they
sent an expedition to Constantin.

Holland and Belgium were occupied with a dispute about their boundary
line, the cession to Belgium of Luxemburg being the chief point
of difference. The difficulties that arose in passing an important
Municipal Act for Belgium caused King Leopold temporarily to regret he
had not accepted the throne of Greece.

Portugal was still convulsed by revolutionary agitation. Dom Pedro,
the eldest son of King John VI., had been proclaimed Emperor of Brazil
in his father's lifetime, and had abdicated the throne of Portugal in
favour of his daughter Donna Maria, a child seven years old, while Dom
Miguel, his younger brother, who had acted in opposition to his father
in Portugal, claimed the throne for himself. Dom Pedro had agreed that
his daughter should marry Miguel, who was in 1827 appointed Regent.
Miguel, had he acted wisely, might have maintained himself on
the throne, but Dom Pedro, who had been expelled from Brazil by a
revolution, took active steps to recover the Portuguese throne for
his daughter, and equipped an expedition for that end with English and
French volunteers. In this way, Donna Maria, who had spent part of her
exile in England, and formed a friendship with the Princess Victoria,
was through British instrumentality placed on her throne, but still
could only maintain herself with difficulty against Miguel. She was a
few weeks older than the Princess Victoria, and had recently lost her
first husband, the Duc de Leuchtenberg. She was married by proxy on
the 1st of January 1836, and in person on the 9th of April, to Prince
Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg.

There was also a disputed succession in Spain, where by the ancient
law women might succeed to the throne. Ferdinand VII., who had revoked
the Pragmatic Sanction of 1711 and restored the former system, died in
1833, leaving no son. His elder daughter Isabella, then three years
of age, was proclaimed Queen (her mother Christina being appointed
Regent), and Isabella's claims were recognised by England and France.
The late King's brother, Don Carlos, taking his stand upon the Salic
Law as established by the Pragmatic Sanction, raised the standard of
revolt and allied himself with Dom Miguel, the young Queens Maria
and Isabella mutually recognising each other, and being supported by
France and England against the "Holy Alliance" of Austria, Russia, and
Prussia. A seven years' civil war resulted, which did not end
till, from shee