Don Alphonsus III. was a Portuguese prince, and although at the same time in possession of the county of Bologna, he succeeded his brother Sancho II., and preserved the sovereignty of Bologna, notwithstanding Alphonsus V. enjoyed the crown of Portugal together with that of Castile and Leon; and Don Emanuel united on his head the crowns of Portugal, of Castile, of Leon, and of Arragon.

Consequently, if that law did not exclude the count of Bologna, Don Alphonsus, from the succession to the throne of Portugal, it cannot now exclude his majesty the emperor of Brazils and prince royal of Portugal from the like succession.

2nd. That of another law, made afterwards on the 12th of September, 1642, by king John IV., by desire of the three estates, and therefore a ratification of that of the Cortes of Lamego.

It is declared by this second law, "that the successor to the crown ought to be a prince born in Por tugal, and that no foreign prince by birth, however nearly related to the king, could succeed him."

Now as this applies solely to princes born in a foreign country, it is clear that it cannot be made to apply to his imperial majesty Don Pedro IV., who was born in Portugal.

Moreover, as neither the one nor the other of these laws have provided against the possible partition of the Portuguese crown, by a solemn agreement between the reigning prince and his immediate heir and successor (but which has taken place, for the first time, between his majesty king John VI.

royal, Don Pedro), these laws, we repeat cannot be applicable to the case now under consideration.

On ratifying the treaty of the 29th August, 1825, by which the partition above alluded to was made, his majesty John VI. promulgated a law, or perpetual edict, dated the 15th of November, 1825, by which he recognizes his eldest son the emperor of Brazils, in his capacity of prince royal of Portugal, and expressly revoked all the laws, customs, rules, and decrees of the Cortes, which might be contrary to the intent and meaning of such law.

For a new and unforeseen case, it became necessary to enact a new law.

And as the authority of his majesty John VI. was as competent and unlimited as that of his august predecessor, John IV. the law of the 15th of November, 1825 (published in consequence of a treaty, which is a sacred and inviolable compact, and a supreme law amongst all civilized nations) is become a fundamental law of Brazils and Portugal, and is in fact the only one that ought to regulate, as it actually did, the succession to the crown of Portugal, at the moment when it became vacant.

Having thus fully proved the illegality of the decision of the soi-disant "three estates of the realm," as well as the futility of the arguments advanced by them in favour of the usurpation, there only remains for us to fulfil a painful but honourable duty,—that of protesting, and we do hereby protest most loudly and before all the world, against the usurpation recently made of the crown of Portugal, on behalf of his majesty the

crimes? What religion could en join the execution of proceedings so contrary to decency and the decorum of respectable and distinguished families? Ah, Portuguese! to what a pass is your unfortunate country brought, under the dominion of fanaticism, hypocrisy, and despotism. Were it possible for your ancestors to rise from their graves, they would suddenly drop down dead at seeing the cradle of their victories transferred into such horrors.

You are worthy of a better fate. In your own hands is your happiness or your ruin. Follow my advice, Portuguese; it is given to you by a philanthropic and truly constitutional heart.

It is time that you should open your eyes, and all unite and stand by the oaths you have taken to the constitutional charter, and to the rights of your queen. By doing this, you will not only save your country, but likewise my brother, by defending the true throne and the true Roman Catholic and Apostolical religion, conformably to the manner in which you swore to maintain it. Give not the victory, oh, Portuguese! to the enemies of constitutional monarchical governments, who wish to see perjurers placed upon thrones, in order to strengthen their arguments against such forms of government. Far be it from me to call my brother a perjurer or a traitor: he acts, no doubt, under compulsion; and I consider, and shall consider him in this light, as long as the heads of the disorganizing faction do not leave Portugal. Portuguese; stand by the constitutional charter; it is not of foreign growth-it was granted to you by a constitutional king; and what evils has it brought upon you? Liberty, of which you

had only a promise, before. Yes, Portuguese, bedew the tree of liberty with your blood, and you will see how it will flourish amongst you, and bear fruits, in despite of all intrigues and machinations. Do not suffer it to be assailed by the blows of perfidy and treason to the country that country which is already oppressed by the yoke of the most ferocious description. You are a free people-you form an independent nation; what more can you hope for? The governments of Europe support the legitimacy of your queen. Fight for her, and for the constitutional charter, and fear nought in the shape of obstacles. Consider that the cause you are going to defend is the cause of justice, and that you are bound to it by an oath. The truth does not penetrate into the presence of your regent. Fanatics, hypocrites, demoralized, and despotic men, have blinded him. The imminent danger in which his life is placed makes him submit to this faction, the like of which has never been seen amongst the Portuguese people, which was ever free from the commencement of the monarchy, as the pages of its history prove. Follow the example of those ancient Portuguese; approach your regent; speak to him very plainly and respectfully, as they spoke to the king Don Alfonso IV., and tell him, "By the path in which your highness suffers yourself to be led, you will inevitably plunge yourself into the deepest abyss; govern us conformably to the constitutional charter, which both your highness and ourselves have sworn to, and know that this is the only legiti mate course we choose to see adopted." If you do this, you will see that he, finding the Portuguese disposed to support him as consti

tutional regent, will withdraw himself from the shameful tutor age by which he is now ruled, and which would lead him to the precipice, from whence he can never recede with honour; and that he will throw himself into your arms, in order to govern you according to law, and render you happy. Aid him, Portuguese! otherwise he and you will become the victims of anarchy. My conscience is free

from remorse. I explain the truth to you: if you choose to follow it you will be happy; if not, you will find the most artful despotism raising its head amongst you, which you will never be able to crush again.

Rio de Janeiro, July 25. (Signed) PEDRO, Emperor.

FRANCISCO GOMEZ DA SILVA. (A true copy)

Gentlemen Representatives, The government of the province of Buenos-Ayres, sees with the greatest satisfaction the opening of the seventh Legislative Assembly. At this moment are realized the hopes conceived on the first days of the Revolution; therefore it presents itself with the fullest confidence to salute the honourable representatives, and to give a faithful account of the affairs confided to its direction. Nevertheless, it is not possible to do so with the same minuteness as heretofore, the war having paralyzed a portion of the means of interior improvement; and for this reason, it can only speak of the most important points, as far as the actual state of the country will permit. Internal tranquillity has been the first object to which it directed its attention, satisfied that without that we should be condemned by the world, and be the derision of our enemies. Past experience has not been sufficient to convince us, that the formation of a state is subjected to the general laws of nature, in which nothing can arrive at perfection except slowly and progressively. The

government, acting upon this principle, applied itself to the extinction of discord and re-establishment of the quiet of the interior, under whose shade alone can flourish the real interests by which the nation must be hereafter united. It has the satisfaction to announce to you, that the result has corresponded with its hopes, and that reason has rarely obtained a triumph so easy and rapid in the midst of so much agitation. The government has cause to congratulate itself in the naming of the deputies who have acted in a negotiation so important. The provinces, in addition to having withdrawn their arms from civil war, have given them a more noble direction, and have named representatives to form a Convention in the city of Santa Fé, which will probably have the good fortune to lay the foundation of the national happiness.

The negotiations for peace with his majesty the emperor of Brazil, still continue, and there are wellfounded hopes that the day is not far distant in which the war will terminate satisfactorily; notwithstanding which, the government,

sensible that honour is the vital principle of nations, continues to support it at every sacrifice, until peace can be realized; and hopes that, should necessity require it, you will with pleasure make every necessary sacrifice. The nations of our continent continue to give us proofs of their good wishes, and great Britain renders us constantly the good offices of a true friend. The officers and forces by land and sea have displayed great constancy and bravery, and have obtained considerable advantages, which recommend them to the respect and gratitude of every good citizen. When it appeared that the war was at a stand, and that the armies of the two hostile powers faced each other, without either being able to advance, an intrepid chief, with a handful of Argentines, has recovered our old possessions of the "Misiones Orientales;" his force has been there increased, and the joy evinced by the inhabitants in returning to the bosom of the Republic, sufficiently proves the absurdity of conquest. The expedition from the north now marching to the same point, when united to the said force, will form a respectable army, the expense of which is inconsiderable, and which can easily combine its operations with the main army, and will prove the symbol of the concord and enthusiasm of the provinces.

The militia of the city and the country, which had been almost dissolved, and in a state of nullity, has been reorganized, and performs important services, enabling the troops of the line to be placed on the frontiers, and wherever their attentions may be called for in the foreign war. The new line of frontier is established: this undertaking, as desirable as it is im

portant, commenced under the most auspicious circumstances. The Indians, with whom the government continues the measures of peace and conciliation with the most happy effects, will no more commit depredations with impunity, and the immense acquisition of territory has doubled the guarantee of the public debt, so that this burden may be taken off in a short time, if it is found necessary. But the most important is, that in this establishment we have occupied the interesting position of White Bay (Bahia Blanca), which is surrounded with commodious harbours, agricultural land, and extensive woods. Its maritime coasts abound with fisheries, and some ports, enabling us to have hereafter a respectable marine, which will be the shield of the Republic. The communication to Chile by land, from the same point, is short and convenient; and the navigation of the Red River (Rio Colorado) will perhaps afford a more easy exportation of the produce of some of the interior provinces. The government has ordered the land to be surveyed, and to trace out the most proper place to erect a city, to be called the "New Buenos Ayres." The importance to which it is likely to arrive gives it a claim to so glorious a title. The zeal manifested in this undertaking, by all those charged with the execution of it, deserves the highest praise. Through the stagnation of our foreign commerce, that of the interior has rapidly increased, especially those capitals that have been applied to agricultural purposes, labourers being abundant, from the cessation of the impress.

In the midst of all this, the establishment of public grammarschools for children in the city and