The Sun.
London, England, 1826-12-25 00:00:00

1823,. also under the auspices' of the Apostolicals,
with the aid of his present adviser, his wide, the
Marquis de Cantlas : and it will be remembered. that
after having been defeated at the Bridge of Amarante,
whence his father's title was originally derived, he was
at length compelled to retire into Spain, until the
work he had undertaken in the country was completed
by the Infante Don Miguel in the capital, when the
Count returned home, and for his services was re-
warded with the title of Marquis de Chaves. The
Marchioness is a bold and enthusiastic woman, whose
ideas completely agree with those of her husband, and
she possesses an unbounded influence in' Tras-os-
Montes over the lower orders, where the spirit of pro-
vincialism is very great. This family have all the
Monks, Friars, arid Devotees with them. The wife
was the chief organizer of the Marquis's plans during
his late retirement to Spain. When he returned on
his present enterprise, he had with him the 24th re-
giment 'of the line, called Braanza, from this being
the place where it usually recruited, and composed of
400 men ; the 17th chasseurs, which, it will be re-
membered, ran away to Spain without any of its
Officers,: and amounting to 250 men; the 22d regi-
ment, which went away frtim Almeida with '350
men, to wham may be added about 500 more regu-.
lars, obtained from various scattered parties who have
joined him in his progress. His regulars do' not,
therefore, exceed 1,500, or at most 2,000 men ; the'
24th and 17th, the other two regiments which' had
turned tail, being at present engaged in operations to the
South. The Guerillas, or armed peasants, acting with
him, may amount to as many more, even including the
1000 Spaniards who are said to follow in his train. Das-
os-Montes is a thinly inhabited province; but in the ex-
tremes of the kingdoms of Spain and Portugal there are
always daring bands of mounted smugglers to be fciund,
who regularly bid the local authorities defiance, and are
at any time ready to join in crusades of this kind, in which
pillage may be expected. With sash a force along a' line
of:march situated amongfriends and relatives, and only.now
and then a small garrison to impede him, his advance Milk
naturnlly be rapid and successful till he reaches the biiidge'
of Amaranth, constructed arose the riverTamega,atop:ious
stream, and no where fordable at this season of the year.
This bridge is on the direct road to Oporto, and 10 leagues
distant. It is, consequently, the natural point of defence,
and there and in the neighbourhood the chief militia force
intended to cover Oporto is posted. This force consists
of the militia regiments of Oporto, Feira, Aveiro, Coinibra,
Figueras, Argand, Maya, Villa do Conde, and Penafiel; and
although not troops of line, they are trained, equipped; and
clothed, and for the purposes of defence, certainly as god(' as
Regulars—many of them having done duty during the:Pe-
ninsular war. the men are mostly landowners, farnters,
vintagers, and artizans, and consequently with something at
stake. These regiments have usually-600 men each,and
besides those above enumerated, the districts of Gidina-
mens and Braga,have their respective RegiMents, independ-
ent of volunteers in all the districts, armed on the prehent
occasion. Such are the means still left for the defenct of
Oporto, no part of which can be brought into action till
the Miguelites reach the bridge of Amarante. From this
place there is a magnificent road to Oporto, made by 'the
Oporto Wine Company, but on it there are Many
positions capable of • strong defence, particularly at a
mountain called Pidre. Even if the bridge of Amaninte
should therefore be carried, some material obstacles are to
be overcome before the road is open to Oporto. Should
the victor make a detour and pass on towards Guimareims,
by which a distance of about five leagues would be lbst,
'sere is still the Serra of Santa Cabstina to pass, AO.

.ikeivise presents many natural difficulties. -Since the
peace, and particularly since the year 1823, when the
soldiery declared against the free institutions of their
country, under the Infante Don Miguel, the regular army
of Portugal has been extremely reduced, scarcely amount
ing to more than thirteen thousand effective men. .tirrui
regiments have been entirely guided by the opinion of
superior officers, yet others have remained faithful to the
Constitutional standard, more particularly now that the
new Institutions are derived from a source, to which their
most punctilious Nobles cannot object. As a body they
have sometimes shown themielves open to bribery, and on
their dispositions to resist it now, or rather on the mate of
the invaders' pocket, their present fidelity may,in some mea-
Imre, depend. The Lisbon Government, who, in this att4ck
on their territory, do not seem to have been sufficiently
on the alert, have, however, confided a force of regulars
and militia to General Claudino, with a view to stop
the progress of the Marquess de Chaves, on the line
leading to Oporto, and General Pego, at present in coin-
mand at Almeida, has been directed to advance to the
same quarter. These are the two officers who, in 1813,
drove the Silveira party into Spain : and they are called
again to act on the theatre of their former victories, with
nearly the same troops, then and now chiefly composed:of
militia. General Pego is a stern and experienced officer,
who followed the fortunes of Napoleon,_ and, with Oie
Portuguese Legion, was present at.most of the important
battles fought in the North of Europe, during the Coi*i.
nental war; but he never would go against his native
country during the French invasion of the Peninsula. On
the promptitude and skill of these two officers the greatest
reliance can be placed, and frola , the preparations matte
-they must soon have taken Up positions in front !of
the enemy. Chaves's force 18 infinitely smaller now
than it was in 1823, when these same officers chore
him into Spain. Oporto is indeed an open tow!ii,
and besides commanded by several neighbouring
tions; yet, from its size, population, and resources, rit
stands in an imposing attitude, even to a regular
army. When Soult advanced upon it in 1809, with
27,000 regulars, it was defended by only 3,000 men; he
halted, opened trenches, and commenced a regular siege.
The Bishop then acted as Governor; and so great was
the enthusiasm of the besieged, that when the French
Commander sent in a flag of truce—the bearer of which,
by the bye, happened to be the late General' Foy, tire.
liberal and enlightened French patriot—the indignant in-
inhabitants put him in prison, insulted him, and he nearly
lost his life. The place was taken by assault at the end
of the third day, and the scenes of confusion which ensued
are beyond description. They are, in short, imprinted on
the minds of all; and in great measure gave rise to those
apprehensions, and a disposition on the part of the wealthy
inhabitants, more particularly the female., to quit the place,
as expressed in some of the Oporto letters of the sth inst
The defence of the place is entrusted to General Stubbs, a
brave and active Englishman, who has long been in the
service, and commanded the fortress of
EPoivratsugnu ietsiele
time of the Constitution. Soine additional
forces had also arrived there from Lisbon when the last
accounts came away ; and we are glad in having it in
our power to state that our own Government have sent
thither two small vessels of-war capable of passing the
bar, to be ready on any emergency. These, we have
some reason to think, were the Galetea and Plumperi
Which sailed some days before the troops went away. 'We
have also the most confident hopes that the first division of
Engliah soldiers would arrive long before even the Mar.;
que
moral influence of such an event would, no doubt, be great.
es de Chaves could appear in the vicinity, and the
We do not disguise to our readers that the chief object of
the present crusade against the free institutions of Portu-
gal, is not to place the Infante Don Miguel on throne
eventually secured to him by a marriage already solemnizedr
but rather for the ;impose of throwing down a structure
supposed to be raised u by us,
and doing.ftway with
British influence in the on pf
y remaining portion of the Pe-
ninsula open to us. With the Infante Dom Miguel, the
present crusaders have no connection; from him they
have received no Sanction or support. The chief agitators
and definers of the expence are to be found in Madrid and
Paris--Mipel, is the mere pretext. Fortunately the rebels
have nearly approached that portion of the Portuguese terri7
torj where the trial Of political principles may be made prit4