AND NAVIGATION. 



329 



the Treaty observes, render unnecessary any 

 special magistrate to manage the concerns of 

 foreigners residing in Great Britain. The state 

 of the British courts of law is the pride of every 

 Englishman ; a doubt of the impartiality of their 

 decisions never strikes the mind of any reason- 

 able man. Although one party in the state 

 constantly opposes the measures of government, 

 and seeks out any abuses which may have crept 

 into its proceedings, still the courts of law con- 

 tinue to act, year after year, without any sus- 

 picion of misconduct, — without any idea of 

 unfairness in their determinations being enter- 

 tained. I speak in this manner of Portuguese 

 courts of law, in the first place, from the radical 

 badness of the system by which the determina- 

 tion of a cause depends upon one man ; and in 

 the second place, from the practice of one court, 

 which I have had opportunities of witnessing, 

 and the general complaints of almost every 

 Portuguese who has had any thing to do with 

 proceedings of this description. Doubtless there 

 must be some men who do their duty ; but a 

 system of government should be founded upon 

 the basis of as near an approach as can be 

 formed to the impossibility of misconduct, and 

 upon responsibility. 



It is in the courts of law that a thorough 

 change should be effected in the Portuguese do- 

 minions j their corrupt state calls most loudly 



