DON PEDRO'S ARMY.
Yesterday upwards of 50 men marched into the yard leading to Queen-square office, where they drew up in military order, and then sent in a deputation to the magistrates to represent their distressed situation arising out of the following circumstances :—
It's appeared at the applicants in November last enlisted into Don Pedro's service, and were sent out to Oporto; but in consequence of being unable to land from the strict blockade kept up by Don Miguel, they were conveyed back to Portsmouth, where they were landed in the most destitute state. The first application for relief was to the overseers of Portsmouth, who, much to the credit, not only gave each man some bread and a cheese and sixpence, but on ascertaining it was their intention to proceed to London, in order to obtain some compensation from Don Pedro's agents, they supplied them with the following certificate :—
"This is to certify that seventy-two men were landed at Portsmouth, and are going to London on their return from Portugal, not being able to land and join Don Pedro's service. The parish offices of Portsmouth have given them assistance, and that they trust other overseers will do so likewise."
This certificate was of great assistance to the unfortunate men, and at Horndean they received 10s., Petersfield 1l. 4s., Godalming, 1l. 16s., Guilford 1l. 5s., Ripley 1l. 6s., Kingston 2l. 4d., Lipworth bread and cheese and 2d. each man, Cobham 1l., Wandsworth 7s., Lambeth 7s. 6d., and several other contributions; but, from the number of men, it was barely sufficient to sustain life. Only 52 of the number first landed had reached London on the 3d instance, the remaining twenty either branching off towards the residences of their friends, or still being on the road to town to join the main body. Immediately on arriving in London, the men repaired to the Ship public house, in Charles-street, Westminster, and had an interview with Captain Maillard, who immediately sent off an official communication to the Adjutant in town. The principal agents were personally attended upon by Adjutant Barton, when they merely observed, that the men were now in their own country, and they must shift for themselves. Under these circumstances, the men determined upon petitioning Lord Melbourne, and yesterday morning they marched up in a body to Downing-street, and sent in the following petition to his Lordship :—
"London, 5th Dec. 1832
"My Lord—WE, the undersigned persons, from various parts of England, and now plunged in the greatest of distress, beg leave to state to your Lordship that, early in last November, we were enlisted at the Ship, Charles-street, Westminster, and the Nottingham Arms, Mary-la-bonne, by special agents, named Simons, Capt. Barton, Capt. Maillard, Cornet Isaac Moorsesam, and Dr. Bearson Breary, to go out in Don Pedro's service to Portugal; and, accordingly, we were shipped at Towler-stairs, in the King of the Netherlands steamer, which conveyed us to Portsmouth, where we delivered the canister, grape, and round shot, on board of the said steamer, to the Osprey cutter. We were then embarked in the Swallow cutter, and on the 9th sailed for Oporto, where we arrived on the 18th, and, being unable to land and short of water, we were brought back to England, and landed at Point Beach, Portsmouth, in the most destitute stage, without money, clothing or provisions, and entirely at the mercy of the charitable and the humane.
"In the hope of redress, we have since, to the number of 52, walked up to London, subsisting on charity, and sleeping in barns, many of us without clothing, shoes, or hats; and on our arrival, on the 31st instant, we proceeded to the Ship Tavern, where we had been enlisted, and there saw Captain Maillard who, on application for pay and relief to the principal agent in these transit transactions, Mr. Mendixabel, No. 5 Freeman's-court, yesterday, told us, as being the answer of the said agent, that, as we were now in our own country, we might shift for ourselves.
"Our sufferings since we have been put on the shore are indescribable, and we can further add, that from the 3d of November we have received no money; and are now without food.
"Under these distressing circumstances we apply to your Lordship, in your official character, to solicit that aid and advice calculated to procure redress; and in appealing to your Lordship's known humanity in the starving condition in which we are placed, we hope your Lordship will pardon our intrusion, for which necessity and ill treatment are our only pleas.
"We have the honor to be,
"Your Lordship's obedient servants,"
[Here follow the names of the 52 men.]
His Lordship, we understand, received the Deputation kindly, and after observing that it was totally out of his power to render them any assistance, told them to make application to the authorities of Queen-square Police Office, as it appeared to his Lordship the petitioners had slept in that district on the previous night. The men accordingly repaired to that office, and waited in the yard while a sergeant and one or two others went before the Magistrates. The petition to Lord Melbourne, and the certificate of the Overseers of Portsmouth, were placed before Mr White by the chief officer, who, in doing so, stated it was an application from the persons present.
Mr WHITE glanced over the certificate, and then observed, that he could not assist the parties.
The spokesman for the men begged of his Worship, before he dismissed the application, to hear a few words he had to say. He then briefly alluded to the miserable destitution of the men, and observed, that Lord Melbourne desired of them to attend at this office, and represent their case to the presiding magistrates.
Mr WHITE said it was of no consequence, he could not help them; they ought to have applied to the overseers of the parish.
One of the applicants stated that 20 of them had attended at the workhouse on the previous evening, and had an interview with the overseers of St Margaret's parish, who had refused to relieve them.
Mr WHITE remarked that no doubt the overseers had acted rightly in refusing them relief.
The documents were then handed over to the applicants without further observation, and they left the magistrates' room. On the result of the interview being made known to the unfortunate men in the yard, they appeared considerably dejected and cast down. Their miserable appearance excited an indescribable sensation of pity. Many humane individuals gave them temporary relief, and one gentleman, we understand, gave them thrrepence each. The majority of them were with-out shirts, and hats and shoes among them were articles of great scarcity. They left the office for the Ship, in Charles-street, Westminster, and they intend to go through the regular routine to make them come properly under the cognizance of the parish authorities of Westminster. Several of the men attribute the non-landing of the party more to a want of perseverance on the part of the captain of the vessel, than to the blockade of Don Miguel. They also state it was that the general opinion at Oporto, and among the pilots, that if Miguel can sustain his blockade for six weeks longer, Don Pedro's cause will be at an end. On the other hand, it is considered impossible for Miguel to stand out half that time, and when the rains come on, he will be obliged to retreat in a few days. It was truly entertaining to hear the men give their respective opinions as to the probable result of this warfare; and the "facts and scraps" which they had collected in their short service were eagerly listened to by the crowd assembled.