The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-20 00:00:00

PORTUGAL.

We have received advice 3 from Lisbon to the 14th.
A series of illegal acts on the part of the Govern-
ment prepared the way for the promulgation of an
ordonnance on the 9th inst., signed by the Queen,
and countersigned by the Ministers, which is thus
characterised by an ex-Minister of Portugal, the
Viscount Sada Bandeira. :—" This decree, abrogat-
ing the constitutional charter, places the nation in a
similar situation to that in which it stood in 1828, in
consequence of the destruction of the fundamental law
of the state."

Senor Cabral has thus openly, it would appear,
assumed the legislative attributes of the Cortes—the
power of making and revoking laws; and it re-
mains to be seen whether the Sovereign of Portugal
will continue to sanction her Minister's assumption
of the whole powers of the State in his person, or
whether the representatives of the people may not
assemble, and proclaim her Majesty's unfaithful
Minister an usurper.—Chronicle.

CLOSE OF TIIE PITMEN'S STRIKE.—NEWCASTLE.
UPON-TYNE, SATURDAY.—The strike of the pitmen in
the counties of Northumberland and Durham is now at
an end, the whole of the collieries, with very unimportant
exceptions, having. engaged all the workmen they re-
quire on the terms and conditions offered by the
coal-owners previous to the sth of April, when
the strike commenced. The Durham pitmen were
the first to give way, and several collieries on the
Wear and Tees resumed work early in the week.
The Tyne pitmen seemed inclined to hold out
longer, but the determination of the owners to engage
other men if their old workmen held out longer than
yesterday, of which due intimation had been given by,
placards plentifully posted in the district, at once de-
cided the struggle in their favour. The coal committee,
which has sat weekly in Newcastle during the progress
of the strike, have called for returns from each col-
liery, showing the number of hewers employed before
the strike commenced, the number intended to be
employed this year, the number of men now engaged
who had been previously employed as hewers in
these counties, the number of strangers employed
who had previously resided in the district, and the
number introduced from a distance. These returns will
be not only interesting, but exceedingly valuable, from
the practical illustration they are calculated to afford of
the impolicy of strikes, and the injury they inflict even
on the men themselves. After the men had signed the
monthly bond, orders were immediately given by the
colliery agents to replace their furniture in the h. ouses
they had previously occupied, and such a "
fting"
has perhaps never been witnessed before in this or any
other part of the country- It is to be hoped this prac-
tical lesson will not be lost or disregarded in future
years.
lIIGR TIDES.—On ganday evening there *was a
very lofty spring tide. The Fulham " lemmas land"
was flooded, and at the Waterside, Wandsworth, the
tide poured into the fi.sherman's houses, putting the
basement floors of these miserable dwellings, in some
instances, nearly two ftoet under water. The Wandle
overflowed its banks, and. the waters reached the station-
house, which is situated on the further side of the plain.
At Putney, the towing-path, from that place to Ham-
mersmith, was impassable to horses, and the Lightning
steam-boat, with her chimney down, was, with great
difficulty, got through Putney-bridge. It is high time
that this, and the other clumsy structure, Battersea,
bridge, were taken down, for more lives have been lost,
and more accidents have occurred, at these two bridges,
than all the others put together. It has, we understand,
been determined by the Battersea-bridge proprietors to
throw the five centre arches of that bridge into three,
and the alteration is to commence immediately.
BOULOGNE AND CALAIS.—The number of persons
who passed to and from France, via Boulogne, during
the week ending last Thursday, was 3,208, and via Calais
592. he numbers in the corresponding week of last
year were, Boulogne 2,783, Calais 584.
NORWICH AND BRANDON RAILWAY.—The works
on this railway are now in full progress, a great number
of hands having been set on at different parts of the line,
particularly at Ketteriughiuu, Wymondham, Attleburgh,
and Eccles. The cuttings for crossing the turnpike-road
near Harford bridges have been begun ; and the bridge
over the Wensum, at Carrow, has been commenced.—
Ipswich Express.
ROGERS, TIIE JOCKEY.—During the Goodwood
races Sam Rogers rode in no less than twenty-one races,
all being for the Duke of Richmond and Lord George
Bentinck, of which lie won eight, ran one dead heat,
and walked over for one, This was a good week's work.