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part of Spain, excited disturbances of the apostolic party. Some provinces were constantly infested with bands of robbers, who rendered it dangerous to travel, without the protection of a strong guard. Others were thrown into disorder, by contests between the militia and troops of smugglers, on the sea coast.-Guerilla parties took shelter in the mountains. Nothing could exceed the picture of wretchedness and poverty among the lower classes, of fanaticism among the priests and their party, of public misrule every where; presented in Spain at this period.

The trial of the members of the late cortes being concluded, the government published a decree, condemning to death sixty-five more, in addition to those excepted from the decree of amnesty in 1824. This measure was in unison with the sanguinary spirit, which governed the councils of Spain.

The affairs of the kingdom were soon brought to a crisis, by the political changes in Portugal. No sooner did the promulgation of a constitution for that kingdom, become known in Spain, than it produced the greatest consternation. Ferdinand issued a decree, invoking the loyalty of his people, to preserve tranquillity. He reassured them, that he would never make any change in the legal form of govern

ment, and never permit the establishment of chambers under any modification whatever. This decree was published in August, 1826.

Not long before, a dangerous conspiracy had been detected by the superintendant of police, having for its object, to compel Ferdinand to abdicate in favor of Don Carlos. The king was persuaded by his well-wishers, on this occasion, to consent to change the ministry, proclaim a general amnesty, and convoke the cortes; but the intrigues of the apostolic party overcame his better intentions, and prevented the execution of the salutary measures contemplated.

In proof of the alarm and rigor of the government, it may be mentioned, that general O'Donnell issued a circular to the authorities in the military district commanded by him, peremptorily interdicting all intercourse with Portugal, and enjoining a strict watch over persons suspected of entertaining sentiments favorable to liberty. Placards were posted in Madrid, commanding every book of a supposed liberal tendency, to be delivered up to the police. No persons could enter or leave Madrid, without being reported to the municipal officers.

Amid these events, the duke del Infantado resigned his place as minister of foreign affairs, alleging that he did not enjoy the king's

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confidence. His resignation had been repeatedly tendered before; but refused.

His successor, Salmon, and his associates, bear the character of being, some of them, men of talents and integrity. But the government was arrived at a fearful crisis. With coffers empty, troops unmanageable, ill officered, and only half paid, a marine scarcely sufficient for the defence of Cuba, and without authority in Spain adequate to repress the infuriated factions, which divided the kingdom, under all these disadvantages, any ministry would have a most arduous task to perform.

Some time elapsed, before the Spanish authorities manifested their hostility to the Portuguese regency, by any overt acts. They began, by receiving the rebels, who fled into Spain, from Portugal; and either furnishing them with weapons, or at any rate, conniving at their obtaining arms, and continuing in military array. To the demands of Portugal, requiring the refugees to be disarmed, no attention was paid.

We must now go back, to explain the events, which had previously transpired in Portugal; and the actual situation of that kingdom.

At the expiration of the year 1824, Portugal was freed from the internal disturbance, which had lately agitated the kingdom. The

revolt of Brazil, however, under Don Pedro, was an event to which the Portuguese government was not reconciled; although it could do nothing towards regaining its lost authority. But strong exertions were made by the English government, through sir William A'Court, their minister at Lisbon, to bring about a recognition of the independence of Brazil. In January, 1825, a change in the cabinet took place, and new ministers were appointed, favorable to the views of Great Britain. This preliminary step, was followed, ere long, by a proclamation of king John's, recognizing the independence of Brazil, and transferring the sovereignty of it to his son, Don Pedro. No farther difficulty being now interposed, the two states accepted the mediation of England; and sir Charles Stuart, was appointed plenipotentiary of the king of Portugal, with powers to conclude a treaty of peace and alliance, with Brazil. He proceeded to Rio, and accomplished this object successfully.

The treaty was concluded in August, and announced at Lisbon, in October.

No other events of historical importance transpired in Portugal, until the death of the king, in an apoplectic fit, which happened March 10th, 1826. John VI. was born in 1767. From 1792 until 1817, he governed the king

dom, in the capacity of regent, on account of the insanity of the queen, his mother. He succeeded her in 1817, at which time he was in Rio, whither the government was transferred, on Bonaparte's invasion of Portugal.

Previous to the king's death, it had been arranged that his fourth daughter, Isabella Maria, should act as regent, until the affairs of the kingdom were settled. When John acknowledged the independence of Brazil, no stipulation was provided against the union of the two crowns in the person of Don Pedro, on his father's death. It remained to be seen what course Pedro would take, now that this very contingency had arisen. Wisely preferring the possession of Brazil alone, to being subject to European intrigues in Portugal, Pedro immediately confirmed the regency appointed in Portugal, and abdicated all his rights to the Portuguese crown in favor of his eldest daughter Maria da Gloria, who thus became queen of Portugal.

At the same time, Pedro announced to the Portuguese his design to confer on them a constitutional charter, whose acceptance by them he made one of the conditions of his resignation: an act, destined to be followed by momentous consequences. This charter, which contains a great number of provi sions of the most liberal character

in regard to the personal liberty of the subject, is remarkable in its political features. It confers the right of suffrage on all persons possessed of an income of 100 milreas, and provides for the annual assembling of a cortes composed of two chambers, namely hereditary peers, and deputies elected every four years. While it established the Roman catholic religion as the religion of the kingdom, it permitted all other religions to foreigners. Being accompanied with a general amnesty, it excited the liveliest sensations of joy in Lisbon.

It will be recollected that Miguel, the brother of Pedro, rebelled against his father a few years since, and was now travelling abroad in a kind of honorable exile. To secure the permanency of the new political arrangements, a dispensation was obtained for the marriage of Don Miguel with his niece, the queen, although she was but eight years of age. Miguel was now residing in the palace of the emperor of Austria, at Vienna. Acting under the emperor's advice, he made oath to the constitution in October, sending to the regent a copy of the oath written and subscribed in his own hand-writing. Governed by the same counsels, Miguel was also betrothed to the queen in form, she herself being still at Rio de Janeiro.

Throughout all these proceedings, it was plain to discern the

hand of England, on whom, after all, Portugal would have to depend for the stability of any form of government she might possess. Every where, however, in Europe, the subject deeply interested all political classes. It was so lately that the Portuguese had revolutionized their country, and overturned their former constitution, scarcely a more liberal one than the present; it was so lately that France had invaded Spain, to subdue the constitutional party there ;-that the adherents of absolute monarchy in the peninsula and in France, were struck with amazement by the occurrence of an event, which seemed to sanction the past acts, and encourage all the future hopes, of the friends of constitutional freedom.

It was natural to inquire, also, what course would be adopted by the members of the Holy Alliance, a body organized for the sole purpose of preventing the institution of constitutional governments. No sooner was their head removed by death, than all the benefit of their kind labors in Italy, seemed to be totally annihilated by the erection of the Portuguese chartered monarchy.

Sir Charles Stuart the agent through whom Don Pedro conveyed the constitution to Portugal, was disavowed by the English government, who represented him as acting altogether on his own re

sponsibility. On his arrival in Lisbon, the council of regency, composed of the oldest ministers of the late king, remonstrated against the acceptance of the charter; but, nevertheless, the princess regent consented to the constitution, and issued a proclamation to promulgate the fact, indubitably proceeding under the advice of England.

It soon appeared, that the absolutists, pretending to support Don Miguel, had a strong party in the country. Discontent began to show itself among the troops. Instances of insurrection occurred, in the distant provinces, which were with difficulty suppressed. The insurgents took refuge in Spain, where being cordially received, and protected, until they had collected into large bodies, they continually threatened the Portuguese frontier. Justly apprehensive of an invasion, the Portuguese government instantly required of Spain to disarm the rebels, and send their arms to Portugal. This requisition proving ineffectual, the Spanish court meeting it only with empty assurances, which their acts belied, and intelligence of the movement of troops, in the frontier provinces of Spain, arriving continually, the Portuguese minister was ordered to leave Madrid,and the diplomatic relations between the two countries were suspended.

CHAPTER XIII.

Political condition of ITALY.-Rome-Naples. AUSTRIA. Hungary. SARDINIA and SWITZERLAND, NETHERLANDS. BAVARIA. SWEDEN. RUSSIA.-Death of Alexander-Constantine proclaimed-Abdicates in favor of NicholasSeditions-Secret Societies-Coronation of Nicholas Relations with Turkey-Persian War.

That overruling destiny, which governs the affairs of the world, has made Austria the arbiter of Italy, and thus associated them in the page of history. Austria, of all the great governments of Europe the least intellectual; whose emperor will not have learned men in his dominions, if he can avoid it, lest they should shed a ray of light upon the dark despotism of his policy, has bound the chain of her slavish rule around Italy, the land of genius, of poetry, of the arts. The kings of the two Sicilies, and of Sardinia, reign only by virtue of the power of Austria, whose troops garrison Naples and Piedmont. Tuscany, Lombardy, Venice, the Italian principalities, are appanages of the imperial family; and though once, and that not many centuries ago, the smallest cities of Italy, were the theatre of grand events; the history of the whole nation is now almost a blank. Had a stable federal league united her states, independence might still have been

their lot; or had Napoleon continued to rule them, they would, at least, have had an Italian for a master, whose vigor and genius were worthy of his national extraction.

In adverting to the recent acts of the see of ROME, we seem to be restored to older times. Leo XII. has busied himself in various political transactions of foreign states, where the pretensions of the Roman church came in conflict, with the extension of public liberty. Thus, in the disputes between the ultra catholics, and the more moderate church party, in the Netherlands, which gave rise to great warmth of feeling, the pope sided with the former. So, also, in the still more bitter controversy between the jesuits in France, and their opponents, whose only aim is to create a national feeling, and to resist transmontane influence; Leo was not sparing of censure against the journals that supported the liberties of the Gallican church. But his interference with the in

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