The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-01 00:00:00

PORTUGUESE LEGITIMACY-DOM
MIGUEL 11.

We transfer to our columns from those of the
Weekly Register of Saturday last the following re-
markable letter under the above title :
" Sir,—l have just received for publication in
this country the enclosed declaration, written by
my esteemed friend, whose signature it bears, and
which the de jure Queen of Portugal, the widow of
the late King Dom Miguel 1., wishes should be
published in England, besides my own declara-'
tions on the same subject. On my part, it is
scarcely necessary that I should reiterate what
I have so repeatedly maintained in your own
columns, and in other English papers--viz., that
Dom Miguel I. was, whilst living, the only lawful
King of Portugal, consequent on the death of his
father, John VI., and the recognition of the Bra-
zilian Independence by all Europe. In your paper
of the 16th January, 1864 (if I recollect right), you
inserted a demonstration, written by me, of that
ligitimate right, which demonstration was pro-
nounced unanswerable, or uncontrovertible, by a
very high authority in the anti-Miguelite party; and
I defy, even now, anybody to contradict it. I there
conclusively adduced the legal foundations of the
King's constitutional right, which, of course, ex-
cluded any other similar claim whilst the same
sovereign lived and did not abdicate. It is obvious
that such right passes on to Dom Miguel's eldest son
(and, in default of this, to the eldest daughter),
and, consequently, Prince Dom Miguel 11. lawfully
succeeds, in the right of his Royal father, to the
Portuguese Throne. This same declaration I had
occasion to proclaim at the time of the marriage of
that most virtuous and lamented Prince, Dom
Pedro d'Alcantara, the eldest son of the excellent
Brazilian Princess, Donna Maria da Gloria (the
Quadruple-Alliance Queen imposed on Portugal).
When the negotiations were taking place at Berlin
for the alve-named prince's union with that most
amiable and deeply-regretted Princess Stephanie,
it was given out in Lisbon that the King, Dom
Miguel, had renounced his claims to the Throne
in exchange for a pension. As soon as I was ap-
prised of the absurd rumour I immediately sent to
Portugal my own printed protest, declaring that
the thing rumoured had no more importance or
effect, even if true—which I did not credit—than
obliging our Legitimists to append two capital Pa
instead of one to the name of
_the Prince, and to
make us shout " Long Live Dom Miguel 11.,'
stead of " Dom Miguel I." The time has now
arrived for the Portuguese Royalists to double the
lon their banner. The change is, indeed, very
small, and I do think that the demise of the late
legitimate sovereign makes no difference in the feel-
ings and hopes of the true National Party, unless it
be the increasing of their hopes for the restoration
at some future time or other of ther legitimate
rights, influence, and position in their country.
I know that the party imposed on my country by
the Quadruple Alliance will laugh at such tenacious
hope, and that they will consider themselves as
secure in their mastery of Portugal as the Count-
Duke of Olivares and Philip IV. of Spain did in
1639 ; this, however, did not prevent the Duke of
Braganza being restored to his lawful rights some
time after. In our own days we have seen wonder-
ful upsettings enough in even the most powerful
States and Governments, not to be quite despairing
of still witnessing some turn in favour of the right-
fulsection, and the rightful sovereign of the country.
If Portugal got rid of Spanish usurpation at the end
of sixty years, may she not also free herself from
another intrusion, even within a like period, or
somewhat less, than that ?
Here is my friend's declaration :
Sir,—ln presence of the great misfortune which has just
afflicted the partisans of Legitimacy in Portugal by the loss
of their august chief, the King Dom Miguel 1., it is im-
portant that public opinion in Europe should be fixed, and
regularly acquainted with the attitude, the hopes, and the
intentions of that eminently National Party in their actual
new circumstances. This, lam going to state, not on my
own authority, but as duly empowered by the Queen
Adelaide Sophie, in her quality of mother and natural
guardian of Prince Dom Miguel, the son, successor, and
the heir of the rights of the deceased king. A very few
words will suffice to make this attitude, as well as such
hopes and intentions, understood. "Rei morto, Rei posto"
(King dead, King raised) is our ancient Portuguese for-
mula for all circumstances similar to those in which we
find ourselves placed at this moment. One King being
dead, his Crown, his authority, his rights, immediately
pass on to the person of his natural successor, and the
national life is continued without interruption as regularly
as before.
According to these principles, the position of the great
Portuguese National Party remains•precisely now what it
was before the sad event which occasions this declaration,
with the only difference that those who formerly shouted
"Long Live Dom Miguel I." will now shout for "Dom
Miguel II." The great Portuguese national and truly
constitutional party has lost one man, and that is all.
Now, for what concerns the solidity of the incontestable
rights transmitted by the deceased monarch to his son,
they have been clearly enough defined by the Courts of
Lisbon of 1641, whose enactment was confirmed by the
letters patent of King John IV., of 12 t h September, 1642,
so as to render it unnecessary to speak of it again. And,
indeed, the de facto Government themselves have posi-
tively admitted those rights when they proposed to King
Dom Miguel a renunciation of his claims in exchange for
the restitution of a portion of his own property, the whole
having been purely and simply confiscated, informally,
and in contradiction to the principles of justice held by
all Governments of the like origin. Such proposals were
peremptorily rejected, and most certainly would be so
again, should they be brought forward anew. In fine, as
to the conduct of the National Party upon those new cir-
cumstances, it will be as follows:—Remembering St. Paul's
doctrine, in his Epistle to the Romans, the Portuguese
Legitimists will obey the constituted authorities until it
shall please Providence to change the state of things im-
posed by the Quadruple Alliance, founded on the right of
force. But their aspirations, their hopes, their fidelity,
their love, will constantly persevere for the king of their
heart, the only one they henceforward will recognise as
such. This one is but a child as yet, who shall, however,
be soon a man, and is already a handsome young prince,
as handsome in personal appearance as he is richly en-
dowed in intellectual qualities. [The Ed. of the IV. R.
here interpolates a notification to the effect that, in addi-
tion to this son, we believe that the late ex-King leaves
issue by his marriage six daughters.] He is now 13 years
and some weeks old, having been born September 19, 1853.
He finishes his education under the vigilant eyes of his
mother, and the direction of his tutor, Doctor Gomes
d'Abren, one of the worthiest men in the National Party.
This gentleman, long before accepting his honourable
charge, had already won the high respect of his political
partisans, by sacrificing his professorship in the University
of Coimbra tho moment an oath was demanded from him
of fidelity to a prince whom his conscience did not allow
him to acknowledge as the legitimate sovereign.
I beg you kindly to publish this declaration in your
valuable paper, and am, with great respect, your obedient
servant,
J. GABIA DE °ASTRA.
Paris, Nov. 20.

~ in

This gentleman, one of great literary and scien-
tific acquirements, a very distinguished doctor of
the Portuguese University, has been always a most
staunch and consistent partisan of King Dom
Miguel and the Legitimate system in Portugal.
Resident in Paris now for many years, be has been
there the confidential agent and representative of
the deceased king—this honourable confidencebeing
continued to him by the widowed queen and the
royal family.

A. R. SARAIVA.
21, Nottingham-street, -Marylebone, W.,
London, Dec. 19.

Mr. BRIGHT, M.P., AND THE BOLTON CLERGY-
MAN.—A short time ago the Rev. W. Chamberlain,
incumbent of St. John's, Bolton, delivered a speech at a
Conservative gathering in that town, in the course of which
the rev. gentleman made some remarks strongly reflecting
on the political character of the hon. member for Birming-
ham. Observing that there was a vast amount of " hum-
bug" in the world, the rev. speaker added, " but I never
did think that my fellow-countrymen could swallow all
the abominable trash that John Bright utters. I look upon
him as a most ignorant, unfortunate man." A Bolton gen-
tleman wrote to the lion. member, protesting, on behalf of
the people of Bolton, against the abusive language used by
the rev. politiciiin. In reply, Mr. Bright sends the follow-
ing note :—"Rochdale, Dec. 17, 1866. Dear Sir,--I must
write to you one line, to thank you for the newspaper and
for your kind note. 1 hope that the result of our labour
may show that we have been in the right, and that the
abuse of our opponents has been undeserved. I pity the
congregation which is doomed to receive its weekly supply
of spiritual instruction from the ignorant and vulgar minis-
ter whose speech has been recently reported in your papers.
He is a poor guide for this world, and I know not how any
one can trust him for the next.—l am, truly yours, JOHN
BRIGHT."

BROCCOLL—Within the last few days upwards
of 2,000 crates of broccoli have been sent from West Corn-
wall to London and the north.