GENERAL HISTORY 



[131 



colleges, funds and rents, of which 

 it had been deprived at the sup- 

 pression, and which still exist, 

 should be restored to it. 



The rigors of despotic police 

 weie in the meantime exercising 

 throughout the kingdom, seizures 

 being made, it is said, in every 

 town, and even every village, of 

 all persons meeting in the street 

 at a certain hour. A measure 

 put in practice with respect to 

 the patriots of the late Cortes 

 confined at Ceuta, struck terror 

 among all the friends of freedom. 

 On the 19th of Jidy, they were 

 taken out of their beds at ihe 

 dead of night, carried on board a 

 xebec under a strong escort of 

 soldiers, loaded with irons, and 

 conveyed no one knew whither. 



(Jn Sept. 28th, tlie new Queen 

 arrived in Madrid, when the 

 royal nuptials were consummated, 

 with those of the King's brother 

 and the Queen's sister. On this 

 occasion his Majesty " wishing 

 to signalize the hajjpy day by a 

 mark of his royal mercy,'' pub- 

 lished a " general pardon to all 

 delinquents capable of receiving 

 it," whicli description excluded 

 tlie following crimes : lese-ma- 

 jesty j divine and iiuman treason ; 

 homicide of priests ; blasphemy ; 

 fabricating false money ; export- 

 ing prohibited articles ; resist- 

 ance to justice, and malversation 

 of the royal powers ; with some 

 others. Hence it appears, that a 

 large scope Avas still left for the 

 indulgence of royal vengeance 

 against the class of patriots and 

 reformers. It must, however, be 

 admitted, that an established go- 

 vernment cannot be Idamed for 

 taking precautionary mea.sures 

 for protecting itself, and pre- 

 serving the general tianquillity 



The important and still wholly 

 unsettled affairs of Spanish Ame- 

 rica, will be brought under con- 

 sideration when the events of 

 that quarter of the world claim 

 our attention. 



Portugal, governed by a re- 

 gency during the residence of its 

 sovereign in Brazil, is reported to 

 be flourishing in conmierce, partly 

 at the expense of the rest of the 

 peninsula. Several rich luercan- 

 tile houses from Malaga and 

 Cadiz have established themselves 

 in this kingdom, the more liberal 

 spirit of which has favoured the 

 settlement of foreigners. It is 

 even affiimed, that religious to- 

 leration has extended so far as to 

 have allowed the German mer- 

 chants to open a Protestant place 

 of worship in Lisbon, notwith- 

 standing the opposition of the 

 clergy. The trade with both In- 

 dies was so much extended, that 

 in the year 1815, 490 vessels 

 laden with European produce, 

 sailed for South America alone, 

 bringing back a vei^ valuable 

 importation. 



I'he additional importance at- 

 tached to the Transatlantic colo- 

 nies since they were personally 

 known to the sovereign was ma- 

 nifested by a decree published 

 at Rio-de-Janeiro, in December 

 181.5. The Prince Regent of 

 Portugal (as was then his title) 

 after alluding to the vast extent 

 of his dominions in America, and 

 the abundance and variety of the 

 elements of riches which they 

 contain, remarks the advantages 

 which would result to his sub- 

 jects from a perfect union of in- 

 terests between his territories in 

 Euiopc and in Brazil. He there- 

 fore declares from the present 

 time, the State of Brazil rai.sed to 



[K 2] the 



