tes on the 14t1,, Seidler Moura read the Report
of the Committee on the motion made by him
respecting the defence of the kingdom
;--
"The Committeeobsorve that they_had to consider of four
points :—I. The organization and increase of the army. 2. Its
subsistence. '3. Strict alliance with Spain. 4. Means to pre.
serve internal tranquillity.

" The Committee proposes to unite the first and second lino
of the army, and have the first part ready as !owl as possible to
march to the frontiers; and in this case to organize a national
guard at Lisbon and Oporto. To provide for the extraordinary
expellees by direct and indirect taxes, which, without burdening

the indigent classes, may form a solid security for the loan which
the Government is authorized to contract.

" The Committee proposes to adopt it as a principle, that an
invasion of the Peninsula, for the purpose of destroying or mo-
difying the political institutions of Spain, shall be considered as
an invasion of Portugal. It does not appear to the Committee
that any extraordinary means will be required to maintain in-
ternal tranquillity. The Committee proposes, in conformity
with these ideas, the following project of a decree:—
" The Cortes, &c., considering that it is absolutely necessary
to maintain the national independence, and resist every attempt
of foreign invasion, on account of the alterations and changes
which the nation, by its representatives, has legally made in our
political system, decrees as follows :

" 1. Every invasion of the Peninsula, made for the purpose
of destroying or modifying the political institutions adopted by
Spain, shall be considered as a direct aggression on Portugal.
The whole force shall be immediately assembled and posted in
the positions proper to resist such aggression.
" 2. The recruiting shall be carried on with the utmost dili.
gence, to raise the army of the first line to 60,000 men at least,
of all arms.

" 3. The corps of militia shall be raised to their full com-
plement, and the Government shall organize them in a manner
suitable to the service which they are to perform.
" 4. A National Guard shall be formed in Lisbon and
Oporto.
" 5. Those soldiers who have received their discharge shall
he invited to serve during the war, and a bounty shall be offered
them."

(The following articles relate to various imposts proposed by
the Coimnittee.)
The project was declared urgent by above two-thirds of the
Deputies, read a second time, and admitted to discussion.
Senhor l?ranzini.—" At all times, and especially under the
present circumstances, it is proper to strengther. the union be-
tween this kingdom and its ancient and faithful ally, Great
Britain; and I therefore judge it imperiously necessary that
the Diplomatic Committee should give, as soon as possible, its
report on the business which has been repeatedly brought for-
ward by the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, In order that the
Govenunent may be relieved from all the articles which may

impede any negociation, which it is so necessary for us to con-
clude with our faithful Ally, Great Britain."
This was generally supported, and the President directed the
Committee to give its report with the least possible delay.
In the Sitting of the 19th, the order of the day was the de-
bate on the report of the Committee. On this occasion all the
members of State were introduced, and having taken their
places, the President addressed them as follows :—" Gentle-
men, the importance of the subjects of the present Sitting, and
the urgency with which they are to be discussed, have induced
the Cortes to invite all the Ministry, that each of your Exml-
lencies may give in his department the explanations asked him;
and your Excellencies may give your opinion on each of the
articles of the project which is going to be discussed, and for
this purpose ask leave to speak when you think proper."
The debate then commenced on the preamble and the first
article.
Senhor Moore spoke first in support of the project, showing
the injustice of the attack upon Spain, and that Portugal was
Indisputably an object of this aggression.
Senhor Borgos Carneiro made a long speech against the Holy
Alliance, whose profession of faith, he said, was to he found in
the declaration issued at Laybech ; from which he quoted se.
venal passages, especially directed against the Spanish Con-
stitution as anarchical and revolutionary, its establishment in
Naples as a conspiracy, and in Piedmont as a most odious
rebellion.
Several other Members spoke, all of whom agreed, that the
invasion of Spain must be considered as an aggression against
;Portugal ; but some disapproved of the first article, as part of
the decree, and supported the motion of Senhor Alarciano
d'Azevedo, to include the first article as far as the word " Pox.
tugal" in die preamble.—The debate then adjourned.

The above Report of the proceedings in the
Cortes requires the following explanations:—
The Deputies who opposed the first part of
the first article, objected to it only on a point of
form: they did not think the expression proper
for a clause of a decree. It was argued that it
should not stand as an article, as its object was
to declare a principle, not to make an enactment.
The speakers who followed Mercian° d'Azevedo
appeared to concur in opinion with him, that the
first article, from its couunence►nent to the word
" Portugal" inclusive, should be incorporated in
the preamble.
With regard to the remaining part of the
article—namely, The whole force shall be im-
mediately assembled, and posted in the positions
proper to resist such aggression"—it was observed,
that persons disposed to cavil might allege that
the use of these words was an encroachment on
the prerogative, and that the Cortes were taking
upon themselves to declare war. To leave no
room for this pretext, a Deputy proposed to sub-
stitute the following words :—" The Portuguese
army shall be promptly, and without any delay,
raised to the full war establishment."
These amendments will probably be agreed
to ; but the debate was prolonged to the hour
for closing the sitting, and we must wait for
another arrival before we can state the result.
The Diurio du Governo states that the letter,
purporting to be written by the Queen of Por-
tugal to the King, which we some time ago
translated from the French papers, is a fabri.
cation.