The Sun.
London, England, 1840-12-08 00:00:00

POI{TU GAL.

By the Tagus steamer, arrived at Falmouth with the
Malta and Peninsula mails, the Queen of Portugal's
speech on closing the extraordinary session of the Cortes
has been received.
" LISBON, Nov. 30. —This day the session of the Ex-
traordinary Cortes, which has lasted rather better than
six months, was closed at one o'clock, p.m. by her Ma.
esty in person, who delivered the following Speech from
the Throne :
$6 . Seashores—l come to close the Session of this long
and laborious Legislative Assembly, which has been so
useful in aiding the first public necessities, and in discus-
sing and-voting organic laws of the greatest importance.
The nation will be sensible of your zeal, and bless the
wisdom by which you have been guided. It is to be
lamented that' the urgent business which has occupied you
I has not left sufficient time to conclude the discussion of

the budget, and to treat as amply as could have been de-
sired the different branches of the revenue.

" My Government empowered to provide for the cur-
rent expenses and to satisfy the extraordinary demands
which have unavoidably occurred, as well as to establish
the means now practicable of paying the foreign dividends,
will unceasingly devote itself in preparing all labours and
necessary information to be laid before you from the open-
ing of the ordinary session, in order that you may be able
opportunely to fix our expenses when known, and to ame-
liorate the mode of the receipts of the State. I do not less
expect that you will continue to dedicate yourselves, with
tqual efficacy, to the important affair of the navigation of
the Douro, which also, from want of timeo it was not
possible to terminate. I congratulate myself with you
upon the complete re-establishment of public peace, which
during the session was disturbed. I thank you for the
confidence which you have placed in my Government, by
granting the extraordinary powers it solicited. The
moderate use which they made of it will justify this
confidence.

" Without interrupting its labours the Cortes have
efficaciously co-operated with the Government in enlight-
ening the public opinion upon the true interests of the na-
tion, and thus afforded the greatest and most secure sup-
port that the legislative body can give to a constitutional
Government.
" During tkis period my life was in imminent danger,
from which it pleased Divine Providence to save me. The
proofs of sincere affection which upon this occasion I re-
ceived generally I glory to have merited from the Por-
tuguese nation, whose happiness is the greatest object of
my care, and whose liberty I consider as the most solid
basis of my Throne. The session is closed.'
" Her Majesty proceeded to the Cortes in full state,
and after reading the Speech in an audible and distinct
voice, returned in the same manner to the Palace des

Necessidades. From the circumstance of several of the
northern Senators and Deputies having left yesterday in
the Vesuvio steamer for Oporto, the Chamber on this oc-
casion presented but a small number of Representatives.
The shutting of this Legislative Assembly was, it is
firmly believed, hastened by the discussion of the river
Douro regulations, which (as I have observed in my
previous communications), if pressed through the house,
would, in all probability, overthrow the present Adminis-
tration, the outcry of the agricultural interests and the na-
tional feeling in general being unfavourable to the mea-
sure. This question appears to be a vital one for the
country, the Corn-laws here being similar to those in
England. How Spain will take up this matter, after so
many promises and assurances that the convention with its
enactments would b • approved, remains to be seen. It is
notoriously public that the Marquis de Saldanha was in-
structed to persuade the Madrid Cabinet that no other
than the present Ministry would be able to carry the treaty
in question through the Chambers.
" The modifications upon the hierarchy of Judges, sent
from the Senate to the Deputies, was discussed and dis-
posed of on the 23d inst., and on the same day Ministers
were empowered to raise in the most convenient manner
600 contos de reis (138,0001. sterling) upon the decima of
the first six months of the economical year 1839 to 1840.
" The law for the payment of the British claims (civil
and commissariat), as recently adjusted in London, of
1,325,150,839 reis, or 309,2011. 17s. 3d. sterling, accord-
ing to the course of exchange that may prevail as the in-
stalments may fall due, the last on the Ist of September,
1842, has received the Royal assent, and was published in
the Diario do Governo of Tuesday last. The means to
be raised to fulfil these engagements are to be specifically
pointed out in the respective budgets from 1840 to 1843.
A modification, or rather re-organization, of the Ministry
is on the tapis. The most probable reports are, that the
Deputies, M. Angier will take the portfeuille of the In-
terior, and M. Jervis de Attoguia that of Marine ; the
Minister of Finance, M. Florido, to give way to make
room for M. Gomes de Castro, M. Rodrigo da Fonseca
Magalhaes to remain with the Foreign, and M. Costa
Cabral with the Justice Department. Owing to a mes-
sage to the Crown which passed the Chamber of Deputies
on Thursday last. humbly praying her Majesty to appoint a
more competent person as an adviser of the Crown than
the Count de Bomfim, his Excellency, it is understood,
is to be moved out of the war bureau for the Duke de
Terceira or the Baron de Leiria, should not the gallant
Mar-hal accept; this last arrangement may perhaps be
productive of various consequences, Count de Bomfim,
who can, it is said, already rely upon a certain military
party to uphold him, being bent on keeping in place."