PORTUGAL (HISTORY.) 



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returned to Lisbon, June 18, and, a few days after, 

 Amarante made his entry into the capital with his 

 followers to the number of 3000 men ; he was 

 created marquis of Chaves (the name of the town 

 where he had organized the insurrection against the 

 Cortes), with an income of 3000 dollars. The 

 police, under the direction of the absolutists, now 

 proceeded to prosecutions against the constitution- 

 alists, who were banished into the provinces, and 

 secrt-t societies, particularly those of the freemasons 

 (who were considered to have acted an important 

 part in the revolution), were denounced. Dom 

 Miguel, who had been appointed commander-in- 

 chief, composed his staff of decided enemies to the 

 constitution, and filled the offices in the army with 

 his adherents. The new diplomatic corps in Lisbon 

 began to influence public affairs; several powers 

 congratulated the king and prince on the restoration 

 of legal order ; the British court aimed at the re- 

 covery of its former ascendency, while the Portu- 

 guese endeavoured to conciliate the favour of all 

 the great powers, with the hope of preserving Brazil 

 through their interference. The Portuguese com- 

 missioners were not allowed to land in Brazil, and 

 the exhausted treasury would not permit the govern- 

 ment to execute its plan of an expedition against 

 the country. The intrigues of the absolutists still 

 continued, and a Spanish ambassador, the duke of 

 Villa Hermosa, having appeared at Lisbon (April 7), 

 the queen's party determined to annihilate the 

 hopes of the constitutionalists, and to put an end 

 to the system of moderation (to which the king ad- 

 hered) at one blow. April 30, 1824, dom Miguel 

 called the troops to arms, and issued proclamations, 

 in which he declared that it was his intention to 

 complete the work of May 27, 1823, and to deliver 

 the king from the pestilent sect of freemasons, &c. 

 On the same day, the ministers and several other 

 civil officers, to the number of about a hundred, 

 were arrested, and no person, not even of the diplo- 

 matic corps, was allowed access to the king, until 

 the French ambassador obtained an audience, and 

 was assured by him that every thing had been done 

 without his orders. The Infant, therefore, declared 

 that he had taken these steps on his own authority, 

 to frustrate a conspiracy, which was on the point of 

 breaking out, against the life of the king and the 

 queen. On the representations of the ambassadors, 

 the king ordered the troops to retire to their quar- 

 ters, and commanded the release of the persons 

 who had been arrested ; but May 3, he issued a 

 decree, commanding the summary investigation and 

 immediate punishment of the (pretended) treason ; 

 and he pardoned the Infant for having exercised 

 an extraordinary power in the royal name, on 

 account of the urgency of the case. The Infant, 

 however, continued to issue orders on his own 

 authority ; the arrests continued ; . the king was 

 closely watched ; and the prince was already talked 

 of for regent. But the ambassadors protested 

 against the violences of April 30, and preparations 

 were made, with the king's consent, for receiving 

 him on board an English ship of the line, lying in 

 the Tagus. May 9, under pretence of making a 

 visit to a palace beyond the Tagus, he escaped to 

 the ship, with his two daughters, and the whole 

 diplomatic corps assembled in the same vessel. The 

 king now deprived the Infant of his command, and 

 summoned him to his presence. The prince obey- 

 ed, confessed that he had been deceived and mis- 

 guided,* and received the royal pardon, with per- 

 mission to travel. May 14, the king returned 



* He is also said to have confessed all the circumstances of 

 the murder of the marquis of Louie, a royal chamberlain, 

 who had been found dead, March 1, 



ashore, and, June 5, 1824, proclaimed an act of am- 

 nesty for the adherents of the cones of 1820, from 

 which only a few exceptions were made (of the 

 authors of the insurrection of Oporto, August, 1820, 

 and nine superior officers in particular), and on the 

 same day appeared the decree of June 4, reviving 

 the old constitution of the estates, and summoning 

 the cortes of Lamego. At the same time, the junta 

 for the preparation of a constitution was superseded 

 by another, which was directed to make prepara- 

 tions for the election of the deputies of the old 

 cortes. But Spain opposed the convocation of the 

 old cortes, and the influence of the queen and the 

 patriarch was thus revived. New conspiracies were 

 detected against the ministers and the king ; in 

 consequence, several arrests were made in October- 

 The ministry was divided in its views, principally 

 in regard to the policy to be pursued towards 

 Brazil, and, January 15, 1825, a new ministry was 

 named. After many difficulties and protracted ne- 

 gotiations, the independence of Brazil was finally 

 acknowledged (November 15, 1825) by John VI. 

 who merely retained the imperial title in his own 

 person. The Brazilians and Portuguese were to be 

 treated by the respective powers as the subjects of 

 the most favoured nation. March 10, 1826, John 

 VI. died, after having named the Infanta Isabella 

 regent. She governed in the name of the emperor 

 of Brazil, as king of Portugal. April 23, 1826, dom 

 Pedro (IV. of Portugal) granted a constitution 

 (Carta de Ley), establishing two chambers, and in 

 other respects resembling the French charter. May 

 2, he abdicated the Portuguese throne, in favour of 

 his daughter donna Maria (he remaining king dur- 

 ing her minority), on condition of her marrying her 

 uncle Miguel. But a party (secretly favoured by 

 Spain) was formed in Portugal, which aimed at the 

 overthrow of this constitution, which had been sworn 

 to by the queen, by the two chambers, and all the 

 magistrates, and even by dom Miguel himself (in 

 Vienna, October 4, 1826), and proclaimed the prince 

 absolute king of Portugal. The marquis of Chaves 

 and the marquis of Abrantes appeared at the head 

 of the insurgents, and Spain, which alone had not 

 acknowledged the new order of things, assembled 

 an army on the Portuguese frontiers. Portugal, 

 therefore, appealed to England for assistance, and 

 15,000 British troops were landed in Lisbon ; they 

 occupied the most important points ; the insurrec- 

 tion was completely put down by the government, 

 in February and March, 1827, and Spain was forced 

 to yield. The cortes, which had been convened in 

 October, 1826, closed its session in March, 1827. 

 In July, dom Pedro named his brother dom Miguel 

 lieutenant and regent of the kingdom, with all the 

 rights established by the charter, according to which 

 the government was to be administered. The 

 prince, accordingly, left Vienna, and, passing 

 through Paris and London, arrived at Lisbon in 

 February, 1828. The cortes was in session, and, 

 on the 2Gth, Miguel took the oath to observe the 

 charter, in the presence of the two chambers. But 

 the apostolicals or absolutists, to whom the disposi- 

 tion of the regent was well known, already began 

 to speak openly of his right to the throne, and to 

 tiail him as absolute king. His ministers were all 

 appointed from that party, except the count Villa 

 Real, and the populace were permitted to add to 

 their cry, " Long live the absolute king," that of 

 " Down with the constitution." March 1, the day 

 fixed by the prince for receiving the congratulations 

 of the functionaries on his return, the palace yard 

 was filled with a crowd, who obliged each person 

 who appeared to join in the shout for the absolute 

 king, and actually committed acts of personal vio 



