Star.
London, England, 1830-02-19 00:00:00

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been omitted, and that still more remains to be explained; it is
particularly otitervable that the second letter of Mr. Canning is very
different from the first in tone, and the same remark may be applied
to the two first letters of Sir W. A'Court ; but at least they do
establish the mitt fact—that the constitution was recommended by
the British government—it la evident that we have in part been the
cause of the calamities produced, and I, therefore, cannot but wish
that we were dear of ail !Weir states for these porticoes, particularly
as they may bias individuals in the discharge of their duty in
these mates, or at least throw them open to suspicion. Let
others, my lords, if they wish it, undertake such connections ;
but those who are in the service of Great Britain—let them be
content with the honours which the King and the Parliament
can bestow upon them, and which they always have bestowed
with a liberality with which some has revolved a worm deuces**.
don. If all this is to end in the secognidest of Portugal-end a
adnister is to be sent there. I bops at least that it pill if) ot be one
leaded with orders and insignias, erase Nicely to be embarrassed-fir
his conduct by friendship and :shakos with any foreign power;
but that be-will go there simply as the representative of the King
of Great Britain, and as such discharge the duties of his office. The
next portion of ie papers consists of the protocols of Vienna, with
which Don Miguel is mixed : with respect to that person it Is not
my wish to use any strong or vehement language : there is enough
In his conduct on the face of the papers, and from the proceedings •
of 1824, to rake it unnecessary for me to indulge in any thing like
contumely or invective ; but there may be circumstances attaching
to the case of an unprotected female, and with the way in which
they have been looked at, not illustrative of the coolness of a
statesman, but of the callousness of a man lost to the gentle claims
that such a cause should have upon him ; nor do I think that it is
worthy of the minister of a great nation, or of a generous and
kind bait -.W Sovereign, to have had any part in such transactions,
even though they should have originated with those who are the us.
tional guardians of that female. Your Lordships are aware of the
engagements which Don Miguel entered into at Vienna, though per.
haps it may be said that our ambassador did not appear officially in
the business ; but at all events there is one circumstance which I want
to have explained. The letter from the emperor of Brazil to his Ma.
jesty, "implores !shield, not only to enable the regency toenter quickly
on their functions, but also to insure that the Constitution may become
the Constitution of the country." To insure I 1 can assure your
lordships that I do not see how we are to escape from the
force of such an engagement ; and yet after alleomises of Don
Miguel—after all the hopes he held out of supporting the constitu.
don, and of granting an amnesty, no sooner di be arrive in Portu.
pi than he began a course of conduct which should on the instant
have told the ministers that he did not intend to keep one tittle of
his promises. Could any one for a moment have doubted then that
it was his intention to overthrow the constitution ? And, if so,
why submit to such accumulatiop of insults ? Why not have with.
drawn the ambassador sooner ? Why have waited quietly till the
ner was crowned? No, the right course was to have taken a
decided step at once, instead of encouraging him by half-rebukes
to go on. With respect to the proceedings which took place at
Tensile, I should like to have the correspondence connected
with it, and all that relates to the transportation of the Portuguese
to and from this country. I say this because the whole of the cir.
cumstances connected with that event are looked at by me with
much regret ; for even if what was done by this country
was in strict accordance with the law of nations, never was there
any thing so alien to every generous feeling, so unlike, and
so unconnected, from every kind or hospitable treatment.
The highest offices in this country are open to every class
of society; and therefore it behoved those who were the re.
grounds advisers of the Crown to give the government as
much of a civil, and as little of a military character as pos-
sible—as little of that rough and peremptory cast which be-
longs to the mind ofa mere soldier—characteristics which have never
been tolerated, much less perpetrated, in this country. The acts of
which I complain are contrary to the laws of nations. In defence of
them.? k it willAkootitended that we are not to make our porta
she IW6aLIf togieunfries, or of the members of any other cam..
munity who may be engaged in a civil war; but here was a case of
seizure upon the high seas, as contrary to the laws of nations as any act
can possibly be; and the false papers of the ships, of which much
will probably be said, affected the question extremely little. I
think, then, I have said enough to satisfy your lordships that this
is a case, which entitles the house to call for the most ample
and complete information which could possibly be procured ; for it
is a case in which the conduct of his Majesty's government has
brought upon this country the most unmitigated disgrace, unre-
lieved by one honourable circumstance or one generous feeling. His
lordship concluded by moving for copies of all correspondence
between the government of this country and our ambassador in Por.
tugal, from tue year 1826 to the period of his return—copies of all
communications to or from Sir Frederick Lamb, from the Ist of
March, 1828, together with all communications respecting the
Queen of Portugal, and generally all communications respecting the
affairs of Portugal during the last four years.
The Earl of ABERDEEN said, that the noble viscount had the
thin insatiable appetite for information he had ever met with. The
desaments he had moved for were such, as he contended, ought not
at the present time to be produced. It would not be prudent, on
the Pert of the government, to do so. At a proper ti Ile, that was •
' visa his majesty's government should deem it advisable to recom.
mad the recognition of that country, every paper should be laid
beihre their Lordships. (Hear, hear.) tie was anxious not to
is ahanderstoud in what he said with respect to Don Miguel.
fie dienld therefore be explicit upon the subject. (Hear, hear.)
1111114 that Prince had been guilty of falsehood, of treachery, and of
Itetherons practices, no man could pretend to deny. It was equally
impossible for any to refrain from reprobating his conduct.
Every one, posses. of fair and upright pnncipics, must revolt at
such conduct as Don Miguel had adopted. It was. however, un-
wise to dwell too much on the personal character of princes. in.
tier a king be a Nero or a Telemachus, It signified but little to
him. lie looked only to the interest of the two countries. With
respect to Don Miguel's being an usurper, he couly only say, that
it was well known the niajonty of the Portuguese were in his
favour. Here was a majority of those who were the best able to
judge of his
_qualifications as their sovereign, and willing to sup_.
pen him. The noble earl then, at some length, went through
iha particulars of the Terceira affair, and strongly defended the
course adipted on that occasion. He likewise alluded to the &large
width had been brought against the government with respect to the
Velma of a convoy for the Portuguese refugees ; and next to the
Oh& of leave to export arms; each of which circumstances his
lordship contended as being proper. In • fact, situated as the go.
Samment then were, no other mode of acting could have been
aihgaid. His majesty's government had determined so pursue the
as 'lies of conduct as regarded their neutrality so long as matters
remind in their present state.
Viscount WA/ERICH contended it was utterly impossible for
the noble lords on that side of the house to argue with the confidence
the noble earl had done, as they were not in possession of that in.
formation they deemed necessary. Lie applauded the conduct of
the late Mt. Canning throughout this business. The behavour of
Don Miguel was such as to draw down upon him the just depreca.
Bons of every person. That prince had insulted this country, but it
had very properly been treated with the contempt the party offerill
it merited. No notice had been taken of it. The noble viscount having
dwelt at some length upon this point, next referred to the transaction
arTerceira. At this period there was an order of council against
the exportation of arms to the coast of Africa.; but the object
of that was to prevent the progress of the slave trade, and when the
ambassador of the HEIWCTOr of Brazil desired permission to export
'arms to the island of Terceira, he was refused, 'solely because it
would be a violation of this order io council. With respect to
what had been said of the refusal of a convoy to the Pertvgater
refugees. he (Lord Ooderich) did not think that Is maim
of government on that occasion was perfectly jnedilable. (nna,
hear) His lordship read souse extracts from the
between the Marquis of Palladia and the Dabs of rtiling.
ton, wherelo the noble duke had stated that there troops
sent to the Azores might go as individuals, but not in a
body. This, the noble Viscount observed, was 'toy absurd; for I
if they went at all, It mattered not in principle whether they went I
in 1 body or separate. The noble Viscount denied that Don Mi. !
geel was the -kiwi de facto of Portugal, or if he was, as some alleged, I
het meld rases he tensioned king Se /ado of Terceira, which had
weer reeeipieed him. He did am believe that the govemment of
this asaatr bed authority co potent the Portuguese troop from
' at Whirs. The aelielemil, in conclusion, repeated that the
6 bad=sacit a morn, sod expressed his
at
ea I I'll lett. his duty la thus expressing big I
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illhillat the Portug_km so at Tateba. I
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