, a Portugueze priest, who had the courage in Portugal to study
, a Portugueze priest, who had
the courage in Portugal to study and teach philosophy,
xipon more rational and experimental principles than had
ever been known in that country, was born in 1722. His
most celebrated work, written in Portuguese, and entitled
“Itecreaceo Filosofica,
” 5 vols. 8vo, 1751, occasioned a
revolution in the philosophical studies of the Portugueze,
and would probably have involved the author in much
danger, had not the Jesuits been soon after banished from
that kingdom. He was nevertheless a zealous advocate
for the pretensions of the court of Rome, at the time of
the famous rupture between Joseph II. and that court; and
this rendered him so obnoxious to the marquis de Pombal,
that he was obliged to seek an asylum in France, during
the ministry of that nobleman. On his return to Portugal,
the royal academy of sciences of Lisbon was eager to
admit him a member; but it was soon evident that Almeida
had not kept pace with the progress which the nation had
made in twenty-five years, and he was suffered to eclipse
himself, although without losing any of the respect due to
his former services in promoting liberal science. He published, after his return to Lisbon, a moral romance, called
“The Happy Independant,
” which had little success;
and it was said that a better title would have been “The
Happy Impertinent.
” He died in