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The bombardment of the city therefore commenced on the 3rd of December, and a great number of shells were thrown into the town. The Somaten or tocsin bell was rung, and excited the populace to an extraordinary degree of fervour. But the resolution of the insurgents did not continue long, for on the evening of the 4th, Barcelona surrendered, and General Van Halen and his troops entered the city.

Before the bombardment had begun, the British Consul published a notification that he had ordered the British vessels in the roads to hoist the national flag and to admit on board all foreigners who should apply for admission with the exception of Spanish subjects.

General Van Halen immediately on entering the city issued the following proclamation:

"Art. 1. All military men, of whatever class and of whatever rank, who have yielded obedience to the revolutionary Junta, or who have taken part in the insurrec tion, are to present themselves to the governor of the city, or the chief who performs the functions of that office. Those who belong to the marine are to present them selves to their respective chiefs. The public officers of all the different civil administrations are also to present themselves to their respective chiefs.

"Art. 2. The persons to whom the previous article refers will be tried by a military commission, which will be immediately formed. "Art. 3. The persons alluded to in Art 1, who shall fail to present themselves as there directed, within twenty-four hours, will be put to death.

"Art. 4. The same punishment

shall be inflicted on the proprietors of houses in which any persons may be found concealed who are amenable to the provisions of the former article.

"Art. 5. All military, of whatever class, who did not recognise the revolutionary Junta or take any part in the insurrection, but remained in the city since the 24th November, and who were allowed to leave the city by the revolutionary Junta to join the army, are also to present themselves to the military governor. Those persons under government, in civil offices, who are similarly situated, are also to present themselves before their respective chiefs, as set forth in Art. 1.

"Art. 6. Individuals comprised in Art. 5 are, from the fact of their remaining at Barcelona during the insurrection, suspended from their situations, without prejudice to their justifying themselves, by proving that it was impossible for them to leave the city, in consequence of the orders of the Junta, published on the 24th November."

Shortly afterwards Carcana (or Carcarra), who had acted as captain of the insurgents, was shot by the orders of Van Halen, and on the 12th, thirteen soldiers of what was called "The Free Corps," suffered death on the Esplanade.

A contribution of 12,000,000 reals (120,000l.) was levied on the city, and it was compelled to repair the citadel, which had suffered during the revolt. The privilege also of coining, and the manufacture of tobacco, were taken from the inhabitants, who, in other respects, had no cause to complain of the use made by the Regent of his victory.

PORTUGAL, On the 19th of

December, 1841, the municipal elections commenced at Lisbon, and the result was looked forward to with great anxiety by the two contending parties, the Moderados and the Septembristas. The former were the supporters of the Ministry and friends of the constitutional order of things; the latter were Revolutionists and Republicans; and, inasmuch as the municipal elections in Lisbon exercise a most important influence upon the Cortes returns, and, in fact, may be said to determine the result, the present contest was justly considered as decisive of the fate of the government. The Moderado party had been very desponding, and regarded with apprehension the probable triumph of their opponents; but the event of the elections completely falsified their fears, and appeared to prove a reaction in the public mind, most gratifying to all the friends of good order and constitutional government. The entire number of the constituency entitled to vote amounted to about 7,000, and the number of the municipal officers was thirteen. Of these the whole were elected from the Moderado party. The presence of two British men-of-war in the Tagus contributed not a little to strengthen the hands of government.

But the ephemeral nature of political power in Portugal was strikingly shown soon after this event; for at this very time, when the Ministry seemed to be stronger than ever, a change was preparing which might almost be dignified by the name of a revolution. At the latter end of January, a revolt broke out at Oporto, attended by important consequences. The Minister of Justice, Senhor Costa Cabral, together with the Military Commander and Administrator

General of Oporto, proclaimed there, on the 27th of that month, Don Pedro's charter, and formed a provisional government in the name of the Queen, in the presence of the municipal authorities and the troops in the garrison. There was a general opinion that all this was done in secret accordance with the wishes of the Court. The government, however, at Lisbon, appeared to act vigorously in opposition to the movement. Costa Cabral was dismissed from his office, and a Royal proclamation was issued against the insurrection. Twenty-two deputies, however, amongst whom were three colonels, commanding regiments in the garrison, refused to sign a protest which was drawn up against it.

On the 7th of February a Cabinet was formed by the Duke de Palmella, the Minister of War being Viscount Sa de Bandeira, who dismissed several of the colonels commanding regiments in Lisbon, as they were avowed advocates of the Charter. The Governor of the Castle St. George was also dismissed, but the garrison there declared for the Charter, and the outbreak became general. The populace and the troops both combined in demanding Don Pedro's Charter; and next day (Feb. 8,) the Cabinet tendered their resignations to the Queen, accompanied by a letter, stating that they were unable to put down the popular movement. In this emergency it was resolved to give way; and, perhaps this determination was not disagreeable to the Court-and on the 10th, a Royal decree was issued, proclaiming that the Charter was once more the law of the land. Three days of public rejoicing took place, and the Queen went to

the Cathedral to return thanks openly for the event.

For some time no ministry could be formed, chiefly owing to the difficulty of dealing with Costa Cabral, the prime mover of the revolt, who was too popular to be passed over-and yet, whose conduct seemed to preclude the possibility of his taking office with his former colleagues. The ministerial crisis terminated at the end of February, after an interregnum of seventeen days, and the result was the formation of a Cabinet, in which the Duke da Terceira was the nominal Premier; but Costa Cabral, as Minister for Home Affairs, in reality wielded the power of government. The Minister of Justice was Senor Mello e Carvalho, and Baron de Tojal was appointed Minister of Financewhile the portfolio for Ecclesiastical Affairs was given to J. Baptista Filgueiras; but this last appointment being distasteful to Costa Cabral and his partizans, Filgueiras was dismissed, after holding office only two days.

On the 10th of July the Portuguese Cortes were opened by the Queen in person. With regard to the Charter, the Royal Speech said: "Your mission is to consolidate it; and, I trust, you will fulfil it." Two treaties concluded between England and Portugal are alluded to very shortly in the following terms: "Two treaties which I have concluded with Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain have been signed, and will be presented to you immediately after ratification; one of them is for the repression of the Slave-trade, the other to strengthen the mutual relations of commerce and navigation."

PRUSSIA. On the 19th of Au

gust, an ordinance was issued by the King of Prussia, convening "An Assembly of the United Committees from all the provinces of the Empire." The King therein stated, that the course he was taking was "with a view to the development of the representative system, established by his deceased father." "I have accordingly called upon the assembled Committees to adjust the conflicting views of the diets of the separate provinces; to utter their sentiments and views on laws under consideration in the higher departments of legislation; to give expression to their opinion on the necessity for the enactment of new laws, and on the direction to be given to them; and also to assist my government with their advice, founded on their practical experience of the interests of their provinces, in matters which have not hitherto been submitted to the consideration of the Provincial States.'

The following subjects were proposed by the ordinance for the consideration of the Assembly:1st. The details of proposed reductions in taxes; 2nd. A comprehensive system of general railroads; 3rd. The enactment of a law for the regulation of private rivers.

On the 18th of October, the Assembly met at Berlin, and the session was opened in a hall of the palace, by Count von Arnim, Minister of the Interior, who read at length the ordinance above quoted, and, at the conclusion of his address, exhorted them to "let the common cause of ALL Prussia be constantly borne in mind-preserve always a lively consciousness that you are assembled here as the members of ONE body of the

State, as the faithful subjects of ONE King."

The deliberations, however, gave little satisfaction in Germany. The deputies were restricted to particular discussions, and the limits within which they were to confine themselves, were marked out by intimations from the government. The time has not yet arrived when the privileges of a British House of Commons can be conceded in Germany.

BAVARIA. On the 19th of October, the Valhalla was opened

and solemnly inaugurated by the King of Bavaria. The Valhalla is a noble building near Ratisbon, on the left bank of the Danube, in which it is intended to place statues of illustrious Germans, who by their writings or acts have shed glory over their native land. The name Valhalla, or more properly Walhalla, was given in the old German mythology, to the Palace of Odin, in the great hall of which the souls of departed heroes met and drank goblets of wine and mead.

VOL, LXXXIV.

[X]

CHAPTER XIV.

UNITED STATES.-Annual Message of President to Congress-Correspondence between Lord Palmerston, Lord Aberdeen, and Mr. Stevenson, respecting the Right of Search-Presentment of the Grand Jury of Philadelphia against N. Biddle and others for Conspiracy— Case of the brig Creole, and Mutiny of Slaves on board-The British Government determines to send out Lord Ashburton to America as a special Ambassador-Repudiation of State Debts-The President vetoes two Tariff Bills-Report of the Senate condemning the conduct of the President-Protest of the President-Treaty respecting the North Western Boundary signed at WashingtonIts provisions-Public Entertainment given to Lord Ashburton at New York-Correspondence between Lord Ashburton and Mr. Webster-President's Message to Congress.

ON

N the 7th of December, 1841, the annual message from the President (Mr. Tyler) was delivered to Congress on its opening.

He began by congratulating Congress that throughout the year "peace has been on our borders, and plenty in our habitations." He then alluded to the acquittal of Alexander M'Leod, in which he rejoiced; while he regarded the trial of M'Leod as the only answer that could be given to the demand of Great Britain for his discharge, "by a government, the powers of which are distributed among its several departments by the fundamental law." The executive government of the Union could enter a nolle prosequi upon a prosecution pending in a State Court; but no foreign power could complain of that, as it was a mere point of municipal regulation to

fix at what stage of proceedings such an order might be made.

"I cannot fail, however," says Mr. Tyler, "to suggest to Congress the propriety, and, in some degree the necessity, of making such provisions by law, so far as they may constitutionally do so, for the removal, at their commencement, and at the option of the party, of all such cases as may hereafter arise, and which may involve the faithful observance and execution of our international obligations, from the State to the Federal judiciary. This government, by our institutions, is charged with the maintenance of peace and the preservation of amicable relations with the nations of the earth; and ought to possess, without question, all the reasonable and proper means of maintaining the one and preserving the other.

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