Star.
London, England, 1831-02-25 00:00:00

DEPARTMENT OF ECCLESIASTICAL AFFAIRS AND

OF JUSTICE.

The King our Sovereign having been informed that some highly cri.
minal individuals have lately made attempts against the security of the
State, endeavouring to corrupt the fidelity of some subaltern officers
and privates of the garrison of the city of Lisbon, and inciting them to
revolt; and not having been able to attain their wicked ends, always
laudably counteracted by the unalterable firmness of those whom they
attempted to seduce, dared at length to carry into effect an attempt to
disturb the public tranquillity by MGM of a great number of sky
rockets,which they discharged on the morning of this day, and some of the
said individuals being detected in the fact, wbo are already arrested by
your orders, His Majesty is pleased to order that, till farther measures,
such a the public security requires, shall be taken, you shall immesh.
ately proceed to make the strictest Inquiry into these facts, giving the

commission to one of the aiminal judges, who, leaving all other bugl-
oss, shall make a report, without lots of time ; and to enable him to
establish the facts, you are-to communicate to him the information you
have already given to me, and any other that you may have received
with such instructions as you may deem necessary for the requisite ac.
curacy of the proceeding%
And his Majesty is further pleased to desire you to proceed with all
diligence, and with as little delay as possible, and to send a report to
this oMce to be communicated to Ills Majesty.

Salesian as Maws, Feb. 8, 1831.
Jo*o DE MATTO!, Z VASCONCZILLOS,
BOIIOIOIIA DE MAL/al/a.,

TO Si. ANTONIO GZIUMANO DA VIEGA.

His Majesty has issued a decree, the preamble to which recites in
almost the same terms, tile facts above stated, and " seeing the abso-
lute necessity of taking prompt and vigorous measures, that justice may
be able, with that efficacy and activity in prosecuting and punishing,
without delay, such great and abominable crimes of high treason, so
as to maintain the safety of the State, and my Royal rights, lam
pleased to order."

The decree, which is of considerable length, orders :

1. That a commiusion shall be formed at Lisbon, and another at
Oporto, each to consist of four judges, and three superior military
officers.

2. These Commissions are to try and pass sentence on the criminals
guilty of exciting to revolt, sedition, tumultuous assemblages prejudi-
cial to the security of the State, and other similar acts of high treason,
whatever be the rank, condition, or privileges of the said criminals who
were taken in the fact (flegrante delicto) in the said two cities of Lisbon
and Oporto, and live leagues round them.

& The said Commissioners bcirg assembled, and one of the number
acting as Secretary, the official communication addressed to it shall be

immediately recorded, which shall serve as the corpus delicti: sum.
mary and merely verbal proceedings shall be commenced to prove the
fact without the•legal formalities, of which persons guilty of such exe.
crable crimes are unworthy, and the said criminals being without any
interruption, heard in their defence before the said Commissions, shall
be by them successively sentenced conformably to the laws.

4. The sentences thus passed shall be executed within 24 hours,
the criminals receiving, as usual, in such cares, the spiritual aid which
they require.

The authorities concerned to execute this Decree, notwithstanding

any Laws, Decrces, or Ordinances to the contrary, all which I am
pleased to suspend for this purpose only ; they remaining otherwise in
full force.