north having again left him at leisure, he once more bent his view upon Portugal, and with more earnestness than ever.

A case for British interference had thus again occurred, and it remained to be seen, whether the prince regent, in aid of the " continental cause, " meant to make a further trial of the forbearance of England ; or, in fulfilment of former assurances, would consent to retire, with his family, fleet, and adherents, to a safe asylum in the Brazils. Suffering his fears, however, again to get the better of his discretion, the prince regent, on the 8th of November, signed an order for the detention of the few British subjects, and of the inconsiderable portion of British property, that yet remained in Lisbon. Immediately on the publication of this order, the British ambassador, Lord Strangford, demanded his passports, presented a final remonstrance against the recent conduct of the Portuguese court, and on the 17th joined Sir Sidney's squadron, which had just arrived off the coast.

A rigid blockade was forthwith declared, and enforced, by the British admiral against the Tagus. After this measure had been tried for a few days, Lord Strangford, on the 27th, went to Lisbon, in the ship-sloop Confiance, Captain James Lucas Yeo, bearing flag of truce, to propose to the Portuguese government, as the only condition upon which the blockade would be raised, the alternative, of either surrendering the fleet to England, or of employing it in the removal of the prince regent and his family to the Brazils. Convinced by the reasoning of Lord Strangford, assured, in the fullest degree, of British protection, and not uninfluenced, probably, by a suspicion of Buonaparte's real views respecting the house of Braganza, of which the Moniteur had just given a hint, by threatening that the dynasty of Braganza should no longer exist, the prince regent, on the same day, proclaimed his intention to retreat, with the queen his mother, and all the royal family, to his dominions in America, there to establish himself in the city of Rio de Janeiro until a general peace ; and he appointed a regency to govern the kingdom in his absence.

It fortunately happened that the bulk of the Portuguese fleet, whether prepared for this or for some other purpose, was in readiness to put to sea. Accordingly, on the 29th, in the morning, Vice-admiral don Manuel d'Acunha Sottomayor:

with the 84-gun ship Principe-Reale, 74s Conde-Henrique, Medusa, Principe-de-Brazil, and Rainha-de-Portugal, 64s Alfonso-d'Albuquerque, Don-Joan-de-Castro, and Martino-de-Freitas ; frigates Minerva, of 44, Golfinho, of 36, and Urania and another, with whose name we are unacquainted, of 32 guns ; three 20-gun brig corvettes, and one 12-gun schooner, having on board the whole of the royal family of Braganza, along with many of the prince's faithful counsellors and adherents, and accompanied by about 20 large armed merchant ships, filled with cargoes and passengers, set sail from Lisbon. In the course of a few hours

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