The Sun.
London, England, 1840-11-23 00:00:00

PORTUGAL.

FALMOUTH, Nov. 21.—Last night the Alert packet
Lieutenant Jennings, arrived with thiVrazil mailed
about 30,0001. in gold dust and gold have, on freiglff; of
which about 13,0001. is for the Imperial Brazilian /lin-
ing Association, 6,500/. for the Cata Brinca Mining
Corapany, and 2,4.501. for the National Brazilian Min-
ing Company. The Chevalier de Monteeuma (Minis-
ter Plenipotentiary from Brazil to London) and his
Family are passengers by the Alert, and also M. Wydea-
brueb, Secretary to the Austrian Legation at Rio do
Janeiro. The dates are—Rio de J4eiro, 27th Sept. ;
Bahia, 7th ; and Pernambuco, 19th' October. The
Alert encountered a heavy gale of wind on the 17th in-
stant ; and, whilst scudding without any sails being set,
when she was about 200 miles west of Scilly, she
passed a Hamburg brig totally dismasted, the crew of
which vessel were making signals for assistance, but the
sea was so tremendous as to render any communication
by the packet quite impossible. A few hots after the
Alert passed two other vessels, which were disabled.
Seven P.m.—The steamer. Montrose has just ar-
rived with the Spanish and Portuguese mails. This
vessel sailed from Gibraltar on the 13th, from Cadiz
onvi
gtnh eh
n 1
t4ht
eh , from
18th.
TLisheb opn o a s
senng
etrhse a
rle6t4 a
es
srns d. frothßate-
man, at e
man, Stewart, Yeo, Sanderman, Ermit, Hook, Rougli-
ton, and Rev. M. Patterson and lady.
The following is the letter of our Lisbon corres-
pondent :

Lisaor44 Nov. 16.

Although things appear to be bushed up for the
moment, it is well known, that intrigues against the
existing Ministry are actively going on, under the
protection of M. Dietz, whose conduct seems quite
inexplicable, unless arising from sheer folly, which is the
most charitable supposition. The object is to form a
Coalition Ministry, the chief members of which would
bz Viscounnt Sada Bandeira and the Duke of Pal-
wells, who, it is thought, looks forward to events that
may possibly happen, in which case an alliance with the
leading Septembristas might pave the way to a higher
honour than that of Minister or State.
The Douro Convention question has been debatcd iir
the Chamber of Deputies all this week, and bids fair
to form the subject of discussion as much longer. The&
Chamber decided to discuss the regulations article by
article, so that with the pertinacious opposition of the
" agricultural interest" it is difficult to predict when the
business will be concluded.

Allusion was made in the course of the debate to the
reported advance of 20,000 Spanish troops to the Por-
tuguese frontier. The Home Minister ascribed the 3:g-
port to the Spptembristas, who circulated it for politi-
cal purposes as entering to propagate revolutionary
' principles, while the latter retorted that it was the
Government itself that spread the reports, in order to
frighten them into the passing of the Douro Conven-
tion regulations.. I believe the official explanation,
given by the On. ptain.General of Andalusia, is, that
the increase of troops at Ayamonte, and other parts
of the frontier, is in consequence of the number of
guerrillas in the Alentejo and Algarve, and also to pre-
vent the immense contraband trade carried on from
the same.

A very important case,v involving 30,000/. sterling,
has just been decided at the Relacao, against Mr.
Shortridge, a very respectable British merchant at
Madeira, and in favour of a Portuguese merchant
named Manoel Jose de Oliveira, but known by the al),
pellation of Manoel dos Contos. The decision hat
excited a great sensation. The leading facts are these :
as far back as 1810 a sum of 10,000/. was lent by
Manoel dos Contos to a Mr. Wardrop, then in London,
and a partner in Mr. Shortridge's house : the mbney
was not lent to the firm nor employed by them, but
to Cie private concerns of Mr. Wardrop. The firm
had, however, other transactions with Manoel dot
Contra, and 6,0001. had been borrowed by the. firm
and returned. It appears that Manoel (.100M4gPs
finding a difficulty in getting back the m0.:7,: y,;\,;....
lent
lent to Mr. Wardrop, on suspicion of 11'...0::.,,..
to repay it, bad called on him to proeit'
applied
further guarantee of the firm,
but refused by the latter ; but it appearsniries had been
withstanding the. refusal some
eWardrop, mixing
made in the books by
with Mr. those of the
whichwasap') thatn not-
up his own transactions
firm in such a
way
raesci to their use. Mr. War-
it appear that
firm, and I hear is since
the money had been
drop subsequently left
d
Contos being unable to get
app
;he to make
dead ; and Manoel
dos
se
estate of the borrower, has
back his money
against Mr. Shortridge, both
all of which up to the present
The claim for principal and
binromugandteirr
decision he was w
The case was first brought before
a is 30,000/. . . . . a
interest eapaenadt e
here
fLacaecrwtitotei actions.
favour by four out of five.. It nest came
stiortridge's .
a court of arhitrators at Madeira, who gave it. la Mr.
b • the Conservatorial Court in that island with the
a-aeml6ercresult. It was then brought here, and tried be-
fore the Tribunal of Commerce, both of Ist and
,idgei, by juriesnstance, with c
h the
t
same for Mr. Short-
; d
commercial
men.
Manoel
dos Contos, however, still kept on ; and, on a
statement made to a higher Court, obtained
an order for a new trial, which came on a few
days since before the Court of Appeal, where it was
decided by three Judge E out of five in Lis favour. Mr