r?<y L O N 
total dependence on him-felf as the Confederation of the 
Rhine, Holland, Swifl'erland, and Italy. However this 
may be, we find, that, very foon after the figning of that 
treaty, Eonaparte demanded of the court of .Lifbon, i. 
To (hut up the ports of Portugal againft England, a. To 
detain all Engliihmerr redding in Portugal. 3. To con- 
fifcate all Englifh property ; denouncing war in cafe of 
a r'efufal. And, without waiting, for an anfwer, he gave 
orders for detaining all Portuguefe merchant-fhips that 
were in the ports of France. The prince-regent of Por¬ 
tugal, hoping to ward off the florin, acceded to the (hut¬ 
ting up of his ports; but refufed to comply with the 
other two demands, as being contrary to the principles 
of the public law, and to the treaties that Subfifted be¬ 
tween the two nations. The court of Portugal then be¬ 
gan to adopt meafures for fecuring its retreat to the Por¬ 
tuguefe dominions in South America. For that purpofe, 
the prince-regent ordered all (hips of war fit to keep the 
fea to be fitted out; and alfo gave warning.of what was 
intended to the Englifh, direfling them to fell their pro¬ 
perty and leave Portugal ; in order thus to avoid an ef- 
fufion of blood, which, in all probability, would have 
proved ufelefs. He refolved alfo to comply, if pofilble, 
■with the views of the emperor of the French, in cafe he 
Should not allow himfeif to be foftened down to more mo¬ 
derate pretenfions. But Bonaparte peremptorily infilled, 
not only on the (hutting up of the ports, but on the im¬ 
prisonment of all Britifh fubjefis, the confiscation of their 
property, and a dereliflion of the projeCt of a retreat to 
America. The prince-regent, when he had reafon to be¬ 
lieve that all the Englifh, not naturalized in the country, 
had taken their departure from Portugal, and that all 
Englifh property had been fold, and even its amount ex¬ 
ported, adopted the refolution to (hut up the ports againft 
England, and even to comply with the other demands of 
France; declaring,-however, at the fame time, that, fhonld 
the French troops enter Portugal, he was. firmly refolved 
to remove the feat of government to Brafd, the rnoft im¬ 
portant and bell-defended part of his dominions. 
It had been frequently dated to the cabinet of Lifbon 
by the Englifh ambaflador, lord Strangford, that the king 
of Great Britain, in agreeing not to refent the exclufion 
©£ Britifh commerce from the ports of Portugal, had gone 
to the utmod extent of forbearance ; that, in making this 
conceflion to the peculiar circumflances of the prince-re¬ 
gent’s fituation, his majefty had done all that frienddiip 
could judly require ; and that a Angle dep beyond this 
line of modified hodility mud neceffarily lead to the ex¬ 
tremity of aCtual war. Neverthelefs, the prince-regent, 
In the fond hope of preferving Portugal by conciliating 
France, on the 8th of November figned an order for de¬ 
taining the few Britifh fubjecls, and the very inconfi- 
derabie portion of British property, that yet remained at 
Lifbon. On the publication of this order, lord Strang¬ 
ford removed the arms of England from the gates of his 
refidence, demanded his paffports, prefented a final re- 
mondrance againft the recent conduct of the court of 
Lifbon, and proceeded, November 17, to a Britifh Squa¬ 
dron, commanded by dr Sidney Smith, who immediately, 
on the fuggedion of lord Strangford, edablifhed a mod 
rigorous blockade at the mouth of the Tagus. A few 
days after, the intercourse between the court of Lifbon 
ar.d tire Britifh ambaffador was renewed. Lord Strang¬ 
ford, under adurances of protection and Security, pro¬ 
ceeded to Lifbon on the 27th ; when he found the prince- 
regent wifely directing all his apprehenfions to a French 
army, which had entered Portugal, and was on its inarch 
to Lifbon; and ail his hopes to an Englifh deet. The 
objeCt of this march he was at no lofs to underdand ; for 
Bonaparte had declared in his journals, “ That the houfe 
of Braganza had ceafed to reign.” Lord Strangford pro- 
mifed to his royal highnefs, on the faith of his Sovereign, 
that the Britifh Squadron before the Tagus fhoukl be em¬ 
ployed to protect his retreat from Lifbon, and his voyage 
to the Braids. A decree was publifhed, November 2.8, 
DON. 
in which the prince-regent announced- fils intention of 
retiring to the city of Janeiro until the conclufion of 3. 
general peace, and of appointing a regency to adminider 
the government at Lifbon during his royal highnefs> 
abfence from Europe. 
On the morning of November 29, the Portuguefe fleet 
Set fail from the Tagus, with the prince of Bralil and the 
whole of the royal family of Braganza on-board, together 
with many of his faithful counfellors and adherents, as 
well as other perfons attached to his prefent fortunes. 
The fleet confided of eight fail of the line, four large fri¬ 
gates, feveral armed brigs, (loops, and corvettes, and a 
number of Brafil flrips; amounting in all to about thirty- 
fix fail.. While they paded through the Britifh fquadron, 
our (hips fired a falute of twenty-one guns, which was 
returned with an equal number. The friendly, meeting- 
of the two fleets, at a juncture fo critical and important, 
was a mod interefting and affecting, as well as a grand. 
Scene. Four Englifh Ships of the line were Sent by the 
Britifh admiral to accompany the royal Samily to Brafil, 
where they arrived in Safety, after a remarkably fine and 
quick paffage. 
The prince-regent landed at Rio de Janeiro, with the 
other branches of the royal family, amidft the acclama¬ 
tions of his fubjeCts, on the 8th of January, 1808 ; and 
the firft adts of his government were to form arrangements 
very favourable to the commerce of Great Britain ; that 
is, bad our London'merchants aCted with prudence and 
forefight, indead of precipitation-and folly. From a re¬ 
gion thus newly fettled and thinly peopled, our country¬ 
men, had they been well-informed, would not have ex¬ 
pected an extenfive and immediate confumption of Britifh 
manufactures. But, the moment penniffion was obtained, 
our merchants poured in cargo on cargo, as if the market 
of Brafil knew no limits. Never was the exaggerated efti- 
mate, which we are apt to form of didant cbjeCts, more 
furprifingly exemplified. The civilized population of 
Brafil, which is fitted to ufe and able to pay for European 
goods, may amount to half a million, and the warehoufes 
of Rio de Janeiro are adapted to the limited fupply which 
.they require : but our veffels Succeeded each other with 
a rapidity which Surpaffed the means of accommodation 
both in the town and the cudom-houfe, and made it ne~ 
ceffary to pile our goods along the beach. Prices fell 
forthwith one hunched percent, and the deceitful practice 
of felling goods, apparently damaged, on the account of 
the in Surer, was often adopted. This fraud, fo much 
dreaded at Lloyd’s, and So little comprehended by per¬ 
sons out of bnfinefs, becomes practicable to a great extent 
in a town which pofiefies but few refpeCtable merchants. 
The infurer being, by the terms of his contract, bound to 
make good all lofs arifing from damage, 3 fraudulent mer¬ 
chant can often, in the cafe of an unfavourable market, 
afcribe to damage the diminifhed price which was in faCk 
produced by a very different caufe. The fafety of the un¬ 
derwriter confifts chiefly in the refpeCtability of thegentle- 
men w ho are called to examine the oflenfible damage 5 
arid hence the difadvantage under which he labours in a 
country that is not likely to afford witneffes of undoubted 
character. 
The immenfelofs on our fhipments to Brafil arofe from 
a double caufe; the ridiculous excefs of quantity, and the 
Hill more ridiculous unfitnefs of many of the articles for 
the intended market. One fpeculntor, of wonderful fore¬ 
fight, fent large invoices of flays for ladies who never 
heard of fuch armour; another fent Jhatcs, for the ufe of 
a people who are totally uninformed that water can be¬ 
come ice ; a third fent out a confiderable affortment of cof¬ 
fin-furniture, not knowing that coffins are never ufed by 
the Brafilians, or in the neighbourhood of La Plata. To 
thefe abf'urd (peculations may be added numerous others,, 
particularly in articles of tafle; elegant (ervices of cut 
glafs were little appreciated by men accuilomed to drink 
out of a horn or a cocoa-nut-fhell; and brilliant chande¬ 
liers were (till lefs yalued in a country .where only lamps 
