The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-19 00:00:00

goners, on the understanding that they would
be treated as prisoners of • war. A great num-
ber of this party consisted, he understood, of
principal officers, and numbering about 40, were placed
aboard a small brig in the bay of Lisbon, for the pur-
pose of being transported to Africa, but many of them
were too unwell or too sick to undergo the
e
he lcyi
age, and a representation! was made to v
by the captain and the surgeon to the Government.
From the moment the conduct of these persons was
made known in Lisbon, great interest was excited, and
her Majesty's chargé d'affaires, G. Seymour,
ar-
rived immediately after the resignation of Lord who
Howard,
as well as the representatives of the
French and
of the Belgians, who acted
separately, made
similar representations, and he (the Marquis of Lans-
downe) hoped that these representations would
not be without avail, and that they would be
sent to a more unexceptionable place than Africa. He
was in a condition to state that that was the
case k but he entertained a confident belief that
the destination of the ships had been altered, and
that their prisoners would be sent to
.a place less fatal
to their health, and more consonant with their position.
He hisd been informed that in no instance had anything
like adequate punishment been irflicted, and he
argued, therefore, that the sentence would be re-
versed, which would be a source of great satisfaction to
her Majesty's Government, wbo bad sent a force to
Oporto and the Bay of Lisbon—but their object in
sending that force had been in no way to interfere in the
contest, but to afford protection to British enterprise.
It would be a satisfaction to that force, if they were also
enabled to give a refutation to such persons as
were in *lnger of their life and it would be, above
all, their duty to give protection to the Queen,
if she would require it,. as long as the contest lasts.
Maintaining the character which it now holds of
a civil war, it could not be the inclination of her
Majesty's Government actively to interfere, nor was
there, under any existing treaty, a justification for
. their so doing, but circumstances might assume a
different character, and it Dom Miguel, or a
party acting for him, should appear, a new state of
things would arise, which would revive former treaties.
Such a course might strengthen the Portuguese Govern-
ment, and tend to allay the existing dissensions. It
must be the earnest wish of this country to see peace
established in that country, at present so much disturbed.
The Earl of ABERDEEN said that he was not quite
satisfied with the course to be pursued by her Majesty's
Government. It must be the desire of every person, as
much as possible, to mitigate the calamities attendant
upon a war, and therefore it was perfectly praiseworthy
and necessary that all persuasions should be used to
produce a humane and merciful conduct on the part of
these persons. But if the Noble Marquis had made
up his mind to make an official representation
from the Government of this country to the
Government of Portugal on the subject. Ile (the Earl
f Aberdeen) begged- to differ from him. As far as
private solicitation and perst a ion, and personal
influence could be employed there could be no ob-
jection • but if once, in a contest of th's descrip
tion, the Government should officially interfere with
the course the Portuguese Government might
think proper to adopt, it was to establish a
precedent exceedingly dangerous, and to the prin-
ciple of which he had a great objection. It might
be stated to the credit of the Portuguese Govern-
ment, that in the various disturbances which had
taken place of late years in that country, there had been
very little cruelty exercised, and there was very little
appearance of a sanguinary disposition in any parties.
That furnished a vary strong contrast to the people of
the neighbcuring nation, where they had seen acts of
vengeance and bloodshed committed on all sides. An-
other reason why the Government should be particularly
cautious at present in any interference of that description
was—be knew not how it had arisen—but the belief
was strong and general in Portugal, that the cause of
the insurrection possessed the good wishes of her Ma-
jesty's Government. He could not believe that to be
the case, but he believed it to be indisputable that the
persuasion of the gsneralike of Ithe;peop'e in Portugal
was such, and therefore it was incumbent upon her
Majesty's Government to be very cautious in any
act that . might lead to confirm that opinion.
The Government undertaking to protect the lives and
property of British subjects, and the personal safety of
the sovereign was a legitimate course ; but he
submitted that the naval force in the Tagus, was
more than sufficient for that purpose. That force
was overwhelming, and he did not know the
cause of it, but from the feeling regarding it which pre-
vailed in Portugal, it seemed to strengthen the belief
which he had referred to. Several years the Government
of this country had taken an active part to place
the present Queen on the throne of Portugal, and
having done so, ho thought they would be
justified in supporting the Government with that moral
force which would at least convey the impres'sion that
they disapproved of the insurrection, instead of appearing
to countenance it. One party of the insurgents were
against the monarchy, and in favour of the
republic, and the other were supporters of des-
potic power. He thought the presence of the
large fleet at present in the Tagus gave countenance to
the insurrection, whereas it might be made to operate
otherwise aria in favour of the gieen's Government.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE replied that the
anxious wish of her Majesty's Government was to main-
tain the Queen on the throne, and he know not of
any act that gave evidence to the contrary.
lie defied any one to point out a single
instance wherein they had countenanced the insurrec-
tion. The Noble Earl must be aware that it would
occasion the grea'est dissatisfaction if it were known
that the Government supported one side in preference to
another. Undeubtedly rumours such as those referred
to may have circulated, but they were false rumours. It
was not, however, on the Queen's side alone that such
rumours prevailed, but on the other side, it had been
surmised that the leaning of this Government was in
favour of the Government of the Queen of Portugal.
He did not wish to pronounce an opinion on the dis-
sensions that at present prevailed in that country,
but this he was bound to say, that there had
been no instructions to the admiral, to the
Mini, ter. or to the Envoy sent to that country, that
had not for their object the preservation' of a
perfect impartiality, and in any advice re-
spectfully tendered to the Portuguese Government
the object had been to conform strictly to these' in-
structions, and such friendly councils could only have
been given with the view of proving that
the English Government would rot in the slightest
degree, tither directly or indirectly, lend its
support or influence to the insurgents. It had been
thought expedient that (und, r circumstances such
es those which existed in Portugal) a squad-
ron superior to that which any other power would
be likely to send, should be placed in the Tagus,
for the preseryation of the interests of England;
but the officer who had been appointed to the
command was not only one of the most able in her Ma-
jesty's service, but one remarkable for jtclment, dis-
cretion, and the ca-e with which he carried out his
i tstructions. Ile believed that that eflicer would pro
serve a strict impartiality, and he believed that he had
not in any the slightest degree deviated from the matter
of his instructions, or that,. anything he had done wieild
militste against that which was the anx;ous wish of le r
Majesty's government, namely, noninterference with
the civil contest in that country. He trusted that that
contest would be brought to a speedy termination, ant
without any necessity ter the fait rreution of this come

try. England would only interfere in one case, and he
hoped that that important exception would not arise.
The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH did not consider
the mea,ure a very constitutional one, by which the
Queen of Portugal had commenced this civil war.—

(Laughter.) Her Majesty's course of pri ceeding tsas this.
She imprisoned the out-going Knistry—(Laugh ter)—
and reinstated the old ones. The n aly constituted
Government La-I violated every principle of personal
liberty to a greater degree than had been known under
the worst of despotisms. All representation to the
Government of Portugal was a mere farce if they had
nothing to support it, if, instead of asking that Govern-
ment to releake the unfortunate sufft rers on the coast of
Africa, they had given instructions to Admiral Parker
to demand it ; if it were to be understood that in the
event of these representations not being attended to,
that Sir Williana Parker would leave the Tagus, he had
not the slightest doubt but that they would receive im-
mediate attention.—(clear,, hear.) So far from the
British squadron having been in any way instru-
mental in the support of the insurrection in Portugal,
there was no question whatever in his mind that, but for
the presence of the squadron on the coast of Portugal,
the Queen would have met Dom Miguel in London, and
that the victorious troops would have marched as they
had done before, from Oporto to Lisbon.—(Hear.)
CRIMINAL LAW—JUVENILE OFFENDERS.
Lord BROUGHAM did not intend to take any part
in this very irregular conversation, and he was glad that
it was at last brought to a close, but this much he might
say, that he quite agreed with the concluding obst rvatten
of his Noble Friend who had just sat down, that the pre-
sence of the squadron, so far from having encouraged
the 'insurrection, had been the main means of keeping
the Queen of Portugal upon the throne. He would now
beg to present the very important petition from Liver-
pool of which ho had given notice. It was not
usual to give notice of the presentation of petitions
but he had taken this somewhat unusual course, and had

-given notice, because he wished to exprass his opinions
on that very important subject.—(Hear, hear.) He
esteemed it a high honour to present this petition,
which was signed by the Mayor of Liverpool, by Mr.
Rushton, the official magistrate, and nineteen other ma-
gistrates. He should feel it his duty to bring the beads
of._ this long and very important document before the
house, not perhaps in the chosen terms or the apt
phraseology of the document itself, but as well as he was
able to do it. He had taken the pains to make himself
acquainted with the subject on which it treated, not only
by reading the communications of the Government, but
of
also a variety
otherii papers which bore on the subject
of this petition ;
reports
emeant the report of the
spectors—the Prison In-
societies whose attenmtion
to those benevolent and useful
had hem. turned to the impor-
tant subject of thetcGriemninal law, sot only in this country,
but also in France
Ind Holland, and wherever
this matter had been examaui)nt,
report from Mr. Hill, the It
workinen°7ler of Birmingham,
He had also received a
::.ecetie criminal law bad
whose experience in the
impossible
isenother report
been very great. He hadit allvsaCisg
than
theunderrate
from Mr. Tidd Taylor.
the structuree
the importance of it. It was no less
of the criminal law, and its optratioti on
lie would now go over the heads criminal.
lie
important subject, so far as they bore on
the petition before him. The petitioners spoke
magistrates administering he law
as practical men—as
over a population of 300,000 persons—as the tribunal
before whom offenders were tried, and they came before
their Lordships as the last tribunal—the last resource
—to unbosom their difficulties, to prefer their com-
plaints, and to warm them of the consequence of ne-
gloating to remedy the evils which they disclosed. The