Another attempt, however, the French yet resolved to make. Massena entered (1810) Portugal, with an army of 72,000 men, which could be opposed only by about 50,000, one half of which number was composed of young Portuguese levies, devoid of skill or experience. Almeida was besieged and taken ; Coimbra fell without opposition ; and the enemy was thus advancing, with great rapidity, to the capital. But the British and Portuguese armies were not in the mean time inactive. The route by which Massena meant to force his way to the capital, having become ap parent, the rival commander placed his forces in such po sitions as were most likely to frustrate his intentions; all roads that might favour his progress were destroyed; can non were planted on the most inaccessible parts, to harass his march ; and the inabitants of a district of nearly 2000 square miles, on the banks of the Tagus, in the neigh bourhood of Lisbon, where this defensive position was ta ken up, were directed to retire, with what of their sub stance they could convey, and to destroy what could not be removed, so that no support might be afforded the army of the enemy. And these precautionary steps were attend ed with complete success. So soon as the French general came within sight of the formidable works by which he was to be opposed, he made an instant halt, struck with dismay and astonishment ; and having remained without any move .
men for a month, (during which time he was much ha rassed by the irregular Portuguese troops,) lie retrograded towards Santarem. He was followed by the British to Cartaxo, where the two armies remained in sight of each other, for nearly five months, without coming to any deci sive engagement. The English, in the mean time, received abundant supplies of provisions from Lisbon ; while the French, after having exhausted the country in their rear, were experiencing scarcity and famine to such a degree, that their ranks were rapidly thinning with hunger. From this circumstance, and with h a loss of 30,000 men, they were obliged to retreat ingloriously to Spain, in a state of the most squalid and ghastly wretchedness. Nor was the condition of those Portuguese less miserable, who, driven from their homes, had retired into the woods or mountains, where they were doomed to spend the winter months, without shelter, in the open air, subsisting merely on roots and herbs. Many of them died in consequence of their suffer ings; while those who survived returned to their desolate homes, with bodies emaciated from hunger, and with in tellects impaired by the fears and the miseries of their un happy and perilous situation. The French, having received some reinforcements at Salamanca, returned again to Por tugal, to prevent Almeida from falling into the hands of the British ; but having completely failed in the attempt, they found it necessary soon to retreat—and with this ex pedition the scene of war closed in Portugal ; for though some portions of the frontier districts were afterwards in cluded in the theatre of hostilities, yet the subsequent events belong rather to the history of Spain than of Portugal, to which article we refer our readers for a more ample ana lysis of this interesting subject.
Though Portugal, after the battle of Waterloo, and the dissolution of the government of Bonaparte, enjoyed ex ternal peace, the state of the country was by no means tranquil. Symptoms of dissatisfaction, indeed, soon be
came manifest. The absence of the court, the little influ ence enjoyed by the regency, the urgent calls for money from the provinces, a large standing army, and its com mand, in a great degree, continued in foreign hands, formed the most powerful circumstances that led to the convul sions that were soon to ensue. Portugal felt that the order of nature was inverted, and that the parent state had be come a dependant on her own colony Conspiracy was first manifested in the army. Ten thousand men, having been ordered to embark for Brazil, revolted, and showed so much determination, that the regency was compelled to yield to their wishes. This was the first step in a revolu tion, which, in 1820, gave to Portugal a new aspect, and which, much to the honour of the inhabitants, was effected without bloodshed. This revolutionary spirit next manifest ed itself in Oporto, in a regiment under the command of Se pulveda, a native general, who was supported by the other officers, and, as is supposed, by the civil authorities in the city. A provincial junto of thirteen members were imme diately chosen. As Sepulveda advanced towards Lisbon, the number of the insurgents rapidly increased, and the junto of Oporto followed him and held their sittings. The regency, in the mean time, acted with great indecision. On the 29th of August they published a proclamation, de nouncing the transaction that had taken place at Oporto, and calling on all ranks to oppose the progress of the rebels ; and in three days afterwards issued another, in which they direct ed the assembling of the Cortes, according to the ancient constitution. An event, meanwhile, occurred, which totally frustrated the plan projected by the regency. It had been usual to celebrate, on the 15th of September, the deli verance of Portugal from the French invaders; but owing to the convulsed state of public the regency thought it 'dangerous to assemble such a concourse of people as usually met on that day. The army, however, instigated by the native officers, resolved not to omit the ceremony, but paraded the streets without orders; and, ere they sepa rated, deposed the government, and nominated a tempo rary council to administer the affairs of the nation. The junto of Oporto, and this council, however, entertained diffeient sentiments respecting the changes that ought to be adopted. The former, in the first place, gained the as cendancy, and voted the adoption of the Spanish constitu tion, as settled by the revolution which had recently taken place in that kingdom. But this ascendancy was but of short duration. The rival party, owing to a change in the views of Tcxeira, who commanded the troops, were soon put in possession of power ; and by them the cortes was convoked, and the Spanish constitution voted so far only as it should correspond with the circumstances of Portu gal. Every 30,000 inhabitants were to send a representative, and the comes, thus constituted, was found to contain very few individuals of wealth or family, or even of talents.