een faithful to the
constitution. Miguel learned that a footman formerly in the service of
his sister had set out for England, and he fancied that he had been sent
by Donna Maria with her money and jewels, in order to secure them from
his rapacity. It is probable, also, that he imagined the servant had
been sent to England for the purpose of making known the dreadful state
of the country; and enraged thereby, he rushed into her chamber with
a pistol in his hand, and demanded an account of the flight of her
servant. Donna Maria stood for a while trembling in silence, but as
Miguel was about to strike her with the pistol which was armed with a
bayonet, she threw herself upon him, and overturned him. Her chamberlain
now flew to her rescue. Miguel sprang up, and when on the point of
again attacking her, Count Camarido threw himself before him. The tyrant
disabled him by stabbing him in the arm, and fired at the princess;
and though the ball missed her, it killed a servant by her side. Other
domestics now interfered, and the life of Donna Maria was saved. She
was hurried away from his brutal fury. While scenes of outrage and
wrong were being committed daily throughout the whole of Portugal, the
necessities of the government increased, notwithstanding a forced issue
of paper money was made. Recourse was had to an expedition to reduce
Terceira, one of the Azores, the only spot in the dominions of Portugal
which remained true to its rightful monarch. This expedition set sail
about the middle of June, and the troops succeeded in effecting a
landing; but they were totally defeated by the islanders, under Villa
Flor, who had made his escape with the Marquis Palmella and nineteen
other general officers from the rage of Miguel. In the meantime the
tyrant's interest was supported at Madrid by the great influence of his
mother over the family of Ferdinand, who, in fact, regarded Miguel
with peculiar complacency, because he had destroyed a constitutional
government. The other sovereigns of Europe however, still kept aloof
from any communication with the usurper. It was contended by the
Portuguese refugees, and the ministers of Don Pedro, that they ought
to drive Miguel from his throne by positive interference. These
applications were especially made to the British ministry; but though
Lord Aberdeen admitted to their fullest extent the obligations created
by the treaties existing between Britain and Portugal, he maintained
that they gave