Star.
London, England, 1828-06-25 00:00:00

PORTUGAL.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL said, he rose for the pur-
pose of putting a question to the Right Honourable
Gentleman (Mr. Secretary Peel), aelattve to the present
relations with Portugal, which appeared to him of great
importance. The Regent of Portugal had, it appeared,
not only destroyed the Charter granted by his brother,
and violated his oath, but had also violated the oath he
took to Don Pedro as Sovereign, and assumed to him-
self the functions of Royalty. Perhaps no individual
within so short a time had ever been guilty of more
crimes, both against the nation and against his lawful
Monarch. In this state of things the question naturally
arose, whethet the Government of this country had sent
out directions to the British Ambassador to quit Portu-
gal? While the intentions of the Regent remained
doubtful, it would not, perhaps, have been proper to
withhdraw our Ambassador; Don Miguel, however,
having not only convoked the Cones, but having per-
mitted himself to be addressed as Sovereign in the Ga-
zettes which were under his controul, and saluted in
that character by the troops he reviewed, no doubt could
any longer remain open the subject. The crime of re-
' hellion was complete, and the present ruler of Lisbon
was to all intents and purposes an Usurper. It would
be a paltry subterfuge to say that he did not, by any

public act, assume to himself the title of King, for be
effectually usurped all the authority which belonged
only to his brother, or to the daughter of his brother.
The question he had to put was, whether the Govern-
ment here sent out any directions to the British ♦m-
bassador on the subject, and if he had been instructed.
as to the contingencies under which he was to cease
from his functions ? There was one circumstance which
rendered it important that Government should take a
decided part. That to which he alluded were certain
letters addressed by a Noble Lord here (Beresford) to
certain individuals in Portugal. It had been said that
the tendency of those letters was to promote the esta-
blishment of the Constitution. They must, however,
have been either misrepresented or ill understood, for
in Portugal the conclusion drawn from them was, that
the Government of this country was well-inclined to the
measures of Miguel. What he wished to know was,
whether any directims had been sent out to the British
Ambassador, or any time or occasion stated in which he
was to give op his functions?
The SPEAKER said the question put by the Noble
'Lord was a most argumentative one: •
Lord JOHN RUSSELL expressed his regret that
the importance of the subject had led him beyond the
usual limits of a question. He had intended to put this
question yesterday, on the motion for going into a
Committee of Supply, which would have been the
proper occasion.
Mr. Secretary PEEL said the question was certainly
of rather unusual length, but was perhaps excusable
from the importance of the subject, and fi om the cir-
cumstance that it had been the Noble Lord's intention
to put it yesterday on the motion forgoing into a Com-
mittee of Supply. He had upon a former occasion
stated, that the British Government so entirely disap-
proved of the ccurse pursued in Portugal, that their
Minister at Lisbon received directions to suspend his
functions.—(Hear, hear). Instructions had certainly
been sent to him, pointing out certain contingencies by.
which his conduct was to be regulated ; but the House
must see that it might lead to great inconvenience if he.
were to state particularly what those contingencies were.'
He could assure the House, however, that when the,
time should strive that a full disclosure could with
propriety be made: it would then appear' that the in-
structions sent out were such as to manifest most clearly
that the British Government highly disapproved of any
attempt to overthrow the authority of Don Pedro,whom
alone they could recognize as the Sovereign of Por-
tugal, or of any attempt to undermine his authority,
The in!ti uctions were such as to mark strongly their
disapprobation of any such attempt. The British Minister
was accredited to Don Miguel only as Vicegerent. With
respect to the correspondence of Lord Beresford. if a
conclusion had been drawn from it that the British Go-
vernthent, or any Member of the Government, secretly
favoured the views of Don Miguel, nothing could be
more unfounded. It was easy to perceive, however,
that certain parties might put a construction upon these
letters which they did not bear, for the purpose of pro-
moting their own objects, and it would be most unfair
if, in consequence at such misunderstanding, any con-
clusion were to be drawn unfavourable to the Noble
Lord who wrote them. As he said upon a former oc-
casion, it was but the correspondence r f an individual
no way charged with uttering the sentiments of the
Government, and for which the Government was not
responsible.
Mr. HOBHOUSE begged to know whether the Go-
vernment of this country had adopted any measures for
the preservation of British property, in the event of any
reverses being suffered by the Constitutional forces ?
He understood that British merchants had a great deal
of property in Oporto, and the Right Min. Gentleman
would see, that in the event of any reverses being suf.
fered then the most dreadful consequences must ensue,
if they were left unprotected.
Mr. Secretary PEEL replied, that under any circum•
stances of civil contests, the. British Government would
never disregard what was due to the interests of its
subjects.