"able with regard to the celerity with which, after having made "the above demands, and without waiting for the answer of "Portugal, it ordered all Portuguese merchant ships to be detained "in the ports of France; and by that means actually commencing "hostilities without any previous declaration of war; thus carrying "to a far greater length all the proceedings which formed its con"tinued topic of reproach against England, which after such a "conduct will be justly valued... ... The Emperor of the French "has not only invaded Portugal under the cloak of friendship, "but has even caused Portuguese merchant ships to be seized “which were in his ports without any previous declaration of 66 war?" Without critically examining the truth of the assertion, whether the proceedings of France were "carried to a greater "length" than the proceedings of England alluded to, we cannot but remark the severe reflections which are here thrown out against the ally, as well as against the enemy of Portugal. Who set France the example of such iniquitous "proceedings" as seizing the ships of a neutral and a friendly power, whilst sailing on the high seas without suspicion, or quietly laying at anchor in port? This "system of rascality," as it was termed in the British senate by Lord STANHOPE; these nefarious acts, which Lord ELLENBOROUGH compared to those, for the commission of which he had pronounced on the perpetrators sentence of death in the hall of national justice at the Old Bailey, were committed by this country against Denmark. These horrible and unprovoked outrages, accompanied by outrages still more horrible, the plunder and conflagration of the Danish capital, and the destruction of the unoffending inhabitants, could not on this occasion but be recollected by the court of Portugal. The seizure of the Spanish plate ships and frigates "previous to a declaration of war," could not likewise have been forgotten. Thus it appears that the French, in those parts of their conduct which were considered by the Prince Regent as peculiarly aggravating, were only feeble copyists of the precedents set them by England!

Although the Portuguese had suffered the Prince Regent, with their old, insane queen, and the court with its dependants quietly to depart, it since appears they were not satisfied with the government of their new masters the French. Partial insurrections have taken place in different parts of Portugal, the principal of which were at Oporto. The account of these events have been published By authority of the partizans of the Prince Regent, now calling themselves the government, consisting of the most excel"lent and Reverend Don ANTONIO, bishop of the diocese," a few other ecclesiastics, together with half a dozen officers who invested themselves with the supreme government. As there were no

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Portugal.

French forces in the city, although a column of the French army was reported to be marching thither, the bishop, the "illustrious “dean, who commanded the city guard," the reverends, the different tribes of ecclesiastics, and their followers easily carried their design into execution; and have since kept possession of the city. The documents published by the episcopal comniander of Oporto, and by those holding their authority under him, we have already laid before our readers.* We are sorry to perceive by these documents, that the authors so far from endeavouring to awaken, and to animate the Portuguese by motives becoming men, determined to assert their liberties and independence, "to live free or die," make use of the most sordid and despicable language, suited only to the darkest ages of ignorance, superstition, and vice. The French Emperor is styled "the monster of iniquity vomited out of "Hell; the villain, the chief of the numerous banditti spread over Europe." The priests who use this language, it should seem have obliterated from their memories all traces of the heinous, the complicated crimes of the established priesthood in all catholic countries, and which have stamped the sacred fraternity, when exercising their power in the zenith of their prosperity, the very worst description of men that the Almighty ever permitted to afflict, to trample upon, to pillage, and to massacre the human race. Portugal and Spain, where the priesthood have for ages reigned peculiarly triumphant, have the guilt of the blood of numerous millions of innocent victims yet to atone for. The language of the most reverend and right reverend leaders of the insurgents, affords a tolerable display of their disposition to fill up the measure of their fathers.." The most sacrilegious the most horrid of all "atrocious crimes committed by the French," they inform their countrymen is,-What? Let the reader prepare for a tale of new, and unparalleled horrors! "The demolition of the sacred paint, *ing, which brings to memory the five fountains which issued on "the heights of mount Calvary to cleanse and wash the sins of the "world; the five wounds of our redeemer, offered on the plains "of Ourique, to the first King of Portugal as emblems of honour to be blazoned on the standards." This complication of crimes calls for the utmost vengeance of the Portugueze! The holy zeal of the most reverend commander, and his reverend subalterns, "brought to resurrection the army of Braganza, which although "they were demolished in the edifices, always existed untouched in the image of JESUS CHRIST, painted with his most precious "blood;" which army" on the glorious 18th of June, displayed their standards, and like men converted into wild beasts, run

Pol. Reg. for Aug. p. 79-84.

towards the plain of St. Ovid, there to wait for the enemy, thus resembling hungry wolves who run towards lambs! Loved countrymen," ,"adds his reverence,- "Your hunger is not satiated; your rage increases, and you protest you'll feed on the blood of Frenchmen who infest august Lisbon." Such are the principal sentiments, and such are the grand motives urged by the leaders of the Portuguese insurgents to their countrymen to induce them to fight and devour the French. If however, their hearts are not accessible to sentiments and motives of a different, and an opposite kind, the result may be easily foretold. It is indeed much to be lamented that the debased state of the Portuguese under their late most execrable government of priestcraft in its most stupid and bigoted form, should have almost incapacitated them for the performance of actions becoming the citizen, the patriot, and the christian: but the melancholy fact is proclaimed by almost every traveller who has visited that degraded kingdom. Slavery, superstition, ignorance and vice, have rendered the mass of the people, with respect to morals and religion, a body corrupt and putrified.

Mr. Burke, when writing on the despotism of the Mamelukes of Egypt, remarked-"That when any of the European govern"ments extirpated that wretched race, he should not too nicely " inquire into the nature of the means made use of, to produce so ❝ desirable an end." Now, although we must ever stand aloof from the sentiment implied in this remark, and shall never attempt to justify any event in which the means used, are not pure as the end proposed, yet we must acknowledge, that almost any revolution which may produce the total destruction of the despotic government of Portugal, and more particularly of the worst part of that despotism, the established church, ought to be a matter of exultation to every friend to the freedom, the morals, and the welfare of society.

In the present state of Portugal we scarcely know what to wish: it is very evident the majority of the people were indifferent with respect to their old government, and there is every reason to believe that the late insurrection is to be attributed principally, if not exclusively, to the priests of the established church, who, judging by their manifestoes, have no wish for the restoration of their countrymen to a state of political and religious freedom, but whose grand aim seems to be, the preservation of the established church in all its despotism, superstition, luxury and vice.

It is melancholy to observe protestant British commanders assisting the Romish priests in their endeavours to enflame the passions of their ignorant devotees, already too much enflamed, on the misunderstood and abused subject of religion, What would our ances tors have said had they read the proclamations of Sir CHARLES COTTON, and Sir ARTHUR WELLESLEY exhorting a nation of

wretched fanatics to "take up arms for the preservation of their "holy religion;" a religion which these very commanders profess to abominate? Britons and protestants may find abundance of rational and honourable motives to urge to a people who are inclined to take up arms for the sake of their liberties and independence, without having recourse to the ignoble pretences of ignorance, fanaticism, and priestcraft.

With respect to Portugal, who to the last remained faithful to her alliance with England, there seems to have been adopted on the part of our ministers or their agents, a system weak in its formation, and fatal in its termination. The designs of the French towards that kingdom were apparent, long before they were ready to carry them into execution. England might, without violating any principle of justice have assisted the Prince Regent of Portugal to preserve his dominions; and if his people had retained a single spark of affection for the government, the powerful assistance of Britain would have raised it to a flame: but our rulers were too strongly bent on their scheme of robbery in the Baltic to attend to the timely preservation of Portugal; and they contrived to send a fleet just in time to assist in the transportation of the court of Lisbon, leaving the country in the possession of the French. How preferable, how much more politic is the endeavour, to defend a country from invasion, than after suffering it to be over run and plundered, to attempt to expel the invaders! The general resistance of the people of Spain to the designs of the French, and the partial insurrections of the people of Portugal since the departure of their old goverment, were inducements sufficient to this country, to send a considerable naval and military force for the purpose of securing the Russian fleet in the port of Lisbon, and capturing the French army, which had for nearly a twelvemonth been in possession of the country. The expectations of our countrymen, of complete success attending our arms, and of the complete discomfiture and conquest of the French, appear to have been wound up to the highest pitch by the letters of Sir ARTHUR WELLESLEY, the commander of the British forces in the late actions, and by the letter of Lord CASTLEREAGH to the Lord Mayor of London, aunouncing that in consequence of the brilliant victories obtained by his Majesty's arms, "the French General KELLERMANN arrived with a flag of truce at head-quarters on the 22d. to treat for terms." Our journalists were not content with conveying to their readers the pompous boasts of Sir A. WELLESLEY in the extraordinary gazette, but their coJumns were filled with anecdotes concerning the British and French officers, and conversations that passed between them, some of which were so insulting to the latter that little doubt can be entertained of their having been manufactured in this country. Sir A.

WELLESLEY and the two knights who followed him, Sir HARRY BURRARD, and Sir HEW DALRYMPLE were already advanced, by these writers, to the peerage; and baronetages, stars and ribbons were lavished with an unsparing hand on our inferior officers. Reports were likewise circulated, that the terms proposed by General KELLERMANN were rejected as inadmissible, and "letters from "the continent assured us" that JUNOT had surrendered at discre tion, but that such was the indignation and contempt in which this "robber" and his brother officers where held by our commanders, that so far from allowing them the honours of war, they were compelled to walk without their arms to Lisbon"!

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On the first perusal of Sir ARTHUR'S letters, we however, had our suspicions that these victories were not so great as was pretended. The severe loss on the side of the British, the complaint of the want of cavalry, the acknowledged bravery with which the French to the last contested the point, no return of prisoners made by the British, these with other circumstances which are now of no consequence to the public, rendered it doubtful whether the French would not claim the victory on each day of battle: as to the first and second days we had little doubt on the subject: but whatever might have been our suspicions, we were as little prepared as our countrymen for the final consequence of these victories

-A CONVENTION which has filled the country with one general sentiment of disappointment, regret, and indignation. When every one was momentarily expecting to hear of the unconditional surrender of the French army, and the Russian fleet; when we were all sure that this army was deprived of its arms and ammunition, of all its rich plunder, and rendered incapable, by the terms of capitulation, of serving during the present war against his Majesty and his allies, -Intelligence arrives that the robber JUNOT is transformed into ́ ́his excellency the Duke d'Abrantes," that the defeated French commander had obtained the terms due only to a conqueror, and that the British commander, with a victorious army double in number to that of the enemy, and flushed with success, had consented that the conquered should" in no case be considered prisoners of war;" that they should be conveyed to their own country in British ships, at the expence of Britain, with their horses, arms, ammunition, property public and private; including every species of plunder they. had acquired in the country: and that the property which should be immoveable (some considerable estates given to JUNOT and his brother officers by NAPOLEON, or purchased by them, it is supposed are alluded to) may be disposed of, the British being the guarantees for the payment! Complete security is likewise to be given to every Frenchman who may choose to remain in or to quit the country, and to every Portuguese, whatever may have been his political con