The Sun.
London, England, 1840-11-09 00:00:00

PORTUGAL.

FALMOUTH, Nov. 7.—The Linnet packet, Lieut.
Forrester, arrived last night with the West India mails,
and has brought about 1,1401. on freight. She sailed
from St. Thomas's on the Ist, and Cape Henri 7th of
October.

This morning the Swedish brig Christian, Captain
Olson, arrived from Monte Video with a cargo of hides
for orders, from whence she sailed on the 10th of Sep-
tember, at which period the blockade of Buenos Ayres
by the French squadron continued, without any pros-
pect of a change. Several English merchant vessels in
ballast were at Monte Video, where some of them have
been waiting fifteen months in expectation of the blockade
being raised, to enable them to proceed to Buenos Ayres.
The steamer Iberia arrived this afternoon with the
Spanish and Portuguese mails ; the dates are Gibraltar,
29th of October ; Cadiz, 30th ; Lisbon, 2d of Novem-
ber, and Vigo, 4th. The weath?r being boisterous, she
had no communication with Oporto.

The Swift packet, Lieutenant Welch, which sailed
on the 4th, with the %Vest India mails, was obliged to
return last evening, in consequence of the boisterous
weather, on which account the Seagull packet, with the
Brazil mails, was unable to proceed yesterday ; but al-
though the weather was very unsettled, and the wind
contrary, these vessels have today proceeded on their

voyages.
LISBON, Nov. .—The relations between this coun-
try and Spain have got into a very critical state, towards
which the Douro navigation question has, I believe,
greatly contributed. There c.'n be no doubt that the
Spanish Government has good grounds of complaint
against Portugal on this head. The opening of the na-
vigation at all is opposed by the Septembrists, and by
others who see ruin to Portugal in any concession of
the kind, or who are afraid of the clamour got up by in-
terested parties. The Government of this country, it
is believed, is itself desirous to carry the measure ; but
from that weakness or procrastinating spirit that has
got Portugal into so many scrapes with other Powers,
no adequate steps were taken to carry through the pro-
ject, and the question has now again become a most serious
and dangerous one, the new Spanish Government havice,
on Muk), last, it is understood, presented some kind of
ultim stunt on the subject, and in support of which ulti-
matum it is expected that a considerable Spanish force
will have already ere this time approached the frontiers
of Portugal. Several councils and conferences have
been held here this week, and the Foreign Minister R.
de F. Magalhaes, urged the question on the attention
of the Chamber of Deputies, on Tuesday (27th), ob-
serving that " he would not state the reasons of his pressing
it on their immediate attention, as they were obvious to
every one, and particularly so to the members of that
Chamber." The question has been since given out
every day for discussion, but other things have always
hitherto been substituted.

The French Minister is, they say, in a great rage at
Saldanha's appointment to Madrid, and talks of it as an
insult to France, and, some say, even threatened at first
to ask for his passport, in consequence of the acknow-
ledgment by Portugal of the Revolutionary Regency im-
plied by the sending a special Minister at this moment.
The Chamber of Deputies has again been occupied
with the tariff this week, and a great number of alter-
ations have been made. In printed cottoos a consider-
able reduction has been carried, amounting to near 50
per cent. on the present duties ; but I understand that
it is expected the alterations made in the Lower Cham-
ber will not pass the Senate, but will be resisted on the
ground that such reductions are the proper subject of a
treaty ; and the Duke of Palniella will, it is expected,
oppose them on this ground.
The vexatious conduct of the Portuguese Custom-
house people is beyond belief. It would really appear
as if they wished to prevent foreign vessels from
coming to Lisbon at all. Almost every vessel is now
put into quarantine on one pretext or another, and the
regalations as to Passengers, repairs, &c., are as absurd
as they are impolitic and vexatious. In the case Of the
John Cooper, which came in on the 14th ult , out 30
diys from Greenock, and having her masts carried
away by lightning, but with no other damage, they re-
fused to allow the vessel to be repaired without she dis-
charged her cargo, although the surveyor declared it
was quite unnecessary ; they insisted on sending a guard
aboard, and the captain was finally obliged to declare
he would abandon the vessel to them if their vexa-
tious proceedings were persisted in ; they have at length
given up the point, but under protest that it shall
not form a precedent for any other similar case, or else
these wiseacres contend that ships would be continu- 1
ally coming in in that state, under pretence of repairs,
but in reality to carry on contraband trade. The
John Cooper entered under jury masts, and paid 3501.
to the Portuguese steamer Vesuirio to tow her in. As
to the passengers (emigrants to Sydney), 92 in num-
ber, they were first obliged to submit to five days' qua-
rantine—then they were informed that they must either
make up their minds to live entirely on board, or corn::
on shore to stay altogether. This point was also at
length given up ; but even now they are obliged to
return on board before sunset if at ail, which is not
customary to other vessels in the port, and obviously

absurd as a preventive of smuggling out of the vessel.
The John Cooper is of 700 tons burden, with a va-
luable cargo, and would ❑ot, of course, have been jus-
tified in discharging it, merely to please the absurd
suspicions of these people, who really get worse and
worse every day. The supercargo of the Seahorse
steamer has not yet succeeded in getting his telescope,
although Senhor Fiorido has assured Mr. Smith that
he shall have it, and the owner has petitioned in due
form' and has since been a doily attender at the Cus-
tom-house to get it. I have no doubt the intention of
Mr. Carneiro and his subs is to keep the matter
bandying backward and forward till the vessel goes,
which, as her repairs are almost completed, may soon be
expected, and so the owner will either have to gu without
it or to pay the 55 miireis at which it was bought in. Tnis
case may appear insignifant, but it shows the spirit in
which these things are carried on here.—Chromicle.

THE KING'S SPEECH AND THE

MINISTERS.

(From the French papers of Saturday.)
Many of the Paris Journals of this day comment
again upon the speech from the Throne, but there is
nothing new or interesting in their remarks. The
official evening Journal, the Aloniteur Parisien, of yes-
terday, has the following on the articles of the opposition
Journals of yesterday morning :--" The press is hasty
in its :iudgments, but the men whom the country places
at its head have another responsibility, other duties.
The phrases of Journals can only be phrases ; but in'
eircumstances in which we are placed the words of a
Minister are acts and engagements, the most solemn
engagements that can be entered' into ; and unless it was
desired that the speech from the Throne should contain
a declaration of war against Europe, we cannot under-
stand either what is blamed in the speech, or what
was desired. The Ministry does not desire war, but
peace. It thinks that the Chambers desire it on the
same conditions as the Ministry. It believes also that
the Ministry which has retired desired it as well as the
present. if there be a difference between the two as to the
course to be adopted to attain the end which both desire,
the country will soon be called upon to declare itself
in a solemn mariner as to this difference. The Cabinet
Iwill submit with confidence a pacific policy, but at
the same time one that is honourable and which com-
promised nothing. The Opposition would have de-
sired another course, persuaded, without doubt, that it
knows the will of France better than the Chambers—
that is to say, better than Prance, and that a general
war would lead France and the world rapidly to brilliant
results ; it would have cut the matter short in a phrase
of the King's speech. This would have been despotism,
and the Opposition now attack with violence a Ministry
whose principal fault, in its eyes, is, that it wishes to
consult the nation on the gravest question as to its fu-
ture welfare which has for a lone time past occurred."
On :the above the :Presse, which had made no com-
ment on the speech, says brit fly—
tt Let the Ministry continue to express itself al-
ways with the same sincerity, the same moderation, and
the same dignity, and we shall have only praises to be-
stow upon it."
We find the following in the Quotidienne:—

" Galig'iani's illessenger approves more earnestly,
perhaps, than even the Journal de, Debats, of the
speech on opening the session. This is a very precious
avvitcourrier for the Canaarilla of the reception which
this tissue of common-place phrases will receive on thi,--
other side of the Channel. The English journal pushes
its dynastic fervour so far as to bear witness person-
ally of the emotion of the whole assembly, and of the
numerous cries of ' give le Jloi' excited by the phrase
intended for effect in this heavy composition."
It is always with very great reiuctance that we enter
into anything like a polemical discussion with our Con-
temporaries, even on matters of fact. There are, how-
ever, occasions on which we owe it to ourselves, and
even to the public, to correct errors on such points.
In the present case, this double duty is strongly im-
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Ireaders may form that correct opinion which would be
impossible if events were not recorded with a strict ad-
herence to truth. On the first part
I of the article of the
notQ'
r earnesthaveme relyto say, that we not only did
approbation of the speech, but
absolutely
from expressing any • '
ny opinion at all,
stating our reasons for such a course. As regards our
1°
expressh
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' refrainedeouwe
evidence of the manifestations of the Chamber and the
public in the galleries, we have only to beg the
. Quoti-
dienne to read our article with more care. We did not
any, as cur contemporary states, that the emotion of
the assembly was unanimous. (te entiere). we
effect which was pro.
ar,.il so far from lia-..1-1g an)thing
spoke
to retract t °rife t thein
duccd, we repeat that it wai strictly correct. We
onu'ari°LstcY'riptlon of the .