Taranco (Porto), Carafa (Lisbon) and Solano (Algarve), respectively, following it into Portugal some days later.11 The presence of these Spanish forces in Portugal helped maintain Junot’s rule there until the late spring of 1808.
Prior to the departure of the Portuguese court to Brazil, the Regent had provided for Portugal to be ruled by a Regency Council. Initially this was made up of the Marquês de Abrantes (Pedro de Lancastre da Silveira Castelo Branco Sá Meneses); the Marquês de Olhão (Francisco de Melo da Cunha de Mendonça e Meneses); ‘The Principal’ Sousa Coutinho; Pedro de Mello Breyner; Tenente-General Francisco Xavier de Noronha; and the Conde de Sampãio, but its composition changed from time to time and in particular Dom Miguel Forjaz, who had started as Secretary to the Council, came to wield considerable influence. The Regent’s instructions to the Council and the army were not to resist the French forces, but within a short time Junot was to replace the Regency Council with one of his own on which served a number of members of the previous council.
The archipelago of Madeira is located approximately 32° North and 16° West. Discovered and colonised by the Portuguese in the fifteenth century, it lies just over 500-kilometres from the African coast and in the early nineteenth century remained an important point of replenishment for those sailing to India, the East Indies, Southern Africa, South America and the West Indies. It was strategically important in time of war. The capital and main port, then, as now, was Funchal. In 1801 British troops under Lieutenant General Clinton had occupied the two forts guarding the harbour of Funchal. The garrisoning of these forts had been undertaken jointly with the local Portuguese forces. No attempt was made on that occasion to interfere with the civil administration of the island and it was made clear to the Portuguese government that the occupation would end once peace was achieved with France. Nevertheless the Portuguese were still intensely irritated by this episode. The occupation lasted only six months and the troops were withdrawn on 19 January 1802 during the negotiations leading to the Peace of Amiens, effective on 27 March 1802.
Months before Junot’s invading army had crossed into Portugal, orders had been given for 3,000 men to be detached from Sir John Moore’s army returning from Sicily for the purpose of securing Madeira, but lack of knowledge of the whereabouts of this army led to William Carr Beresford being appointed in mid November to command a force of approximately 3,600 men for that purpose, though instructions were given to keep the destination of this small army secret. He was given a briefing document outlining the characteristics of the Governor of the island and other influential persons in Madeira, together with an assessment as to whether they were likely to serve a British administration. Beresford sought clarification as to the civil rank he was to hold along with the salary he should draw in respect of that position.12 In response he was informed he should assume the position of Lieutenant-Governor at a salary of £3,000 per annum.13 His small staff included a number of those who had served with him in the 88th regiment and who were to serve again with him later in the war.14
Escorted by a fleet under Admiral Hood (comprised of four ships of the line, four frigates, one brigantine and fifteen transports), the force made up of the 3rd and 11th regiments left Plymouth on 29 November (ironically the day Junot entered Lisbon).15 It arrived off the island of Porto Santo, part of the Madeiran archipelago, shortly before Christmas 1807. The frigate Comus had been sent ahead to the island of Madeira to collect intelligence and its crew ascertained that the island had received news of the flight of the Portuguese court to Brazil and that no attack on the island was anticipated.16 On 24 December in mid afternoon, Beresford sent ashore Captains Nurse and Murphy of the 88th regiment demanding that the Governor, Pedro Fagundes Bacelar d’Antas e Menezes, surrender within thirty minutes.17 This was agreed and by nightfall the two regiments had been landed without resistance.
Overwhelming force, or at least the perception of it, must presumably have determined the Governor’s quick acquiescence to Beresford’s demand for it would seem that he was unclear regarding the arrangement made by his own government. He assumed perhaps that the occupation was to be of a similar nature to that of General Clinton in 1801, involving merely the taking over of military installations. It is not clear exactly when he realised that on this occasion the intent was to annex the island as a crown colony, but at the latest it would seem to have been following the landing of the troops. There was some delay in accepting the new situation, but within forty-eight hours the Governor had ceded both civil and military power by signing terms of capitulation on 26 December.
While the declared intention was to create a Crown Colony, with the British King enjoying ‘all the right and privileges and jurisdictions which heretofore belonged to the Crown of Portugal’, the Terms of Capitulation made it clear that the island ‘shall be evacuated and delivered’ to the Portuguese Crown ‘when the free ingress and egress to the Ports of Portugal and its colonies shall be re-established as heretofore; and when the sovereignty of Portugal shall be emancipated from the control or influence of France’. Thus there existed, at least on paper, an unequivocal statement that there was no intention to permanently annex Madeira. Instead the creation of a British colony may have been part of an elaborate charade designed not to imperil Portuguese neutrality by emphasising the forceful nature of British occupation. In the event, strategic considerations meant that the terms of capitulation were to be altered in a relatively short time, long before the liberation of Portugal.18
Beresford was now the Lieutenant-Governor of a crown colony and he installed himself in the palace of São Lourenço, at the same time procuring a private residence in the surrounding hills known as the Quinta da Achada, now the Quinta Jardins do Lago.19 The sovereignty of George III was proclaimed on 31 December. Beresford confirmed officials in the positions they had held previously subject to their taking the oath of allegiance.20 Beresford proceeded to act much as he had done in Buenos Aires with a view to securing local support. He guaranteed the safety of private property and the freedom to practice religion. Civil administration of the island under Beresford was vigorous as well as enlightened. He undertook a review of the island’s finances (it was a net contributor to the Portuguese State) and his report sent to Castlereagh at the end of January 1808 envisaged long-term occupation. He terminated the State monopolies on soap and tobacco trading; provided for the licensing of beggars and introduced a close season for the shooting of birds. He established a Court of Appeal on the island, since cases were no longer to be appealed to Portugal. In doing so he removed the existing Corregidor, Dom J.C. Pereira, from office, a move which was approved by the British government.21
French and Spanish citizens were sent to the Canary Islands. Beresford’s instructions provided for the sending of the Governor and the garrison of Funchal to Lisbon or Brazil and for the disarming of the militia (surrender with the honours of war, usually provided for those surrendering to march out with arms and to return home or at least leave the location of surrender). This was effectively part of the charade of military conquest. However, he deemed his orders to repatriate soldiers to Lisbon undesirable given that city was now occupied by the French; and given that the Portuguese court had made good its escape from French influence he determined to keep the regiment of Portuguese artillery on the island, pending further instructions, on the basis that it would assist with its defence and its maintenance would avoid creating disquiet.22
On finding that even the regular Portuguese regiments on the island were largely made up of islanders, and observing that the disarming of the local militia would cause discontent and be at odds with the policy of friendly cooperation that he was striving to implement, he sought to incorporate part of these forces in the defence of the island of Madeira. He took the precaution of storing the arms of the militia in Funchal in the fort of St Jago but military expediency presumably led to his decision to permit the militia in the outlying districts to keep their arms.23 In disregarding his instructions to repatriate trained soldiers, Beresford showed an understanding and feel for the situation on the ground as well as a degree of confidence in his own judgment. Beresford’s policy of working with the Portuguese in Madeira may have made him all the more acceptable as the appointee to reform the Portuguese army in 1809. He reported to Castlereagh that when the people of Madeira had discovered the British came as sole rulers of the island there was ‘a little sensation and fermentation’ but that it had
