Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-09

The political situation in Portugal is ex-
ceedingly complicated. much beyond the
comprehension Of the stran-
Complex ger without the gates Of Lis
Situation, bon. A bird s-eye view
may not prove amiss.
Madame Juliette Adam, the distinguished
editor and founder of the two literary and
political reviews. La Nouvelle Revue and
La Parole Franchise, published In 1896 a
charming book about Portugal and the
Portuguese. Writing of King Carlos, the
author says: The king, Don Carlos of
Portugal, is the grandson of King Fer
| nando who was both painter and archae-
ologist. Don Carlo also has artistic
| talent. In the fux and refluX of the ideas
| of the dynasty of the Braganzas, liberal
or reaction, Don Carlos adopted the lat
ter. One fine day the king dissolved the
cortes and forgot to have it renewed
Referring to Portugars great role in
Africa, the author writes:
The Portuguese of the heroic age had
no conception Of the morality Of con-
quest. They accomplished their con-
quests in the pursuit of power and
riches, and these objects are finally ex-
hausting. The country of Vasco de
Cana. Magellan, Albuquerque, Jean de
civilization; it should find its destiny in
Africa
Don Carlos. true to his penchant for
reaction, dissolved the cortes on the 11th
his failure to order a reelection on a
former occasion may serve his purpose
now. Rumor says not. for already, re-
plying to petitions for restoration of ma
tional sovereignty. the king Is reported
to have signified his willingness to aban
don the state of absolutism which has
prevailed in Portugal since the dtssolu-
ton Of parliament on May ii. The
letter MAY 26) to the king protesting
against the state Of absoluttsm which
had resulted from the dissolution, and. re-
ferring to the action of the legitimists
in sending an envoy to confer with the
pretender (the Duke Miguel de Bra
ganza). declared the peril to king and
country to be imminent and urgent
Don Miguel de Braganza, the head Of the
line Of the house of Braganza. Is actually
an officer of the Austrian
PortugaPs army. His father. Don
Pretender. Miguel, was the late king
who seized the throne from
his niece, Queen Maria II, the daughter Of
Don Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil. and
reigned as King Of Portugal from 1928 to
1884. Maria da Gloria, who died in 1853.
was the last sovereign of the house of
Braganza proper, the present reigning
house being that Of Braganza- Coburg-
Gotha.
Don Carlos I. the present king. born
September %, 1863. is the son of J4uiz l..
King of Portugal, and Dona Pia. daugh-
ter Of the late King of Italy. Victor
Amelie, the daughter Of Philippe Duke
of Orleans and Count of Paris. May -
1885. and succeeded to the throne of
Portugal October 10. 1889.
In ancient times Portugal was named
Lusitania. The Phoenicians colontzed
the coast. but the country was inhabited
by people Of Celtic origin-the Celtici.
Lusitani and Gallacai During five CEN
turtles and a half Lusitania was occupied
by the Romans and in turn by the Bar
| barians. In the commencement of the
eighth century the Moslem invasion at
Caliphs. The Christian kings of Asturia
drove out the Moslems in 953, when the
| name of Portucalia was adopted. Under
Alfonso 1 Q114-11S5) Portugal was
Aviz succeeded to the house Of Bour-
gague under Jean /, the Great"
Under the reign of the Aviz Portugal
became a great maritime power discov-
cred Madeira, the Cana
Adventurous ries, Cape Verde. the Con-.
People. go and the Cape of Good
Hope in 1850. Vasco de
Cana found the coast of Malabar in 1893.
CabraI discovered Brazil in 1900. AL
| buquerGue, nicknamed 1.-The Great" and
| the Portuguese Mars" was named gov
ernor of the Indias in 1909. He bonn
barded Calient, and took Goa, Ceylon.
Malacca and Ormuz. 1t is related that
| when the King of Persia sent him am
bassadors demanding tribute, Albu-
| querque caused his sailors to lay before
| them quantity of sabers, bullets and
grenades. There" said Albuquerque, sis
the sort of money with which ny mas
| ter pays tribute"
Albuquerque dreamed of a greater Por-
| tugal, and with that object in view he
| concerted with the Negus of Abyssinia
the destruction of Suez and the ruin of
| Egypt by turning the bed of the Nile
| toward the Red sea.
From 1880 to 1910 Portugal was a vice
| royalty of Spain. Philippe II forbade
| and this people undertook to seek the
| spices which hitherto they had found in
| the markets of Lisbon, in the ports Of
| the far east. The Portuguese fleet was
| in 1901. and the latter captured the
| Moluques and the islands of the Sond.
! They built Batavia and established them
selves in Siam. Ceylon. Japan, the coast
| of Guinea and in the Guayane.
In 164O the Duke de Braganza was
proclaimed king under the title of Jean
| ". Portugal maintained a war during
| twenty-five years against Spain, and re-
| covered her African colonies in 1854 and
| Brazil in 1861, but coded Bombay to the
| British and Ceuta to the Spanish.
Under the ministry Of the Marquis de
Pombal, 175O-1777, the new dynasty was
given an appearance Of
Renewed renewed prosperity. Pom
Prosperity. bal endeavored to fortify
the royal power, based
upon the independence and civilization
| of the people. in opposition to the aris-
| tocratic classes. Pombal was the de-
| clared enemy Of the Jesuits. He re-
| formed the University of Coimbre, anne
| liorated the administration and encour-
aged commerce and industry. ue was
surnamed the Grand Marquis"
When Bonaparte demanded. after the
rupture of the peace Of Amiens, that
Portugal refuse the entry Of her ports
| to the British. Portugal refused. where
upon a French army occupied the coun-
| try.
In 1888 the constitutional regime was
| inaugurated in Portugal. The interior
| history Of the country from that time has
been a struggle between constitutional