The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-23 00:00:00

PORTUGAL.

The Montrose steamer arrived this afternoon with the
Peninsular mails. The dates are Gibraltar 12th, Cadiz 12th,
Lisbon 16th, Oporto 17th, Vigo 18th. Passengers—Earl of
Durham and Ladies Lambton, Colonel and Mrs. Grey and
suite, Major-General Vernon; Messrs. Marryatt, M‘Culloch,
Brun, M•Call, Donnellin, Tremley, Strong, Sodrell, Sala-
vanda, Renshaw ; Mrs. Constable and three children ; Cap-
tains Moore, Blumer,, arid Murray ; Marquis Fayal ; Messrs.
Baru!, Noguera. Gomez and two men servants, Williams,
L arrowny, Glaudint, Woodcock ; Mr., Mrs., and Miss Lucas,
Mr. Dyce Sombre and two servants.
LISBON, MAY 16.—1 t is understood that as far as regards
the slave-trade treaty, and the general treaty of commerce, an
agreement has been come to by the two Plenipotentiaries, who
had a conference on Saturday. Lord Howard had not indeed
received his formal instructions on the points submitted to
the home Government, bat a sufficient intimation had, it is
said, been given that no difficulties would be raised there, and
the Duke of Palmella signified his readiness to sign both the
treaties. A council of state will be held to-morrow, to sanc-
tion the Duke's proceedings with respect to the treaties, which
will probably be forwarded by the next packet.
A clause has been added to the slave-trade treaty, merely
stating to the effect that, in case it is proved that the legiti-
mate commerce of the Portuguese possessions in Africa is sub-
jected to injury from the prosecution of the right of search by
our cruisers, the two contracting Powers may consult together
to remedy the same.
The treaty of commerce abolishes British privileges ; but
some security is considered to be afforded against the oppres-
sion or unfair taxation of Portuguese authorities by a clause
proposed by the Duke of Palmella, that a mixed commission
of English and Portuguese shall assess the income-tax, in case
of English residents; and with respect to justice, Portugal is
to give the same securities as are afforded in England to Por-
tuguese citizens. The principle of a mutual reduction of the
respective tariffs has been agreed to, and this, which is the
main question for us, will now have to be seriously entered
upon. This is a point of great difficulty here. In the first
place, there ivaaleficit in the revenue, which makes a large
reduction of duties adangerous experiment; secondly, there is
the manufacturing interest to contend with or satisfy, as well
as the Fishery Company, which has already sent twelve vessels
to Newfoundland this year, and has three more ready to go,
and which, though trading all along at a loss, and on the road
to a natural extinction, has made a treat stir against a reduc-
tion of the present high duties on foreign fish. This Com-
pany would have probably become extinct ere this, were it not
that the 'funny fishery off Algarve, ire which it has been for
some time engaged, has proved very profitable, and helped to
make up for its losses in the Newfoundland fishery.
Another difficulty is presented by the coming elections, and
the unscrupulous use made by the opponents of the Govern-
ment, of the fact of the pending treaty with England, as
totally destructive of Portuguese industry. The Nacional
makes out that wages to the amount of eighty contos, or near
20,0001. a week, are paid by manufacturers in various parts of
the country, all which, it says, will be ruined by the English
treaty. it was considered by the Government as a great
stroke of policy, to put some leading manufacturers, as Pinto
Bastos and Larcher, on the commission for examining the
tariff with a view to reduction ; but the Nacional only cries
out the snore, th at " all is lost."

Believing the Portuguese Government to be desirous, as
far as possible, to meet our views on this subject, and to place
the trade of the two countries on a liberal footing, allowance
must be made for the peculiar difficulties in N, hick it is placed
at the present moment, en the eve of the elections, with a
powerful coalition against it, a manufacturing interest to some
extent grown up under the existing system, and a constant
deficit in the revenue. In England the question is quite dif-
ferent. The Government having resolved on the experiment,
and provided against the probable consequence of some loss of
revenue, there is no obstacle in the way of a large reduction.
The lower Portuguese wines and fruits can be admitted into
England so much the better for all classes, without injury to,
or opposition from, any one. Here the case, as I have shown,
is different ; but there is reason to believe that a considerable
advance towards liberal commercial relations may never theless
be made.

I sent you a list of most of the new Peers last week. It was
incorrect, as regarded the Marquis Vianna, who has not yet
been nominated. In addition there have been named the fol-
lowing :—Viscount Graciosa, Barons Larangeiras and Fonte
Bella, and Senhors A. B. F. tie Vasconcellos, D. d'Or-
nellss e Vasconcellos, F. T. d'Almeida Proenca, F. (le
Serpa Saraiva Machado. J. B. Castellino, Cotta Falcao, J.
Fereira dos Santos, and Manuel de Serpa Machado. The new
nominations are thirty altogether ; and of the Peers who had
seats when the revolution of September took place there re-.
main 41, making 71, besides the Bishops. There is a question
still pending about calling up the sons of former Peers, which
will probably be decided in their favour.

Decrees have been published for issuing 6,520 contos of in-
ternal 5 per cent. bonds, to be made over to the Company of
National Credit, in pursuance of Senhor Avila's contract., the
interest to be paid by the Board of Public Credit, which is to
receive 326 contos per annum from the tobacco contract for
that purpose ; also for issuing 1,363 contes for arrears, &c.
capitalised under the law of December 31, last year; the inte-
rest to be paid by the Board, which is to be endowed with 68
contos more from the Lisbon Custom-house, which is also to
hand over the amount necessary to pay the half year's interest
due in June next, on the above. It must be observed that
the dividends on the bonds thus issued will be subject to the
tax of ten per cent. as well as the other dividends, though
created since this tax was imposed, and it is especially stated
so in the present decrees; the amount arising from the said
ten per cent. tax is to be paid over to the Board of Public
Credit to increase the endowment destined for the payment of
the foreign dividends.
. .

A liberal decree has been issued, admitting all rice, the
produce of Asia, into Madeira for consumption, whether
brought directly or indirectly, and in the ships of all natio s.
If brought indirectly it will, of course, be subject to the 20
per cent. additional duty imposed on the indirect trade, by the
law of October last year.
The Count Razzynski, Prussian Minister at this Court, ar-
rived by the Lady Mary Wood steamer on Friday last. Senhor
Mousinho de Silviera, who was Administrator of the Custom-
house before the revolution, also returned by this steamer, and
it is expected will resume his former functions.

BRIGHTON, SATURDAY.—The Nautilus gun-brig
has been sent round to protect the fish. rmen on the southern
coast from the encroachment of the French during the mackerel
season. The weather was calm the beginning of the week,
and the Nautilus dropped her anchor off Brighton for two or
three days. Yesterday morning one of the mackerel boats, the
Dreadnought, arrived with a cargo of 12,000 mackerel, caught
eastward of Brighton. On making for shore, the wind blew
rather brisk, she lurched, and shipped a sea, which swept off
upwards of 2,000 fish. The remainder were safely landed,
a:A the greater portion packed and sent by the railway to Lon-
don. Some remarkably fine ones were retailed at four and five
a shilling.
IZArnEn DECIDED.—An advertisement appears in
the Church Intelligencer from a clergyman wanting a curacy.
He sums up as follows :—" The advertiser cannot follow the
example which unhappily but too many advertisements afford;
lie will not. extol his own piety, nor will he thank any one else
for doing it, and, as he is tux now soliciting the place of bell-
man or town crier, he considers it unnecessary to allude to his
power of voice. No one need take or give the trouble of re-
olying to this advertisement who does not hate the Record,
itui all proud, sett-righteous, hypocritical,
ding Recordism like poison." gloomy, nasal, snuf-
A letter from Belgrade, May 4, in the Augsburg
Gazette, states that a plot had been discovered at Kragojevaz
(Servia) in the course of last month. The object of the con-
-pirators was to pillage the town and assassinate the adminis-
trator of the district, who had rendered himself odious by his
vexatious exactions. Trade was in a state of stagnation for
four days, and the most exact surveillance was observed over
;he Greeks, Servians, and Bulgarians. By the last intelligence
t appears that tranquillity had been completely restored.
On the 16th inst. a fire occurred at Francourville,
near Chartres, which consumed ' seven large mansions, and
everal smaller houses, barns, &e. The receiver of the taxes,
n saving the money in his possession was severely burnt in
the hands. All his books and papers were destroyed. All
the property was insured, except two houses of no great value.