IS THE ALABAMA A BRITISH PIRATE? 23 The instance selected to show to what length Great Britain feels herself bound to go in the performance of neutral obligations relates to the conflict between Donna Maria and Don Miguel for the crown of Portugal. In 1827, Don Pedro, having retained to himself the empire of the Brazils, formally renounced the throne of Portugal in favor of his daughter, Donna Maria, and appointed his brother, Don Miguel, regent of the kingdom. Donna Maria was recognized by Great Britain and all the great powers as the lawful sovereign of Portugal. In 1828, however, Don Miguel induced a revolt, procured him- sailing to discover the fraud and artifice. These suspicions were quickly confirmed by the course thev held, and at the end of a few weeks it was not surprising to hear thej' had fallen into the hands of the king’s officers, cruising in the American seas, who took them even within sight of the coasts of the revolted colonies. This vigilance was but too well justified by the conduct of those who had the luck or cunning to escape it, since they approached America only to deliver to the rebels the arms and ammunition which they had taken on board for their service. The marks of these facts, which could be considered only as manifest breaches of the faith of treaties, multiplied continually, and the diligence of the king’s ambassador to communicate his complaint and proofs to the court of Versailles, did not leave him the shameful and humiliating resource of appearing ignorant of what was carried on and daily repeated in the very heart of the country. He pointed out the names, number, and quality of th& ships that the commercial agents of America had fitted out in the ports of France, to carry to the rebels arms, warlike stores, and even French officers who had engaged in the service of the revolted colonies. The dates, places, and persons, were always specified with a precision that afforded the ministers of his most Christian majesty the greatest facility of being assured of these reports and of stopping in time the progress of these illicit armaments. Among a crowd of examples which accuse the court of Versailles of want of attention to fulfil the conditions of peace, or rather its constant attention to nourish fear and discord, it is impossible to enumerate them all—it is very difficult to select the most striking objects. “Nine large ships, fitted out and freighted by the Sieur de Beaumarchais and his partners, in the month of January, 1777, are not confounded with the Amphitrite, which carried about the same time a great quantity of ammunition and thirty French officers, who passed with impunity into the service of the rebels. Every month, almost every day, furnished new subjects of complaint; and a short memorial that Viscount Stormont, the king’s ambassador, communicated to the Count de Vergennes in the month of November in the same year, will give a just but very imperfect idea of the wrongs which Britain had so often sustained. “ There is a sixty-gun ship at Rockport, and an East India ship, pierced for sixty guns, at L’Orient. These two ships are destined for the service of the rebels. They are laden with different merchandize, and freighted by Messrs. Cleaumont, Holken & Lebatier. The ship L’Heureux sailed from Marseilles the 26th of September under another name; she goes straight to New Hampshire, though it is pretended she is bound to the French Islands. They have been permitted to take on board three thousand muskets and twenty-five thousand pounds of sulphur—a merchandize as necessary to the Americans as useless to the islands. This ship is commanded by M. Lundi, a French officer of distinction, formerly lieutenant to M. de Bouganville. L’Hippopotame, belonging to the Sieur Beaumarchais, will have on board four thousand muskets and many warlike stores for the use of the rebels. There are about fifty French ships laden with ammunition for the use of the rebels, preparing to sail to North America. They will go from Nantz, L’Orient, St. Malo, Havre, Bordeaux, Bayonne, and other different ports. These are the names of some of the persons principally interested, M. Cleaumont, M. Menton,” &e., <tc. “ In this kingdom, where the will of the prince meets with no obstacle, succors so considerable, so public, so long supported, in fine, so necessary to maintain the war in America, show clearly enough the most secret intentions of the most Christian king’s ministers. But they still parried further their forgetfulness or contempt of the most solemn engagements, and it was not without their permission that an un
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM4ODY=