The Sun.
London, England, 1841-10-11 00:00:00

PORTUGAL.

Latiox, OCT. 4.-=-A communication has been received
from the Spanish Government, notifying the abandor.-
ment of the demands made upon Portugal, as fir as re-
gards the 'deposits of British goods ; but intimating its
persistance as regards tobacco and salt. Under the
treaty of Badajos, Portugal agreed to allow no larger
quantity of these articles to be kept in its frontier towns
than what was sufficient for the usual consumption of the
inhabitants of those towns and their districts ; but es
this treaty must be considered to all purposes null and
void, it remains to be considered what right Spain has to
call upon Portugal to take these steps, with a view to
prevent the smuggling of those articles across its fron-
tiers, at the very moment when Portugal is inun-
dated with Spanish corn, smuggled constantly over
every part of the frontier, without any attempt what-
ever on the part of Spain to do what It requires Portugal
to do—co-operate in preventing the violation of absurd
fiscal laws. The fact is, that such is the scarcity of salt,
and such the cheapness of corn, in some of the Spanish
provinces adjoining Portugal, that a mule's load of salt
is exchanged for a mule's load of corn ; and salt being
of scarcely any value here, it bile wheat is twice the
price it is on the Spanish side of the frontier, how is it
possible that contraband trade can be prevented in these
articles ? Great complaints are made, of course, by the
" landed interest " here, about the introduction of Spa-
nish corn and of Spanish brandies to some extent, and
certainly Portugal has as much right to call on the
Spanish Government to stop its wheat going into Por-
tugal, as that Government has to call on the Portuguese
Government to stop its salt, &c. going into Spain.
The financial projects are proceeding through the
Senate ; those for increasing the tax on the sale of pro-
perty to 10 per cent., and for extending the tax on con-
sumption at Lisbon to the neighbouring districts have
passed, and also the
_project increasing from three to six
per cent. a tai levied on the amount of customs' duties in
addition to the tariff ; theformor tax of 3 per cent. was
an impost paid by the importer,* and appropriated first to
defray the petty expenses of the customs' department,
the remainder being divided among the clerks, &c., to
whom it frequently yielded, and does still, nearly as large
a sum as their regular pay. This 3 per cent. is still to
continue to the clerks as before, but an additional 3 per
cent. is to be levied, which is to be paid over to the Board
of Public Credit, towards the fund for the payment of the
foreign dividends. A similar tax of 2 per cent. on the
amount of the duties on internal consumption, paid at
the Sete Casas, is increased to 4 per cent. for the same
purpose.

The questions of the abolition of the differential du-
ties, of the increased duties on woollens and some other
articles, and of the 10 per cent. tax on the home divi-
dends, have nut yet been discussed in the Senate. • The
Government continues, I believe, to urge the latter mea-
sure, which, notwithstanding its rejection by the Finance
Committee of the Senate, is expected to.pass by.a small
majority. All the other measures will, no doubt,. be
passed. The duty on fine cloths was raised. by the Pe-,
puties to 12 testoons (about ss. 6d.) per pound I,yeight,
being twice the previous amount, in conformity with the
recommendation of the Committee to which it had been
referred. The previous tax was stated to be under ten
per cent. ad valorem, and it was contended that the pre-
sent increase to 20 per cent. ad valorem, will merely act
M
as a fair impost
_upon an article consue:fi mainly by the
wealthier classes. The other proceedings of the Depu-
ties have been of no general interest,
The Duke of Palmella and Senhor Manuel Passos,
both took occasion on Saturday to complain greatly of
the unfair mode in which the Brazilian Government
taxed Portuguese wines ; the duty being fifty per cent.
ad valorem, and levied according to an arbitrary estimate,
Portuguese wines being valued much higher than the
others, so that, in fact, a pipe of wine from this country
pays some 16 milreas (41.) more than a pipe of French
or Spanish wine., .Both the above senators declared that
unless, Brazil listened to reason in this respect, the Por-
tuguese Government 'ought to retaliate by discriminatory
duties against Brazilian prOducts. Seidler Passos said
that the way in which.the duties on wine were levied- in
England was much fairer than an ad valorem scale.
A bill for above 50,0001. being an instalment on the
amount due by Portugal- on account of General Clinton's
division, fell due on the Ist of this month, and having
been sent out by Messrs. Rothschild to their correspond-
ent here, was duly taken up and paid at the Bank of Lis-
bon. The Government had made an arrangement for an
advance of 280 contos, which the bank will be repaid but
of the Customs revenues. Those only who know• the ex-
cessive difficulties with which the Government here is
struggling for want of money, can appreciate the sacri-
fice made by Senhor Avila to redeem its engagements.
In the midst of intrigues and difficulties of every sort, the
Government is endeavouring to bring round the finances
of the country to a healthy state.
The failure of the house of Corpas, Garcia, and Co:, is
a very serious affair. At the meeting on Tuesday last,
the principal creditors refused the terms proposed by the
firm, and their effects have all been sealed up, and the
business delivered over to the Tribunal of Commerce, to
be dealt with according to the bankrupt law. Mr. W.
Payant and Mr. Roberts were appointed curators. The
loss, divided among about a dozen of the English
houses, is estimated at 69,0001. Among the chief
creditors were Mr. Shannon, 45 contos ; Mr. San-
guinetti, 45 contos ; Mr. C. Payant, 35 contos ; MeSsrs.
Graham; 30 contos ; Mr. W. Payant, 25 contos ;
Knowles and Mr. Appleton, above 20 contos each. Among
the other creditors are Mr. Roberts, Mr. O'Keefe, Mr.
M`Lagaa,, Mr. M'Andrew, and Messrs. Dobson. Mr.
Sanguinetti. and Mr. Knowles have stopped payment.
All these firms had taken Corpas and Co,'s bills,
which they had discounted. Messrs. Graham and Mr. W.
Payant took up their returned bills forthwith. Mr. C.
Payant made an arrangement with the bank who had
discounted his bills, by which he paid the bank 50 per
Ont., and gave up his claims on Corpas and Co., under
Mr. rrr
hSa
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asnni nogonend, a
to
odh
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ant
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instalments to the holders of the bills, and give up the
bills as in the former case. Mr. Appleton, it is expected,
will arrange to pay 50 per cent. and give up the bills.
The other7firms mentioned Ita,eo_,all
, ,believe, paid their
bills, and are going on as usual. There will be one ad-
vantage when the storm has blown over, viz., that the
system of business here will, it is expected, be a good
deal changed, and less credit given.
A deputation of some of the' 'cotton firms here waited
on Lord Howard de Walden, in 'consequence of a postaria,
issued in reply to a requisition of Messrs. Graham and. Co. to the Portuguese Government,
.against the pro-
ceedings of the Director of the Customs, who' had thought
fit to class an article of fustian or cotton drill under the
head of linen drills " cutem," and to impose a fluty of
200 reis per pound weight under that head, instead of
the proper duty of GO reis per pound weight, which it had
previously paid, being classed with moleskins " tou-
peira," which pay 60 reis the pound weight. A piece of
this fustian of forty yards weighs ten pounds, and the
duty would therefore betwo milreas, or near 9s. a piece,
and as the article is not Worth above sd. a yard, it would

I. e. if the dutirs amounted to 100 moido:es, the importer
paid three moidores mere under this head.

There has been some alarm excited among our tr!prr
chants by a report that an order.had been issued by the
Board of Health at Lisbon,by which I;nglish vessels coming
from Newfoundland:mast have Polugu,se cer-
tificate, or would be put into quarantine, thellece that
some time back a Consul was appointed by this Govern-
ment for Newfoundland, which probably led Co the order-
being issued; but as the appointment was not confirined,
and as in fact there is no Portuguese Consul. tti New-
foundland, it is impossible to sttppase that there ean be
:thy intetitibii of potting the drdefi it rvltily issitedl into
execution.

One of the best and most respected noblemen in Por-
tugal, the Marquis de Sampaio, who held the high po4
of Lord Chamberlain to the QuPen, died on Wfidnesclay
last, at the advanced age of 85, and was buried with the
usual honours at the cemetery, at Alto- de j'eao' the,
next day. It is expected that the Marquis
.Saldanha,
will be the new Lord Chamberlain, which will nei;'how..
ever, necessarily interfere with his proceeding to Ma.
drid. His departure is, however, said to be again post-
poned for another week:
The Royal Tar steamer, with the London niall-Of the
25th ult., only, arrived this morning; having met with
Very bad mid tealptstutitts-ti-eather; which het her bae,k,
but did her no damage. She goes on to Cadli afid
Gibraltar this afternoon.