and propriety, and avoid those contemptible effufions abounding with tautology, nonfenfe, and impertinence, which are generally delivered under the name of extemporary prayer. VIII. Memoirs of the Court of Portugal, and of the Administration of the Count D'Oeyras. Taken from a Series of Original Letters. Written in French. 8vo. Pr. 2s. 6d. Bingley. WE E have already reviewed a publication containing the most interesting part of this pamphlet with regard to Great Britain as a commercial ftate. The minifter whose name is expreffed in the title-page, D'Oeyras, is here treated as being not only the fource of all the oppreffions which the English. merchants meet with in Portugal, but of all the internal disturbances which have within these twelve or fourteen years paft afflicted that kingdom. We are not even certain, whether the earthquake in 1755 was not (according to this author) owing to him; but it is plain, that he was in a great measure indebted to that calamity for the advancement of his power. This memoir-writer infinuates as if the horrid executions of the Aveiro and Tavora families were in confequence of a fham plot invented against them by the favourite; and gives us a detail of their persons and punishments, which contains very few particulars not published about that time. After this fhocking tragedy was over, the favourite was raised to the poft of primeminifter, created an earl, and had a regiment of dragoons affigned to him as a guard to his perfon. He was preceded through the streets by drums beating, and a law was published making it treason to speak ill of the minister. We are next presented with a detail of the military and other measures he took to fecure the royal, that is to fay, his own, authority, and which he employed for perfecuting the antient nobility. Without pretending to answer for the truth of all the facts, we shall state a few instances of this minister's tyranny, chiefly in order to imprefs our fellow-subjects with a grateful fense of the happiness they enjoy under a British government. All great affemblies were prohibited, unless with leave: and numberless other precautions taken, that things might remain as they ftood. • Count d'Oeyras, arrived at this zenith of grandeur and power, displayed his rage against the antient nobility of Portugal, in a very extraordinary manner; and exhibited a refentment not to be fatiated. He proceeded to exafperate his master * See Vol. xxii, p. 364. at at the whole order of the Grandees, by representing them as a factious and difloyal body, and in confequence was permitted to tyrannise at pleasure over them. Almoft every day brought with it the imprisonment of fome or other of the Portuguese nobility among them the Count de Ribiera was arrested, and carried to prifon, where he ftill continues, though his crime is yet unknown. Cagliaris, the Captain of the Queen's Guard, foon followed; his abilities, integrity, and refolution, rendered him incapable of ftifling reflections which were too obvious to the meanest Portuguese. He was arrefted whilst ill of an ague and fever, and in that dangerous condition conveyed to a damp dungeon, in the fort of Saint Geam, fituate on a rock at the mouth of the Tagus, the fpring-tides in which often overflowed the floor of the cave where he was confined. His phyfician represented his ill ftate of health, and the danger that muft arife to his patient from a confinement in fuch a place; but this remonftrance not being attended to, death foon put a period to Cagliari's fufferings. His body was buried in the moft obfcure manner, in the neighbourhood of the fort, and his widow, a lady, of the house of Holftein, banished to a folitary habitation, where the drags out a miferable life, in want and distress, not being fo much as permitted even to return to her own country, though fhe has frequently petitioned for that purpose. His two fons are confined in the fort of St. Uvall, and probably for life. • This nobleman had two brothers, one a Knight of Malta, who happened to be at Paris at the time of Cagliari's misfortune, the other was then in Portugal; the latter was instantly banished to Mertola, where he ftill continues, and the former was ordered to return home; but being aware of the Minister's power, and unrelenting temper, he refused to obey, and was outlawed; the French king, commiferating his condition, gave him the command of a regiment in his fervice. The next victim of this Minifter's fury was the Count d'Ovedos, a nobleman of the royal blood, advanced in years, and fo zealous of his Sovereign's and Country's dignity, that he had greatly impaired his fortune by maintaining a figure in his master's service, fuperior to his abilities. This nobleman never loved the Favourite; and the King having observed that Carvalho's houfe had efcaped the earthquake, which his Majefty attributed to the kindness of heaven, in return for his minifter's virtues and goodness, the Count d'Ovedos, who happened to be present, jocularly faid, that if it was a mark of heaven's approbation of the Minifter's virtues, that his house had escaped the earthquake, the common proftitutes must equally equally be efteemed paragons of virtue, and high in the favour of their Maker, as the Rua Suja, or street where they lived, had not fuffered. The Count d'Ovedos had suffered immensely by the earthquake; he had loft two whole streets by that calamity, so that this royal eulogy on the Favourite feemed an indirect fatire on the Count, as it touched him very fenfibly in his reputation; it is not to be doubted therefore but that this nobleman was stimulated by the recollection of his own ill fortune, to refentment, on hearing the minifter's character thus recommended on so unreasonable an account. The answer, however, coft the Count his liberty, and probably his life, for he was soon after arrefted and thrown into prifon, where he ftill continues, if alive, without being ever admitted to know his offence. This aged nobleman, when arrested, was used very cruelly by the magiftrate who took him into cuftody. For the latter went to the Count's house before his usual hour of rifing, and understanding, as he expected, that the Count was not stirring, he burst into his bedchamber, drew his poniard, and laying his hand on the Count's breaft, told him he was the King's prifoner, and that if he moved he was a dead inan. The Count awaking, and recollecting himself a little, faid, Doctor, it is not your poniard that frightens me, but the King's commands compel my fubmiffion; and my allegiance to my Prince obliges me to obey his orders, by whatever messenger he fends them. When it is reflected, that the Count was a foldier from his cradle, and the magiftrate, a Doctor at Law, this answer of the Count's not only thows his coolness, and the peculiar temper for which he was famous; but difplays, in a very humorous light, the abfurd behaviour of a man, who being a civil magistrate, knew fo little of his office as to think his poniard of more efficacy than his orders, especially in a place where the Count, with a fingle call, could have had affiftants who would foon have dispatched hira. The Duke de la Foens, a prince of the blood, and next heir to the crown, after the extinction of that branch of the royal family now on the throne, has been many years in banishment, and at prefent refides in Germany. The caufe of his exile is variously talked of; by fome it is faid, that this misfortune befel him on account of a paffion he entertained for the granddaughter of the Marchionefs de Tavora, who was beheaded; and that his crime confifted in being feen on his knees before this young lady. Others, that he was banished because he ad-vifed his elder brother, as heir in entail to an estate fettled by the king, Don Peter, on the second branch of the royal family, not to felinquish his right to it. For on the death of the Infant, Don Don Francisco, uncle to his present Most Faithful Majesty; Don Antonio, another uncle, and brother to the deceased, pretending to his estate, it was also claimed by the nephew, Don Pedro, brother to his majefty; but this difference was amicably fettled between the two parties; the Infant Don Pedro remaining poffeffed of the eftate, and a compensation being allowed Don Antonio for it, and after him to Don Manuel, another furviving brother of his. But the rights of Don Miguel, who had likewife been named in the fame will, and was the father of la Foens, ftill remained unfatisfied. La Foens was therefore defired alfo to accept of an accommodation, but to this he never would confent. My King, faid he, has a right to command my perfonal fervice, as well as my whole fortune, when he pleases, when the good of my country calls me out to danger; but I hope he will not take it amifs, if I refufe to give up the rights of my family, which came to me by proximity of blood, and which I ought to tranfmit to fucceeding generations. He was called Don John de Bragança, and before his retirement to Germany, refided some time in England under the title of Duke of Bragança. • Even the two natural brothers of his Molt Faithful Majefty could not escape falling facrifices to the defpotifm of the minifter. The elder was inquifitor-general, the minifter directed himto licence a book concerning confeflion, in which it was contended that, on fome important occafions, it is lawful to discover what is revealed under the feal of confeffion; this propofition is known to be fo contrary to the doctrine of the Romish church, that the Prince refufed compliance. Count d'Oeyras went to his house, in order to pursuade him. The difcourfe at this interview grew fo warm, that the Count called the Prince traitor; and the latter drew a poniard on the Count. A younger brother of the Prince, by accident, being prefent, interpofed, and prevented further mifchief. The elder, who had drawn on the Count, repaired immediately to the palace, but could not gain admittance; and the next day his houfe was furrounded by foldiers. Both the Princes were taken into cuftody, conveyed to prison, and their effects confifcated, without even the form of a tryal. • Much about the fame time, it may be truely faid, that above forty or fifty of the leffer nobility underwent the fame fate, infomuch that all men were ftruck with fear and amazement at the detachments of dragoons perpetually traverfing the ftreets, conducting fome miferable victims in close chaises to the places of their confinement, where they were never to be heard of inore.' Our Our limits will not permit us to give farther quotations from this pamphlet, which is full of so many atrocious facts committed, and daily committing, by this minister, that, comparet! to him, Sejanus was a faint, Richelieu a lambkin, Mazarine a Nathaniel, Wolfey a hermit, and Buckingham a Socrates. The performance, fuppofing its contents to be authentic, merits the attention of every British subject; and even men of speculation may reap confiderable advantages by perufing it. The tranflator (if this publication is really a translation) is not always happy in arranging his periods, and making the proper diftinctions between perfons introduced into the same sentence or ftory. IX. The Annual Regifter, or a View of the Hiftory, Politicks, and WE have, more than once, given a favourable character of the volumes preceding the publication now before us. The Hiftory of Europe, which takes up the first fortyeight pages, is this year compofed with great precision, moderation, and, we think, impartiality. The Chronicle, which is the next divifion, with its appendix, is, as ufual, exact; and the author, had he been willing, could not have committed a fault in his next division, viz. that of State-Papers. We cannot think the compiler has been very happy in his felection of chara&ers. He has prefented us with extracts from the Memoirs of the Marchionefs of Pompadour *, which are evidently forgeries of fome little bustling Frenchman acquainted with certain capital facts and perfonages; and the author is certainly the most complete master of effrontery that ever took pen in hand, to publish, as he has done, the ridiculous filly effufions of his own brain for thofe of Sir Robert Walpole. The characters of the emperor Charles V. and his son Philip II. of Spain, are not only ungraceful and ill-drawn, but falfe and partial, when examined by the truth of history. The fame may be faid of the Account of the Life and Writings of George Buchanan, extracted from the French of Monf. le Clerc. In this account we find little more relating to Buchanan's perfon than what was published by himself, except a few tawdry particulars relating to Camden and Thuanus. The manner in which thofe two hiftorians were impofed on, has been fully cleared up by feveral late publications, which this compiler ought to have confulted before he reprinted le * See Vol. XXI. p. 442. Clerc's 1 |