§ LORD J. MANNERSwished to know if Her Majesty's Government had received any information respecting the prisoners who had been taken by the troops of the Queen of Portugal in the action of Torres Vedras? It had been stated, that in spite of the compact which had been made with the insurgent force, the persons who were made captive on that occasion were put on board a small ship of war, in which they were to be removed to a settlement on the coast of Africa. He believed that the 308 French Government having come to an agreement with that of England on this point, the representatives of England and France had jointly employed their intercession at Lisbon—that their representations had been attended to, and those unfortunate officers had been sent, not to the coast of Africa, but to Madeira. He wished, therefore, to ask the noble Lord the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, if any official information of the fact had been received, and request him to have the goodness to lay before the House any official information which might have reached Her Majusty's Government of those eventful circumstances.
§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTONHer Majesty's Government have received information as to the persons to whose case the noble Lord refers, which tallies very much with the statement he has made. It is supposed that it was the intention of the Portuguese Government to send the officers who were made prisoners on the occasion to which the noble Lord refers, to the coast of Africa. Representations were made from various quarters; amongst others, from the Chargé d'Affaires of Her Majesty at Lisbon, by the French Minister, and by the Belgian Minister; and though I am not able to state anything officially as to the result of the decision which the Court of Lisbon came to, yet it was generally believed at Lisbon that their destination had been altered, and that they were sent to Madeira, or some other island, instead of being sent to the coast of Africa; but we have no positive official information on that subject.