Star.
London, England, 1808-12-31 00:00:00

liberty, to oppose au insurmountable barrieetti the
fresh exertrous of the Insatiable Napoleon: Encou-
raged by his victories in Italy and Ger:nail; and
irritated by his defeat in Spain and Portugal, be aisein,
bles his armies, and orders them to cross the Pyrinoei ;
he intends, like a mountain torrent, to inundate With
blood the provinces of Spain, the sole asylum of the
liberty of the Continent. He employs his whole forte
to avenge his Generals and his beaten and dispersed
armies, put to flight or taken prisoners. Nothing ob-
structs the exertions of a tyrant, to dispeople Prance
is of no moment to him, and he wantonly sacrifices
all her youth to satisfy his ambition. Fired cities, de-
stroyed towns, fields covered with dead bodies, are
sights perfectly indifferent to the lee ings of a despot
who appreciates no other interests than those of a des-
perate family.

" Such, Portuguese, is the character of him against
whom we must defend ourselves. What would become
of Portugal if the French armies, after the conquest
of Spain, should enter our provinces ? If a twelve-
month back, when they entered the country as
friends, they marked their steps with conflagrations,
robberies, -and crimes the most atrocious ; if, after
they had usurped the Supreme power without oppo-
sition, they spoliated the sacred temples, imposed
enormous contributions, attacked the liberty of indi-
viduals, sacked cities, fired towns, and committed
atrocities which only belong to barbarous nations,
what will not those devastating armies perpetrate in
a country, the inhabitants of which gloriously de-
clared with one voice in favour of liberty and inde-
pendence.

a To arms, Portuguese ! to arms 1 Necessity ex-
acts
the rising of the whole nation in a mass ; arms
in the strong hands of a defender of his country, are
decisive implements of triumph. Government pro-
vides for the maintenance of the armies ; and where
the ordinary resources of the public revenue are not
sufficient, the donations of subjects, who know ho-
nourably to sacrifice to their country the property it
requires, supply the deficiency.
" Shall it perhaps be said, that we are not the de-
scendants of those valiant Lusitanians who triumph-
ed over the valour and perfidy of the Roman armies?
Were not the Arab's inured to war ; expelled from
the kingdoms by our forefathers ? Was it not our na-
tion which struck. the coast of Africa with terror, and
established in the East a vast Empire ? I lave we
not known at times how to defend the Crown of
our Sovereign and our National Independence? Eng-
land. generous England, whose invincible squadrons
render every project of invasion an object of deri-
sion, have set us an example, which we must imitate.
" Impelled by the noble stimulus of defending the
liberty of Spain, and opposing a barrier to the gene-
ral dissolution of Europe, she supplies us with arms,
orderS her armies to march to the fold of honour, and
liberally devotes her treasures to defence of our
country !
" And, should sea, who are much more concerned
in that defence, suffer ourselves to remain in inactivity
and stupor ? Shall our children say, that our valour
and our heroism existed but a few months, to pro-
voke the indignation and barbarity of the conquerors
But you will not hear these imprecations.; because they
will go to linger out their lives far froM you ; they will
go to remote countries to serve for involuntary tools
of the oppression and misery of other nations ; but
you will see them leave your homes, torn from your
clasping arms, and invoking in vain the name of the
country which gave them birth. Portuguese, against
a powerful and watchful enemy, indolence and inac-
tivity must not be admitted.

" If you do not wish to be slaves, if you do not
wish to see your holy religion outraged, your honour
defiled, your wives insulted, your innocent children
stabbed with French bayonets, and the glory of Por-
tu4Tal annihilated for ever, let us all hasten to meet
the common enemy ; let us join our armies with those
of the brave Spaniarsls, and intnopid English ; let us
show to Europe that it is not Swed..n alone who op-
poses an iron barrier to the oppressor of liberty.

" Let us le, what rte always were, brave, intrepid,
and invincible. Let our arms and property be the
guaranties of oor independence. It is better to sacri-
fice our property to the liberty of the country, than to
reserve it for the sp ,ilat'ot of our infamous oppr4s-
son. It is beaer to fight for the iwkpendence of the
nation, than to become victims of the caprices of a
tyrant. A nation determined to be free, caoot be
enslaved by any power on earth ; a nation riling,
in mass is an irresistible force.

It is thus, Portuguese. that the Governors of the
kingdom address you, in the name of that religion
which they are bound to protect—in the name of the
Sovereign for whom they are ready to sacrifice their
lives—and in the name of the country-, whose in-
terests have been entrusted to them by the virtuous
Prince, whose glory it is to have first of all discon-
certed the projects of the most perfidious of meu. By
thus addressing you, they perform the first of their
duties, sheaving you the ruc?ssity of opposing withent
delay, to the efforts of a barbarous usurper, the whole
mass of the forces of a valorous 'nation. They point
outgo you the only way to preserve the independence
of these kingdoms, and they will have the sweet conso-
latory satisfaction to reward, in the name of the
Prince Regent our lord, those of his subjects who
shall distinguish themselves by heroic and, patriotic
deeds. . . . . .
" Death, desolation, and grivirkrOisnat expect .