government, which certainly did nothing to interfere with their
organisation in Spanish territory. On the 10th the last insurgents had
been expelled from Portuguese territory, but in November they were
openly joined by some Spanish soldiers, and on the 22nd of that month
they invaded the Portuguese province of Traz-os-Montes. Another division
made a simultaneous irruption into the province of Alemtejo. This latter
body was quickly expelled from the kingdom and marched through Spanish
territory to join its more successful comrades in Northern Portugal. The
whole province of Traz-os-Montes had fallen into the hands of the
absolutists in a few days, and its defection was followed by that of the
northern part of Beira, when the arrival of British forces gave the
constitutional party the necessary encouragement to enable them to
arrest the progress of the insurrection.

As in 1823, the Portuguese government, represented in London by
Palmella, applied for British assistance against the ultra-royalists at
home. But on the present occasion Portugal was able to appeal to
something more than the general friendship of Great Britain. By the
treaties of 1661 and 1703, renewed as recently as 1815, Great Britain
was bound to defend Portugal against invasion, and Portugal now claimed
the fulfilment of these treaties. The formal demand was received by the
British ministry on December 3, but it was not till Friday, the 8th,
that official intelligence was received of the invasion. Not a moment
was lost in despatching 5,000 troops to Portugal. This resolution was
formed by the cabinet on the 9th, approved by the king on the 10th, and
communicated to parliament on the 11th. On the evening of the 12th
Canning was able to inform the house of commons that the troops were
already on the march for embarkation.

The debate in the house of commons on the address in answer to the royal
message announcing the request of the Portuguese government, was the
occasion of two of the most famous speeches that Canning ever delivered.
After recounting the treaty obligations of this country to Portugal, and
the circumstances of the Portuguese application for assistance, and
disclaiming any desire to meddle with the domestic politics of
Portugal, he referred to a previous anticipation that the next European
war would be one "not so much of armies as of opinions". "Not four
years," he proceeded, "have elapsed, and behold my apprehension
realised! It is, to be