626 



PORTER, DAVID R. 



PORTUGAL. 



' during respiration ; and hence the gradual de- 

 crease and ultimate extinction of combustion 

 and chemical change in every other part of the 

 body, followed by coldness, sleepiness, insensi- 

 bility, slow breathing, and death. The cells 

 which thus render in so short a time the blood 

 unfit to support life, as described by the pro- 

 fessor, are circular in diameter, on the average 

 of T^ms-th of an inch. They contain a nearly 

 round nucleus of ^sV o-th of an inch in breadth, 

 which, when further magnified, is seen to con- 

 tain other still more minute spherules of living 

 "germinal" matter. In addition to this, the 

 application of magenta reveals a minute colored 

 spot at some part of the circumference of the 

 cell. This, .besides its size, serves to distinguish 

 it from the white pus or lymph corpuscle. The 

 professor adds to his account of the action of 

 this powerful poison that he has many reasons 

 for believing that the materias morbi of cholera 

 is a nearly allied animal poison, and that if this, 

 on further examination, should prove to be the 

 case, we may hope to know something definite 

 of the poisons of hydrophobia, small-pox, scar- 

 let fever, and, indeed, of all zymotic diseases. 



PORTER, DAVID R., a political leader in 

 Pennsylvania, arid twice Governor of the State 

 (from 1839 to 1845), born in Pennsylvania, in 

 1788; died at Harrisburg, Pa., August 6, 

 1867. He was a lawyer by profession, and 

 early took a prominent part in the affairs of the 

 State. He was repeatedly a member of each 

 branch of the Pennsylvania Legislature, and 

 was the first Governor elected under the State 

 constitution of 1838, receiving a majority of 

 5,496 votes over Joseph Ritner, the Whig can- 

 didate and previous Governor. Charges of 

 irregularity in the election in Philadelphia 

 County gave occasion for much feeling in the 

 organization of the Legislature, and disgraceful 

 proceedings at the State capital, since famous 

 as the " Buckshot War," were the consequen- 

 ces. These difficulties were the occasion of a 

 proclamation from Governor Ritner, calling 

 out the militia to repress an outbreak, and of 

 appeals for United States troops for the same 

 purpose. These were refused by Congress, as 

 it appeared that the apprehensions of the Whigs 

 were unfounded. It was feared by the friends 

 of Mr. Porter that his inauguration would be 

 prevented by force, and it was alleged that 

 Governor Ritner would hold over for another 

 term, but in the high state of political excite- 

 ment the bitterness of which is not even yet 

 forgotten, each party was liable to misjudge 

 the intentions of the other, and the alarm of 

 the Democrats was probably as groundless as 

 that of the Whigs. Thaddeus Stevens was a 

 member of the Legislature, and the leader of 

 the Whigs, and, on his motion, Charles B. Pen- 

 rose, of Philadelphia, was elected Speaker of the 

 House; but the Democrats, aided by a few 

 members of the Whig party, organized what was 

 called the "Hopkins branch of the Legislature," 

 and elected William Hopkins Speaker. At 

 length an agreement was arrived at by which 



both Speakers resigned ; after which Mr. Hop- 

 kins was elected, and the message of the Gov- 

 ernor, principally devoted to the late unhappy 

 differences, was received. Mr. Stevens was 

 called by his opponents "the oracle " and con- 

 science-keeper of Governor Ritner, and both 

 he and Governor Porter were the objeets of 

 much obloquy from their respective political 

 enemies, the dominant faction in the case of 

 Mr. Stevens even going so far as to deprive 

 him of his seat in the Legislature, and order a- 

 new election. The second inauguration of 

 Governor Porter was not attended by any re- 

 markable circumstances, and his administration 

 of the affairs of the Commonwealth was wise 

 and temperate. 



The later years of Governor Porter's life 

 were spent in retirement from political affairs, 

 and in the management of his extensive busi- 

 ness interests as an iron manufacturer. He had 

 the reputation of being a man of great private 

 worth. In the winter of 1867, notwithstand- 

 ing his great age (being then in his seventy- 

 ninth year), he was nominated, by President 

 Johnson, Collector of the Port of Philadelphia, 

 but was rejected by the Senate. 



PORTUGAL, a kingdom in Europe. King, 

 Luis I., born October 31, 1838 ; succeeded his 

 brother, King Pedro V., November 11, 1861. 

 Heir-apparent, Carlos, born September 28, 1863. 

 The ministry in 1867 was composed as follows: 

 Presidency, De Aguiar (appointed September 4, 

 1865) ; Interior, Da Silva Ferrao de Carvnlho 

 Martens (March 9, 1866); Justice and Wor- 

 ship, Barjoria de Freitas (September 4, 1865); 

 Finances, Da Fontes Pereira De Mello (Septem- 

 ber 4, 1865) ; War, the Minister of Finances ad 

 interim ; Navy and Colonies, Da Praia Grande 

 de Macao (September 4, 1865); Foreign Affair?, 

 Do Casal Ribeiro (May 9, 1866) ; Public Works, 

 Commerce, and Industry, De Andrade Corvo 

 (June 6, 1866). Area, 36,510 English square 

 miles; population in 1861, 3,693,362 ; in 1863, 

 3,986,558 ; with the Azores and Madeira (in 

 1863), 4,350,216. The population of the Portu- 

 guese colonies in Asia and Africa is about 

 3,880,000.* The largest cities are Lisbon, with 

 224,244 inhabitants; and Oporto, with 89,321. 

 The revenue in the budget for 1367-'6S was 

 estimated at 16,884,419 milreis, and the expen- 

 diture at 22,357,332. Public debt in June, 1866, 

 194,655,394. The army, according to the law of 

 June 23, 1864, was to consist, for the kingdom, 

 of 1,512 officers and 30,128 men, on the peace 

 footing, and 2,408 officers and 68,450 soldiers 

 on the war footing ; for the colonies, of 9,453 

 men of the first line, and 21,411 of the second 

 line. On March- 1, 1867, the number of effec- 

 tive troops was 1,372 officers and 18,448 men. 

 The fleet, in 1867, consisted of 26 armed vessels, 

 19 non-armed vessels, and 2 vessels in the 



* For a list of Portuguese colonies in Asia and Africa, 

 with the population of each, gee ANNUAL CYCLOPAEDIA for 

 1S66. No important change is stated except in Macao, 

 which formerly was reported as having 29,000, and now 

 (since November 8, 1S66) 100,000 inhabitants. 



