ere not so readily redressed. A threat of
force on the part of the French government was followed by an appeal
from Dom Miguel for British assistance. This Palmerston refused to
grant, and in July a French squadron under Admiral Roussin forced the
passage of the Tagus, and carried off the best ships of the Portuguese
navy. Meanwhile much irritation had been caused in Brazil by Peter's
advocacy of his daughter's claim to Portugal, which was considered
inconsistent with his professed adherence to the separation of the two
countries. On April 6, Peter abdicated the crown of Brazil in favour of
his infant son, Peter II., and on the following day sailed for Europe in
order to assert his daughter's right to the Portuguese throne. He
arrived in Europe towards the end of May, and visited both England and
France.

Though neither government assisted him directly, he was permitted to
raise troops and even to secure the services of naval officers, and in
December a force of 300 men sailed from Liverpool to Belleisle, which he
had appointed as the rendezvous. Palmerston had thus, unlike Wellington,
adopted the same attitude towards the Portuguese liberals that Ferdinand
VII. had adopted towards the absolutists. Peter's expedition gathered
further strength at the Azores and sailed for Portugal on June 27, 1832.
On July 8, the fleet, commanded by Admiral Sartorius, a British officer,
appeared off Oporto, which submitted on the following day. The town was,
however, blockaded by Miguel's forces and Peter's cause made no headway
until in June, 1833, the command of the fleet was transferred to Captain
(afterwards Admiral Sir Charles) Napier. On the night of June 24, he
landed at Villa Real a force of 2,500 men who conquered the province of
Algarve in a week, and on July 5 he annihilated Miguel's navy in an
engagement off Cape St. Vincent. After a further battle near Lisbon,
Peter's forces entered the capital on the 24th, and subsequently
repulsed a Miguelite attack upon the city. Miguel still held out in
northern Portugal, when another train of events caused the western
powers to substitute direct for indirect interference.

Ferdinand VII. of Spain had fallen so entirely under the influence of
his fourth and last queen, Maria Christina of Naples, as to repeal by a
pragmatic sanction the Salic law which the treaty of Utrecht had
established as the rule of succession in Spain. The result of this edict
was to leave the succession to his inf