Evening star., 1923-08-21
By THE MARaUIsE DE FoNTENoY.

BY THE MARQUIsE DE FONTESOY.
Portugal has shown an unexpected
degree of political sense and sagac-
ity, promising well for her future, in
electing Senior TeXeira Comes by an
overwhelming majority to the presi-
dency of the republic. For instead of
being a political adventurer. a mil
itary conspirator or one of those uni
yersity professors who are so much
wrapped up with theory, doctrinal
fads and intellectual idealism as to
be incapable Of understanding or ap-
preciating practical issues. he is
member of a very ancient and dis
tinguished family, possessed OF great
landed estates in the province of Al
carve and of a considerable private
fortune, and is a graduate, but never
a professor of the great University
of Coimbra and is the author OF sew
eral books on art and traveI: FOR
the past thirteen years, indeed ever
since the establishment of the re-
public at Lisbon, he has been the
minister plenipotentiary OF Portugal
in Great Britain. He arrived there
under very discouragins circum-
stances and at first his position was
not only a very delicate, but also a
very difficult one.
X x x *
People in England from the royal
family downward had been profound
ly shocked by the butchery of King
Carlos and of his eldest son while
driving through the streets OF Lisbon
in 1908, seated in an open carriage
with Queen Marie Emelie, who was
drenched with the blood of her hus-
hand and Of her eldest boy and also
with that of her younger boy Manuel,
who was wounded. The callous atti-
tuda Of the government and of the
neonle in dealing with the crime, IN
withholding any manifestation or sym
pathy for the victims or Tor thelr pe-
reayed family, and their neglect 70
punish the assassins, created Worlo-
vide indignation. and especially In
Great Britain, where king carlos and
bic eldest bov were greatly liked and
held in affection by King EDWARD ana
by his entire house as near ana oear
relative. But the climax OF IL, aharSn an,ins-
of 1910, a band of naval and political
conspirators, after partly destroying
the royal palace at LISBON with gun
fire from the warships, proclaimed
republic and drove tne ivnerienceS wfIGme qf@ how
King Manuel, to fight and 10 seek
refuge in foreign exile.
4 X X y
Manuel was too young to have been
able to do much harm, while queen
Marie Amelie, by her charity and by
her devotion to the people OF the land
Of their adoption, by the heroic role
which she had played in various cpl
denies. in nursing the victims of the
bubonic plague, of typhus, or cholera
and of smallpox. in the hospitals which
she had founded, endowed and organ
lied. had every right to look, IL not
for gratitude at any rate, for some de-
gree of sympathy on the part OF the
Portuguese people. Both the king and
his mother went to England, where they
were warmly welcomed. and where they
made their home and where they found,
As their principal adviser, the late
MARQUIS Of Several, who had represented
Portugal at the Court of St. James for
nearly twenty years and VINO had been
one Of the most intimate personal
friends of Edward VII. OF Queen Alex
andra and Of their children, including
the present king. and a universal ia
vorite in London society.
Under the circumstances, the welcome
accorded there to Senior Texeira Comes.
as the minister plenipotentiary Of
Portugal, was more than cold. He, how
ever bore himself with so much tact
and dignity and discretion that, by de-
grees. he managed to win the reluctant
admiration and good will of all those
with whom he was brought into con-
tact and, gradually, the sympathy
which he had won for himself was ex-
Itepdsd to -tha- nation XhicR he <eQTs-