ral power, and disarmed them.

The British troops remained in Portugal till March, 1828. By that time
the disturbances had assumed a purely domestic character, and it was
ultimately decided to recall them. But a firmer policy than that
actually followed would have been necessary in order to extricate Great
Britain from the strife of Portuguese factions, in which her recent
action had given a decided advantage to the constitutional party. That
party had been driven into opposition before the British troops were
recalled. On July 3, 1827, King Peter had issued a decree appointing Dom
Miguel his lieutenant, and investing him with all the powers which
belonged to him as king under the charter. Miguel, after visiting
London, arrived at Lisbon on February 22, 1828, and was sworn in as
regent four days later. As he was twenty-five years old, and therefore
of full age according to Portuguese law, he could not with any show of
equity have been kept out of the regency longer. Miguel's installation
as regent was followed by a series of riots as well on the part of the
absolutists, who desired to make him king, as on the part of the
constitutionalists who feared that he would make himself king. It was
not long before he definitely identified himself with the absolutist
party.

[Pageheading: _MIGUEL'S USURPATION._]

On March 14 the cortes were dissolved. On May 3 Miguel summoned the
ancient cortes in his own name, and on June 26 they acknowledged him as
king. The immediate result of this act was that all the ambassadors,
except those of Spain and the Holy See, quitted Lisbon, and the lapse of
time did not induce them to change their attitude towards Miguel. A
further complication was introduced by Peter's definite abdication in
favour of his daughter on March 3, executed before he had any suspicion
of Miguel's designs, which placed Miguel in the position of regent for
his infant niece instead of for his brother. After this formal
abdication Peter despatched his daughter to Europe, intending that she
should proceed to Vienna. When, however, she arrived at Gibraltar on
September 2, her conductors, hearing of Miguel's usurpation, determined
to take her to England, and she landed at Falmouth on the 24th. Peter,
on hearing of Miguel's usurpation, naturally considered the regency
terminated, and claimed to act as the guardian of the infant queen; the
Brazilian ministers in Europe acted as his agents, while his partisans
assembled in En