In the colonies no event oc- ground that she had not gained curred during the year deserving the money by honest industry, of particular commemoration. Ă but by following immoral courses, foolish quarrel, in which the House the proof of which was, that she of Assembly of Jamaica had in- had a mulatto child. The provolved itself with the government tector of slaves appeared in court at home, was amicably settled. in her defence; he insisted that The former imagining that its the law gave to him alone, in his rights as a colonial legislature official capacity, the power of were infringed by certain Trea- determining whether the money, sury minutes ordering certain with which a slave wished to purduties to be levied under an act chase his liberty, had been honestly of the British parliament, had re- earned ; and he stated he had solved “ that the allowances to the convinced himself by proper inBritish troops shall be stopped quiries, that, in the present case, it from the first of June (1826) un- had been so earned. His claim less the grievance complained of was allowed ; and the negress and by the imposition of duties with- her child were declared free on out the consent of the legislature payment of a sum fixed by apof this colony, be fully redressed praisers. It no doubt is of much before that day.” Accordingly the importance that the prospect of allowances were actually stopped; manumission should not tempt and as the officers of the customs slaves to accumulate money by were ordered to enforce the duties dishonest and immoral means; but in the mean time, the consequence to sustain an objection founded on was that the colonists found them- the species of immorality which selves compelled to pay double was here alleged, in a state of soduties, one collected by the re- ciety like that which exists among ceiver-general under the colonial the negroes, would be demanding law, and another by the collectors from him a great deal too much. of the Customs. This induced On the appointment of lord them to accede to a proposal of Goderich to the Premiership, lord the governor, that, until the next William Bentinck was named to session of parliament, the usual succeed lord Amherst, as governor allowances to the troops should be general of India, and lord Amherst, continued, and all the duties be in the mean time, was niaking paid over to the receiver-general, “a progress” up the Ganges, re an officer under the control of the ceiving the visits of the neighbourcolonial legislature itself, while ing princes, amid the amusements they had no authority over the and luxuries of Oriental magnifiofficers of his majesty's customs. The relations of amity In Berbice the first instance oc- with the Burmese court, that folcurred of a slave insisting on pur- lowed the termination of the war, chasing his liberty, without the were cultivated by a mission to consent of his master, and that Ava, which was received by the new officer, the protector of slaves, humbled monarch with the highest appeared, for the first time, ene marks of respect, and succeeded in forcing the claim. The slave was concluding a commercial treaty & woman; her right to purchase between him and the company. her freedom was denied on the By this convention, all vessels VOL, LXIX. CO] cence. were to pass and repass, without their funds, they imposed a stamp obstruction, paying only the cus- duty. All Calcutta was unani. tomary dues. No pilotage was to mous against the justice and expebe demanded, unless the captain diency of the measure ; they even of the vessel should actually re- questioned its legality, and counsel quire a pilot, and vessels were no were heard for three days against longer to be compelled to land their the registration of the act. peguns, or unship their rudders. tition against it, the signatures to The king engaged, that no ob- which included all the principal struction should be given to mer- mercantile houses, was presented chants coming and going at their to the council; but the council repleasure, or disposing of, or taking mained firm in its purpose. The away, their property as they inhabitants resolved to petition might please ; and that, in any case parliament against what seemed of wreck, or injury by stress of wea- to be, in principle, the assertion of ther, the people of the towns and a right of unlimited taxation. villages in the vicinity should They obtained leave of the Sheriff yield all the assistance in their to meet for the purpose of consipower. Rangoon, possession of dering the propriety of petitioning which had been retained for the parliament but the council sent a re-embarkation of the troops, was severe reprimand to that officer, evacuated in November 1826 ; but and commanded him to disallow his golden-footed majesty imme- the meeting. Debarred from diately found, that he had a new, meeting in any corporate capacity, though less formidable competitor they resolved to meet as an assemfor it on his hands. A neighbour- bly of individuals; and that there ing tribe of Taliens, or Talains, might appear nothing elandestine having at their head a native of in their proceedings, they gave the name of Gnu-lat, who, under public intimation of their inten, the Burmese government, had tion. The government, which been governor of Syriam, took ad- had “no objection" to the inhabivantage of the departure of the Bri- tants petitioning the parliament of tish, and speedily made themselves England, saw great objection to masters of the whole territory, with affording them the means of draw. the exception of Rangoon itself, in ing up a petition, and sent an order which they shut up the Burmese to their stipendiary magistrates to garrison. The Golden Foot, how- disperse the meeting, and, if necesever, immediately assembled an ar- sary, to call in a military force for my, and giving them orders, as his this purpose. The magistrates, manifesto expressed it, “ to catch, however, took legal advice on the murder, and squeeze the beggarly legality of the act; and finding Taliens,” he succeeded in clearing that each and every one of them his territory of the intruders, in would be liable to an action of the course of the following Fe- trespass for disturbing a lawful bruary. meeting, they refused to obey the Great discontent was excited at order. The meeting accordingly Calcutta by a financial regulation of took place. the company To relieve the A petition to both Houses of pressure, which the expenses of the parliament was unanimously voted, Burmese war had brought upon was shortly afterwards signed by every man in Calcutta, of what- meet the charges made against ever party, eminent for wealth or him; but they were allowed to station, out of the service of the die away in the House of Comcompany, and was transmitted to mons without any definite meaEngland. sure founded on them being even The government of Calcutta had proposed. found it necessary or prudent to lay The foreign relations of the eertain restrictions on the periodic country underwent no change, excal press of that presidency. They cepting towards Turkey; and the passed a regulation prohibiting the events which led to that ehange publication of any newspaper, or will find a more fitting place in other periodical work, by any per- another part of our narrative. A son not licensed by the governor and convention was signed with the council, and making such licence princess Regent of Portugal for revocable at the pleasure of the the maintenance of the British governor and council: and the re- troops which had been sent to that gulation had been registered by the country. The expense was ultisupreme court. When it was mately to be borne by Portugal; transmitted, however, to Bombay, but it was agreed that the money to be made law there, the supreme should, in the mean time, be adcourt of that presidency took a dif- vanced by Britain, " to obviate the ferent view of the matter: two difficulties which an immediate out of three judges refused to re- disbursement of funds might occagister it, as being contrary to law. sion, under the present cireum At the Cape of Good Hope, a stances, to the government of Por, new governor was installed in place tugal.” A treaty for the abolition of lord C. Somerset, whose conduct, of the slave trade was concluded whether right or wrong, had given with the emperor of Brazil. The rise to so many complaints. His trade, on the part of the Brazilians lordship came home, professedly to was to cease in three years from the ratification of the treaty, and . The reader will find the judgment those who should carry it on after delivered by the chief justice in the that period were to be treated as Appendix to the Chronicle. pirates. ངས པ CHAP. VIII. FRANCE.-Meeting of the Chambers-Discussions on the Affairs of Portugal-New Jury Act-Decision of the Chamber of Peers regarding the Laws against the Jesuits-Law for the more effectual Prohibition of the Slave Trade-Finances, and State of Manufactures-Royal Debts-Law for the Regulation of the Press: amendments proposed by the Committee: the Bill carried in the Chamber of Deputies-Discontent of the Public-The Bill is withdrawn in the Chamber of Peers-The National Guard of Paris is disbandedProrogation of the Chambers-Establishment of the CensorshipDissolution of the Chamber of Deputies-Creation of Peers-General Election-Coalition of the Ultra-Royalists and the Liberals-The Ministers are defeated in the Elections-Change of Ministry-Dispute with the Regency of Algiers-Commercial Connexion with Mexico. HEN France, in 1826, ex and to Europe, to unite cordially W pressed her disapprobation with Spain, even at the expense of the conduct of Spain towards of a war with England, in aiding the exertions of the Portuguese rebels. To the cause of Chaves, and his associated traitors, they devoted their talents, and their political influence; the columns of their public prints in Paris were the official, though lying, records of his marches and exploits. Their friends did not seem to have much weight in the French government, in so far as only ostensible offices were to be considered; but they possessed beside and behind the throne, in the closet and in the confessional, a power which threatened to counteract that of the ministry itself. They had already manifested this secret, but most effective, authority, in the conduct of their minion De Moustiers, the minister at the court of Madrid. Obedient to their commands, because confident that they were able to protect him against any substantial disgrace, that person had violated the instructions of his mouth. They plainly accused Spain sovereign, and given his counte- of unjustifiable aggression towards nance to Ferdinand, through all Portugal, as well as of disrespect the windings of his Portuguese po- towards France; and they juslicy. Although his official superiors tified the conduct of England in had found themselves compelled to sending troops to Lisbon. They disclaim his conduct by recalling stated that, on the occupation of him from his mission, even they Spain by the French army in 1823, were unable to prevent his con- England had obtained from France cealed superiors from breaking his a promise that no hostile attempt fall. De Moustiers on his return should be made against Portugal, could scarcely complain of having and had declared herself bound to lost the countenance of his master; come to the assistance of that he was received, and not coldly power, if it should be attacked. received, by his majesty, and con- On the other hand, when the tinued his political activity in ano- troubles broke out in Portugal in ther sphere. The known exist- 1826, England had come under a ence, therefore, of this influence, similar obligation for the security caused many apprehensions to be of Spain, pledging herself to take entertained, that the true disposi, care that no act of hostility should tion of France might still be war- be committed on the part of Pore like, and gave double importance tugal, provided Portugal was not to the language which the king assailed by Spain.. England had might use in addressing the cham- been faithful to this engagement; bers, which were to meet on the but Spain had violated the com14th of December. pact by which she was bound, or The royal speech on that occa- by which, at least, if it should be sion, and still more the language violated by England or Portugal, with which it was followed up, in the other powers of Europe were both chambers, by the French mi- bound to interfere in her behalf nisters, dissipated these fears. The “ At the very moment,” said the king, referring to what had taken foreign minister, Count de Damas, place between Spain and Portugal, in the Chamber of Peers, at the expressed himself thus, “ I receive very moment when the cabinet of from all foreign governments the Spain was giving assurances, that assurance of the most amicable dis- the arms taken from the Portus positions—dispositions which are guese refugees should be given up entirely conformable to my own to the Portuguese government; at sentiments for the maintenance of the moment when orders were peace. Disturbances have recently given that the refugees themselves broken out in one part of the pen- should be removed from the froninsula. I shall unite my efforts tiers, these men entered Portugal with those of my allies to put an in arms; and this sudden attack end to them, and to prevent all was accompanied by circumstances their consequences.” The expla- which leave no doubt as to the conations given, and the views pro- operation of some of the Spanish pounded by ministers were much authorities, who had been charged more frank and ample than the with the execution of the order generalities of a king's speech, al- to disarm and disperse the refuLowed to be put into the royal gees among the interior provinces, |