By this treaty, it was agreed, among other articles, that the province of Entre Minho y Duero, with the city of Oporto, should be made overinentire property and sovereignty to the king of Etruria, with the title of king of Northern Lusitania. The province of Alentejo, and the kingdom of the Algarves, in entire property and sovereignty, to the prince of Peace, to be by him enjoyed under the title of prince of the Algarves. The provinces of Beira, Tras los Montes, and Portuguese Estremadura, were to remain undisposed of, until there should be a general peace. The kingdom of Northern Lusitania, and the principality of the Algarves, were to acknowledge as their protector, his catholic majesty, the king of Spain, and in no case to make peace or war without his consent. In case of the provinces of Beira, Tras los Montes, and Portuguese Estremadura, held in sequestration, devolving at a general peace to the house of Eraganza, in exchange for Gibraltar, Trinidad, and other colonies, which the English had conquered from Spain and her allies; the new sovereign of these provinces was to have, with respect to his catholic majesty, the same obligations as the king of Northern Lusitania, and to hold them on the same conditions. His majesty the king of Etruria ceded the kingdom of Etruria, in full property and sovereignty, to his majesty the emperor of the French and king of Italy. By a secret convention, it was agreed that French troops should be ad. mitted into Spain, where they were to be joined by bodies of Spanish troops, and march into Portugal. The troops to be subsisted and maintained by Spain, during their march through that country, but to be paid by France. The main body of the army to be under the orders of the commander of the French troops: nevertheless, it was added, should the king of Spain, or the prince of the Peace, think fit to join the said body, the French troops, with the general command. ing them, were to be subject to their order. It is probable that Buonaparte was under no hesita tation in paying them this compli ment.* Another body of French troops, to the number of 40,000, was to be assembled at Bayonne by the 20th of November next, at the latest, to be ready to enter Spain, for the purpose of proceeding to Portugal, in case the English should send reinforcements there, or me. nace it with aggression.† While bodies of French troops poured into Spain, or advanced towards it, Buonaparte set out on a journey to Italy from Foutainbleau, November 15, and arrived at Milan, on the 21st. The intention of this journey had been announced in all his gazettes. It was preceded by great When Buonaparte learnt how popular the prince of Asturias was in Spain, and how the king had pardoned his supposed offence, this compliment was transferred to that prince. He took him under his protection, adorned him with the grand cross of the legion of honour, and appointed him generalissimo of the combined French and Spanish army, destined for the invasion of Portugal: thus, at once flattering and dishonouring him. † Exposition of the Practices and Machinations which led to the Usurpation of the Crown of Spain, &c. &c. By Don Pedro Cevallos, first Secretary of State and Dispatches to His Catholic Majesty Ferdinand VII. preparation preparation and parade, and at- be reused from that lethargy into which it had been sunk for some time. The aged elector, now king of Bavaria, including the Tyrol, with his spouse, came also to Milan; thus doing homage, as a kind of vassal, to Napoleon. Eugene Beauharnois, the viceroy, was appointed Buonaparte's successor in the kingdom of Italy, under certain restrictions or reservations, in certain contingent cases, closely connecting that kingdom with the crown of France. Count Melzi was created duke of Lodi. From Naples, Buonaparte went to Venice, where he gave orders for some improvements, both for the defence of the city, and the promotion of commerce. He returned to Paris in January 1808, by the way of Lyons, under the thle of the count of Venice, bringing in his train the late queen-regent of Etruria and her young son. tracted the eyes of all Europe. And when this journey was combined with the occupation of the seven isles, from whence there is so short and easy a passage to AL bania, and the mouths of the Catarro, it was very generally imagined, that a concert had been entered into, between Napoleon and the emperor Alexander, for an immediate attack on Turkey, and fixing the destinies of Europe. But it appears almost certain that he had no other object than to divert the attention of Eu. rope from his designs against Spain and Portugal: for he did nothing in Italy suitable to the air of im. portance that was studiously given to his journey to that interesting peninsula-nothing of any consequence that might not have been done by his authority, without his presence. The queen-regent of Etruria, as might well be imagined, acceded to the arrangement that had been made for the establish. ment of her family in Portugal, without a murmur. In a proclamation which she published in the name of her son, it was declared that in consequence of an arrange ment between the king of Spain and Napoleon, emperor of France and king of Italy, the kingdom of Etruria had been disposed of other wise than at present, and absolved the Tuscans from their oath of allegiance. At Milan, Buonaparte received the homage of the Italians in every part of the peninsula. The inha. bitants of Tuscany swore allegiance to Napoleon: under whose influ. ence, it was stated in the gazette of Florence, Etruria might expect to After the peace of Tilsit, Buona. parte demanded of the court of Lisbon, 1. To shut up the ports of Portugal against England. 2. To detain all Englishmen residing in Portugal. 3. To confiscate all English property; denouncing war in case of a refusal. And, without waiting for an answer, he gave orders for detaining all Portuguese merchant-ships that were in the ports of France. The prince-regent of Portugal, hoping to ward off the storm, acceded to the shutting up of his ports; but refused to comply with the other two de mands, as being contrary to the principles of the public law, and to the treaties that subsisted be tween the two nations. The court of Portugal then began to adopt measures for securing its retreat to Ꭲ 4 the Portuguese dominions in South America. For that purpose, the prince-regent ordered all ships of war fit to keep the sea, to be fitted out; and also gave warning of what was intended to the English, directing them to sell their property and leave Portugal; in order thus to avoid an effusion of blood, which, in all probability, would have proved useless. He resolved also to comply, if possible, with the views of the emperor of the French, in case he should not allow himself to be softened down to more moderate pretensions. But Buonaparte peremptorily insisted, not only on the shutting up of the ports, but on the imprisonment of all British subjects, the confiscation of their property, and a dereliction of the project of a retreat to Ame rica. The prince-regent, when he had reason to believe that all the English, not naturalized in the country, had taken their departure from Portugal, and that all English property had been sold, and even its amount exported, adopted the resolution to shut up the ports, against England, and even to comply with the other demands of France; declaring, however, at the same time, that should the French troops enter Portugal, he was firmly resolved to remove the seat of government to Brazil, the most important and best defended part of his dominion.* It had been frequently stated to the cabinet of Lisbon by the English ambassador, lord Strangford, that the king of Great Britain, in agreeing not to resent the exclusion of British commerce from the ports of Portugal, had gone to the utmost extent of forbearance; that, in making this concession to the pe culiar circumstances of the prince regent's situation, his majesty had done all that friendship could justly require; and that a single step beyond this line of modified hostility, must necessarily lead to the extremity of actual war. Nevertheless, the prince-regent, in the fond hope of preserving Portugal by concili. ating France, on the 8th of November, signed an order for detaining the few British subjects, and of the very inconsiderable portion of British property that yet remained at Lisbon. On the publication of this order, lord Strangford removed the arms of England from the gates of his residence, demanded his passports, presented a final remon. strance against the recent conduct of the court of Lisbon, and proceeded, November 17, to a British squadron, commanded by sir Syd. ney Smith, who immediately, on the suggestion of lord Strangford, established a most rigorous blockade at the mouth of the Tagus. A few days thereafter, the intercourse between the court of Lisbon and the British ambassador was renewed. Lord Strangford, under due assurances of protection and security, proceeded to Lisbon on the 27th: when he found the prince-regent wisely directing all his apprehen. sion to a French army, which had entered Portugal, and was on its march to Lisbon, and all his hopes to an English fleet. The object of this march he was at no loss to Manifesto, or justificatory exposition of the conduct of the court of Portugal, &c. Rio Janeiro, May 1, 1808. understand: understand: for Buonaparte had declared in his journals, "That the house of Braganza had ceased to reign." Lord Strangford promised to his royal highness, on the faith of his sovereign, that the British squadron before the Tagus should be employed to protect his retreat from Lisbon, and his voyage to the Brazils. A decree was published, November 28, in which the prince regent announced his intention of retiring to the city of Janeiro until the conclusion of a general peace, and of appointing a regency to ad. minister the government at Lisbon, during his royal highness's absence from Europe.* On the morning of November 29, the Portuguese fleet set sail from the Tagus, with the prince of Brazil and the whole of the royal family of Braganza on board, to gether with many of his faithful counsellors and adherents, as well as other persons attached to his present fortunes. The fleet consisted of eight sail of the line, four large frigates, several armed brigs, sloops, and corvettes, and a number of Brazil ships; amounting in all to about 36 sail. While they passed through the British squadron, our ships fired a salute of 21 guns, which was returned with an equal number. The friendly meeting of the two fleets, at a juncture so critical and important, was a most in * State Papers, page 775. teresting and affecting, as well as a grand scene. Four English ships of the line were sent by the British admira!, to accompany the royal family to Brazil.† The Portuguese fleet had not left the Tagus, when the French, with their Spanish auxiliaries, appeared on the hills above Lisbon, under the command of general Juuot, who had formerly resided for several years at the court of Portugal, in the character of an ambassador from France. Though the Portuguese had long been under an apprehen. sion of a visit from the French, they were surprised by their sudden ar rival. The court of Portugal had always considered the march of an army through the mountains of Beira, as a matter of extreme diffi. culty, if not impracticable, espe cially in the winter season. They never dreamt that their invaders would advance by any other route than the course of the Tagus. Tho entrance of the French troops into Portugal was not known at Lisbon, till their advanced guard had reach ed Abrantes. The retreat of the royal family from Lisbon was, of course, a matter of extreme precipitation. Junot did not meet with any more opposition on his entrance into the capital, than when he passed, on his march, the Portuguese frontier. The greatest professions were made on the part + London Gazette, December 19, 1807. I When the French came to the frontier of Portugal, the Spanish governor of Badajoz wrote to the marquis of Alorno, commander at Elvas, a city in the province of Tras los Montes, to the following effect: "A Spanish and French army is about to enter Portugal through your province. I wish to know whether they may expect to be received as friends or as enemies." To this letter, the arquis laconically replied, "We are unable to entertain you as friends, or to Nest you as enemies. I have the honour to be, &c." 3 of of the French army, and nation, of friendship and affection for the people of Portugal. Nevertheless, the inhabitants of Lisbon were disarmed; they were inhibited from assembling together to the number of more than ten at a time; cannon were placed in all the streets and squares; very heavy contributions were imposed for the support and maintenance of the French, with their Spanish auxiliaries: and, in a word, the French system of governing subdued countries was com. pletely established. After Portugal had fallen under the dominion of France, the va luable island of Madeira was com mitted to the protection of British troops; and to be restored to Portugal on the conclusion of a general peace. CHRONICLE. |