The Sun.
London, England, 1832-12-03 00:00:00

ANSWER.

cg Gentlemen,—l have received to-day your protest
against the act by which the batteries erected on the south
of the Douro hindered his Britannic Majesty's cutter R:tea
from entering the river, and I therefore find myself again
obliged to draw your atten!ion to its contents, and to invite
you to examine it with the sincerity and frankness proper
to officers in the service of a neutral nation, and which
values itself on its respect for the rights and independence
of other.

" After the circular which my Government addressed on
the 4th of July, this year, to the Consul of his Britannic
Majesty in Lisbon, in which is the following passage—
' As soon, therefore, as the event shall take place which is
anticipated in the said decree, of the declaration of the state
of siege of all the sea-ports and coasts of those kingdoms,
all means shall be employed which may prevent communi-
cations with the enemy, all and every communication
being immediately prohibited with the places and districts
in a state of siege during the presence of the enemy,'—
the General, my predecessor, had occasion at times to re-
iterate this declaration, received by your Government, and
I continued to do the same till, on the Bth inst., I bad the
honour to inform you that the siege was going to be ren-
dered more effective by hindering any ship, whether mer-
chantman or man-of-war, from entering the Douro ;
acting in this conformably to the laws of nations and of
war, and hoping from your honour and from the dignity of
the English nation that, strictly adhering to the neutrality
which you have so many times protested, von would al-
fvays respect all the legal means employed- by the forces
under my command to annoy the rebels, and to enforce a
mea-ure which is employed against every vessel under
whatever flag. This proceeding, consequent to the de-
clarations and principles received by your Govern-
ment, and which has hitherto had your tacit as-
sent, suffered, however, a modification with respect
to you, for the commander of the naval force in
the Douro having said that he wanted means to com-
municate with the packets, and proposed, for this pur-
pose, the use of boats with the English colours, my
Government, always ready to facilitate every thing neces-
sary for your correspondence, and the service of the ships
of war anchored in the Douro, gave the requisite orders
on the 16th inst., which I communicated to you on the
following day, by which these ships shru'd be free to go
out, and the method of communication proposed by the
said commander permitted, as I now agree that the Echo
steam-boat shall henceforth be employed on that service,
which the Consul affirms to be only to carry out letters,
without being the bearer of anything for either of the bel-
ligerents.

" The entrance of all and every vessel being thus pro-
hibited, and the mode of your communication with the
ships that may bring letters for you being agreed upon
and determined, the act against which you protest appeals
to me to be legal, being the measure which has been so
long intended, with which you were acquainted, and
which your Government has admitted in its quality of a
neutral Power, and as such a mere observer of the rights
of my nation ; and therefore judging your complaint to
be unfunded, I am obliged to make a counter-protest.
On this occasion, I must inform you, that when the
Raven attempted to enter the Douro, the Castle of La
Fez, occupied by the rebels, fired on my batteries, which
it was necessary to binder, and also to disperse troops of
individuals who collected on that occasion, and who ap-
peared to wait for the interposition of that ship between
our batteries for some object.
" I have the honour to he, Gentlemen, your obedient
servant, " Viscount de SANTA MARTHA.

" Head quarters, Agios Santas, Nov 19.
" Department of Foreign Affairs, Nov. 23.
" In the absence of the superior officer.
" ANTONIO X. D'ABREU CASTELHO BRANCO."
" To Mr. T. S. Sorel!, and Captain W. N. Glascock.
Lisbon Gazette, Nov 24, the latest elate received.