Star.
London, England, 1830-03-11 00:00:00

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that, in connecting themselves with the
ight be assured of the support of England
rest satisfied that England would up.
'under any 'dense circumstances that might arise.
ignel wrote a letter to his brother the Emperor of
pledged himself to goveta according to the con.
stii.ition : he also wrote a letter of the same purport to his sister;
:•1:1 he gave similar assurances to the people of Portugal, and to the
King or England. Now, it was quite evident, that the letter addressed
to the King of England was written in conformity with what the King
of England had already settled and agreed to, with respect to the
constitution of Portugal. All Europe was led to place confi-
dence in Den Miguel, in consequence of the intervention of Eng.
land, and the communication which he had had with that power.
He would not add to these circumstances all the personal honours
which Don Miguel received in consequence of the apparent fairness
.‘f hi. conduct, and which farther proved the feelings of this country
with reference to the Portuguese constitution. The protocol of Jan.
12 clearly showed that there was a negotiation going on with Don
Miguel, in which England and Austria were evidently parties, their
object being the support of the Portuguese constitution. Miguel then
proceeded from this country, with a Britishsquadron and attended by
the British ambassador. He arrived at Lisbon; end six or seven
days afterwards, —at a time when he (Mr. Huskisson) could not
doubt but that he had, in conjunction with his mother and other
persons, planned the overthrow of the constitution, as if to show
now little binding he considered the most solemn bligations,—as
if to show how easily he could play and trifle with those who
placed confidence in him,—he thought fit, gratuitously and unne.
cessarily, to take the oath by which he pledged himself to main-
tain and support the constitution. His conduct very soon showed
that it was impossible to place any, much less implicit reliance,
on his honour or his engagements. Remonstrance after re-
monstrance followed, but Ministers would not produce those re-
monstrances--they were refused to those who called for them. Now,
he must say, that in order to form a proper judgment on the case,
the house ought to be put in possession of those remonstrances.
They ought to be apprised of the instructions sent to Sir Frederick
LaMb on that occasion. If that were done, they would be enabled
to see with what spirit, feeling, and view, the British Government
acted with reference to Don Miguel. Let the instructions on which
these remonstrances were founded be produced, and he would
prove to the house, that even then the maintenance of the Portu.
guess Constitution was the great object of the British Government.
When his right honourable friend endeavoured to implicate him
and his noble friend in some of the proceedings which were corn.
planed of, he would say to hie right hon. friend, " Give us
the papers" (hear, hear;) " Give us the papers, and then we
can defend ourselves." Ile admitted that the despatch which
occasioned the troops to be sent back did bear his name. It
was signed before Government was informed that Don Miguel
had assumed the title and authority of king. Now, he really
thought that his right honourable friend had not bad time to have
looked at the documents which had already been produced on
this subject; because, if he had, he would have found that
the information relative to Don 3liguel's conduct had absolutely
arrived in England after he was out of °film He admitted that the
order for the embarkation of the troops was signed by himself, after
Don Miguel bad given cause of uneasiness; but these circumstances
of ,uneasiness led the government to make serious remonstrances;
and he again wished that these remonstrances were placed on the
table of the house, and it would be then seen in what point of view
the conduct of Don Miguel was contemplated. The result of the
despatch which was received on the 22d of June was, that Sir
Frederick Lamb suspended his functions at Lisbon until
further orders, and the other powers all followed the example
of England. On the 13th of July hls majesty's ministers received
a very laconic letter from Sir F. Lamb, In which he said, " I en-
close the proclamation of Don Miguel, in which he claims to be
recognised as King." Thus It appeared, that on the 13th of July
his majesty's ministers received the notification of his having
usurped the throne of Portugal, long after he (Mr. H.) had any
thing to do with the government. On the 13th of July ministers
received this Information, and he would remind the house, that
only three days after the receipt of that despatch, when one would
suppose that the government would be filled with feelings of in.
dignation at me Imposition which had been practised towards
his majesty—when one would imagine that the deceit of Don
Miguel would meet with their strongest reprobation—only three
days after the arrival of that information, the of State
for the Foreign Department declared—his regret at usurpa-
tion ? or his sorrow for the fate of the persons whose lives and
properties were sacrificed by the usurper ? No each thing : he
declared that the friends of Don Miguel spoke the sentiments of
the Portuguese people. Thus did it go forth to the world, that the
moral influence of Great Britain bad expired t thus did it appear
that our friendship and assistance were mere shadows. Well might
the Portuguese say, when an English minister again proffered them
assistance, noscitur d 80db—heaven defend us from such friends.
He looked with astonishment at the character of Don Miguel. It
was amazing that so young a man could have accomplished so much
wickedness in so short a time ; for, at the early age of six-
and-twenty, this man—this Don Miguel—had perpetrated every
crime, and displayed every vice, which historical truth or historical
fiction had attributed to the most sanguinary monsters that ever
waded through the blood of innocent people in pursuit of their am-
bitious objects.—(Hear.) It was to be hoped that he would finish a
life of infamy by a death of violence. But could they talk of this in-
dividual abstractedly, and without reference to the engagements
into which he had entered ? Could they forget the pledge which be
had given to the King of England ? Could they overlook the in.
dignity with which his subsequent conduct visited the monarch of
this country ? To use a military metaphor, a gallant body of British
troops, pncluding a portion of his majesty's household forces, had
been sent out as a covering party, to facilitate the assaults and
attacks which Don Miguel was about to make on that constitution
which he had sworn to maintain—they were sent out to look on
his btutal violence, and to view, unmoved the judicial murders
which he was committing. Was it for the honour of this country
that there should be now some 30,000 or 40,000 Portuguese wan-
dering all over Europe ? (Hear.) He could assure his right hon.
friend, whatever he might think, that the impression throughout
the world was, that the constitutional party in Portugal had suf-
fered deeply for their strict adhesion to this country. His right
hon. friend had argued, that ministers were justified in the course
which they had adopted, and that they would have acted improperly
if 'hey had, under the existing circumstances, interfered. Why, the
history of Portugal, for the last thirty years, was nothing but the his-
tory of English interference; and it could not be otherwise, in con-
sequence of the engagements which bound this country to that
limited and feeble state. All must know the reason of the engage-
ments which bound us to defend Portugal from any aggression,
come from what quarter it might. Now, it was evident, where
there war any engagement so binding and yet so inconvenient to
this country, that there must be some leading and paramount in.
crest which called for it. That leading and paramount interest was
to prevent Portugal from falling into the hands of any of those
great Powers which adjoined that State, and which this country was
accustomed to view with jealousy. Besides, the situation of Portu-
gal was such as would enable this country the more easily to repel
any design which the Spaniards might meditate with respect to
Gibraltar. Portugal ought, therefore, to claim as a right a
paramount interest in our councils. What had been the his-
tory of our connexion with Portugal for the last 30 years? Early
in the late war an application was made by Spain to Portugal, tall-
ing on her to shut her posts against Great Britain. And what repre.
sentation did Portugal make to this country ? She said, that
either we must defend her at our own expense, and with our own
army and navy, or else that she must comply with the unjust and
improper requisition of Spain. This country then entered on the
defence of Portugal, with a most unbounded profusion of men, of
money, of military, of naval, and of every other description of suc-
cour. Did we not train up in that country a well-appointed fortes?
Did we not give strength to her government, anti inspire her while
population with a spirit warmly devoted to the preservation of het
rights ? All this was done, and in what situation stands that
country now ? All that we did has been overturned, and ge-
meal corruption, folly, feebleness, and immorality, prevailed.
Portugal was now in a state of absolute inability to make
an y defence against foreign aggression. She was as in.'
efficient to defend herself in 1827, as she was when she called
for our assistance in 1796. Now he contended that it was the
paramount duty of this country to give Portugal such institutions as
would render her Government sufficiently strong and powerful, ea
not to be dependent on England on every trifling occasion of danger.
If he were called on to state instances of our interference, not
during the period of war, but since the peace, he would say, that,
before the Constitution was sent over Rio Janeiro, a large
British force was lying in the Tagus. That force was stationed there
not to assist one party or another, but to preserve the Govern-
ment inviolate. And when Don Miguel attempted the foulest
treason to his sovereign and his father, how was it prevented ?
(Hear, hear.) Why, by the intervention of the British Am-
bassador, who placed the captive monarch on board a ship in the har-
bour, and sent him for safety out of the country. His right hon.
friend seemed not to like the constitution of Portugal, because it ap-
peared that the Emperor had framed it in less than a week. He did
not stand up to defend that constitution ; but it was no answer to.
him to say that it must be defective because it was framed in so
abut a time. Let his right hon. friend recollect how long Louis
XVIII. was occupied in trailing the charter of France. He bo.
lieved the charter of France—and he hoped it would not die a pro.
mature death—was promulgated in three days after the -seers.
shy of such a measure was pointed out. (Hear, hma.)—
Under these circumstances, a constitution recognized by the l
timates of Europe is suffered to be overthrown whilst the ked.
Upside monarchs of Europe, instead of mending armies to =
it, as they would in the case of an absolute monarchy,
- on it with complacency, if not with approbation. (Boor, bear.)
The purest legitimacy was not entitled in their eyes to support, if

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