Star.
London, England, 1822-10-11 00:00:00

PUR FUG i IL.

ma AND POLITICAL STATE OP

LETTER H.

tO tlit EDITOR OF THE STAR.
lgta—Portugal, as every one knows, is the Lusi-
tania of the ancients —a country distingUishedin all
ages for the mildness of its climate, the richness of its
soil, and the bravery of its inhabitants. It forms but
a small portion of the Peninsular Continent, and for
It long period was considered a province only of that
extensive country. Much of the precious metals, in
the early times, were drawn from the mountains of
Portugal ; the Phoenicians established colonies upon
her shores—the Carthagenians conquered and ruled
the Country. Hannibal was born in Lisbon.—When
Carthage, fell the Spanish Provinces were yielded to
the Romans; and these again, in the decline of the
Empire, were driven from the Peninsula by the'
Northern Barbarians—the Franks first over.run the
country in the time of the Emperor Decius, and the
Visgoths took full possession of it about the year of
our LORD 411. •

The Sheri and Alani, tribes the most renowned for
valour in the country from which they came, go-
verned the Lusitanian Provinces, as a separate State,
for a period of nearly two hundred years, but at last
they were overcome or incorporated with the other
Provinces, and the whole of the Peninsula had but
one King. The Historian has recorded and the Poet
has sung the crimes and the conduct—the glory and
the sufferings of Roderic, the last of the Goths. With
Iris fall, the unity of the Spanish Empire ceased for
ever, and its existence u a Christian country was for
a time doubtful. But as a remnant of the faithful,
escaped from the slaughter, they established them-
selves in the mountains of Austuria, and from thence,
under the command of a leader who either was, or
was supposed to be, descended from their ancient
Princes, made war upon the Moors, their Mahome-
tan conquerors. The Provinces, as they were reco-
vered from the invaders, were erected into kingdoms
by the Generals who commanded, until at last, about
the year 1037, the whole of their Provinces, viz.
Leon, Navarre, Arragon, and Castile, centred by de-
scent or marriage in Ferdinand the First, who, on
that account, is styled " The Great" and Emperor.
Spain at this period was the great theatre for the
display of military talent, and the fame of King Fer-
dinand drew many Christian youths of the most
Noble families in Europe, to his standard. Alphonso,
his son and successor, was also of great renown as a
warrior, and during a reign of thirty-seven years,
constantly kept the field against the Moors. He
married Corlantia, a daughter of Robert the First,
Duke of Burgandy, and niece of Henry the First,
King cf France ; and this Princess was accompanied
or followed into Spain by her nephew Henry, the
youngest son of her only brother. The Count Henry,
as he is called in history, became a great favburite
at the Court of his aunt, and having distinguished
himself in the war against the enemies of Spain and
of the Faith, he obtained the good opinion and ap-
probation of the King.
In 1093, Alphonso prevailed upon Henry to marry
his daughter Theresa, of whose illegitimacy there
can be little doubt. Alphonso's first marriage, which
was with Henry's aunt, was in 1080—she died in
1092 ; so that Theresa, who was marriageable in the
following year, must have been born while the King
was yet a bachelor. As a reward, however, for the
alliance of a Prince, the great-grandson of Hugo
Capet, the King of Spain bestowed upon his daugh-
ter the castle and port of Cale, near the mouth of
the river DoUro, together with the cities and country
that had been recovered from the Moors on the north
aide of that river; and gave Henry authority to take
sad possess in full sovereignty all that could be re-
covered
from them between the rivers Douro and
Guadiana. Henry of 'Burgundy now took the title
of Count of Porto-Cale—hence Portugal, and having
lived for eighteen years as an independent Prince, he
gained not less than seventeen signal victories over

the Moors.
Alphonso Henry, the only son of Henry and
Theresa, succeeded his father es Count of Portugal
at the age of eighteen. He had to struggle for a
time against the pretensions of his mother and her
second husband; but having succeeded in establish-
111g his authority, and rising superior to the intrigues
of his family, he now became distinguished as the
commander of a Christian army. His growing power
So alarmed the Moors, that they determined to crush
him at once: an immense army was collected from
all the Mahometan States, and placed under the
orders of Ishmael, King or Governor of Alemtejo.
Alphonso's troops were not numerous, but they were
',/eterans. Many of them had fought under his
•
lather—all of them had witnessed his own valour.
The two armies met on a large plain in the province
of Alemtejo, called the " Campo d'Ourifue." The.
Moors were ten to one against the Chri,tians, yet
Ishmael and most of his host were cut off, and not
less than five standards,belonging to an equal number
of Moorish kings, fell into the hands of the victors
The army of Alphonso Henry, in the fullness of its
joy, and as a reward for the skill and bravery with'
which he had commanded them, proclaimed him
King on the field of battle. Here then, Sir, was'
e,tablkhed the Portuguese Monarchy, and thus did a
band of valiant bercnts honour with the title of King
the General Silo coßmanded them, and who for

'thirty years had lad them to victory. :the,victorY
of Ourique was gained in 1142, and from this year
we may date the commencement of the kingly of-
fice in the present Royal Family of Portugal.
Alphonso was not satisfied with the decision of his
military followers; and as soon as the exigencies of,
the war would admit, he called together his civil sub-
jects. and in the first General Cortes of the Nation,
which was held in the Cathedral Church of Lamego,
in May, 1143 when were assembled the Archbishop
of Braga, the Bishops of Viscu, Oporto, Coimbra,
and Lamego, the Nobles of his Privy Council, the
men of good condition, as Representatives from all
the cities and towns of the country he governed, as
also a great number of Monks and regular Clergy-
men, as Representatives of the Church, he caused
the Pope's letter, confirming the title conferred upon
him by the army, to be read ; and then his Advocate
or Procniateur rose and demanded of the assembly
if it was their pleasure that Alphonso should be their
King? Upon which, as the chronicle-of the day re-1
ports, they all arose, and with one voice exclaimed,
"It is our will— Volumus quad sit Rex." The Con-
stitution which was then drawn up, the original Char-,
ter of the State, is short and simple; and I trust your
Readers will excuse me for giving a few extracts.—
The King swore to govern justly, and the People
bound themselves to maintain his authority, and
yield obedience to the laws; upon which be was pub-
licly crowned by the Archbishop.
The King then commanded the Assembly to de-
clare by what laws they wished the people to be go-1
verned ; and, first of all, to decide on the succession
in the Monarchy. In this it was decreed, that if the
King left either a son or a daughter, he or she should
succeed of right to the throne ; but if he left no legi-
timate succession, then the .nomination of the King
remained with the People. The right of primogeni-
ture, and of males succeeding in preference to fe-
males, is also clearly determined. One thing onlyl
strikes me as singular : it was decided, that if the
King died, leaving only a brother, that Prince should
have a right to the Crown during his lifetime, but
that his son could not succeed as a matter of right,
and must submit his claim to the decision of the Ge-
neral Cortes. It appears that various and important
questions were proposed, canvassed with great free-
dom, and decided upon in this. Assembly. The sons'
of the King, and' their children—whatever Portu-
guese subject (not descended from the Moors or Jews)
who might rescue the King or his standard from thel
hands of the enemy—whoever in battle slew the King
of the nation with which they were at war, or took
,his standard—all who were of the King's Council, or,,
descended from the ancient Nobility—and all who
had been present in the great battle on the plains of
Ourique, were declared hereditary Nobles of the
land, "per total suds generationes."

Thieves, for the first crime, are to be put in • the
stocks, for the second they are to be branded with a
hot iron, but, if they stole a third time, they were to
suffer death. Every woman taken in adultery is to
be burnt alive, and the man with whom she commit-
ted the crime is to be burnt with her; but, if the ,
husband of the adultress should object to her being
burnt, then the man should also escape. Whoever
commits murder is to suffer death ; and the ravisher
of virgin innocence is not only to die, but his goods
are forfeited to the injured victim. Whatever person
injures another with a drawn sword, a stone, or a
stick, shall be carried before the Judge, and obliged
to compound for the injury he has done, as also to
pay a fine to the King of ten morabitini. The King
is prohibited from attending the Cortes of the King
of Leon, to whom he had hitherto, in some measure,
been considered subject; and is forbidden to pay tri-
bute to any one except the Pope. When the last
'questions were proposed, we are told that the whole
Assembly rose and swore, upon their naked swords,
that as they themselves were freemen their King also
should be free, and their swords would keep him so;
and the person who should own himself subject to
any one should not reign over them.
The King, as soon as silence was obtained, rose,
and drawing his sword, thus addressed the Assembly
-« You know how many battles I have fought for
your liberty—you are witnesses, this hand and this
sword are witnesses, and if any one shall dare to ac-
knowledge the authority of a foreign Power within
this realm let him die—were he my son or my grand-
son he should not reign!"
With this short sketch of the early history and
original Constitution of the Kingdom of Portugal, I
shall conclude the present letter, and in my next
bring down the succession and changes in her Go-
vernment to the present time.
I am, Sir, your's respectfully,
A BRITON.

•.,

According to the statistical account in 1821, Rome
contained 135,171 inhabitants ; and in 1822, 136,085,
making an increase of 914.
The Assessment on Houses, &c. in Liverpool, re- j
turned to the Select Vestry, isitated for 1822, Houses
a►td Warehouses at £23,6e0; in 1820, £21,400; in-1
crease, in two years, £1,600!
Intelligence from Rome of the 27th ult. states that
the health of the Pees is considerably improved. By
the same channel it aprtats that Madame LiuriA
Ilmsemtre, who has been along time in bad health.
is at the last extremity--she had received the lase
sacrament. Her sou Louis, who intended to have
remained at Florence during -the M. weather, had
been celled back in all bum

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-One liaMpilly of Ai 15th Regiment of Foot wail. ioiie to-
day at Manchester Bariaeks, from Wolverhattipton. ' • .
Tliref tompank4 of dsb ililith for Berkshire) llegnitellt of root
arrived teiltetdat it Hull, from Sunderland.
One coodkanrof de iSth Foot Will arrive. at Livetpool this
day, from Neweastie-ander-Line, and embark with the Mae di-
vision of its carps, for Dublin, oft Monday Mg*, .
A detaihment of she 3d Diagtion"Guardd Bred to march
on Monday next, from Neweastle-upon-Tlien!
. or Scarborough;
where it win arrive on the 18th inst.—The ackment will be
afterwards distributed in small parties on the Yorkshire coast;
viz. at Bridlington, Hotnsea, Brainston, and Skipaea, in aid of
the Revenue Micas.
The 43d (or Masunouthddie) Light Infantry, Geperal J. F.
Lord HOWDX3c G.C.B. and K.C. Colonel, embarked at Cork,
for Gibraltar; as follows;—Three companies on the 31st of Au-
gust, on board the Success transport ; five companies on the 18th
ult. on board the Sophia and Ocean transports.

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