deigned to issue from his court at Rio Janeiro. With these decrees will be also published the Constitutional Charter of the Portuguese Monarchy, which the same Sovereign has deigned to decree, and which, according to his intentions, must be sworn to by the three orders of the state, in order that it may govern the kingdom of Portugal and its dependencies. In the mean time, the regency informs you, that this charter differs essentially from the Constitution produced by infatuation in 1822, and which contained principles incompatible with each other, and condemned by experience, The character of the Constitutional Charter which his most faithful majesty gives you is quite another thing. It is not a forced conces→ sion; it is a voluntary and spontaneous gift of the legitimate power of his majesty, and matured by his profound and royal wisdom. This charter tends to terminate the contest between the two extreme principles which have agitated the universe. It summons all Portuguese to reconciliation, by the same means which have served to reconcile other people; by it are maintained, in all their vigour, the religion of our fathers, decorum, and the rights and dignity of the monarchy; all the orders of the state are respected, and all are alike interested in uniting their efforts to surround and strengthen the throne, to contribute to the common good, and to secure the preservation and amelioration of the country to which they owe their existence, and of the society of which they form a part; the antient institutions are adapted and accommodated to our age, as far as the lapse of seven centuries will permit; and finally, this charter has prototypes among other nations who are esteemed among the most civilized and the most happy. It is our duty to await tranquilly the execution of this charter, and of the preparatory acts which it prescribes. If any among you should, by words or actions, aggravate resentments, excite hatred, or inspire vengeance, and interpose between the provisions of the law and its execution, he will be considered as a disturber of public order, and as an enemy of the sovereign and of his country; and he will be punished with the utmost rigour of the law. The regency flatters itself that the Portuguese people, both from the national character and for their common interest, will recognize, on this occasion, both what is their most important duty, and the way in which they may become principally useful. Given at the Palace of Ajuda, No. XIII.-SirWILLIAM A'COURT Lisbon, July 29, 1826. Your important despatch of the 17th instant, with its several enclosures, reached me on Wednesday last. I made known without loss of time to her royal highness the Infanta the great interest displayed in favour of this country by his majesty's government, and your active endeavours to give a right direction to the policy of Europe upon the present occasion. The execution of the emperor's orders is gradually proceeding, and perhaps as rapidly as could be expected, considering the efforts made The swearing to the Constitution commences on Monday next. to retard it. (Signed) WILLIAM A'COURT. The Rt. Hon. Geo. Canning, &c. No. XIV. Sir WILLIAM A'COURT to Mr. Secretary CANNING. (Received August 19.) (Extract.) Lisbon Aug. 4, 1826. Your despatch, forwarded by the extra packet, reached me about an hour after the Lyra had sailed with my last letters. In obedience to your instructions, Sir Charles Stuart is making his preparations for departure, and will sail the beginning of next week. It is impossible to say that there has been no interference on his part in the affairs of this country. There has been interference-a very direct and active interference, but in no other character than in that which he possesses of Portuguese Plenipotentiary. This distinction has always been most carefully marked on his side, and it has received additional force from the line which I myself adopted. The difference in the parts which we were called upon to play has never been mistaken, either by this government or by my colleagues; and you may be assured, Sir, whatever may be said of the Portuguese Plenipotentiary, the British Ambassador is responsible for nothing. I think, indeed, I may safely assert, that the British government has never been committed either by sir Charles Stuart or myself. I shall, nevertheless, bear in mind the concluding paragraph of your letter, and by a discreet use of the explanations and declarations contained in your several despatches, endeavour to do away with every impression of the sort, should I find any such entertained. (Signed) WILLIAM A'COURT. The Rt. Hon. Geo. Canning, &c. COMMUNICATIONS and DOCUMENTS relative to the Assumption of the REGENCY of PORTUGAL by DON MIGUEL. No. XV.--Sir HENRY WELLESLEY to the EARL of DUDLEY. (Received November 14.) Vienna, Nov. 5, 1827. I have the honour to forward to your lordship a copy of a note which I have received from Prince Metternich, forwarding to me copies (which are likewise enclosed) of the protocols of the conferences which have been held here relative to the affairs of Portugal. (Signed) H. WELLESLEY. The right Hon. the Earl of Dudley, &c, (Translations of Enclosures in No. 15.) PRINCE METTERNICH to Sir HENRY WELlesley. Vienna, Oct. 29, 1827. Prince Metternich has the honour to transmit herewith to his excel- His excellency the British note of the Marquis de Rezende to prince Metternich, dated 19th of September, 1827, which should serve as a commencement to the present negotiation. In this note the Brazilian envoy announces officially to the cabinet of Vienna, that the emperor Don Pedro, his master, by a decree dated the 3rd of July, "has conferred on his royal highness the Infant Don Miguel, with the title of his lieutenant in Portugal, the regency of the said kingdom, agreeably to the laws existing in Vienna, Oct. 18, 1827. that state, and in conformity with the institutions given by the emperor, his august brother, to the Portuguese monarchy." (Sub-Enclosure A in No. 15.) PRESENT. On the part of Austria-M. le Prince de Metternich, M. le Comte de Lebzeltern, M. le Chevalier.de = Neumann, M. le Comte Henri de Bombelles. On the part of England-the = British Ambassador. On the part of his royal highness the Infant Don Miguel-M. le Baron de Villa-Secca, M. le Comte de Villa-Real. Prince Metternich having invited the British ambassador and the Portuguese plenipotentiaries to meet at his house on the 18th of October, and those gentlemen having repaired there upon his invitation, he proposed that they should record, in an official protocol, the result of the confidential negotiations which had taken place between MM. de Villa-Secca and Villa-Real, since the time of his return to Vienna, relative to the departure of the infant, that prince's voyage, and the line of conduct he intended to pursue upon his arrival at Lisbon; and the British ambassador, as well as the Portuguese plenipotentiaries, having agreed to this proposition, it was decided that they should annex to the protocol of the present conference the following documents, namely-1. A copy of the VOL. LXXI. 2. A translation of the abovementioned decree of the 3rd of July, of the emperor Don Pedro to his royal highness Don Miguel. 3. A translation of the letter from that sovereign to the Infant, his brother, which accompanied the same. 4. A translation of the letter from the emperor Don Pedro to the king of England. 5. A translation of the letter from the emperor Don Pedro to his majesty the emperor of Austria. 6. A copy of the despatch which prince Metternich has this day addressed to prince Esterhazy, at London, directing his excellency to acquaint the British government of the determination to which the Infant has come, to send Portuguese ships forthwith to England, whither he himself will repair directly, for the purpose of embarking as quickly as possible for Portugal. This despatch, which contains an historical and faithful account of the whole negotiation relative to the present and future situation of the Infant, as well as the last determinations to which that prince had come, had been read at a confidential meeting 2 E which took place on the evening of the 16th of October, at prince Metternich's, and at which were present the British ambassador and the Portuguese plenipotentiaries. It was not until after having obtained their entire concurrence, that this despatch was this day sent to London. The Portuguese plenipoten tiaries announced to the conference, that the Infant had likewise made them acquainted with his final des termination relative to his voyage; that his royal highness had ordered them to prepare letters which he wished to communicate in consequence, without delay, to the emperor his brother, to his majesty the king of England, and to the Infanta, his sister; that he had likewise ordered them to draw up the letter to the Infanta, in such manner that it might be made public, and that it should at the same time leave no doubt of the firm desire of that prince, in accepting the Lieutenancy of the kingdom, which the emperor his brother had just confided to him, to maintain religiously its institutions, to bury what had passed in entire oblivion, but to restrain, at the same time, with energy and firmness, the spirit of party and of faction, which has too long agitated Portugal. All the members of the conference could not but render unanimously the most entire justice to such laudable intentions on the part of the Infant; prince Metternich on his part added, that immediately after the Infant's letters should be written and signed, he had offered to send them speedily to England by M. de Neumann, who only awaited their completion, to depart, and to transmit duplicates to Por tugal by a courier, whom he intended to send forthwith by Madrid to Lisbon. The Portuguese pleni potentiaries having accepted these offers, prince Metternich thought it proper still further to observe on this occasion, that, above all, the Infant ought undoubtedly to affirm, in the letters which he intends to write to the king of England, and to the Infanta his sister, the title of lieutenant of the kingdom, since it is under that title that the em peror intrusts to him the regency; and that it appeared to him proper, and even necessary, that the Infant should take, together with the title of lieutenant, that of regent of the kingdom, since, being called by the decree of the emperor Don Pedro, of the 3rd of July, to succeed to the Infanta, his sister, in the office of the regency, it would be equally contrary to his personal dignity, to that of the Portuguese nation, and to the pleasure of the emperor Don Pedro, that he should take any title inferior to that which the Infanta had borne; that there could not, moreover, exist any doubt of the intentions of that sovereign in that respect; that they were clearly demonstrated by the tenor of the note of the marquis de Rezende of the 19th of September, by that of the instructions with which that envoy was furnished, and lastly, by that of the letter from the emperor Don Pedro to the king of England; since, in these different documents, it is explicitly or implicitly said, that that sovereign confers the regency upon the Infant. Moreover, there is no doubt, that the decree of the emperor Don Pedro, to the Infant, his brother, dated the 3rd of July, was addressed "To the Infant, Don Miguel, Regent of the king. dom of Portugal." The British ambassador observed, that having been already informed, for several weeks past, of the opinion of the cabinet of Vi 1 enna in this respect, he had already made his government acquainted with it; that, in fact, he had not yet received any answer upon this subject, but that he flattered himself that it would be in conformity with the opinion of the Austrian cabinet. With respect to the Por tuguese plenipotentiaries, they declared themselves in favour of that which prince Metternich had just expressed, and they undertook to inform the Infant of it, observing that, for the interest of Portugal, it was undoubtedly desirable that the Infant should not scruple to take, in conformity with the inten tions of the emperor Don Pedro, his brother, the title of regent of the kingdom. MM. de Villa Secca and Villa Real added, that they had received the order of the Infant to declare, that, filled with gratitude for the paternal kindness which his majesty the emperor of Austria has constantly shown to him since his first arrival at Vienna, and still more particularly on this last occasion, his highness would consider it his duty to express personally to his imperial majesty the deep and respectful gratitude which he feels, and that he relied upon his sentiments being made known to him by means of the conference. Prince Metternich undertook with eagerness, in the mean time, to become the channel of his royal highness's sentiments to the emperor, his august master, adding, that his imperial majesty would receive the expression of them with the most sincere satisfaction. (Signed) METTERNICH. H. DE BOMBELLES. CONDE DE VILLA REAL. (Annex 1 to Sub-Enclosure A in THE MARQUIS DE REZENDE to Vienna, Sept. 19, 1827. The undersigned, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of his majesty the emperor of Brazil, is authorized, by a special order of his august master, to address himself to prince Metternich, chancelier de Cour et d'Etat of his imperial and royal apostolic majesty, to notify to his highness the royal resolution of July the 3rd, of this year, by which his most faithful majesty has conferred upon his royal highness the Infant Don Miguel, with the title of his lieutenant in Portugal, the regency of the said kingdom, agreeably to the laws existing in that state, and in conformity with the institutions granted by his august brother to the Portuguese monarchy. The undersigned does not doubt that his imperial and royal apostolic majesty, and his government, will hasten to acknowledge this act of his most faithful majesty, and to afford his able co-operation, in order that it may receive, by the immediate departure of the Infant Don Miguel for Portugal, its entire and full execution. The undersigned, &c. (Signed) REZENDE. His highness Prince Metternich. (Annex 2 to Sub-Enclosure A in DECREE OF HIS MAJESTY THE July 3, 1827. Urged by motives worthy of my royal consideration, and considering that the safety of the state ought 2 E 2 |