Star.
London, England, 1829-10-08 00:00:00

STATE OF PORTUGAL.
LISBON, Sam 17
Leaving the glOrious event at Terceira, alluded to in
my last, to produce its effect both in England and among
the Cabinets of Europe generally, I now proceed to
offer you the result of my inquiries relative to the in-
ternal state of the country.
Certain prints and persons, have been so much in the
habit of distorting the truth and eulogizing the usurper's
government, if government it can be called, that I am
aware, numbers of the well-wishers of Portugal, not ex-
cepting many of our public men, either believe the as-
sertions of mercenary hirelings, or become indifferent
to the fate of a country whose claims on England are of
the strongest kind, while its alliance is really essential to
our maritime supremacy. Whatever the effect of the
statement I am about to offer may be, I challenge the
partizan of the faction hero and in England, to disprove
what I advance, and I hope to have adopted such a mode
of ascertaining the real state of things, as will remove all
future doubts on the subject.
In the first place, it has been incessantly repeated by
the partizans of Dox MI6 LTEL in London, that he was
not merely the choice of the nation, but felt anxious to
govern with moderation. The state of the country
after the expiration of the eighteen months during
which he has held the reins of power, furnishes
a lamentable commentary ou the above assertion.
All the prisons of the kingdom are still gorged
with victims, whose • only crime is their wish to
maiiatain a political system of which they had sworn
fealty. Thousands of the most enlightened and respecta-
ble families are proscribed, their property confiscated ; and
as to personal security, it is out of the question, as in this
ill-fated country, under its present regime, no man's
house is his castle, as domiciliary visits take place at the
option of the lowest police-man. Yet are there persons
in England, who represent Portugal to be in a state or
the most perfect tranquility !
I need not tell you, that. there are Apostolical Jour-
nals paid by the party in London, as well as other
places ; from one of these lately received, and which con-
tains a weekly panegyric on Don MI6 um. and despotism,
I cannot help quoting the following passage :—" The
King of Portugal, adopting a conduct most congenial to
his feelings, where it could be safely acted upon, and the
result has already been the liberation of EIG lIT UUN-
DRED individuals who have been confined for political
offences against the Government." Having perused the
above, what will you say when I state, on the most ac-
curate and positive data, that while the number liberated
have not exceeded two hundred, and I speak within the
mark, a much larger proportion of new victims have been
immured on the most frivolous pretences. I have told
you that several arrests have taken place here since the
news of the event at Terceira arrived, nor does a day
pass without the arrest or ill-treatment of some one or
other in the capital and provinces. But I will oppose a
specific fact to the assertions of the Journal in question.
Twelve highly respectable individuals, chiefly the mem-
bers of the same family, of whom several happened to be
females, were suddenly arrested at Maffra, five leagues
from this, on the 24th of last month, and thrown into
prison, where they still remain, for no other earthly crime
than having dined together on that day. The circum-
stance of its being the anniversary; of the first Constitu-
tion is the only motive to which this outrage can be
attributed, as it does not appear that the smallest mani-
festation of their opinions was given. Among the ladies
thus seized, it may be as well to state, that one is the
wife of an Englishman, Mr. STOREY ; she is a native of
this country, and two of her brothers were of the com-
pany. I will leave you to make your own comments on
this statement, for the accuracy of which I pledge my-
self most unequivocally.
The following passage from the same paper is also
worthy of being cited. After alluding to the personal
attentions of the King to Donna MARIA, attentions
which do honour to the head and heart of his Majesty,
this writer observes, " The Portuguese nation have
now, after two years of trial, shewn that the Con-
stitution is not desired by them, and, as the TIMES'
says, even goes so far as to interfere with the
leniency of the Kixo towards those who have
upheld it." Can there be a more convincing reply to
this barefaced assumption, than to point to the large mass
of emigrants, the numbers who are imprisoned, and the
universal system of proscription which continues to pre-
vail throughout the whole country ? Many other proofs
of a settled hatred to the tyrant and his abettors, as well
as of an intense anxiety to live under the Charter of Don
PEDRO, might be adduced ; I shall content myself with
expressing my conviction, that the time is not very far
distant, when the assertions I have quoted will be con-
tradicted somewhat more powerfully than by any thing
I could say.
There is, however, a part of the above passage which
requires more particular notice. It is said on the autho-
rity of the Times, that the nation has interfered with the
leniency of the Kiri° towards the Constitutionalists.
Let me call your particular attention to the secret
of this allusion. It has been from the very first
moment of the usurpation notorious, that the Usurper's
supporters were composed of the vilest portion of the
community, and that the only object of their efforts, more
especially the old Aristocracy impoverished by its pro-
fligate habits, and the rabble, was to seize on the property
of the Constitutionalists. What then is the interference
to which the writer alludes? Why, that Don MIGUEL
and his worthy coadjutors, have refused to divide the said
property, immense in extent and amount, without going
through some shadow of legal forms, so as to be jus-
tified in the eyes of those Cabinets which have become
their patrons and supporters. This, and nothing else, is
the solution of a passage which has doubtless created no
small surprise among the readers of the two newspapers
in question. As to the property marked for confiscation,
those who fancy that Don Alt UEL and the persons about
him, are not impatient and most willing to seize it, with-
out any legal forms whatever, are egregiously in error, and
know but little of the parties. It is ascertained beyond
a. doubt, that the King, as he is styled by the London
scribe, has been recommended by his foreign friends, not
to be in too great a hurry either with completing the
confiscations, or following up that system of persecution
to which his natural inclinations have hitherto led him.
There is another motive attributed to this delay, and it is
probably the most powerful of all. It has been pretty
clearly ascertained by the faction, that if even the confis-
cated lands were put up for sale, no bidders would be
found !
Such being the class of persons whom the Miguelite
writer calls the " Portuguese Nation," it next remains
for me to notice the " moderation" of MATTOS and
Vizo a, alluded to by him, as also his continued asser-
tions relative to the internal tranquillity of Portugal. I
have stated the whole number of liberations not to have
amounted to two hundred ; I will now add, that among
these, there is not a single individual of the smallest
note or political importance. To this it may truly be
added, that not a shadow of crime could be attributed to
those set free, except their sentiments in favour of a libe-
ral government. It is, however, worthy of remark, that