Star.
London, England, 1830-02-03 00:00:00

THE LATE QUEEN OF PORTUGAL.

TO THE EDITOR OP THE STAR.
SlR—Having observed in a Sunday Journal, devoted
to the despot of Portugal, a laboured eulogy on the late
Qv EST I, as well as a violent tirade against those who
designate the despot by the mere title of Mtou Et, per-
mit me to notice a few of the absurdities into which the
writer has fallen.
As to the Quart, says lie, " she was a woman of
strong mind and active disposition." Now the truth is,
that whatever her rank may have been, she possessed the
qualities here attributed, in a very limited degree. When
Lord HHTTERBUIX was our Ambassador at Lisbon, he
bad occasion to address the Quasx after thedsath of her
husband Joun VI. The Envoy soon discovered. that
instead of a " strong mind," and " active disposition," she
was only remarkable for a spirit of unforgiving ven-
geance against those who opposed her well-known prin-
ciples, and that this predominated over every other man-
aeration. The strength of mind of this Princess arose from
the certainty of impunity in whatever she attempted, and
in an inimitable effrontery whenever her plans were dis-
covered. She was the int to denounce the coespirmy of
1804 to the King, and of which she was bermlf the prints
mover. Several accomplices were arrested, whose SWIM
it is needless to mention, althoogh many of them still
continue traitors to their country. The dime of this
plot was to throw out the King. thee Regent, and place
all the power in the hands of his wife. The fact 1 anew
mite Is so well known, that I defy the most zealous
partisans of the ruling faction to disprove my asser-
tion. On her return to Lisbon from Rio Janeiro in
1821, the old Queen wished to form a party for
herself among the Liberals, by assuring them that
she would be sufficiently strong of herself, to main-
tain the constitutional system. But seeing that the
king had adhered to it, she threw 'tempi( into the
arms of the opposite party. Flom this time forward, she
never ceased to strengthen the anti-liberal faction, even
after the abrogation of the charter. Miouzi always
served as her fire-brand. The pretext was religion,
which she pretended was attacked by the Freemasons.
Those who can perceive • " strong mind" in such con-
temptible and wicked intrigues, cannot surely boast of
much strength of mind themselves ?
MI6 yet. was always the hum* instrument of her
late Majesty, but she had another divine or religious
one. This was " out lady of Buraco." The disgusting
superstitions which this Princess, aided by some half dome
old sorceresses, was in the constant habit of practising,
may be alluded to without offending public decorum. Aad
yet these are subjects of panegyric with the partisans
of the faMion. The following fact will serve somewhat
better to delimatethe character and talents of this women :
Some time lifter the assassination of the Marquis de
Louie, a conspiracy;planned at Lisbon against the King,
was discovered and frustrated—on this occasion, the
Queen wrote to her husband, denouncing the authors of
the plot, according to custom, somebody having told her
to take care of her own person, she replied, " well, what
can they do to me ? Is there any person who dares con-
demn me ?"
The writer in question finds fault with the want of
respect shown to the Usurper, in calling him simply Mi-
gaol instead of Don Miguel.