§ MR. HORSMANThe noble Lord at the head of Foreign Affairs stated in his speech last night that one of the conditions made with the Queen of Portugal, the most insisted on was for a full and complete amnesty to the leaders of the insurrection. The noble Lord at the head of the Government also stated, in the course of the former discussion upon this subject, that after the Count das Antas had been taken, the amnesty had been insisted on by the British Government, and would be granted to all the leaders of the insurrection. It appears, however, from the accounts received this morning from Portugal—and I am sure the circumstances cannot be consistent with the instructions given by the noble Lord—that Colonel Wylde insisted that Das Antas and Sa da Bandeira should be specially exempted from the benefits of that amnesty. I wish to ask my noble Friend whether that is the case?
§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTONThe facts of the case are as follow: When Colonel Wylde and the Spanish and Portuguese and French officers met the officers of the Junta, for the purpose of arranging, as they imagined, the submission of the Junta, the Marquess of Louie demanded, on behalf of the Junta, that Sa da Bandeira and Das Antas should be included in the provisions of the amnesty. To that demand Colonel Wylde and the others said, and, in my opinion, very properly—
We have not come here to discuss with you, the Junta of Oporto, in what manner Sa da Bandeira and the Count das Antas, who have surrendered elsewhere, shall be treated—that is a matter with which you, the Junta, have nothing at present to do—the question is, will you or will you not submit according to the terms proposed by the Queen of Portugal?And it is perfectly evident, in my opinion, that the Junta were not competent to make the treatment of Sa da Bandeira and the Count das Antas a part of the arrangement. But if my hon. Friend asks me whether, in the opinion of Her Majesty's Government, those persons are entitled to the benefit of the amnesty, I have no hesitation in saying that, in our opinion, they are undoubtedly so entitled. According to the last accounts from Lisbon, it appears that they did not then know that an arrangement had been made with the Junta; and a question had arisen turning upon some nice points of distinction as to whether Sa da Bandeira was a prisoner of war, or whether he was coining of his own 1309 accord to surrender. That question, however, ceases of course to have any application now, as the whole thing is over; but there is no doubt that both Sa da Bandeira and the Count das Antas are entitled to the full benefit of the amnesty.
§ Matter dropped.