The Sun.
London, England, 1832-05-05 00:00:00

TERCEIRA.

The following decree has been issued by Don Pedro :
" Taking into consideration the state of the Isles of the
Azores, and the general exigency of the kingdom, which
cinnot maintain, since its separation from Brazil, so great
a number of persons who directly or indirectly live by other
than secular labours ; I think fit, in the name of the
Queen, to institute a commission composed of five mem-
hers, of whom the first shall be the President, and the last
the Secretary, to examine—
' 1. What are the colleges of the Isles of the Azores,
their religious utility, their revenues and obligations, in
order to discover those which are unable to support that
,s' stable and independent position which ecclesiastics
ought to receive an equivalent for the losses igeFfiqsififseer
in the suppression.
" 2. To point out those convents of friars and nuns
which are able to maintain themselves independently of
their institutes, taking into consideration the number of
convents secularized in consequence of the urgent necessities
of the Government, and the diminished revenue of some
others, in order that no one may suffer from the reduction;
it not being my intention to obtain revenue by this means,
but to convert to profitable purposes that which may not
be necessary to the individuals themselves in the mainte-
nance of their respective characters ; and whereas, acci-
dental differences of order ought not to influence the com-
mission to leave untouched the greater number of convents,
neither, on the other hand, should any be suppressed with-
out first hearing the superiors; and because it is not pro-
per I should usurp the rights of the spiritual power ; I
think fit that there should be a commission composed of
five members, all ecclesiastics, in order that nothing may
be proposed which interferes with the authority which they
acknowledge in the temporal power. These five ecclesi-
astics shall be, the Desembagador do Paco, Joao Jose da
Cunha Ferraz, President of the Cathedral of the see of
Angra ; Marcos Pinto SuaresVas Preto, friar of the order
of St. Jago da Espada, and prior of St. Lourengo d'Alhos
Vedros; Bernardo do Canto Machado Faris e Maia, prior
of St. Sebastian de Ponta Delgada ; Manoel Antonio de
Figneiredo, abbot of Castro d'Aire ; and Antonio Martin
da Costa Menezes, canon of the see of Vizeu, who will
meet every day in such place as the President shall direct
them, and propose to me what they shall judge suitable,
in order that I may consider the proceedings in council.
The Minister and Secretary of State for Ecclesiastical Af-
fairs will therefore make this known and see it executed.
DON PEDRO, Duke of HRAGANZA.
..JOSE XAVIER MOUSINIIA DA SILVEIRA.
Palace of Angra, April 3, 1832."

ANTIGUA, MARCH 30.—The country is
excessively dry, and water very scarce, almost all the cis-
terns being empty, The crop will prove very short.
A certain fair member of the British aristo-
cracy is ❑nderstood to be the authoress of the " Fair of
May Fair," announced for immediate publication. Is it
the P— L-- ? Is it a certain Noble Marchioness ? or a
fair Countess, who is known to have been the authoress of
a recent satire, privately circulated ? A few days may per-
haps unravel the mystery.
Accounts from Lisbon to the 2nd ult. state,
that intelligence had reached the Tagus of the blo,ckade of
Madeira by the squadron of DONNA Mania, and that a
small naval force, consisting of the ship of the line Don
John VI., with two or three corvettes and brigs, was to
sail on the 26th to attack A.dmiral SARTORIUS. This
proposed expedition was not generally known at Lisbon,
and some doubt bas attached to it among the merchants on
'Change this afternoon. If it should prove true, SAR•
TORXUS will no doubt give a good account of them. Great
interest is beginning to he felt in the city, now that the
crisis draws near, in the expedition for restoring the young
Queen of PORItiCAL. It is or-derstood, as the struggle at
Lisbon may prove a momentous one, that two or three Bri-
tish ships of war are on their way to the Tagus, for the pro-
tection of British subjects, anti tL•at .they will be joined by
some Frenala ;vessels for a similar purpose. The following
extract of a lett.ea fr;ni Madeira, received yesterday, details
an outrage comtnitted come British officers scarcely to
be paril,!eled by any in Lisbon yodar the eye of Mu:um.
himself, and which will no doubt receive ironer notice at
home:—

" MADEIRA, APRIL 14•

" I have to relite to you an unpleasant circumstance which
took place on the 11th inst. An officer of ILa.rip.es and a mid.
shipman ~Lord Grey's nephew;, both belonging to his gajesty's
ship Slag, were standing in the street, when four officers of the
Lisbon troops on horseback passed. One of them turned his
horse round upon the officers of the Slag, who of course were
very angry, and, on remonstrating, the Portuguese officer struck
him a blow with a stick on the side of his face and knocked nun
down. Another Portuguese officer got off his horse and struck
him several times with his fist; the midshipman put his back
against the wall and attempted to draw his sword, but was prc.
vented by some soldiers. After committing this shameful
atrocity, the Portuguese officers went away, and the two Eng-
lishmen went to the British consul to complain. They found
their commander Sir Thomas Troubridge there, who was ex-
ceedingly angry at such rascally conduct. They immediately
went to the Castle, and the governor tried every means to calm
the Captain, saying he would have the officers punished, but I
hear that the only satisfaction that Sir Thomas will accept is,
that they should be dismissed from the seryice, which the go:
vernor refuses W agree to, and I believe a court-martial will be
held Sir Thomas is said to have declared, that if the officers
are not severely punished, he will join the blockading ,quadron,
and prevent Englisil ships from eptcrinF,"..-rirws,