The Sun.
London, England, 1840-08-11 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HO USE.
PORTUGUESE BaNns.7--Captain Britten of No. 14,
South-bank, Regent's-park, came to the Justice-room
yesterday for the purpose of applying to the Lord
Mayor for his Lordship's advice as to the most pru-
dent course to be adopted under the following circum-

stances :

The Captain, who is a Portuguese bondholder, saw
in the newspapers of Saturday, under the head of " Por-
tuguese Loans, Three per Cent. Consolidated Stock of
the Year 1833," an advertisement, stating that on Fri-

des, August 7th, were cancelled and deposited in the
Bank of England, in the Prsenee of his Excellency,
Baron Moncorvo, Plenipotentiary to the Queen of Por-
tugal, 817 bonds, amounting to 110,0001. of the Conso-
lidated ,Three per,Cent. Stock of 1885, which were de-
livered at the Portuguese Financial • Agency by several
parties on the 28th of July last, 'for account of the Bank
of Lisbon, being the amount for which they subscribed
in this kind of securities for the rest of the loan lately
contracted for at the Public Treasury, in conformity wi,h
and by virtue of the. law of the 11th July, 1839." Now.
he (Captain Britten) happened to be an unfortunate
bondholder, and he appeared before the Chief Magis-
trate. of-the City of London on his' own behalf, as well
as on behalf of a numerous body of ladies and gentle-
men who are holders-Of Portuguese Stock, to complain'
a.f. the conduct of the Portuguese Ambassador and the
Portuguese Financial Agent', -Senor Pariera de Silva, in
thu4, sanctioning what`he Could not:consider. . to be less
than a fraud committed uPon the 'distressed bondholders.
Toe Portuguese Government; it appeared, were buying
up. Bonds through the' Bank of Li4bon, from their
fa-
mished creditors,-although they had' suspended payment
of dividends for threp years,'and the price at. which they
were making the purchase wat'such that nothing could
induce holders to sel/but extreme necessity.
The LORD MAYOR asked at what rate the stock was
purchased by the Portuguese Government ? •
Captain Britteir stated that bonds which had cost 73/.
per cent., and were promised by the terms of the con-
tract to be paid off at 1001., were purchased by the Go-
vernment for 161. to 19/. with 9/. interest due open
them, so that upon each bond the English creditor was.
defrauded of about 99/. •
The LORD MAYOR-4t 'does not. appear to me that
the creditor is obliged to part with his bonds... He may
keep them till they becoMe muoh more valuable.
Captain Britten said that poor creditors had no
alternative. Their necessities made it .compulsory
upon them, and the amount of the bonds which. were
thus cancelled ''would have - been sufficient to pay
the, interest upon the debt. - He was, perfectly
aware of the sacred Character of an embassy. but
here was a violation of a.' contract 'entered into by the
Sovereign of the Ambassador who sanctioned that vio-
lation. It was a transgression, from the consequences
of which no mere individual would be protected, .and it
did not appear to the bondholders, whom he, Cap-
tain Britten, represented, that they had any alternative
but an application .S6' his Lordship for a, summons to
some of the parties concerned, to explain the circum-
stances.
The Loan MAYOR. said that he knew there existed
Very great dissatisfaction amongst those who held Por-
tuguese Bonds' on 'this subject, but Captain Britten
'and the other complaining bondholders must apply to
persons' .vested with authority different from that which
the Lord Mayor possessed, in order to obtain reparation.
'CYpt'ain Brittensaid that- Lord, Palmerston had pro
mised to do all he could for the bondholders, but that.
all proved to be nothing, or, indeed, worse than nothing,
for he had recently proposed the claims of the Duke of
Wellington and Marshal Beresford, who claimed merely
as Portuguese subjects. and he now for the second time
saw the trick played off upon the bondholders. lf such
a course was allowed to pass. unheeded, the fete of all
:Totleign hondhelders of every description would be sealed,
as it could not but be expected that other Governments
would adopt a plan so easy of accomplishment, and at-
tended with impunity, and cancel interest and principal
together.
• The LORD MAYOR—The very fact of the
.eancelling
of these bonds will make' those' which are held of more
value.
Captain Britten -admitted that such would probably
be the effect, but the necessitous would he the victims.
Those who had embarked all they possessed in the
world' would be sacrificed, while the affluent would de-
rive profit from the course objected to. He knew, and
was deputed to represent, officers who had served in
Spain and Portugal, and' at Waterloo, who had sold
their commissions, and placed. the whole produce in Por-
tuguese stock, and who at that moment could not edu-
cate, clothe, or even feed their families decently, in con-
eegnence of theivrelianee. upon the faithless security of
'that Government.' He also 'represented officers'. widows
who had two,three, or five bonds each, and a gentleman
who, having lost the bulk of his property by the failure
of agents, had deposited the dividend in the Portuguese
funds, and could not now give his wife and ' daughter
butcher's Meat three days in the week. The misery and
affliction, in fact, occasioned by the system 'of which such
heavy complaints had been made, were indescribable, and
'if redress was not soon made, the Poor-law unions would
have a new set of tenants. The Queen of Portugal
was sure to take advantage of the English law, when-
ever she saw that an appeal to it was likely', to benefit
her finances ; but, instead of returning the compliment,
she has set an example to other foreign Governments
of purchasing up debts in a manner wholly irreconcile-
able to the national practice, and at variance with
every principle of honour or fair dealing. If, indeed,
she had paid the interest upon the debt, the case
would have been different ; but what would any man
(the Lord Mayor, for instance) say, if a mercantile
man, whose bills his Lordship held, went upon 'Change,
and offered to purchase them for considerably less than
'' their' amount ?
The LORD MAYOR did not know what to advise the
applicant to do under such circumstances. The only
course that suggested itself to him was an application
to Baron Moncorvo.
Captain Britten said, that by the adoption of `the
-system thus recommended and acted upon by the Oor-
tuguese Government, the national debt of &gland
. might be got rid of. He was convinced that the' English
people would feel the highest indignation upon 'hearing
the particulars of the complaint of bondholders, and
he thought the case was really one which might pro-
perly come before the Lord Mayor upon a summons.
The Loan MAYOR said that he acted 'upon the ad-
vice of Mr. Hobler in reusing to attempt to interfere,
in such a matter. .He had heard the complaint, and he
had no doubt that those most peculiarly alluded to would
be by some means or other informed of it. Those-who
sold to the Government, could not, after all, be said to
have been compelled to 'sell,- although 'no doubt the sale
• • wasarising from their necessities. '
- Captain Britten regretted that his application did not,
in the opinion of his Lordship's legal adviser, come
within the province of his Lordship's inquiry, but was
. grateful for the kind•manner in which the communica-
'Lion had been received, at the same time expressing his
apprehension that the example of Portugal -would 'not
be lost upon the Governments of other nations.

' lIATTON-GARDEN.
CHARGE OF AnDuerr/DN.—Yesterday Mr. Walton,
surgeon, of .Qußen:square; Bloomabury,, was brotight
before Mr. Coinbe, in custody, ,charged by Mr. Ca-
priani, professor of music, residing at Hertford, with
detaining Gcorgiana Capriani, by force and violence,
against her will,"she bliing under age.
The prosecutor, having been sworn, stated that his
daughter was seventeen years of age. The prisoner
had been on terms of intimacy with him for a short
time, and was.in the taabit of visiting his house, when,
without his consent or knowledge, he was in the habit
of corresponding with his daughter. On Friday night
last he dame" to-ivitness's:housein a clandestine manner,