Alexandria Gazette & Daily Advertiser

CORTES OF PORTUGAL.

Translated from a Spanish paper by the Boston Palladium.

Lisbon, Aug. 28.

In the session of the Cortes of the 25th, came on the discussion on the ultra-marine expedition. The opinions were various, some thinking it to be unnecessary: and that the country was not in a situation to incur expenses which were not of urgent necessity—others considered it indispensable, as well as for the security of those provinces, as to replace the garrisons which had been promised their return to Europe—and others were of opinion this matter should not be decided before the appearance of certain deputies from Brazil, who might give further information to the Congress. At last it was decreed that the expedition should proceed, reduced to the number of 1200 men, and that the corps at present in Brazil should return to Portugal.

In the session of the 27th, the Sr. Borges Carneiro read the following proposition: "Nothing has been so prejudicial to man as superstition; nothing so much abused as the august names of Divinity and religion. Many days in the year have been denominated holy, for the purpose of preventing the dispatch of business, and intercepting the mechanic and laborer in his useful occupation. A holy alliance has been instituted for the purpose of securing speculations, of protecting others, and loading nations with still heavier chains. In the same manner has been erected a holy church for the purpose of providing for the younger sons of noble houses, and presenting to Portugal the ostentatious spectacle of a Roman court. Such is the origin and genius of the holy patriarchal church: the third part of the tithes robbed from the province of the kingdom, is applied to the support of a parade more ridiculous, and a pomp more ostentatious than is to be seen in spectacles of the Persians or of the Saracens. The estates which have been purchased for maintaining corporations, against the ancient laws of the nation, are innumerable. Their revenue is not less than 230 millions of reis. Exorbitant privileges are conferred upon it against the rules of justice, and this strange substitution causes great confusion in the ecclesiastical hierarchy with the honors and privileges of its dignities. Such, gentlemen, are the scandalous effects of the motu proprio of Clement XIth, purchased at the expense of millions of ju cats by the superstition of a deceived King, for the erection of his royal chapel in an ecclesiastical court, which would be suitable only for the king of Rome. And shall we permit this establishment to exist in the country, and in the reign of reason? While permitted to breathe the atmosphere of liberty, shall we suffer families to exhaust themselves by labor during a great part of the year, for the support of these vain phantoms? When the treasury exhibits a deficit of 3,100,000,000 of reis, shall the expenditure of 230,000,000 of reis continue for the support of various sanctities by superstition? The nation cannot support the present expense. It is necessary to impose new and heavy exactions on the miserable people, or reduce the expense to the actual revenue. Loans are but a ruinous burden. There is, then, no other resource but the extinction of so many establishments, so many offices, so many benefices, invented by pride or by superstition. Let us first extinguish the patriarchal church which calls itself holy, at the sight of which the divine author of our religion would blush with shame.

I propose, for this purpose, 1st, that the royal assent given to the famous motu proprio of Clement XIth, be revoked; that the ancient archbishopric of Lisbon be re-established and that no royal chapel be reduced to its original state, abrogating all the decrees relating to this establishment.

2dly that there be demanded of the government a statement of the resources of the present prelates, persons beneficed and otherwise employed by the said patriarchal church, proper allowance being assigned them until they shall be employed in some other manner."

This proposition was received for a first reading.