Star.
London, England, 1826-12-23 00:00:00

J-

/*TVG AL

We subjoin two very impoitant documents which
wete annexed to the report made by Count Villa Real
to the two Portuguese Chambers, on his return from
his mission to Madrid, • and which were distributed
among the members. The fist is a letter of the Couot
to M. de Moustier. the french Ambassador at Madrid:
the second is the Frenchman's laconic and unsatisfac-
tory answer to that letter. The publication of these
documents presents, also, in striking contrast the good
faith and anxious efforts made by the Portuguese Go•
vernment to maintain peace, and the obstinate, unfair,
and treacherous conduct of the Spanish Cabinet.
Monseiur le Marquis,—Her Highness the Infanta
Regent of Portugal has heard, not without surprise, by
the first accounts which I sent here after my arrival on
the 6th of September last, chat the Spanish Government
has not recognized that which is established in Portu-
gal in the name of his Most Faithful Maje ty Don Pe-
dro IV. and that it had taken the resolution cyl not re-
cognizing it without having first consulted its allies. In
the hope that the Allied Powers will not be slow in de-
claring to Spain that they
.recognize the legality of the
Government established in Portugal, and ikthe desire
of avoiding all discussion which may complicate the re-
lations which exist between Portugal and Spain, her
Highness bas consented not to insist, for the, time upon
this questi ot, and only to exact of the Government of
Spain, the immediate withdrawing of the horses, arms,
equipments, &c. raised by the Portuguese rebels, who
bad taken refuge in Spain, and the dispersion of the
said rebels. This restitution of all justice was indispensa•
ble. in order to pave to the rebels that their cause was
not sot potted by Spain.
"s Unhappily, the conduct of several of the Spanish
authorities has given to the chiefs of the rebels the fa-
cility of continuing in error the Portuguese whom they
had drawn into their tebellion,and also of allurinf others.
" The circular of the Captain-General of Estrema-
dura upon the affairs of Portugal, which has been pub.
lished in the journals of Cadiz and Valencia, and the
publication by the journal of the Balearic Islands of
the 19th September last, of a letter given from Bada-
joz, in which the Government of Portugal is called re
volutionary, and the ignorance in which the Spanish
authorities have left their Government upon the oath
taken on the 22d of September last by the Portuguese
rebels at Serena, and upon the fife of the Church, which
those who were assembled at Lugo celebrated on the
1-t October last (for M. de Salmon only obtained the
knOwledge of it by me, on the 20th October), *are so
many proofs of my assertion. Thus the rebels have
continued their falsehoods and their intrigues to excite
new troubles in Portugal, as I have had the honour to
inform your Excellency, before the revolt of the regi-
ments in Algarve, and that of the Marquis de Chaves,
broke out. Again, after these events, the Spanish
authorities of Ayamonte have been to compliment the
rebel authorities established at Villa Real de S. Antonio,
during the few days that these have been able to main-
tain themselves there. Notwithstanding these facts, the
PortugueteGovernrnent and authorities have always ab-
stained from giving the least support, direct or indirect,
to the discontented who escaped from Spain. Spanish
deserters have taken refuge in Portugal. Not only has
her Highness the Infanta Regent caused them to be die-
armed and sent into the interior, as has been done in
Spain with the Portuguese deserters, but she has caused
to be inserted in the Lithos Gazelle the public decree
of his Catholic Majesty against them, although the
Spanish Government has not permitted me to print
either 41 the Gazelle of Madrid, or in the provincial
jt7attrial,s,:rre decrees of amnesty promulgated is favour
of the Portuguese deserters, and has sent me an order
to announce to M. de Salmon that she would send back
to the Spanish Government the arms, horses, &c.
carried off by the Spanish deserters, even before she had
any certainty that the Spanish Government would act
in the same moaner with regard to the army and horses
carried off by the Portuguese deserters.
" 1 ought to believe that at this moment the Spanish
authorities are engaged in sending back our arms and
horses, and in dispersing our deserters, in obedience to
the coders forwarded to them by their Government.—
But, in the actual state of things, this act of justice is
not sufficient to secure the tranquillity of the Peninsula.
Ilis Highness the Infant has taken the oath to the
Chatter granted by his Mkt Faithful Majesty. The
Goveinment of his Must Catholic Majesty, can, there-
t• ire, no longer have the slightest reason for not acknow-
ledging the Government established in Portugal. In
still ref using to do this, what guarantees can it offer to
induce a belief that the Spanish authorities will no lon-
ger give us just ground of complaint? How can Por-
tugal demand the observance of the treaties subsisting
between the two countries? So long as the Portuguese
Government shall not be formally acknowledged by
that of Spain, everything must remain in uncertainty
as to the relations existing between them. In this posi-
tion, are the conciliatory intentions of the Courts of
Europe fulfilled ? Does Spain give no cause of dis-
quietude to Portugal ? D es she not give to Portugal a
reason for adopting similar conduct, to secure her own
defence and well-being?
" Is it consi•tent with the interest of the Prninsula,and
of the able of Europe, that POrtugal should be kept
in alarm on ace( sent of what may befall her from with-
out ?—that the attention of its Government should be
Withdrawn from the objects of its internal administra.
tion ; and that it should be impeded in its progress by
tie encouragenrei.t which the passions, inseparable from
changes such as this country has recently undergone,
will naturally find in the attitude of Spain ? It Por-
tugal has hitherto been able to abstain from taking
measures which the duty of her preservation would
appear to dictate to lier, she has done so only in the
Confidence which she has placed in the support of her
allie-. In thus proving her moderation, Portugal has
acquired the right of addressing herself to them,without
fearing that her appeal will be made in vain.
" For these reasons it is that her Royal Highness the
Princess Regent of Portugal flatters herself that the
Cover nment of his Nlost Catholic Majesty will no longer
hcsoa c to recognise the legality of that established in
l'orrogal by order of hiswMost Faithful Majesty, and
that she has commanded me to address the Spanish
Government to this effect.

" M. de Salmrn, %shunt I hastened to apply to, bow-
ever. assurss sue that the motives which have hitherto
prevented his Government horn entertaining this ques-
tion still prevent it trom doing so. He has assut ea roe
that the Courts of Russia and Prussia have, in effect,
already given the Soanish Government to understand
that they tecognizt as legal the Government established
in isottligal ; but that neither the Coutt of France nor
the Conti of Atisttia have hitherto made him a similar
c noun nitation, eitlicr through the aget.cy of tl,e repie-