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Tilsit signed, than Napoleon required of the Portuguese government, the exclusion of British vessels from its ports,and the confiscation of British property within its domi-nions. The Prince Regent of Portugal acceded to theformer, hut refused the latter injunction. Whereupon Na-poleon despatched Marshal Junot with an army into Por-tugal . The Portuguese Court embarked for the Brazils ;—Junot entered Lisbon on the 30th of November, 1807.

A treaty had been signed at Paris between Spain andFrance, for the partition of Portugal, hence the French troops were allowed to enter Spain to effect this purpose.Ten thousand British troops, under Sir Arthur Wellesley ,were sent to Portugal , and it became evident that theIberian peninsula would soon become the arena for thedisplay of British energy and interference on the Con-tinent.

Spain was unfortunate in having an imbecile monarch, aprofligate queen, notoriously governed by her paramour,Godoi, the “ Prince of Peace,”* who was also PrimeMinister. The heirs to the crown were wanting in everymanly and moral quality; weak, imbecile, and faithless.Ferdinand, the heir-apparent, put himself at the head of aninsurrection against his father, whom he compelled to abdi-cate in his favour ; but he soon retreated with increased in-famy ; whereupon his father resumed the government.

France had been, for above a century, accustomed tosee the two countries united by a family compact, andNapoleon was much concerned at the presence of the British in Portugal , which, if not counteracted, must, in the natureof things, extend at last to Spain , the next-door neighbour

* The name or title of “ Prince of Peace,” does not allude to theword peace, but to a place or province La Paz, of which there areseveral in Spain and in South America .

VOL. I,

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