The Sun.
London, England, 1828-03-03 00:00:00

THE SPIRIT OF ME PUBLIC JOURNALS.

• . • •
-Want of room-has
,hitherto prevented us from
giVing 4 summary of the intelligence which reached
us. in private letters and public papers by the last
Lisbon mail. That intelligence cannot fail to be
interesting to a certain portion of our Feeders, as de-
scriptive of the state of Portugal on the eve of the
new Regent's arrival.: Though the fanatic obsti-
nary of the old Queen .may be as unyielding as ever,
her- influence in the councils of her party, and her
ascendancy over the mind of her son; must be very
much diminished by her recent absurdities, and par-
ticularly by the part which she has played in refer-
ence to the marriage of her youngest daughter. Her
partisans among the nobility are displeased at an
alliance which either degrades a member of the
Royal Family to the level of a subject, or exalts one
of their order to a rank so near Royalty. The niari-
ner, too, in 'whichthe nuptial contract was concluded,
and the circumstances which attended .the marriage,.
aggravated dissatisfaction with the match by resent-
ment at the apparent Contempt for religion and de.,
cornm which accompanied the ceremony. • Nor can
the unauthorized or unsolicited removal which
her Majesty has . made from ,her country. palace
(in which she wished to, make. it appear that
she was held in durance by the
_Constitutiona-
lists) to the residence of the Regent at Ajuda,
tend to make her more respected ,by her friends,: or
more an object of affection 'with her children. Her
presence may thus embarrass her son; the new Re-
gent, on his arrival, but can scarcely be' expected to
produce any effect on his political principles or pub-
lic conduct. The state of the GOvernment and the
spirit of the Chambers are somewhat more equivo-
cal. By the alirm or Malevolence of 'the Admini.:
.strttion and Police, on occasion of the disturbaneei
in July'last, it will be recollected that a considerable
number :of persons were , thrown into prison on
charges of sedition, and that accusations were brought
against others, whose high rank or doubtful crimi-
nality exempted them from such cruel treatment.
All the inferior persons, both civil and military, thus
charged and imprisoned, have been set at liberty-on
a complete establishment of their innocence; but
no decision has yet been formed with rtspect to four
peers implicated in similar charges 't f the poliee.
• The trial of these four peers,---nami.y, the Arch-.
bishop Of Elves, the Marquis of Fron teira, and Counts
Taipa and Cunha (from which tinc Government
was willing to depart; had they themselves not de-
manded it), is going on before the Upper Chamber,
converted into a high Court of Judicature. The
impeachment, so far as it contains any intelligible
matter of erimination, merely charges them with
being. present at assemblages of the people, in which
it is .alleged that the cries of viva to the King and
the Charter were mingled with an inconsistent viva
to some imaginary republic. In the case of the Arch-
bishop, the Court of -Rome, through• its legite at
Lisbon, renewed the obsolete pretension of exempt-
ing its dignitary from trial by civil jurisdiction. The
'claim of the legate was laid before the Chambei-;
and, after a debate, in which a geod deal of consti-
tutional and- ecclesiastical lore was 'displayed, was
answered by an appeal to the Chatter, which con-
fers upon the House of Peers the power_of deciding
on the impeachment of its members without any ex-
ception in favour of that pertion of them who are
churchmen. It was pleasing to see that even seve-
ral of the bishops supported this view of the question.
It was,- perhaps, lucky for the impeached prelate I
that such was the decision of his peers.. As he was
elevated-to his present dignity by the Ministry of
the late Cortes-7es he has always been a staunch
Constitutionalist, and of late showed himself a de- I
cided supporter of the Government of Don Pedro
against the Apostolical rebellion, there can be no
doubt that lie will Obtain more justice from the
Court of Peers, thaa he could have expected from
the Court of Rome—that he would have found his
ecclesiastical immunity a misfortune, and his exemp-
tion froni civil jurisdiction a sentence of inquisitorial
*ondemnation. The evidence given against him in
the Chamber is 'not siifficient, though true, to
establ4ll an offence of the slightest turpitude,
o even to create a • moral prejudice of any
duratiOil- It. merely states that he was seen in
the great. square of Lisbon, amid 'an 1 assemblage
of persons who shouted vices to'Don,Pe'dro, to the
Charter; and to the ExMinister Saldanlia. None
of the witnesses swore that lie joined in the acclaim-.
bolt's or encouraged the mob, though the former
were ii"..inocent, and the latter not inclined to violence.
But even these facts rest on the testimony of per-
sons whose names and previous conduct render them
in such a case unworthy of belief. They are chiefly
military officers, ,s-dio had been dismissed the service
for joining with the rebels or encouraging the rebel-
lion some months before, and are, consequently, the
most bitter enemies -of "the' Constitutional party, to
which the Prelate belongs. The Archbishop, how-
ever, do'es not rely on the prejudice which must ne•
, cessarily exist against depositions from such a quar,
ter. He is pfepared to bring the' evidence of a whole
convent, in which he resided at the time, that he was
end confined to bed on the. nights in which he is
Raid to have been perambulging the pUhlie squares
arid regaling fns ears with the cries of tumult.—
The three other Peers implicated in this ridiculous
charge haVf
against them only the same facts and the
same witneS'sqe. Two of them, Count Taipa and the
:Marquis of FrbntOira, are spirited young Noblemen,
who the year beforeToffered themselves as volunteers
against the rebels, who joined Villa Floes staff, and
whose zealous services and pnerpus'example contri-
buted poWerfully. to the success of the campaign.
They pan easily show that instead of encouraging the
riots, they were extremely active in endeavouring to
disperse the rioters ; and they have summoned their
commander, Nitla. Flor, then Governor of Lisbon, as
well as the President of Police, to attest the fact.
,Indeed, nobody acquainted .with the events of that
ailed can deny that if any.biame attaches to these
young- noblemen, it rests rather on their patrician
insolence In unnecessarily attacking the crowd, than
on their Jacoti;tiear PriPoPies in stimulating it to

excesses.
~ what% the matter, you dissentious rogues,
That, rubbing the poor itch of your opinion,
' alikeyOurselves antis ?" . . •
was the contemptuous- tone in which some of the
most estimable citizens .of LisbOn were addressed
by those
,menlYho are nosy accused of being eager
to encourage supporting popular rights.- i
revolt by
It ismuellto be regretted that this ' friVolous ttiall
in 'the House of Peers should ever have commenced,
recalling; as it does, events %Welt ought' to have
been buried in obliviOn, and maintaining Wpm ani-
mosities in the presence Of the Prince, WhoSe arrival
ought to'have allayed theM. Passing by other oc-
cntrences'in the Chamber of Peers, in which some
pt the members are showing an evident desire to
41.s.turb the harmonY Which exists between the two
larani4ga.of the, Legislature, .we.haVe only' room to
ileinark, that the accounts of the year lard I)eforethe
.Deputies sty the Minister of Moire aro 'far from
being satisfactory,. The ordinary receipt of. the
'reasury amounts 60_y _.
to 6,4,00;710 : milreas, or
sonleWhat more than a .vaillion and a half sterling;
v exp-enditore is 0,959
hile the ,609 :milreas, or
rie,,,i . two millions and a half.. 'the expenses of the
art aziity,_.d navy alone absorb the Nyho;le. ordinary
Though, therer '
ways anal means of the Tr?a,,,y,
fore, the debt of fortogai is at present small (about
this must appear a lamentable
midst of profound peace. We
:;aotoeo'oofWthli:n6gtsgfnlin ),
tfit
• observe amonz the items of expenditure,," Remit-
-lances to London, .consular anti diplomatic charges,
and expenses of the Infant'S voyage, ' amounting in
all to 256,888 milreas (upwardsOf 60,0000, and
we venture in expresS a hope this sum; though large,
will be found, in the part of it destined to repay the
Infant's constitutional educatioP, or to support his
personal liberalities, the most` useful and' productive
''
application of Portugtiese revenue which: was ever
pirfore made.--Times.
..
, f
'
It gives us sincere pleasure to be able to COMM.
nicate, on what' we deem good .authority; that his
Grace the Dnirie of "Wellington, 'Wellington, ipresied with Is
laudabldeSire 'to Obtaifi .all the.qnslifitatinns de-
fnanded.b the high ituatio!is to which he bas been
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