The Sun.
London, England, 1835-12-11 00:00:00

LISBON.

Nov. 28.—Some further light has been thrown on tho
extraordinary and lamentable change in the Ministry of this
country. A society was formed ia August last, of which
some of the present Ministers were the leading members,
for the purpose of es:ahlishing the Constitution of 1820 by
a coup de main, and to secure the exclusive direction of
the Nacional newspaper, and in case of necessity, the en-
tire command of the troops. The Directoi of Police,
Luiz do Moura Furtado, who was a Colonel of the Re-
giment of Foot, was inveigled into the scheme. The siro-
vernment having obtained good information as to tile
leading members of this body, as well as their ultimate
views, took immediate measures for their apprehension.
This charge was entrusted-to the Duke of Terceira, who,
in the execution of this order, became so favourably in.-
pressed towards these individuals as to
.report to the:
Ministers that there was not the slightest necessity for
alarm, and that the reports concerning them had been (ue-
giously exaggerated. The consequence was, that all pro-
ceedings were immediately stopped. At the approach-of
the recent elections on the I.sth instant, the exceeding vio-
lence of the .Yacional, which became a direct medium of
all complaints and protests of this suspected party, now
clearly proved to the Government that they had still rea
son to believe that this journal was under the entire direc-
tion of the society ; and the filet that the Director of :'o-
lice had become a party to their plars, and el-operated with
them in their violent and illegal measures for intimidating
the various parishes to take the votes of soldiers, whether
qualified or not, coupled with the soldiers' proceeding to
the poll by sections and with their side-arms, together
with their having (although at first unsuccessfully) nearly
succeeded in breaking up the Ministry but a few days be-
fore from Misrepresentations to her youthful Majesty ;
these united circumstances convinced the Government

that the suspected Club of August not only still existed,
but, unfortunately, had greatly matured their treasonable
plans. The Government, consequently, took the prompt
and very proper measure of punishing the leaders of
the plot, by the removal of the Director of the Police,
and several officers from their various commands, as unfit
to hold posts of such trust, and undeserving of her Ma-
jesty's confidence. The Government, fce"ng that they
possessed the good opinion of the reflecting portion of the
community, from soma good reasons did not deem it
prudent, at the time those officers were gazetted out, to
give an account of their offences, which had led to such
measures ; so that the Araeimial universally promulgated
that their removal arose alone from the circumstance of
their being returned " electors." For the time, a certain
notoriety was obtained in their favour, and " the Society,"
propelled by the fervour of the moment, assembled all
the officers together, and directed them to proceed as a
united body to the Queen with their complaints, and awe
her Majesty into a change of her Ministers. The melan-
choly result is already known, and already are those ill-ad-
vised officers beginning to feel the awful consequences of
their rashness, and how much they have been the uncon-
scious dupes of en intriguing and treasonable flu ton.
Thus the present Ministers (excepting the Premier) have
come into office by plots of the most hazardous and despe-
rate nature, in the execution of which their country might,
perhaps, have again been involved in all the horrors of a
civil war. Such a total indifference a to the means pursued
to effect their end, as well as the awffil consequences which
the want of success must have entailed, cannot fail to in-
spire all respectable and reflecting classes with mistrust to-
wards their intentions ; or, at least, as to their possessing
sufficient prudence and experience to take the helm of &f-
-airs in their present critical state.