The National tribune., 1910-10-27

internal troubles the Kingdom had to
fight against the efforts of Spain to ex-
tend her rule over the sister Kingdom.
Portugal began to develop her COM
mercial greatness under the reign OF
King Diniz, 1279-1325, and Portugal
showed the greatest enterprise in eX-
ploring the seas and settling colonies.
Spain and Portugal being at the east
ern end of the Mediterranean were at
a disadvantage in securing a portion of
the great trade with the Orient. The
Portuguese nayigators and geOgraphers
believed that Africa only extended
short distance to the south, and their
efforts We're concentrated on sailing
down its western coast TO find the end
of the continent and reach the Indies
by sea. This was at the time that Co.
lunbus was broaching his daring
scheme of sailing aT"L:id the wcrIn ~
find the Indies. In the course of their
explorations the Portuguese discovered
Madeira, the Azores, Cape Verde
Islands and Guinea Coast. They dis
puted with Spain as to their discoveries,
and the Pope made a division OF the
world by a lire drawn north and south
$40 leagues west of the Cape Verde
Islands.
Discovery of the Cape of Good. Hope.
In 1873, five years after Columbus
discovered America, the Portuguese,
tVasco de Cana, at last found the south
ern end of Africa, sailed around the
Cape of Good Hope and reached the
Indies. This gave Portugal great inn
petus, and placed her in the front rank
| cf the world S powers. After the Pope'S
decree she secured Brazil, established
herself on both the eastern and west
ern coasts of Africa and gained foot
hold in Hindustan at Goa. Lisbon rose
to commercial greatness on the Eastern
trade, and her colonies became i'm
.,I g
took & favorable opportunity to annex
Portugal TO his crown, and the so years
of union with Spain were ruinous to
Portugars standing. Phillip used the
men and money Of Portugal in his dis
aStrouS wars against the ProteStants,
and he brought down enemies upon
the country. particularly the Dutch, who
took most of the Portuguese possessions
in the East Indies. Portugal finally
forced a release from Spain with the
assistance of England, but her glory
was gone. The mobiles and clergy got a
firm hold upon the country. and it was
a throttling one England Influenced
Portugal against Napoleon, who seized
the country in 1907, sending his armies
into it. The Crown Prince removed the
court 10 Brazil, where he continued to
reside until 1921, or for six years after
| Waterloo. The English sent an army
into Portugal to drive out the French,
anu iiHS hfSdii tIt SltdI 1eHiISuidE
! war, which cost England SO heavily,
/ brought the Duke of Wellington to the
front as a great commander and sapped
Napoleon's strength. The English and
| Portuguese finally drove the French
out of Portugal, and then, with the
help of the Spaniards, drove them out
of Spain, and Wellington pursued them
into France. King John was recalled
, to Portugal, leaving his son, Dom Pc
dro, as Regenr OF Brazil. Brazil had
been too long the main thing to consent
TO reduction TO d subordinate place, and
I in 1922 became independent. with Dom
Pedro as Emperor. The revolutionary
eiemen- was strong enough in Portugal
to force the adoption of Constitution
and the establishment of Legislature,
/ with hereditary House of Peers and
an elective House of Deputies.
Since then the history of Portugal
has been a series Of struggles between
the clericals and mobiles, who favored
iahsolutism, and the liberals, who want
ed to extend the constitutional idea and
diminish the privileges of the mobiles
and priests. The troubles were fire.
quently 3" severe as TO call for the in
tervcntion Of England and other pow
ors. The Liberal Government was more
successful, but the Liberal politicians
were ignorant and incapable of carving
on constitutional Government and
their troubles were taken advantage of
! by the AbSOlutiStS to restore the had
old regime. Quite number of Consti-
tutlons have been framed, had a trou-
ibled existence for brief period and
then We're succeeded either by a return
to absolutism or another Constitution
During these troubles the financial and
industrial condition of the country be-
came rapidly worse, with n total foreign
debt amounting to S325,93874O and a
domestic debt of s520153.T3O, making
the enormous totalof $Si6.O9247O. This
was so absolutely beyond the possibility
of payment that it had to be arbitrarily
,shrunken by a species of reputation.
In spite of this the expenditures are
every year several million dollars great
icr than the revenues, and the country
sinks deeper in debt.
The House of Braganza.
King Manuel, who has just been ex-
PEELED from the throne, belongs to the
house of BraganZa, which dates from
the end of the l4th century. The found
er of the house was an illegitimate son
lof King John /, who became Duke of
BraganZa in 14i2. When the direct
line of Portuguese Kings ended Philip
ii of Spain asserted and maintained
his right TO the throne by virtue of his
descent from a Portuguese Princess
Sixty years later the Portuguese revolt
ed and secured their independence
when they called Dom John Duke of
BraganZa, to the throne as their King
and he assumed the crown as John "
The male line OF the house ended with
the death of King Dom Pedro, Sept "a,
1884. leaving n 15-year-old daughter,
Maria, as his successor. She married
! Prince Ferdinand of Coburg, who after
her death governed for awhile as Re-