to the public benefit. Mr. Canning's
amendment was agreed to without a division, and the committee appointed.

KING'S MESSAGE RESPECTING THE CONDUCT OF SPAIN TOWARDS PORTUGAL.

On the 11th of December, Lord Bathurst in the upper house and Mr.
Canning in the commons, unexpectedly delivered a message from the king
recounting the hostile and faithless conduct of Spain towards Portugal,
and requesting that parliament would enable his majesty to fulfil his
obligations towards the oldest of his allies. The message stated that
his majesty had for some time past, in conjunction with the King of
France, endeavoured to prevent the hostile aggression from Spain, and
had repeatedly assured the court of Madrid that such aggression would
not be tolerated by England; but that notwithstanding these assurances,
hostile inroads into the territory of Portugal had been concerted in
Spain, and had been executed under the eyes of the Spanish authorities
by Portuguese regiments, which had deserted into Spain, and which the
Spanish government had repeatedly engaged to disarm and disperse.

The facts of the aggression complained of were briefly these. On the
death of John IV., King of Portugal, he was succeeded by his son, Don
Pedro, of Brazil. As the constitution of Brazil had provided that its
crown should never be united on the same head with that of the mother
country, Don Pedro preferring his transatlantic sceptre, resigned his
European crown to his infant daughter, and appointed a regency to govern
during her minority. At the same time he remodelled the old political
institutions of Portugal, and gave it a constitution in the form of a
representative government. There was, however, a large party in Portugal
hostile to this constitution, and a conspiracy broke out against it and
the regency; Don Miguel, the emperor's brother, being proclaimed king,
and having sworn to maintain his rights. Miguel was supported by
some regiments of the Portuguese army, and a war ensued between his
supporters and the troops in favour of the constitution. For the most
part Don Miguel was unsuccessful; and whenever his troops were compelled
by want or by his opponents to cross the frontiers, they were not only
received and protected by the Spanish authorities, but again organized
at the expense of the Spanish government, and sent forth to the
invasion of Portugal. The British and Portuguese ministers at Madrid
remonstrated; but the cabinet of Spain answ