vention

interference of the French government in the internal affairs Great Britain of Spain, and had refrained from interposing by force to of Portugal, prevent the invasion of the peninsula by France. The

in the affairs

1826.

constitution of the Cortes was overturned, and Ferdinand VII restored to absolute power. These events were followed by the death of John VI King of Portugal, in 1825. The constitution of Brazil had provided that its crown should never be united on the same head with that of Portugal; and Don Pedro resigned the latter to his infant daughter Dona Maria, appointing a regency to govern the kingdom during her minority, and at the same time granting a constitutional charter to the European dominions of the house of Braganza. The Spanish government, restored to the plenitude of its absolute authority, and dreading the example of the peaceable establishment of a constitutional government in the neighbouring kingdom, countenanced the pretensions of Don Miguel to the Portuguese crown, and supported the efforts of his partisans to overthrow the regency and the charter. Hostile inroads into the territory of Portugal were concerted in Spain, and executed, with the connivance of the Spanish authorities, by Portuguese troops belonging to the party of the pretender, who had deserted into Spain, and were received and succoured by the Spanish authorities on the frontiers. Under these circumstances, the British government received an application from the regency of Portugal, claiming, in virtue of the ancient treaties of alliance and friendship subsisting between the two crowns, the military aid of Great Britain against the hostile aggressions of Spain. In acceding to that application, and sending a corps of British troops for the defence of Portugal, it was stated by the British minister that the Portuguese constitution was admitted to have proceeded from a legitimate source, and it was recommended to Englishmen by the ready acceptance which it had met with from all orders of the Portuguese people. But it would not be for the British nation to force it on the people of Portugal if they were unwilling to re

ceive it; or if any schism should exist among the Portuguese themselves, as to its fitness and congeniality to the wants and wishes of the nation. They went to Portugal in the discharge of a sacred obligation contracted under ancient and modern treaties. When there, nothing would be done by them to enforce the establishment of the constitution, but they must take care that nothing was done by others to prevent it from being fairly carried into effect. The hostile aggression of Spain, in countenancing and aiding the party opposed to the Portuguese constitution, was in direct violation of repeated solemn assurances of the Spanish cabinet to the British government, engaging to abstain from such interference. The sole object of Great Britain was to obtain the faithful execution of those engagements. The former case of the invasion of Spain by France, having for its object to overturn the Spanish constitution, was essentially different in its circumstances. France had given to Great Britain cause of war by that aggression upon the independence of Spain. The British government might lawfully have interfered on grounds of political expediency; but they were not bound to interfere, as they were now bound to interfere, on behalf of Portugal, by the obligations of treaty. War might have been their free choice, if they had deemed it politic in the case of Spain interference on behalf of Portugal was their duty, unless they were prepared to abandon the principles of national faith and national honour."

§ 25. Quadruple Alliance

between

Subsequent to these events the civil war broke out in Portugal in consequence of the claim of Don Miguel against the rights of Dona Maria as recognized by France France, Great and Great Britain. The ancient law of Spain, in favour Britain, Spain and Portugal, of the succession of females to the crown of that kingdom, 1834.

Mr. Secretary Canning's Speech in the House of Commons, 11th Dec.

1826, Annual Register, vol. lxviii. p. 192.

had been revived in 1789 by Charles IV under the ministry of Florida Blanca. This act, abolishing the auto accordado of Philip V of 1713, was promulgated anew and confirmed, in 1830, by Ferdinand VII who assembled the cortes in 1833, to take the oath of allegiance to his daughter the infanta Maria Isabella Louisa become heiress to the crown. The infant Don Carlos, who had retired into Por tugal, and joined Don Miguel, refused to take the oath, and protested at the same time in favour of the contingent rights of himself and his successors in case of the failure of male heirs of the blood of Ferdinand. The kings of Naples and Sardinia also protested against the new order of succession introduced by the pragmatic of 1830, and against the assembling of the cortes for the purpose above mentioned. On the death of Ferdinand VII in 1833, the queen mother, Maria Christina, having been appointed regent of the kingdom by the will of her husband, assumed the reins of government in the name of her infant daughter. The civil war continued in Portugal, the two pretenders Don Miguel and Don Carlos making common cause in the two kingdoms of the peninsula. In the mean time, Don Pedro had abdicated the imperial crown of Brazil, and arrived in Portugal to support the cause of his daughter Dona Maria. His government as regent was recognized by France and Great Britain. These two powers had also recognized the succession of the infanta Maria Isabella Louisa, and the government of the queen regent in Spain. The Spanish government interfered with arms in Portugal in favour of Dona Maria. In this state of things, France, Great Britain, Spain, and Portugal concluded a convention at London on the 22d April, 1834, called the treaty of quadruple alliance.

In the preamble to this convention, it is declared that "her majesty the Queen Regent of Spain, during the minority of her daughter Dona Isabella II, Queen of Spain, and his imperial majesty the Duke of Braganza, Regent of the kingdom of Portugal and the Algarves, in the name of

the Queen Dona Maria II, being impressed with a deep conviction that the interests of the two crowns, and the security of their respective dominions, require the immediate and vigorous exertion of their joint efforts to put an end to hostilities, which, though directed in the first instance against the throne of her most faithful majesty, now afford shelter and support to disaffected and rebellious subjects of the crown of Spain; and their majesties being desirous at the same time to provide the necessary means for restoring to the subjects of each the blessings of internal peace, and to confirm, by mutual good offices, the friendship which they are desirous of establishing and cementing between their respective states, they have come to the determination of uniting their forces, in order to compel the infant Don Carlos of Spain, and the infant Don Miguel of Portugal, to withdraw from the Portuguese dominions. In consequence of this agreement, their majesties the Regents have applied to their majesties the King of the French, and the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; and their said majesties, taking into consideration the interest they must always feel in the security of the Spanish monarchy, and being animated with the most sincere desire to contribute to the establishment of peace in the peninsula, as well as in all other parts of Europe; and his Britannic majesty, considering moreover the special obligations arising from the ancient alliance subsisting between him and Portugal, their majesties have consented to become parties to the proposed agreement."

The convention contains the following stipulations:

"Art. 1. His imperial majesty the Duke of Braganza, Regent of the kingdom of Portugal, &c. engages to employ all the means in his power to compel the infant Don Carlos to retire from the state of Portugal.

"Art. 2. Her majesty the Queen Regent of Spain, &c. being by the present act invited and requested by his imperial majesty the Duke of Braganza, and having besides just and weighty motives of complaint against the infant Don

Miguel, on account of the support and protection which he has given to the pretender to the crown of Spain, engages to send into the Portuguese territory a corps of Spanish troops, of which the number shall be hereafter determined between the two parties, in order to cooperate with the troops of her most faithful majesty; and her majesty the Queen Regent engages that the said troops shall be maintained at the expense of Spain, without any charge to Portugal; the said Spanish troops being nevertheless received and treated in all other respects in the same manner as the troops of her most faithful majesty; and her majesty the Queen Regent engages that the said troops shall retire from the Portuguese territory as soon as the above mentioned object of the expulsion of the infants shall have been accomplished, and when the presence of the said troops shall no longer be required by his imperial majesty the duke regent in the name of her majesty Queen Dona Maria II.

"3. His majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland engages to coöperate by the employment of a naval force in support of the operations which are to be undertaken conformably to the engagements of the present treaty by the troops of Spain and Portugal.

"4. In case the coöperation of France shall be judged necessary by the high contracting parties in order completely to accomplish the object of this treaty, his majesty the King of the French engages to act, in this respect as shall be agreed between him and his three august allies.

"5. It is agreed between the high contracting parties that, in consequence of the stipulations contained in the preceding articles, a declaration shall be immediately published announcing to the Portuguese nation the principles and the objects of the engagements of the present treaty; and his imperial majesty the Duke Regent, &c. animated with the most sincere desire of effacing all recollections of the past, and of uniting around the throne of her most faithful majesty the entire nation over which she has