Зображення сторінки
PDF
ePub

The rupture having taken place, France added many new complaints to the immediate cause of quarrel. According to her, in 1824, contrary to the express tenour of treaties, perquisitions had been made in the French Consular-house at Bona, under the pretence of searching for contraband goods. Illegal permissions to-sojourn and trade in that town, and on the coasts of the province of Constantine, had been granted to English and Mahometan merchants. In 1826, vessels, belonging to the subjects of the Holy See, but bearing the white flag, and under the protection of France, had been unjustly captured, and restitution refused. French property, seized on board of a Spanish vessel, had been confiscated. Thus, said France, had been violated the two principles, which have constantly served as the basis of our transactions with the Regencies of Africa-namely, that the French flag should protect merchandise, whatever it might be, and that French merchandise should be inviolable even under the enemy's flag. Arbitrary visits and depredations had been committed on board French ships; and the sovereignty of France over that portion of territory, which is comprised between the river Seibus and Cape Roux, and of which she had been in possession since the middle of the fifteenth century, had been dis

puted. These, and the insult of the fly-flap, were the causes of war, which had been carried on since 1827, by a blockade of Algiers, so inefficiently maintained as not to prevent the state of hostilities from being extremely detrimental to the French trade in the Mediterranean. In the present year a new expedition was fitted out, with the intention of converting the useless blockade into a bombardment, and a flotilla of gunboats and bomb-ketches, to be used for that purpose, was daily exercised in the roads at Toulon. This design, however, was abandoned. M. de Portalis, who was at this time at the head of the Foreign-office, perceived that the continuance of the war was both the cause of a ruinous expenditure, and a subject of ridicule; the project of bombarding Algiers was given up; and M. de la Bretonniere was charged with a mission more peaceful, as less subject to the caprices of chance. The admiral set sail, not with five or six bomb-ketches, but with arguments calculated to make upon the mind of the Dey much more powerful impression than all the artillery of our marine. The new ministry succeeded, and was occupied with more important matters than this negotiation; and about the end of the year, M. Deval, whose wounded pride had insisted on exemplary satisfaction being demanded, died.

CHAP. IX.

PORTUGAL. Unsuccessful Conspiracies in Lisbon-Trial of the Conspirators-Miguel alters the Sentence of Banishment into Death, and banishes those who had been acquitted-Sufferings of State Prisoners-Confiscations-Attempt of Don Miguel against the Life of his Sister-Intrigues of the Queen, which lead to partial changes in the Ministry-Proceedings at Oporto against the Persons engaged in the Military enterprise of the preceding Autumn-Nine of them are executed-More bloodshed called for by the Priests, and a new Commission erected at Lisbon for the Trial of State Prisoners-Its Proceedings are interrupted by a change in the Ministry of Justice-The Queen opposes herself to the more lenient conduct of the new Minister-Continued Prosecutions and Punishments at Lisbon and Oporto-Sentence pronounced at Oporto, in their absence, against the Marquis Palmella, Count Villa Flor, and nineteen other General Officers-Forced issue of Paper Money--Necessities of the Government-Count Villa Flor takes the Command in Terceira in the Name of the Queen-An Expedition sails from Lisbon to reduce Terceira-The Troops effect a landing, but are totally defeated by Villa Flor-Spain recognizes the Title of Don Miguel-Brazil craves the armed interference of Britain, which is refused-A Portuguese Expedition sails from Plymouth to reinforce the Garrison of Terceira, under the pretext that the Troops on board were to be carried to Brazil-The British Government prevents them from landing-Don Pedro refuses to enter into any compromise with Miguel, and recals his Daughter from Europe. -SPAIN.-Executions at Barcelona-Partial Insurrections in Catalonia-Cadiz is erected into a free Port-Detection of a Fraud practised by Spain in relation to a French Loan.-ITALY.-Death of Pope Leo XII, and Election of Cardinal Castiglione Pius VIII.

I

N our annals of last year, we recorded the progress by which Don Miguel had succeeded in usurping his brother's crown, and the failure of the attempt which had been made to maintain the constitution by force of arms. It now remained for him to satisfy the jealousy, which is the doom of all usurpers, by shedding blood. A disposition the slave of violent passion, and insensible to the work

ings of ordinary humanity, was aggravated by the consciousness that the throne, which he had seized, was not secure. In Lisbon itself, notwithstanding his triumph over the badly concerted, and worse executed, enterprise of the Liberals of Oporto, the public indignation daily threatened an explosion. During the last weeks of 1828, numerous printed proclamations appeared, calling the Portuguese

to throw off his yoke, and put an end to the system of indiscriminate imprisonment and confiscation in which his satellites were revelling. The inhabitants assumed a menacing attitude; many of the officers of the garrison were prepared to take part in the revolt. It was expected to break out on the 19th of December; and, in the course of that night, various bodies of citizens and military assembled at different points. But no plan had been concerted; no communication even seemed to have taken place between them. Having remained on foot all night, each expecting that the others would join them, they separated next morning; having effected nothing except the putting of Don Miguel upon his guard. That they were allowed to disperse in peace was owing to the weakness of the government, which would not venture on further provocation, until it had armed itself with greater power to punish. A large additional military force was brought towards Lisbon, drawn chiefly from the bands which had been organized by the marquis de Chaves for establishing despotism, and composed therefore of men on whom the despot could safely rely. This very measure hastened a new attempt at insurrection, which took place on the 9th of January. It was headed by a brigadier-general Moreira; but, like its predecessor, it was premature and illarranged. Several officers, and some of the troops of the garrison, had been brought into the enterprise; their object was to proclaim Donna Maria queen. None of the inhabitants seemed to have been made privy to it, nor any means to have been prepared for its success, beyond the small number of

individuals directly concerned. Moreira had either miscalculated the disposition of the military to whom he trusted, or the plot had been betrayed; for, on the night of the 9th of January, when in the act of calling out the regiment at the head of which he intended to make the attempt, he was arrested, along with the other officers who had joined him, and the contemplated revolt was immediately stifled.

The government, now feeling itself stronger, made use of this occurrence to multiply arrests all over Lisbon. Every individual, whom any creature of the government chose to dislike, or any private enemy thought fit to denounce byan anonymous accusation, was immediately consigned to the dungeons of the Limoeiro, or of St. Julian. A special commission was named to try the actual conspirators. After having been detained for several weeks in solitary confinement, they were brought before it in the end of February. Some of the prisoners were under age, and a counsel was assigned to them. But they were allowed only four and twenty hours to prepare their defence; although the law provided, that no prisoner should answer to a capital charge in less than five days. Moreira, and four of his companions, were condemned to be transported to Africa for life; two more were to suffer the same punishment for ten years. The rest were acquitted, as persons against whom nothing was proved. Miguel was shocked at the lenity of the sentence; it was not sufficiently high seasoned with vengeance to gratify his palate. He refused to ratify it, and ordered a new sentence to be framed, by which the five pri

soners, condemned to transportation for life, were directed to be hanged; the two, who were to have been transported for ten years, were transported for life; and all those, who had been acquitted, were transported for ten years. Some of the judges ventured to oppose this atrocious proceeding; but the language of justice or humanity, of law or reason, was to Miguel an unknown tongue, and the sentence was carried into execution. Even the usual space of three days, allowed by the law of Portugal, to intervene between the passing of a capital sentence, and its being carried into effect, was shortened to one. Don Miguel's sentence was signed on the 5th of March, and next day Moreira and his four companions were executed.

In comparison with death, the condition of the numberless prisoners in the gaols and fortresses was scarcely to be envied. Uncondemned, though all of them, and innocent, though most of them, were, they were delivered over to the merciless authority of apostolic miscreants, who seemed to find no gratification but in the invention of new modes of inflicting misery. Among the incarcerated were many persons in affluent circumstances, who charitably contributed towards the support of the poorer prisoners, whom their masters were willing to leave in starvation. To deprive the latter of this alleviation of their miseries, the government ordered the former to be removed from the dungeons of the city, and immured in the fortresses of St. Julian, Belem, and Bugio. Without being brought to trial, the prisoners were cut off from all communication, by speech, or writing, even with the members of their own

families. Many of them died in consequence of want and confinement; nor were suspicions wanting that poison had seconded the jealousy of the usurper. No rank, character, or age was respected. A child, five years old, was kept in solitary confinement five days, and subjected to all the tortures of the prison, to extort evidence against its father and mother. A refugee Spanish bishop, who had been a member of the Cortes of 1812, and had since lived in peace and obscurity at Lisbon, was thrust into the dungeons of St. Julian, and died in four days, in consequence of the brutal maltreatment heaped upon him by Telles Jordao, a noted leader throughout the apostolic rebellion, to whom the government of that fortress had been intrusted. Even the decencies of Christian burial were refused to him, for that was an honour of which "free-masons" were considered unworthy, and the body was thrown into a hole in the esplanade of the castle. All the victuals carried in to the prisoners were carefully examined, lest they should be made the means of conveying communications, or implements of escape. The governor's son performed, one day, this dignified function, and amused himself by mingling filth with the prisoners' food. They refused to partake of it. Jordao thereupon gave orders, that they should be questioned who was the ringleader of the resolution, and that all, who would not declare his name, should be loaded with irons, and sent to the subterraneous dungeons. They were called out one after the other, but none of them would denounce his comrade. As they were taken out of the prison to go to the inquiry, one of the officers of the garrison

abused them atrociously as they passed, and when it was the turn of lieutenant-colonel Joao Chrisostome, formerly of the 5th of Caçadores, the abusive officer called him robber. The indignant colonel knocked him down. The general instantly appeared, and desired one of the soldiers to shoot the lieutenant-colonel. This injunction was repeatedly disobeyed by all the soldiers, till Jordao himself, seizing the bayonet of one of their muskets, stabbed him several times, and left him dead at his feet. Nor did the apostolics forget avarice, in their love of vengeance; their power was used for purposes of open spoliation, and shameless extortion. While the persons of the citizens were imprisoned with indiscriminate fury, and abused with reckless barbarity, their goods and possessions were sequestrated. The officers, the magistrates, and subordinate instruments employed in these transactions, were allowed to pay themselves, at their own discretion, out of the sequestrated estates. They took possession, and plundered without restraint. If property was brought to sale, they, or their agents, bought it at an under price; that price was seldom looked after, for every scoundrel was very tolerant of every other. Individuals were ruined, and the government gained little. Colonel Raymundo, the governor of Cascaes, by way of making money, ordered, of his own authority, that all shops should be closed at sunset, unless a special license were obtained from him to keep them longer open; and that license he never refused, when it was properly paid for. The kingdom was laid at the mercy of a set of men, to whose vengeance, avarice, and brutality, no bounds were even pretended to VOL. LXXI.

be set. Their uncontrolled passions could scarcely go beyond the example set them by their master, whose conduct, within the walls of his own palace, was frantic. From the moment of his return, Miguel had hated his sister Donna Maria, because she had been her brother's regent, and had been faithful to his brother's constitution. Miguel learned, that a footman, formerly in the private service of Donna Maria, had set out for England. He believed that this servant was the bearer of a correspondence between the princess and the agents of Don Pedro, and that she had taken this opportunity of saving from her brother her jewels and money. Don Miguel had been laying violent hands on all the money and other valuables which he could collect, to supply his coffers, in case he should be obliged to abandon the kingdom. Furious at the news of his sister's conduct, he rushed into her chamber with a pistol in his hand, and demanded an account of the flight of her servant. The princess stood trembling in silence; Miguel was about to strike her with a pistol, which was armed with a bayonet; danger gave her courage; she threw herself upon him, and overturned him. He sprung up, and again attacked her. Count Camarido, her cham'berlain, threw himself before the ruffian; Miguel disabled him by stabbing him in the arm, and fired at the princess. The ball missed her, but killed a servant who was by her side. Other domestics interfered, and her life was saved. How many crimes did Miguel hold necessary to entitle him to the honour of being the most detestable of despots and usurpers? He had conspired against his father; he had usurped the [N]

« НазадПродовжити »