The papers received yeste...
The Times, 1824-07-13T00:00:00

'IThe papers received yesterday by the Lisboni mail are wlholly destitute of interestinig matter, but the private letters are curious for the light they throw on tho ex- istiig situation of the Court of Portugal. The actual danger in whichl the K ING Was placed having for the pre- sent disappeared, it had been sueceedled by a system of in- trigue, set on fbot by the various parties aiming atinfluence in order to gain 'the ascendanicy over him. There is at Lisbon a French party, an Esglish party, a Spanislh party, andt a party espousing the principle2 of the Holy Alliance, whiclh may also be called that of the QuE-X and her son MIoU EL. The weakness of the KING'S clharacter, which renders him peculiarly susceptible of personal influ- ence, had appeared to give each party in turn the prospect of success ; but as the discovery was soon mxade that nonie coulddepened upon him, the objectsof all were alike in turn frustrated. if Prencl intrigue has actually gained the upper hand at the Court of Portugal, it has been conducted with peculiar adroitness, as the impression undoubtedly is, to judge from the tone of the best informed private letters, that English influence predominates. Sir EDwARD TIHORNTON is highly popular there, but Marshal BCRES- voilm less so, andl a recent proceetling of Count SUnSaItRA, in procuring the banishment from Court of a Portuguese Lady of rank, for wvhom the Marshaf had stronigly interest. ed himself, and had even been instruimental in procuring her patent of nobility; vwas believed to be' a blow secretly levelle(d at him. The charge againit the lady in question, of lhaving carried on a clandestine correspondence with the Queen of PoaruGAL, was not thought to have any substan- tial foundation. Itwassaid tobeLord BERESFORD's intention shortly topay a visit to Cadia, hehavingapplied forpermission to employ one of the Lisbonipackets for that purpose, which permission he had obtained; but it was supposed that the journey was prompted solely by business of a private nature, and that he would very shortly return to Lisbon. We have been anxious to collect, if possible, from the pri- vate letters from ,Lisbon, what the circumstances were which led to the application for troops to the Englisb Go- vernament, of which at least no one entertains a doubt. ThAe origin of the request seems to have been ageneral distrust of the constitution of the Portuguese army. Men of reflection in the country are wvell aware, that when an army has been the chief instrument in political revolutionis, and has tasted the swoets of the power derived from such a source, its fidelity to any form of government will always assume an ambigu- ousc1haracter. They 'are always ready, like the Praetoriahi bands or the Janissaries, to bayter or give away a kingdom for an extension of the privileges andl pay of the military order. rhe Portuguese solliery, who within the last five years have several times been placed in this predicament, are discovering the effect in their conduct, in their'insolence -and disregaril of discipline. It is therefore wished to disband nearly the whole of 'the6m, and knowing by for- mer experience the steady characier of the English troops, they have been asked fbr, as a point d'appui 6or the Portu- guese Governmnent during this very delicate and(l dangerous operation. On the whole we discover nothing in the xews frou, Portugal to justify any immediatc apprelleusion of an interruption of trangaidilit