Star.
London, England, 1808-10-15 00:00:00

ACCOUNT OF TILE HAPPY AND GLORIOUS RESTORATION

OF THE KINGDOM OF ALGAItVA.
44 On the 17th of June, the day on which our Holy
Church celebrates the festival of Corttu Christi, the
perfidious and abominable French Government having
given directions to fix up at the town of Olhao, about
a league from Faro, their orders, calling upon the
oppressed Portuguese to take up arms against our
neighbours the Spaniards, Colonel Jose Lopes de
Sousa, Governor of Villa Real de S. Antonio, not
only a faithful subject, but a brave warrior, and who
bore our slavery with impatience, having come to the
said town, tore down the edict, and breaking an in-
voluntary silence, exclaimed there to a few seafaring
men, the only people who inhabit the place, with
tones and gestures the most expressive, "Ah Por-
tuguese, we no longer deserve that name, and we are
now nothing !" To h►m the few men who were pre-
sent, exclaming with unanimous voice, replied, " We
are still Portuguese, and are ready to lay down our
lives for our Religion, our Prince, and our Country."
The Colonel retired to the Church, and these few men
easily drawing to themselves the rest of the town, who
were always greatly attached to the august Royal
Family of Portugal, entered the Church tumultuously,
where they were drawn up by the Colonel, whom they
elected their chief, advanced to attack the french,
who were marching to the town, having put them-
selves in such a state of preparation as circumstances
admitted of, and having taken from the fortress of
Armona, situated on the coast, the artillery that
were there. On the ISth, the French who were in
the city of Faro, consisting of grenadiers and chas-
seurs, marched, in order to act against this revolu-
tion ; and attempting to invest Olhao, were driven
back, with the loss of twenty-five men, leaving sixteen
dead on the field, their baggage, one mortar spiked,
with all their ammunition scattered about.
These perfidious and cowardly men (whom it is
fair to call so, though their crimes have not been
proved by authentic testimony in a Court of Justice)
murdered two young people who were feeding their
small flock ; an old man, more than 100 years of age
(on that account called Pai avo); and also a very old
woman and her family, and wounded severely two
men, who have fortunately recovered.
This division of the French remained dispersed in
the fields, expecting reinforcements from the city of
Tavira, which, in fact, reached them on the 19th, and
having obtained of General Morain, who governed
the whole of Algarva, and resided at Faro, that some
of the 2d regiment of artillery, then lying there,
should be detached to assist them to repel the brave
division of noble seafaring men, the people of Faro
making a signal for attack at two in the afternoon, a
countryman being at their head, and the soldiers Se-
bastiao, Cobreira, Captain pf artillery, and his bro-
thers Belehia and Severn, Cobreia, as well as Laza-
ro, Landeiro, and others, displayed the national flag,
and defended the city, making - prisoners the French
soldiers and officers, to the number of 170, and Ge-
neral Morain himself.
The measures adopted by the Nobility, Clergy, and
Religious Orders, were not less patriotic. On the
20th the people were called together by them, and at
seven in the morning, under the discharge of artil-
lery, they all took an oath that they would defend, to
the last drop of their blood, their Religion, their
Queen, the Prince Regent our Sovereign, his children,
and the whole most Serene House of Braganza.
Presently appeared in arms the Most Reverend
Chapter in a body, and all the Clergy, with the three
Orders of Franciscans, Antonines and Marians ; and
those dispositions were taken which were required by
the pretence of the enemy, who being. driven from
Olhao, which place he could not enter, sought refuge
in Faro but being driven back by our artillery, they
retreated to the mountains at the distance of a league.
At two in the afternoon of the same day, the city
being placed in a secure state of defence, and troops
being detached to succour Olhao, the French evacu-
ated these parts, and, flying, dispersed *wards •the