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THE

HISTORY

O F B R A Z I L .

VOL. I .

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^ff/^^t^^^Jj-^cy^y^t^ ^ ^ * - ^*^ &L-P.

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T H E

H I S T O R Y O F B R A Z I L ,

FROM THE PERIOD Of

TH E AR RIV AL OF TH E BRAGANZA FAMILY IN 1808,

THE ABDICATION OF DON PEDRO THE FIRST IN 1831 .

COMPILED PROM

State ©otuments

an&

otter Original Sources.

FOR MIN O

A C ON TIN U A TIO N TO S OU THEY ' S HIS TOR Y OF THA T C OU N TR Y .

BY J O H N A R M I T A G E , ESQ .

It is thus that Legislatio n and P olitics become gradu ally regarded as experim ental sciences ;

and history, not as formerly, the mere record of tyrannies and slaughters, which, by immortal

izing the execrable actions of one age, perpetuates the ambition of comm itting them in every

succeeding one, but as the archive of experim ents, successful and un successful, gradually acc u

mulating towards the solution of the grand problem— how the advantag es of governm ent are

to be secured with the least possible inconvenience to the governed.

HK RSCHEL.

IN TWO VOLUMES.

VOL. I.

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TO

M A R K P H I L I P S , E S Q . , M .P.,

A N EN LI G H TEN ED B R A ZI LI A N M ER C H A N T,

A N D

AN ARD ENT AND ZEALOUS FR IEN D TO THE PROGRESS

OF HUMAN INTELLIGENCE,

IN EVERY COUNTRY,

T H E S E V O L U M E S

ARE, WITH PERM ISSION, INSCRIBED,

BY THE AUTHOR.

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P R E F A C E .

P E R H A P S there is no country with which the

relat ions of Great Bri tain are so extensive, and

ye t of which she a t the sam e t im e kno w s so

l i tt le as the E m p ir e of B raz i l . T h e w an t of even

any ordinary means of reference regarding the

financial and polit ical affairs of the country,

w as so sen sibly felt by the A utho r, du ring the

period of a lon g reside nc e the re, th a t he w as

induced to enter upon the following history,

chiefly, from a consideration of the advantages

which a perfect acquaintance with the facts

noted he rein , m igh t give him , in a com m er

cial po int of view. A s h e proce ede d in his

task , he however became animated by

hig he r m o tiv e s; for not only w as i t intere st

in g to him to t ra ce th e gradu al pro gre ss of a

people from rud en ess to co m pa rat ive civi li

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V l l l P R E F A C E .

record of tyra nn ies and s la ug hte rs , b ut ra th er

as the " archive of ex pe rim en ts , ten din g to

show how the ad va ntag es of G ove rnm ent can

best be secured to the governed."

Dur ing the execut ion of the work, he has

had opportuni t ies of associat ing wi th some of

the most eminent pol i t i ca l characters in Brazi l :

h e h a s ha d access to do cu m en ts and stores of

information open bu t to fe w ; an d he h a s a lso

ha d occasion to visit th e se at of the C isp lat in e

war , and thus been enabled to es t imate the man

ners and character of the wi ld inhabi tants of

th at dis t r ic t , from pe rson al obse rvat ion. W h e

the r or not he h a s turned the se ad v an tag es to

good account, i t is for the public to decide.

He is qui te wi l l ing to concede that the ci rcum

stan ce of his ha vin g be en a foreigner in B raz i l ,

may occasional ly have proved an obstacle to his

en ter ing fully into th e sp iri t of his the m e ; y et h e

hopes i t wil l be borne in mind that this circum

s tan ce a lso ha s had a t end en cy to prev ent h i s

be ing un du ly biasse d in behalf of a n y faction.

P e rh a p s con tem porary h i s to ry can in some

ins tan ce s be bes t w ri tten b y a foreigner , s ince

he can as so cia te w ith, an d en ter into the feel

ings of a ll pa r t ies wi thout p a r t a k in g thei r p as

sions.

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C O N T E N T S

T H E F I R S T V O L U M E .

CHAPTER I .

JEALOUSY

of P ortuga l relative to Brazil— Com ponen t parts of the Ad

ministrat ion — Code of laws — M unic ipal i t ies — M ili tary force —

Orders of Knighthood—Appropriation of t i thes by the Crown, and

its results on the con dition of the Cle rg y— Proh ibition of the law

of Entail , and of Manufactures — Population — General character

of the inhabitants— Edu cation— Effects of the indepen dence of the

Un ited States of North America-—Sedition in Vil la R ic a— E xe cu

tion of Tiradentes—Subsequent conspiracy in 1801—Effects of the

Fre nch revolution — Arrival of the R oyal Fam ily in Brazil —

Form ation of the B ank , and other p ublic institutions — Res ults

of the late changes—Depravity of the Court— Conspiracy and re

volt in Pernam buco, in 18 17 — D ea th of the Dowager Q ueen of

Portugal, and marriage of Don Pedro.—Auxiliary troops from

Po rtug al — Systematic exclusion of native Brazilians from com

m an ds in the arm y — Official j ou rna lism — Arrival of the intelli

gence of the revo lt in Po rtug al in 182 0. Pa ge 1

CHAPTER II .

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X C O N T E N T S .

orders in Pernambuco—Measures adopted by the government m

Rio de Jane iro—Accep tance of the Por tuguese C o n s t i tu t io n -

Reso lu tion of Don John to r e tu rn to P or tu ga l— E le c t io ns -

Effects of the late chan ges on the dispositio n of the native inh ab it

ants of Rio— Meet ing , and subsequent massacre in the E x c h a n g e -

Im patien ce of D on Ped ro to assume the regency— Nullification of

the acts of the 21st of April—Change of ministry—Predictions of

the counsellors of D on Joh n V I.— D ep artu re of the King , and his

part ing charge to Don Pe dro . I

a

S

e

22

CHAPTER II I .

Character of Do n Pedro— M easure s adopted subsequen t ly to the d e

par ture of the K ing— Re cep tion of the bases of the Po rtugu ese co-

sti tution—Insurrection of the 5th of June, 1821.—Establishment of

provincial governments— Influence of the Portuguese party— Strai ts

of the A dm inistration in Rio— Sus pens ion of paym ents by the N a

t ional Bank—Sketch of the history of that establ ishment—Change

in the sentiments of Don Pedro, in consequence of his embarrass

ments. 37

CHAPTER IV

M easures ado pted by the Cortes of Lisbon — Supp ression of the t r ibu

nals, and recal of the Prince — Ap pointm ent of Gov ernors-at-

Arm s— Asp irat ions for Independenc e— Effects of the Aboli t ion o '

the Cen sorship— Patriot ism of the Secular Clergy— Proclam ation

of the 4th of Oc tober, 1821— Attestation of Do n Pedro— Effect of

the Decrees of the 29th of September—Preparat ions for the Re

gent 's Dep arture— State of Part ies— Ad dress from San Paulo—

Andrada Family—Address of the Municipal i ty of Rio—Consent of

the Princ e to remain in B razil— Re volt of the Au xiliary Div ision

in consequence—Eject ion of the Portuguese Troops—Convocat ion

of a Council of State—Dissensions in Pernambuco and Bahia. - 50

CHAPTER V.

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C O N T E N T S . X I

CHAPTER VI.

Demeanour of the Portuguese members of the Cortes towards the Bra

zilian D ep utie s — Arrival of the s qu ad ron for the conv eyan ce of

the Princ e — Jo urn ey of his Highness to Villa Rica — Prohibition

of the expo rtation of arm s to Brazil by the Portugu ese Go vernm ent

— Accep tation of the t it le of "P e rp e tu a l Protector and Defender

of B raz il" by Don P ed ro — Dec ree for the convocation of a C on

sti tuent Assembly — Ord er to Gen eral M ade ira to em bark for

Po rtug al •— M anifesto of the first of Augu st, 182 2.— Co m m ence

m ent of hostilities in Ba hia— Ejection of the Po rtug ues e troo ps

from P erna m buc o— Journ ey of D on Ped ro to San Pau lo, and

declaration of independence—All dissentients subjected to banish

men t—E lect ion of Don P edro as Em peror— State and prospects

of the new Em pire , and its Ad m inistration. Pag e 76

CHAPTER VII.

Furthe r de crees of the Cortes of Lisbo n — Re turn of the Brazilian

D ep uties — Cha racter of the An drada M inistry, and their arbitrary

policy-— Dissen sions in the Cab inet — De portation of L edo, and

dissolution of the M asonic Lod ges — Corona tion of Do n Pe dro —

New Order of K nighthood—S equestration of Portuguese prope rty

— Ov ertures to Lord Cochran e — Eng agem ent of British seam en,

and organization of a battalion of foreigners — Incorporation of the

Imperial Guard of Honour—Lord Cochrane's operations off Bahia

— Portug uese aban donm ent of Bahia — Cap tain Grenfell 's opera

tions a t P ar a — D eath of prison ers from suffocation — Lord

Coc hrane's seizure of Po rtugu ese property at Maran ham , and re

turn to R io. 92

CHAPTER VIII .

Affairs of P ortug al— De cree for the Ban ishme nt of the Q uee n— Inva

sion of the Peninsula by the Frenc h, u nder the Du cd 'A ng ou lem e—

Influence and Agency of the Clergy in Portugal—Counter-revolu

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X U C O N T E N T S .

cons equ ent dismissal of the latter from the Ca bine t— e

^ .̂f ttip A nd ra aa s—

nistry, and their M easu res— Fa ctious Op position 01 u"=

Arrival of Com missioners from Portug al— D isse nsio ns e ween

Braz ilians and Po rtug ue se — T he Military Ma rch to San «=>-

tova~o, and the M em bers of the Assem bly de clare them selves in

perm anent Session—Negotiations with the Go vernm ent , an

Paee 110

sequent forcible Dissolution of the Assembly.

5

CHAPTER IX.

Manifesto relative to the dissolution of the Ass em bly— Co nven tion of

a Co un cil of S tate for the form ation of a New Co nstitution —

P lo t for the Assa ssination of D on Pedro— Affairs in M onte Video

— U np lea sa nt situation of Lord Co chra ne — Bad faith of the

Government relative to the Prize Claims—Abstract of the New

Co nstitu tion , m ade oath to on the 25th of M arch , 1824—Subse

que nt analysis of i ts prin cipa l features—S pirit of the Adm inistra

tion — Fu rthe r particu lars relative to the Prize Claim s. 137

CHAPTER X.

Ap plica tion of the Po rtugu ese Go vern m ent for the intervention of his

Bri tannic Majesty—Mediat ion of Mr. Canning, in 1824—Attempt

of Don Miguel to overthrow the Portuguese Administration—

Ne gotiation s relative to the affairs of B razil— Un satisfactory line of

poilcy ado pted by the Po rtugu ese Go vernm ent. 159

CHAPTER XI .

Revo lt in Pernam buc o— Arre st and subsequent release of M anoel

Carvalho Paes de Andrada—Proclamation of the " Confederat ion

of the E qu ato r"— Lo rd Coch rane despatched to Perna m buco , in

August, 1824—His operations and negociations there—-Advantages

obtained by the Im pe rialis ts, und er the com ma nd of Francisco de

Lim a— Arrival of Com mo dore Jew ett in Pernam buco , and f light of

Carvalho—Execut ion of Ratcliff, M etrow ich, and Lo ureiro for

high treason. 166

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C O N T E N T S . X U I

ordna nce, &c. formerly appe rtainin g to the Po rtugues e Go vern

ment—Banishment of Abranches—Arrival of a new President ,

and his subsequent removal by L ord Cochran e— His Lord ship 's

de par ture for En glan d. Pag e 180

CHAPTER XIII .

Assassination of Caldeira in Bahia—-Acknowledgement of the inde

pen den ce of the Spanish repub lics by E ng lan d, and its effects on

the Negociations between Portugal and Brazil—Mr. Canning's

proposals to the Portuguese Governm ent—T heir Im policy — Em

bassy of Sir Charles Stuart—Treaty of the 29th of August, 1825,

recognizing the indepe nden ce— Sec ret convention annexe d— Ratifi

cation of the treaty—State of parties in Brazil—Private character of

Don Pe dro — M archioness de San tos— Cha laâ the favourite —

Op erations of the Ab solutists. 189

CHAPTER XIV.

Description of the Banda Oriental, and of the manners and character of

its inh ab itan ts— Sta te of M onte Video—-Petition of the C abildo

for absolute Go vern m ent— Un ique letter from the same body to

Don Pedro—Conspiracy for throwing off the Brazilian yoke—

Ex pedition of the thirty adve nturers from Bueno s Ayres— Defec

tion of Rivera—Interference of Buenos Ayres—System of warfare

pursued by the Gau cho s— Ba ttle of the Sa ran di, on the 13th of

October, 1825. 205

CHAPTER XV.

Sp irit of the Adm inistration-—C oncessions of titulary ho no urs , and

their effect—Treaties with the British Government —The Emperor

sails for Bahia, in Febru ary, 182 6— Pam phlet of C ha pu is— Its

effect, and the subsequent banishment of the Writer—Death of Don

John VI.—The Regency of Portugal declare in favour of Don Pe*

dro,

who consequent ly assumes the Crow n— Gran t of a Const i tu

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X I V C O N T E N T S .

CHAPTER XVI.

Convocation of the L egislative body on the 6th of M ay , 1826 — L a w

regarding the nom ination of Senators perverted by D on Pe dr o —

Speech on the opening of the Chambers—Blockade of Buenos Ayres

— O perat ions of the Na vy— Proc rast inat ing pol icy of Ge neral Lecor

—Contrast of manners between the South American Spaniards and

the Brazil ians — Tim idi ty of the House of D ep ut ies — St at e of

Fina nce — Dissatisfaction of the H ous e con cernin g the late Treaty

with Portuga l — Legislative m easure s — Close of the Ch am be rs,

and Speech of H is M ajesty on tha t occ asion . 1'age 236

CHAPTER XVII .

Operations of the blocklading force before Buenos Ayres—Impolicy of

the Brazilian Minister of Marine—Brown's discomfiture on the

29th of Ju ly , 1826 — Privatee rs— Lan d block ade of M onte Video—

Enlistm ents in Brazi l— Em ploym ent of foreign t roops— Im policy of

the measure—A ffairs of Bue nos A yre s— En thus iasm of the English

in the service of that R epu blic— Vo yage of D on Pe dro to Rio

Gra nde — Crit ical si tuat ion of Adm iral Bro w n— D eath of the Em

press—M archioness of Santos— Interment of the Em press— He r

character— Paym ent of her debts by the Legislat ive Asse m bly. 254

CHAPTER XVII I .

Return of His Impe r ial Majes ty to Rio— Dism issal of the M i n i s t r y -

Affairs of Buenos Ay res— M arquis de Ba rbace na— Ba tt le of I tuza-

mgo—Browne's blockade of the Brazilian force in the Uruguay

and his success—Brazilian expedition to Colonia—Its failure

— Bro w n's discomfiture on the 9th of A pril , 1827— Ov ertures for

peace-Garcia ' s Treaty—Refusal of the Buenos Ayrean Govern

ment to ratify i t - S t a t e of pub lic feeling in B ueno s A yres— Infrac-

tions of the b lo ck ad e- O pe ni ng of the Legis la tive C h a m b e rs -H is

Majesty 's sp ee ch -T iea ty regard ing the S lave T ra d e- A u g m e n

tation of the stipend allotted to the E m p e r o r- C o lo n e l C otter sent

to Ireland to engage colonists-Attempt of dictat ion to the De

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C O N T E N T S . X V

CHAPTER XIX.

Re-ap pointm ent of General Lecor to the comm and of the arm y— M ar

quis de Barbac ena despatched to E urop e— State of Affairs in

Po rtuga l— Re volt in favour of Do n Migue l— Interference of Gre at

B rita in— C on du ct of Do n P edro relative to the Affairs of Po rtug al

Appointment of Don Miguel as Lieutenant-General, and Regent of

Portugal— Do n M iguel 's Oath to the Const i tution— M achinat ions

of the A bso lutists— D eath of M r. Ca nn ing , and its effect on the

affairs of Portu gal— Diso lution of the H ous e of D epu ties there—

Convo cation of the ancien t States of the Kingdom in Ju n e 1828—

Protes t of the M arqu is de Itabayana — Asse m bly of the Three Es

tates,

and their decision— Don na Maria sent to Europe— Nego tia

tions of the M arq uis de Ba rbac ena — Fu lsom e style of the Official

Jou rna ls in Rio. Page 293

CHAPTER XX.

D ispute s relative to the prize claims— The North Am erican Ministers'

interpretation of the laws of blockade—Unavailing representations

•—Mr. Rag uet de m and s his pass ports— Th e French and English

make similar claims to the Americans, and the British Ministry

undertake the office of mediators between the Emperor and the

Go vernm ent of Bueno s Ayres — State of the Im peria l army —

Audacity of the privateers—Meeting of the Chambers in 1828—

New M inistry — Re volt of the foreign troop s, and sub seq uen t

massacre—Further changes in the Cabinet—A French squadron

enters in line of ba ttle, and their dem and is acceded to— N egotia

tions for p eac e— Pre lim ina ry treaty-—E ffects of the war in Brazil

as well as in Bue nos A yres. 308

NOTES 331

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E R R A T A I N V O L . I .

P a e 4, l ine 13,

for

s t a tu t e s ,

read

code .

8, — 15, Jn r i t s , read the i r .

3 0 , — 3 0 , for de l ibe ra t e , rend de l ibe ra t i ve .

3 8 , — 10, for revol t , read m a s s a c r e .

8 6 , -— 12, /'())• al l ies, read sa l l ies .

124, — 8,

for

f rom the Empero r ,

lead

for the Emperor ,

150, — 25 , fo r sess ion , read se ss ion s .

1 6 9 , — 2 0 , for 1834 , read 1824.

1 9 1 , — 18 , for was a l so the , read was the.

194, — 27,

for

he ,

read

she .

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T H E

HISTORY OF BRAZIL.

C H A P T E R I .

Jealo usy of Po rtuga l relative to Brazil — Co m pone nt parts of the Ad

m inistration — Code of laws — M unicipalit ies — Military force —

Orders of Knighthood—Appropriation of t i thes by the Crown, and

its results on the cond ition of the C ler gy — P rohibition of the law

of E nta il , and of M anufactures — Po pulation — Ge neral character

of the inhabitants— Edu cation— Effects of the indepe nden ce of the

Uni ted States of Nor th Am erica—Sedi t ion in Vi l la R ic a— E xe cu

tion of Tiradentes—Subsequent conspiracy in 1801—Effects of the

Fren ch revolution — Arrival of the R oyal Fam ily in Brazil —

Form ation of the Ba nk, and other pu blic insti tutions — Re sults

of the late changes—Depravity of the Court— Conspiracy and re

volt in Pernam buco, in 18 17 — D ea th of the Dowager Q ueen of

Portugal, and marriage of Don Pedro.—Auxiliary troops from

Po rtug al — System atic exclusion of native B razilians from com

m ands in the a rm y — Official jo urna lism — Arrival of the intell i

gence of the revolt in Portugal in 1820.

IN

order to form a co rrec t ap pre cia tion of the

various pol i t ical changes in Brazi l , s ince the

period when Mr. Southey concludes his his tory

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H I S T O R Y O F B R A Z I L .

F o r m ore tha n thr ee ce ntu r ies one of the m ost

bea utiful an d ferti le r eg ion s of th e glob e, w a s b y

the pol icy of P o rtu g al re s t r ic ted from all inter

co urse, or com m erce, w i th th e other na t ion s of

E u r o p e ; and even the res idenc e , or adm iss ion

of foreigners was eq ua l ly pro hib i ted. T h e ves

sels of the al l ies of the mother country were

occasional ly permit ted to anchor in i t s ports ,

but nei ther passengers nor crew were al lowed to

l and , excep t ing under the super in t endence of a

gu ard of sold iers . T h e re su l t of these re

s t r ai nt s n atu ra l ly w as, th a t b u t l i tt le m ore was

known respect ing the ins t i tut ions of the colony,

than what the mother count ry chose to commu

nica te ; and as m ost of thes e ac co u nts were

m ore or less disfigured b y p a rt y feeling , i t is

pre su m ed th a t an ex posi t ion wh ich of i tself

would ex ci te bu t l i t tle inte res t , b u t w hic h will

m ater ial ly tend to th e elucidat ion of ma ny

passages of the succeeding h i s tory , may not be

deemed an useless int roduct ion.

Prev iously to th e y e ar 1808, tho ug h the Viceroy

residen t in R io de Ja ne i ro w as no m inal ly the

highest funct ionary of the government , yet this

personage was in real i ty invested wi th but l i t t le

poli t ical pow er, ex cep t in th e p ro vin ce of R io,

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4 H I ST O R Y O F B R A Z I L .

were also occasional ly elected by the votes 01

individuals , de no m ina ted " B o ns de povo ; " th e

qual if icat ion for w hic h t i t le w as , to h av e h e ld

office in the m un icip al i t ies . F ro m th e sen ten ce

of the se " Ju iz es , " ap pe al could be m ad e to the

cou r t of De se m ba rg ad or es in R io , an d from

this ag ain u l t im ate ly to the " D es em ba rgo do

Pac,o"

in L isbon. U nle ss , however , the app el

la n t w ere po ssessed ei the r of gre at intere s t a t

Court , or in default of i t could bribe higher

than his antagonis t , these f inal appeals were

seldom of any real ut i l i ty.

T h e S ta tu tes on wh ich th e decis ions of the

judic ia l power were founded, was the Por tu

guese Code framed during the reigns of the two

Ph i l ips , an d ent i t l ed " O rdina co ens do R eino ;"

to w hich were ap pe nd ed all the " C ar ta s de L ei ,"

and decrees issued since the accession of the

H ou se of B rag an za : forming a l toge ther ab ou t

nine volumes . Th ou gh in ord inar y case s th e

decisions of both civi l and criminal causes was

left exc lusively to the ju di ci al au tho ri t ies , th e

mandate o f the Capta ins -genera l was a t any

time sufficient ei ther to suspend, or set aside the

ordinary operat ions of the law.

The Municipal i t ies were close corporat ions ,

formed on the m odel of those of P o rtu g al ; '

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portant privi leges, had lat terly fal len into disue-

t u d e .

O n occasions of pub l ic cerem ony , the

nat ional banner was s t i l l carr ied in thei r pro

cessions, and they were st i l l recognized, in ap

p ea ra nc e at leas t , as the rep resen tat ives of the

pe op le. In B raz i l also, the ir pow er w as once

cons iderable ; and ins tances have occurred of

the depos i t ion of the Capta ins-genera l by the

Municipal i t ies , and of this exercise of authori ty

hav ing been sanct ioned by the ent i re approb a

t ion of the governm ent a t L isb o n ; thou gh to

wards the end of the las t century, thei r powers

had been restr icted almost exclusively to the

improvement of roads , the const ruct ion of

br id ge s , the control of the m a rk et s , an d other

objects of m inor im po rtan ce . Th eir execu t ive

officers, who w ere ent i t led " Ju iz es A lm ota ce is ,"

were nominated by the Municipal i t i es them

selves , every thre e m on ths ; and were ch arg ed

with the power of exacting fines, and enforcing

imprisonment , according to cer tain es tabl ished

regulat ions .

The regular t roops were recrui ted according

to the direct ion, and placed ent irely at the dis

posi t ion, of the C a p ta in s- g e n e ra l ; but the offi

cers were nominated by the Court of Lisbon.

T h e m il it ia, or troops of th e second l ine, w ere

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gen era l . T ho ug h serving gra tu i tous ly , th i s l a t

te r force w as often em plo ye d in very labo rious

an d odious services ; and i t s m em be rs , as wel l

as the regular t roops , w ere am en ab le to mar

t ial law, in al l m a tte rs re lat iv e to the ir m il i tary

du ty . In addi tion to the pre ce din g, w ere the

" Ordenanâs ," or t roops of the thi rd l ine ; who,

by the regulat ions of thei r ins t i tut ion, ought to

have been composed exclusively of such indivi

duals as were incapaci ta ted by phys ica l defect s ,

or oth erw ise, from se rvin g in th e m il i t ia. T he ir

d u ty w as to defend th e co un try in ca ses of

em er ge n cy ; but th i s serv ice w as m erely nomi

na l ,

an d b y a pe rve rsion of the rea l ob jec ts of

the ins t i tut ion, i t became customary for al l pos

sess ed of sufficient p at ro n a g e to ob tain a po st

in the Ordenanâs , for the express object of

avoiding en rolm en t in the m i l it ia . T h e Fida l -

gos, or Portuguese noblemen of the f i rs t rank,

were exempt from personal service al together .

The Orders of Knighthood were those of

Sa nto Iago , S an B ento de Aviz , an d the O rder

of Christ ; of al l of which the Sovereigns of

Po r tug al were the G rand M asters , and perpe tual

adm inis tra tors . A m ongs t o ther pr iv ileges ap

pe rtain ing to the office of G ra n d M as te r of th e

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HISTORY OF BR AZ IL. 7

discovery of B raz i l , ap pr o pr iate d to i ts own

use all th e t i thes levied in th is c o u n tr y ; w i th,

how ever , a proviso, bind ing the M on arc h to

provide for the celebrat ion of public worship,

and to pay a s t ipulated sum for the adequate

m ain ten an ce of the var ious C lergy. B y the

same authori ty the presentat ion of eccles ias t ical

benefices was also const i tuted one of the ex

clusive privi leges of Royalty ; though the propo

s it ion of ca nd ida tes w as subse qu ent ly delegated

to the Bishops, wi th an injunct ion that the na

t ives of the respect ive captaincies , and more

especia l ly the descendants of the ancient no

bi l i ty, who w ere am on g t h e firs t em igra nts to

B raz il , sho uld on all oc ca sion s be preferred ;

the r ight of presentat ion being st i l l restr icted

to the So vereign. T h e s t ipula t ions m ad e for the

maintenance of the es tabl ished Rel igion, and the

due support of the clergy, were nevertheless

bu t very imperfect ly com pl ied w i th. M an y

P rie s t s cam e to be de pe nd en t on the m ere fees

of their office for subsistence; and the st ipend

paid to the highest digni tar ies of the Church

w as but t ri fl ing, when c om pa red w i th w ha t

would hav e accrued to them , had they bee n

al low ed to retain possession of th e t i th es . T h e

reve nue of the A rch bish op of B ah ia, the hea d

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8 H I S T O R Y O F B R A Z I L .

t he Bi shopr i c o f Rio de Jane i ro , embrac ing

wi th in i t s limi t s the provinc es of R io G ra n d e ,

Espi r i to Santo , and Santa Cather ina , ever wor th

to i t s inc um be nt m ore th an s ix con tos of rees ,

or

1,687/.

105. p er an n u m . T h e se pec ul iar it ies

in the condi t ion of the Clergy are, perhaps , wor

th y of m ore p ar t ic ula r no te th a n th e circum

stances of any other class , s ince they wi l l be

found to have exercised a most important in

fluence d u rin g th e perio d of the su bs eq ue nt

revolut ion.

The j ea lousy of the Por tuguese government

constant ly led them to dread the growth of

every power , or corpo rat ion , w hich m igh t here

af ter mi l i ta te against the exercise of i t s autho

r i ty; and on this account , not only were the

civil an d ec cle sias t ical fu nct ion aries bro ug ht

more immediate ly under cont ro l than in the

m other c oun t ry , but even the incre ase of cap i

ta l i s ts an d large pro pr ie tors w as sys te m at ica l ly

preven ted . T h e en ta i lm ent of l and ed pro p er ty

could b e effected only b y virtu e of a n e x p re s s

perm iss ion from the So vereign ; an d all m an u

factures , exc ep t ing the prep ara t ion of su ga r ,

were most r igidly prohibi ted.

A t the close of the las t ce ntu ry, th e po pu la

t ion might be est imated at about three mil l ions

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HISTORY OF BRA ZIL. 9

join t ly from African, In dia n, an d E ur op ea n

or ig in ; the whi te inhabi tants being the only

cla ss as ye t en tru ste d w ith pol i t ical pow er. I n

the ideas and m an ne rs of a people com pris ing

so many different castes, i t is evident there

could be but very l i t t le s imilari ty; s t i l l their

more general character is t ics were in every re

spect such as might be ant icipated from the na

tu re of the ir ins t i tut io ns . Pr ov ide d for b y the

labour of s laves , inhabi tants of a cl imate where

the product ions of the ear th are almost sponta

neous ,

an d devoid al ike of the st imu lus an d the

instruct ion, which must have resul ted from a

more unres t r icted communicat ion wi th fo

reig ne rs, they were for th e m ost pa rt an indo lent

and apathet ic race .

Educat ion had as yet made l i t t le progress

am ong th e m ; even the know ledge of the eccle

siast ics was in most instances confined to a

l i t t le bad Lat in ; and the happy individual who

possessed some acquaintance wi th both Lat in

and F renc h, was regard ed as so t ran sce nd an t a

gen ius , th a t peo ple ca m e from m iles dis tan t to

con sul t him . P ol i t ica l science w as com pletely

in i ts infancy, with nearly al l the inhabitants of

B razi l . T h e his tor ies of G reec e an d R om e, the

" C on trat So cial" of R ou ssea u, and such few

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1 0 H ISTO RY O F BR A Z IL .

sources of inform at ion; an d the re w as ne i the r a

P r in t in g pre ss , nor an U niv ers i ty in a l l B raz i l .

D ur in g th e V ice-royal ty of the C ou nt d e R e -

zend e, from 1790 to 180 1, an at te m p t w as m ad e

to es tabl i sh a l i te rary aca dem y a t R io de Jan ei ro ,

b u t i t s m em bers w ere subjected to so m uc h

pol it ical pers ecu t ion, th a t th ey we re com pel led

to break up the associa t ion in i t s commence

men t .

On the es t ab l i shment o f the independence

of the Un i ted S ta te s of N or th A m erica , a vague

as pir at io n for th e sim ilar en franc hisem en t of

B raz i l was undou bted ly cher ished th e re ; bu t

this feel ing was long l imited exclusively to

suc h individua ls as had bec om e aw are of the

exis t ing s tate of other countr ies ; and such was

the absence of al l the elements of sociabi l i ty,

th a t pu blic op inion cou ld no t at this period b e

said to have any exis tence .

During the year 1789 a conspiracy was formed

by a few influential individuals in Vil la Rica,

not so much, however , wi th the design of pro

claim ing a n in de pe n de nt repu bl ic , as from a

desi re to ascer tain what co-operat ion they were

l ikely to meet wi th, in case that s tep should

sub seq ue nt ly be ado pted . From a d im inution

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HISTORY OF BR AZ IL. 1 1

to be paid u p , w ith b u t l i tt le reg ard to the pra c

t icabi l i ty of th e de m an d. M uch i r ri ta t ion ha d

in co nse qu en ce b een exc i ted, an d a m i l i tary

officer, of the n am e of Jo a q u im Jo z e d a S ilva

X avier , com mo nly term ed " T i ra d en tes , " or the

tooth draw er, was se n t off by th e con spira tors

for the pu rp os e of as ce rta in in g the disposi t ion

of the inh ab i tan ts of R io de Ja ne i ro . H ere the

imprudence of Ti radentes l ed to an immediate

discovery of the assoc iat ion, the m em be rs of

wh ich were for thwith arres ted . A l together , how

ever, their number did not amount to forty ; yet ,

though but l i t t le could be urged in evidence

against them, they were al l sentenced ei ther

to de ath , ba nis hm en t , or the ga l leys , according

to th e different d eg ree s of the ir su pp o se d gu ilt .

These sentences were , never theless , mi t igated

in favour of al l ex ce pt th e unfo rtun ate T ira

d e n te s ; wh o, though bu t an ins t rum en t in the

hands of others, was, after the lapse of two

y e a r s ,

condem ned to be ha ng ed , deca pi ta ted ,

and qu ar tered . B y the sam e sen tence i t wa s

among other ignominious provis ions enacted,

th a t his he ad should be exposed in the pu bl ic

square in Vi l la Rica, his house razed to the

ground, and his chi ldren and grand-chi ldren

declared infamous.

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1 2 H I S T O R Y O F B R A Z I L .

i t w as discovered before an y a t te m p t h ad been

m ad e to ca r ry i t in to exe cut ion . T h e comm u

nicat ion between the di fferent provinces was

n e ith e r sufficient to fac il i tate a g e n e ra l revolt ,

nor indeed were the free populat ion disposed to

i t . T he ir con di t ion, as co ntr as ted w i th th at

which is the resul t of European civi l izat ion, was

w retche d, yet the ty ra n n y exerc i sed over them

was of a negat ive rather than of a posi t ive cha

rac ter . T h eir w an ts w ere few, an d from the

almost total absence of ei ther nobi l i ty , large

proprietors , or powerful eccles ias t ical digni

t a r i e s ,

the re wa s an e qu al i ty thro ug ho ut thei r

ent i re associat ion, which prevented thei r being

sen sible of an y un du e pr iv at ion s . Could they

have been exempted from al l ext raneous im

pu lse, ag es m igh t hav e rolled aw ay , an d B raz i l

have been known to Europe only as the colossa l

yet submiss ive and unaspi r ing dependency of

Po r tug al . B u t even ts w ere occu rr ing e lsew here

ab ou t the close of th e eig hte en th ce n tu ry , th e

effects of w hich w ere fated to e x te n d th eir in

fluence to th e ve ry en ds of th e ea rth . T h e

yo un g repub l ic of F ra n c e em erged from am id

the storms of the revolut ion, and the crowned

he ad s of al l the surro un ding s ta tes en tered into

one m igh ty coali tion to crush th e in tru de r In

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co un teract ion . T h e y raised u p a spi r i t which

the y af terwards in vain at te m p ted to exo rcise.

They cal led forth a conqueror who for a while

scat tered al l thei r armaments before him, and

w ho bu rs t an d r ivet ted at wi ll the m an ac les of

m a n y na t ion s . T h e resu l ts of his victor ies we re

not bounded by the hemisphere wherein they

we re achieved. T h e y gave b i r th to the imm e

dia te ind ep en de nc e of al l the S pa n ish colonies

in South America , and by compel l ing the Royal

family of Portugal to seek refuge in Brazi l ,

th e y created , as it w ere, a new era in he r history .

The Portuguese f leet , consis t ing of eight ships

of th e l ine , four frigates , twelve brig s, an d a

nu m ber of m erch an tm en , sa i led from the T ag u s

on the 29th of November, 1807, in company with

an Engl i sh squadron under the command of Ad

m ira l S i r S idne y Sm i th . D ur in g the voyage the

vessels were dispersed by a tempest which com

pel led the g reater pa r t to pu t in to B ah ia ; wh ence

they proceeded to Rio de Janei ro, where the

Royal family arrived on the 7th of March, 1808.

B y a decree dated the 28th of Ja n u ar y , the p or t s

of B raz i l ha d a lrea dy be en thrown o pen to foreign

vessels , and on the 21st of October in the same

year , a Nat ional bank was es tabl ished in Rio de

Ja n e iro . S up rem e tr ibu na ls for th e affairs of

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1 4 H I ST O R Y O F B R A Z I L .

corp orat ion s for th e regu lat ion of com m erce ,

and o ther s imi lar object s were ins t i tu ted; and

finally , a P r i n t in g p re ss , de no m inate d a R oy al

one , w as es tab l i shed . A m i l it ary aca de m y, and

a med ical school were al so fo un de d; th e Roy al

l ibrary , conta in ing s ix ty thousand volumes ,

w as throw n ope n to the p u b l ic ; an d, on the

over throw of Napoleon, a Nat ional Ins t i tu te

w as formed from am on g a nu m be r of l iterary

and scient if ic characters , who were for the most

pa r t eng ag ed in Fr an ce , throu gh the influence

of the Count de Barca, a t that t ime Minis ter .

From near ly a l l these measures , and more

pa rt icu lar ly from the o pe nin g of the p or ts , im

po r tan t ad va nta ge s resul ted to B razi l . Th e

produce of the country rose in pr ice, whi le the

prices of al l foreign art icles of merchandize

fe l l ;

the ty ranny of the Capta ins -genera l was

co nsid erab ly modified b y th e inst i tu t ion of ad

di t ional t r ibunals ; and civi l izat ion and the arts

received an im po rtan t im pu lse from th e free

admission of s t rangers, who came in crowds for

the purpose of fixing their residence on the

shores of the m odern E l D ora do .

Concurrent wi th these advantages , however

there were neve rtheless m an y evi ls . A sw arm

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r ivalry ha d a lw ay s prevai led betw een the Po r

tuguese and the nat ive Brazi l i ans , and th i s pro

ceed ing on the p ar t of the gov ernm ent na tu

ral ly tend ed to au gm en t i t. T h e new com ers

were b ut l i t tle in ter es ted in th e welfare of the

co un t ry . T h e y reg ard ed thei r absen ce from

P o r tu ga l as tem po rary , and w ere far m ore

anxious to enr ich them selves at the ex pe nse of

the state, than to administer just ice, or to benefi t

the pu bl ic . T h e ext rava gan ce and prodigal ity

of the Court were at the same t ime notorious.

Whi le the " Uxar ia , " or domest ic es tabl i shment

of the Royal family alone consumed six mil l ions

of cruzades , amount ing to about 540,000/ . s ter

l ing an nu al ly , and i t s exp ens es were pu nc tual ly

paid, the public servants were frequently left

n ine and even twelve m on ths in a r r e a r ; and

many were thus necessar i ly compel led to de

pend upon fraud for subsis tence.

Nor were these the only evi ls superinduced

by the pre sen ce of the Co urt . Fro m a na tura l ly

obl ig ing d i spos i t ion , the Regent Don John was

anxious that no service rendered ei ther to him

self,

or to the s ta te , should pa ss un rew arde d;

an d b eing s tra i tene d in pec un iary m at ters , h e

had, from a want of other means, recourse to an

unexampled d i s t r ibut ion of t i tu lary honours .

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preced ing M ona rchs of the H ou se of B ra ga nz a

co njo intly . O n h is first arriv al in R io de Ja

nei ro ,

th e chief m erc ha nts an d landed propr ie

tors had given up their houses for the accom

modat ion of the Royal su i te ; they had neglected

and sacrif iced their private interests from a wish

to do honour to thei r dis t inguished guests ; and,

as far as their l imited means would al low them,

ha d com e forward w i th larg esse s of m one y. In

recompense for which services , they were deco

rate d w i th the var ious hon ora ry O rd er s or iginally

inst i tu ted du ring th e t ime s of chiva l ry. Indivi

du als who ha d never b uc kl ed on a spu r , were

dubbed Knights ; whi le others in ut ter ignorance

of even the p rim ar y do ctrine s of their m issals ,

were crea ted " C om m en da do res" of the Order

of Christ .

A m ong st a peop le who as y et re ga rded their

ancient ins t i tut ions wi th venerat ion, the exci te

m en t cre ated by this dis t r ibut ion of hono urs

could not b u t be gr ea t . U nt i l th e arriva l of the

M ona rch, t i tulary dis t inc t ion s we re alm ost un

known, and appear to have been valued in

proport ion to the i r sca rci ty . O n be ing now

thrown open, as i t were, to al l , they became the

great objects of com pet it ion am on g the as pi r ing -

an d the re w as, very soon, no sp ec ies of pe t ty

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H I S T O R Y O F B R A Z I L . 1 7

obtaining some of these high em an at ion s of

C ourt favour . In m ost ins tan ce s the ap pl ic an ts

we re succ essful, an d th e gratification of the ir

hopes was in every ins tance accompanied by an

instantaneous change in thei r s tyle of l iving.

Knights could no longer descend to the drudge

ries of co m m ercia l l ife, b u t w ere com pelled to

l ive ei ther on the resources al ready acquired; or

in default of those, to solicit for employment

un de r th e go vern m ent . H e re , however, the diffi

cult ies were much greater than in the first in

s tance ; the compet i t ion being increased by the

num erou s em igr an ts from the m other co un try ;

and when al l obstacles had been surmounted,

the em olu m en ts at ta ch ed to pu blic offices w ere

too l im i ted to pe rm it of m uch ex trav ag an ce on

the pa r t of the ho lders . O pp or tun i t ies were,

ne ve rthele ss, co ntinu al ly occ urring for the sale

of favours a nd disp en sat io ns ; an d th e ve na l i ty

of the Brazilians in office was, ere long, fully

on a par wi th that of thei r Portuguese col

leagues .

The morals of the Court were also at the very

lowes t eb b. T h e pr ivate ch ara cter of the R eg en t

w as un im pe ac ha ble ; b u t th e infidel it ies of his

consort were so notorious, that her Royal spouse

l ived apart f rom her in consequence.

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t r ies ; and m uch dissat isfact ion w as exc i ted

agains t the government , par t icular ly in the

nor thern p rov inces ; which , whi l e reap ing com

pa rat ive ly few of th e a dv an tag es conferred on

th e m etro po lis b y the arrival of the R oy al family,

were yet subjected to their ful l share of the

add i t iona l b u r th en s . T h e resul t w as the secre t

organizat ion, in 1814, of a democrat ical associ

a t ion in P er n am b u c o , wi th th e exp ress object

of forming a rep ub l ican go vern m en t . In the

ideas of the conspirators , there was doubt less

m uch exaggera t ion

:

but wi th North America on

the one hand, and the colonies of Spain al ready

engaged in the s t ruggle for thei r independence

on the other , i t was perhaps no more than natu

ra l . Fe w , and leas t of all the un ins t ruc ted , can

form a du e es tim a te of the ir own deficiencies.

The consciousness of increasing discontent , and

a fear lest Brazil should follow the example of

her Sp anish neighbou rs , m eanw hi le induce d the

Prin ce R eg en t , durin g the following yea r , to ele

va te this im m ense terri tory to th e de gr ee of a

con s t ituent pa r t of P or tu g al an d A lgarve • a

concession, which, had the object of the conspi

rators in Pernambuco been solely that of throw

ing off the European yoke, might alone have put

a check to thei r proc eeding s . T h e y w ere, how

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HISTORY OF BR AZ IL. 19

early in 1817, they were betrayed to the govern

m ent . B eing thus compel led to ta ke up a rm s

pr em atu rely , the y were b ut i ll pre pa red to re

s is t the discipl ined t roops despatched against

them from Bahia, by the Count dos Arcos .

After a nu m be r of indecisive sk irm ish es , they

w ere finally de fea ted on th e 16th of M ay , on th e

plain s of Ipo juco . D om ingues Jos e M art in s ,

thei r General , was short ly af terwards executed,

with a number of his col leagues, and the re

m ai n in g lea de rs were ei the r exi led, or thrown

into prison.

During the course of these events , several

changes took place within the bosom of the

R oy al fami ly . T h e dowager Q uee n of Po r tug al ,

who ha d long been in a s ta te of me ntal im be

cil i ty, d ied on the 2 0th of M ar ch , 1816, an d th e

R eg en t succee ded to the thron e by the t it le of

Don Jo hn V I . A m arr iage wa s a lso negot ia ted

du r ing the sam e year , be tween D on Pe dr o , the

heir apparent to the crown, and the Arch

duche ss Leop oldina Carol ina Jo se ph a, da ug hter

of th e E m p e ro r of A u str ia ; and on th e 5th of

November, 1817, the vessel bear ing the future

Empress arr ived in the harbour of Rio de

Jane i ro .

Dur ing the three succeeding years , which

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t roops , which took the name of the auxi l iary

divi s ion , had been brought over f rom Por tugal .

I n i t s r a n k s w ere com prised four ba t ta l ion s of

infantry of the l ine, a bat tal ion of l ight infantry,

an d a br iga de of ar t i l lery. O f the se a ba t tal ion

of in fan t ry w as qua r t e red in Pe rn am bu co , ano

ther in Bahia , and the remainder were re ta ined

in R io de Ja n e i ro . F ro m th i s per iod , t he Bra

zi l ian t roo ps w ere t reate d w i th b u t l i t tle con

s idera t ion . T h e P or tug u es e genera l , Vicen te

Antonio de Ol ivei ra , in an address to the King,

formal ly reques ted that a l l Brazi l i ans should

for the future be declared incompetent to the

fulfilment of a n y hig he r po st th an th a t of c ap

tain . T h e requis i t ion w as of cou rse t reated

with inat tent ion, yet a l l the highest ranks in the

ar m y w ere thenceforwa rd conferred alm ost ex

c lusively on the Po r tu gu es e . T h e see ds of d i s

content were thus d i sseminated by the very

m ea ns inten de d for i t s sup pre ss ion ; a n d m ur

m urs were ex ci ted , w hich, how ever, as y e t found

no echo ; the only pr in t ing p re ss hi th er to per

mit ted in Rio, the Royal one, being under

the immediate censorship of the authori t ies .

Th rou gh i t s m edium , the pub l ic w ere du ly and

faithfully informed, co nc ern ing th e h e a lth of all

the P rin ce s in E ur o p e. Official ed icts , bi r th -da y

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H I S T O R Y 0 1 B R A Z I L . 2 1

of dem ocrac y, or the ex po sur e of gr ieva nce s .

To have ju d g ed of B razi l by i t s only jou rn al , it

must cer tainly have been deemed a terres t r ial

pa rad ise, w here no word of co m pla int ha d ever

yet found ut terance .

Such was the exist ing state of affairs in the

newly created kingdom, when, in October 1820,

intel l ige nc e arrived of th e revolt in Po rtu ga l , in

favour of a C on st i tut ion al go ve rnm en t .

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C H A P T E R I I .

Insurrect ion , and subsequent convocation of the Cor tes in P o r t u g a l -

M anifesto to the Portu gue se nat ion - Dec larat ton of Para, Ma

dei ra Bah ia and M onte Video, in favour of the C on st i tu t ton -D ts-

orde rs in Pe rna m bu co - M ea sure s adop ted by the government u,

R io de Ja n e i r o -A c c e p ta n c e o f t he Portuguese Cons titu tion -

Reso lu t ion of Do n John to r e tu rn to P or tu ga l -E le c t io ns -

Effects of the late changes on the disposition of the native inhabit

ants of Rio—Meet ing , and subsequent massacre in the Exchange-

Im pa tienc e of D on Pe dr o to assum e the regency — Nullification of

the acts of the 2 ls t of Ap ril — C hange of m inistry — Predictions of

the counsel lors of D on Jo hn V I . — D ep artu re of the King, and

his parting charge to Don Pedro.

T H E

com m erce of P o rtu g al h ad suffered severe

ly by the opening of the ports of Brazil in 1810,

and the jealousy of her inhabi tants had s ince

been roused by the elevation of their former

colony to the ran k of a kin gd om . T h e y were,

moreover , becoming impat ient of a despot ism

unsupport ed by the pom p of R o y al ty ; and no w

?

on the conclusion of th e wa r in E u ro p e , w hen

even Sp ain and I ta ly a t tem pte d to organize C on

s ti tu t ional gov ernm ents , Po r tu ga l , s t im ula ted

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H ISTO RY O F BR A Z IL . 2 3

century , there had exis ted in Por tugal " S ta tes

General ," or Cortes , composed joint ly of the

Clergy, the Nobi l i ty , and the Deput ies of the

pr incipal towns . M ore tha n a hu nd red ye ars had

elapsed s ince the las t assembly of this body had

been held, but i ts existence had never been for

m al ly abo l ished. T h e pr es en t convocat ion w as

thus regarded rather as the resumpt ion of an

ancient , though long-neglected r ight , than as an

innovation, and was hai led with universal re

joicin g am ong a people s ingular ly at tach ed to

the ir old ins t i tu t ion s. T h e firs t insu rrec t ion ary

movement took place in Oporto, on the 24th of

A ug ust , 1820, and w as im m ediately ab et te d by

the m il i tary . Lisbon m anifes ted s im i lar sen t i

m en ts on th e 15th of S ep tem be r following, an d a

general session of the Cortes was finally held in

Lisbon, in the m onth of Ja n u a ry , 1821. H e re

one of their first acts was to publish a manifesto,

formal ly addressed to the Portuguese nat ion,

wherein, advert ing to the present ret rograde

si tuat ion of Portugal , al l their chief misfortunes

w ere t raced join t ly to the res idenc e of the R oya l

family, an d the Court in R io de Ja n ei ro , an d to

the enactment opening the ports of Brazi l to the

vessels of al l nat ions : the lat ter measure being

more par t icular ly deprecated, as the cause of

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2 4 H I S T O R Y O F B R A Z I L

O porto and Lisbo n, in the me an t im e, reached the

u l t ra -mar ine domin ions , where they produced a

pow erful sen sat io n. T h e t roo ps s tationed in

P a r a , as wel l as th e in h ab i ta n ts , declared for

th e po pu lar ca use ; a nd th e i s land of M adeira ,

the ci ty of Bahia, and the garr ison s tat ioned in

M on te V ideo , spee di ly followed the i r ex am ple.

In Pernambuco a lone the mi l i t ary kept a loof

from the pe op le. T h is prov ince h ad , ever s ince

its su bju ga tion in 1817- b ee n confided to the go

vernment of Luiz de Rego Barreto, a mi l i tary

officer, who, being furnished with full powers

for the su pp res sio n of a n y future at te m pts at

revolt , ha d som etim es ava i led him self of them

w ith ex tre m e sev eri ty. T h is r igoro us l ine of con

du ct na tura l ly led to m uc h disco nte nt , and on the

arriv al of the inte ll ige n ce of th e la te events in

Por tugal , a cons iderable number of the inhabi t

ants of the province assembled in a small town

si tuated about thi r ty-s ix leagues from the capi

tal , and dec lared, th a t unless a C onst i tut ional

sys tem of go vern m ent w ere a do pte d, an d their

gr ievance s re dress ed, the y would no longer ac

kno w ledge subject ion to the C ou rt of R io T he

Royal t roops were, however, sent out against

them, and after a sharp confl ict , the insurgents ,

who were but indifferent ly organized, were

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there were fewer abuses, the effects of po

pular opinion were manifested with less energy.

Al l c lasses , and more par t icular ly the nat ive

Po rtug ue se, w ere nev ertheless loud in thei r ex

press ions of sym p at h y w i th the in ha bi tan ts of

the p en in su la ; and in order to prev ent an y un

t imely explosion, a Council of s tate, at the head

of which was the Marquis de Alegrete , a noble

man of l i t t le talent , and less educat ion, was con

vened b y th e gov ernm ent , for the pu rpo se of

de ciding on th e m ost adv isable m ea su res . After

an interval of anxious uncertainty, a Manifes to

dated the 18th of February,

1821,

was m ade p ub

lic on the 21st of the sa m e m on th, w he rein his

Majesty announced his intent ion of sending Don

Pedro to Portugal , with ful l powers to t reat

wi th the Cortes , and to consul t wi th them con

cern ing th e C on st i tut ion . I t w as also prom ised

to adopt in Brazi l al l such parts of the Const i

tut ion agree d up on , a s m ight be found ap pl i

cable and expedient .

The effect produced by this declarat ion proved

very different from w ha t w as an t icip ate d. T h e

int imat ion of his Majesty announced an inten

t ion to modify the Const i tut ion previously to

i ts adopt ion in B ra zi l ; and to this , bo th the Po r

tuguese and Brazi l i ans were a l ike opposed.

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m orning of th e 26th of F e b ru a ry , th e aux i l iary di

vision of P o rtu g u e se m i l itary, w ho w ere , in par t i

cular , dete rm ine d to ha v e thei r full s h a re of the

benefi ts w hich th e new ly es ta bl ish ed system

was expected to shower down on thei r comrades

in the mother country, marched in a body to the

Largo de Rocio , a l arge square near the cent re

of the ci ty , for th e p ur po se of explici t ly dem and

ing th a t the Co nst i tu t ion of P o rtu g a l should,

w hen pro m ulg ated , be ad op ted in Brazi l. A

nu m be r of ci t izens co nn ec ted w i th the. move

m en t , also co nv ok ed a m ee tin g in th e saloon of

the Theatre adjoining, where they were short ly

jo ined by the Pr inces , Don Pedro and Don

M igu el, w ho w ere ha iled on arrival w ith cries of

" V iva el R e y " — " V iva a C on st i tuiqa o "

Here, af ter the representat ion of the insur

gents had been laid before the Prince royal , Don

P ed ro , the M unicipal i ty of the c i ty w as sum

moned, and his Highness coming forward on the

verandah of the Theat re , read to the people and

troops assembled in the square below, a decree,

whereby an unreserved acceptance was g iven by

the M ona rch to th e future C on st i tut ion of the

C or tes . T h e two P r in ce s af terwa rds m ad e oath ,

both in the name of the King, and their own, to

observe and fulfi l the dictates of this Consti tu

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ins is ted on, an d this de m an d w as also con

ceded.

T h e jo y resu l t ing from the se conc ess ions wa s

exc ess ive. A n im m ens e crowd m arched on to

S an Ch ris tova o, the cou ntry se at of the K in g ,

and ins is ted on dr ag gin g his ca rr iage to th e

ci ty , an honour wi th which Don John would

glad ly have d i spe nse d. U nac cus tom ed to the

unrest rained exhibi t ion of popular feel ing, he

ha d, from th e period w hen he received intel l i

ge nc e of th e revolut ion in the m oth er co un try,

bee n a pre y to co nt inu al terrors . T h e only

b u rth e n of his con versat ion w as the fate of

Loui s X V I ; and on the p re sen t occas ion , when

the populace took the horses from his carriage,

such was his t rep ida t ion , th a t he swooned aw ay .

On his arrival in the ci ty, he, however, instant ly

ra tified the oath a l ready m ade by the P r i n c e s ;

when al l the public funct ionaries, and other indi

viduals of note in Rio de Janei ro, subsequent ly

followed the example of the Royal family : and

th u s the Co nst itution, the ba sis of wh ich h a d

not even been p rojec ted , w as univ ersal ly sworn

to .

P u b l ic fes t ivi ties were in con seque nce re

solved up on , an d th e ci ty w as i l lum inate d for

nine success ive evenings .

Before many more days had elapsed, the ce

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prod uct ive of the most ser ious ap pr eh en s io ns to

the Brazi l ians , was yet greeted wi th s t i l l in

creas ing sa t is fac tion by the P or tu gu es e . Th is

la t ter c lass ha d long be he ld wi th jea lo usy the

gr ad ua l ex ten sio n of foreign com m erce, whi ls t

tha t of Por tugal was day by day d iminishing.

This resul t , which, doubt less , arose pr incipal ly

from th e pr og re ss w hich al l othe r na t ion s were

m ak in g in th e m anu fac tur ing a r t s , while Por

tuga l rem aine d inact ive, th e y reg ard ed as the

n at u ra l co ns eq ue nc e of a free t ra d e ; an d they

enter ta ined hopes that , by p lac ing Brazi l under

the authori ty of the Cortes , and compel l ing the

R o ya l family to retu rn to P o rtu g al , the y m ight

ag ain be invested w i th the exclusive monopoly

of all B raz i l ian co m m erce . ,

A c on spira cy w as in fact said to hav e been

formed, with the co-operat ion of the auxil iary di

vis ion, for the express purpose of accomplishing

this ob jec t ; bu t from all th e evide nce th a t can

be col lected on the point , i t does not appear that

i t ha d an y fixed p la n . T h e sy m p a th y of the

E ur op ea n res iden ts an d m i l it ary wi th the pro

cee ding s of the C ortes , w as nev ertheless ob vio us;

and his Majesty was, in consequence, induced

m uch ag ainst his own w ishes, to s ign a dec ree

dated on the 7th of M arc h, w here in h e sta te d his

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HISTORY OF BRA ZIL. 2 9

nat ion should be es tabl i she d. O n the sam e da y

instru ct io ns for th e elect ion of D e p u tie s to t h e

Cortes of Lisbon were i ssued; and in the ab

sen ce of an y reg ulat io ns from the Co rtes on this

head, the elect ions were to take place in the

manner es tabl i shed in the Spanish Cons t i tu t ion .

The people were to nomina te commiss ioners ;

these Commiss ioners , the par i sh e lec tors ; these

p ar ish electors , th e provincial e le cto rs ; an d

these provincial e lectors , the Deput ies .

T h e gra du al developmen t of the prec edin g

events ha d in the m ean t ime aw ak en ed a sp i r i t

w hich h ad neve r on an y previous occasion m an i

fes ted i t sel f among the nat ive inhabi tants of

Rio de Ja ne i ro . In the pr im ary m ovem ents in

th i s c ity the Eu rop ea n Por tug ue se had t ak en

precedence of the Brazi l ians, who had in the f i rs t

ins tan ce held b a c k from t im id i ty ; bu t from the

increased enthus iasm wi th which they entered

into th e elect ion s, from the projec ts of in str uc

t ions wh ich w ere sk etc he d o ut for the gov ernm ent

of thei r D ep ut ie s to P or tug al , an d from the

opp osi t ion m anifes ted to al l th e pla ns of w ha t

the y al rea dy b eg an to term re-colonization, the

Por tuguese fac t ion was made aware that in the

peo ple the y ha d found m as ters and not s lav es .

Al ready they regre t ted having marched wi th too

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crush this na sc en t im pu lse. An ap t occasion

for which, was unfortunately not far dis tant .

The parochia l e lec t ions had been sa t i s fac

tor i ly co m plete d, w hen th e C hief m ag is t ra te of

the metropol is , Ouvidor da Comarca, in con

formity with the orders of his Majesty, convoked

a meeting of the electors , for the purpose of

a c q u a in t in g them with th e pu rpo rt of a decree

whereby Don Pedro was p laced a t the head of

the provis ional government , to be es tabl ished on

th e de p ar tu re of th e K ing . T h is superf luous

convocation i t appears extremely difficult to ac

cou nt for ; ex ce pt in g b y the ge ne ral ly received

hypothes i s , tha t Don John, aware of the hos

ti l i ty of th e m ajo rity of th e ele cto rs to his de

p a rtu re , w as an xio us to ob tain the ir suffrages

in favour of his stay, as an off-set to the Por

tug ue se M anifes to. B e this as i t m ay , the meet

ing took place on the evening of the 21st of

A pr i l, in the N ew E xc h an g e ; w he n a tumul

tuous discussion ensued, which is in the outset

said to have be en fom ented b y th e em issar ies

of the K in g , wh o w ere s tat ion ed in th e crowd

for th e exp ress purpo se of op po sing th e intent ion

notified in the de cre e. T h e resu l t w as on e w hich

m ight have been an t icipated . T h e confusion

ere long at taine d such a he igh t , th a t th e P re s i

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H IS T O R Y O F B R A Z I L . 3 1

sem bl ies , and inf luenced by ex ag ge rate d ideas

as to the extent of their qual if icat ions, the elec

tors proceeded to decree measures, not only af

fect ing the ge ne ral in ter es ts of th e n at ion , b u t

also the a ug ust p erson of H is m ost Fa i thful

M ajes ty . Su ch w as the w arm th exci ted , tha t the

few were overruled by the many, and resolu

t ions of the most violent import were absolutely

carr ied by acclam at ion . Th e G en eral s Cu rado,

an d M o ra es , w ere se n t off to th e fortresses of

Santa Cruz, Vi l lagalhon, and Lage, to int imate

that the departure of the squadron fi t t ing out for

the con vey anc e of the K in g to P or tu ga l should

be prev ented . An ou tcry wa s a lso m ade tha t

the t reasure which had been conveyed on board

should again be disembarked ; and finally, from

a wel l founded apprehension that the Const i tu

t ion formed by the Cortes might be const ructed

in such a m an ne r as to favour the inte res ts of

P o rtu g a l , a t th e ex pe nse of those of Br azi l ,

i t was decided that the Spanish Const i tut ion

should be the one adopted, and that a deputa

t ion should be forthwith sent to the King to re

qui re i t s immediate acceptance .

T h is dep uta t ion was a t once de spatch ed to the

P ala ce , a nd ther e ush ere d into the pre sen ce of

the feeble-minded M o na rc h; who not only re

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not probable that he had ever seen , was or

dere d to be p u t in ob serv an ce . W i th which re

p ly the De pu ta t io n re tu rne d to the E xc ha ng e ,

w here the y w ere gree ted wi th the most enthu

s ias t ic acclamat ions .

Intel l igence of these important occurrences in

the meant ime spread through the c i ty , and the

Por tuguese t roops began to assemble in the

La rgo de R ocio . T h e electo rs , on be ing inform

ed of th i s , dec ided that th e G en er al Car los Fred-

er ico de C au la , G ov ern or-a t -arm s , should be sum

moned for the purpose of giving information re

lat ive to th e m ov em en t of th e arm ed force. The

G en era l acc ord ingly pre sen ted himse lf to the

elec tors, an d ple dg ed his word of ho no ur in favour

of the good intent ions of the t roops, and of

his profound respect for the electoral College.

Sat isfied w ith this pro m ise, th e de l iberat ion s

were continued much in the same style as before,

unt i l near ly three in the morning ; when a com

pany of the auxil iary division arrived, and,

w ithou t th e sl ig h te st w ar n in g , fired a volley of

musquetry on the unarmed electors , and those

around them ; and af terwards carr ied the place

at the point of the bay on et . F o rtu n a te ly , the

m ajority ha d alre ad y ret i red, a n d th e resu l ts

were less fatal than might have been ant ici

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electoral col lege is general ly at t r ibuted to Don

P ed ro . H e is kno w n to hav e been am ongs t them

in the Largo de Rocio, on the evening in ques

t ion, and there are cogent reasons for bel ieving

t h a t no* one was m ore anx ious tha n the P r in ce

to facil ita te the dep artu re of h is R oy al p ar en ts .

A m utu al coolness ha d long sub sis ted betwe en

them, and Don Pedro had bet rayed f requent

symptoms of impat ience a t the subordinate

s tat ion w hich he ha d hi the r to he ld; and , as

well a s hi s chief adv iser a n d con fidant, th e

C oun t dos A rcos , h e w as kn ow n to have ha r

boured the m ost bi t ter anim osi ty a ga inst the

ex i s t ing M in i s try . T h a t nob leman, the ex-G o

ve rno r of B ah ia, is ge ne ral ly ac cused of ha vin g

fomented the ambit ion of the Prince from a hope,

th a t, in ca se of the elevation of h is pa tro n, h e

would be c reated P r im e M in is te r ; and if th i s

w ere so, th e resu l t prov es th at his ca lcu lat ion s

w ere no t i ll -founded. T h e prop osal of being a p

pointed to the Regency had proved highly grat i

fying to D on P ed ro . H e ha d left Po rtu ga l at

an ear ly age, wi th but l i t t le regret ; and the

Count dos Arcos had subsequent ly inf lamed his

yo un g ima ginat ion wi th the m ost exa l ted ideas

of the m agnif icent resources of B razi l . E ag er ,

therefore, to obtain the expected digni ty, and

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arb i t rary m ea sure of d i ssolv ing th e m ee t ing in

th e E x c h a n g e by an arm ed force . I t is , how

ever, on ly j ust to ad d, th a t th is h y p o th e sis is as

yet suppor ted by c i rcumstant ia l evidence a lone.

T hr ou gh ou t th e c i ty of R io de Jan ei ro the

depth of cons ternat ion succeeded to the del i

r ium of ex ci te m en t . T h e pu bl ic pla ce s of resort

were deser ted, the operat ions of commerce were

sus pe nd ed , an d for th e sp ac e of several weeks

th i s bu s t l ing m et ropol i s bore th e un na tura l ap

p ea ra n ce of a ci ty of th e de ad . T h e K in g took

advantage of this depress ion, and on the 22d of

A pri l i ssued a D ec ree an nu l l ing all tha t had

be en ena cted on the pre ce din g even ing ; as well

as another , conferr ing on Don Pedro the digni ty

and at t r ibutes of Regent , and Lieutenant to his

M ajesty in the K ing do m of B raz i l . A new M i

nistry w as also formed, th e m em be rs of which

were, the Count de Louzaa, M inis ter of Fin an ce ;

the Co unt dos A rcos, M inis ter of Ju st ic e, the

Home department and Foreign affai rs ; Manoel

A ntonio F ar in h a for the M ar in e dep artme nt ,

an d Carlos F rederico de C au la, hi ther to Com

mander of the Portuguese t roops , as Minis ter of

W ar . On the day following, two P ro cla m atio ns

were pub lished, incu lcatin g fidelity to th e R e g e n t;

and on the evening of the 24th of April , the

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The Counsel lors of the unfor tunate Monarch,

and mo re pa r t icular ly Si lves t re P in he i ro Fe r-

re i ra , Minis ter for the Foreign Depar tment , had

alre ad y foreseen th e directio n w hich pu blic af

fairs would ere long ta k e in B raz i l . H a b i tu a te d

to the presence of a local government , this

cou ntry would not now , the y pre dicte d, sub m it

i tself anew to the inco nv enie nce s, an d st i ll less

to the humil iat ion, of a government s i tuated on

the other s ide of the A t lan t ic . T h e Co rtes

would, they feared, but i rr i tate that jealousy,

the germs of which were al ready spr inging up ;

and they a l ready regarded a speedy separa t ion

of the two countries as inevitable ; unless, on his

arr ival in Portugal , the King should succeed in

closing the sess ions of the Portuguese legis

la ture .

These considerat ions had made a profound

im pre ssion on the m ind of D on Jo hn ; who very

na tura l ly felt a ll a p ar en t ' s repu gn an ce to the

thought , that this immense terr i tory should thus

be for ever lost as an heritage to the House of

B rag an za . H e was on the o ther han d incensed

against the Prince royal , for having ass is ted in

forcing his return from R io de J a n e i r o ; an d

before sai l ing on the morning of the 26th, he is

said to have ad dressed some s t rong re pro ach es to

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exc laim ed h e ,— " B raz i l wi ll, I fear, ere lon g se

p ar a te herse lf f rom P o r t u g a l ; and if so , p lace

the Crown on thine own head, rather than al low

it to fall into the h a n d s of an y ad v en tu re r "

In the same fleet with his Majesty, were al l

the pr incipal nobi l i ty who had accompanied h im

from P ortu ga l , a long w i th the i r adh ere nts , form

ing a l together a sui te of m ore th an thr ee thou

san d individuals ; in w hich nu m be r w ere com

prised the chief capi tal i s ts of the metropol is :

and immense sums in specie were in conse

quence wi thdrawn from the Bank on this occa

sion.

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C H A P T E R I I I .

Character of Don Pedro—Measures adopted subsequent ly to the depar

ture of the Kin g— Re cep tion of the bases of the P ortugu ese con

sti tution— Insurre ction of the 5th of Ju n e , 1821.— Establishm ent of

provincial governm ents— Influenceof the Po rtugu ese pa rty— Straits

of the Administration in Rio—Suspension of payments by the Na

tional B ank— Sketch of the history of that establishmen t— Cha nge

in the sentiments of Don Pedro, in consequence of his embarrass

ments.

DON P ed ro was a t th i s per iod in the tw en ty-

third y ea r of h is ag e, an d wa s t h e father of two

children, Don John Carlos, Prince De Beira>

and the Pr in ce ss D on na M ar ia de Glor ia . H e

was of a handsome person, h i s manners were

frank an d affable, an d his disposi t ion, tho ug h

capr ic ious , w as enth us ias t ic . M an y essen t ia l s

for po pu lari ty he c erta inly po sse sse d: how far

he w as oth erw ise qualified for the fulfilment of

the high funct ions imp osed upon h im, will be st

b e see n in th e se qu el. O n e of hi s first ca res ,

after the d ep ar tu re of the K in g , w as as far as

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3 8 H ISTO RY O F BRA ZIL . .

q u e t s ,

to w hic h t h e m ili ta ry officers of both

cou nt r ies w ere indiscr im inate ly invi ted . H ere

both par t ies made thei r appearance , d i ssembled

thei r resentments , feas ted together , and lef t each

other as i r recon ci leable en em ies as ever . T he

si tuat ion of the Prince was certainly one of some

difficulty. O n th e on e h a n d , th e m anifes t inti

m ac y ex ist ing be tw ee n him an d th e officers of

th e au xi liar y division, after, as well as before, the

"swek'oF the 21st of Apri l , became highly offen

sive to the B ra z i l ia n s; w hilst , on the other, the

Minis t ry of the Count dos Arcos , who was sus

pected by the Portuguese of being more s t rongly

at ta ch e d to th e inte res ts of B raz il th an to those

of the mother country, proved equal ly displeas

ing to these prsetorian supporters of the authority

of Don P ed ro . T he A dm inistra t ion wa s also in

financial difficulties. T h e p re ce d in g governm ent

had left an em pty t reasu ry, an d the nat ional

B an k was, from previous m ism an ag em en t , so

much impoverished, that i t was on the point of

suspen ding i ts p a y m e n ts. A rigid an d inflex

ible system of econo m y w as th u s an object of

supreme necess i ty; and, pr incipal ly through the

influence of the Count dos Arcos, who was pos

sessed of both tac t an d en er g y , i t w as ca rried

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HISTORY OF BR AZIL . 3 9

were also published, and several oppressive im

posts ab ol ishe d; ye t thes e de m on strat ion s were,

i t m us t be owned, reg ard ed by all pa r t ies w i th

suspic ion ra th er than g ra t i tu d e : be ing, it w as

feared, no more than schemes for popular i ty ,

hazarded for the purpose of again cement ing the

tottering edifice of absolute power.

In the mean t ime the elect ion of the Brazi l ian

deputies for the Cortes of Lisbon was completed.

T h e ba ses of the P or tu gu es e Con s ti tu t ion were

also received in Rio de Janeiro, where, on their

arr ival , though they were regarded by al l par t ies

as founded on ju s t a nd rea son ab le pr inc iples ,

ye t the Pr inc e resolved to po stpo ne th e convo

cat ion of the auth ori t ies , who ough t to m a k e

oath to them, unt i l he should receive intel l igence

of the events succeeding to the entry of his most

faithful Majesty into Lisbon.

T h is de lay not only g av e rise to m uch di s

sa ti sfac tion am ong the Po r tug ue se p ar ty , b ut

very m ater ial ly tend ed to confirm thei r ap p re

hen sions tha t , the P rinc e, in conjunction w i th

the Cou nt dos A rcos , m igh t ye t an nu l all th a t

had hi ther to been done, and re-es tabl ish, or

ra the r cont inue , the o ld sys tem . T h e know n

character and sent iments of the Minis ter most

un dou btedly gave some w eight to this sup po si

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b e con fessed , th a t no sufficient gr ou nd for this

opinion can be ad du ce d. U n d e r an impress ion

of i ts va l idi ty, how ever, th e au xil ia ry division

organized a second insurrect ion, which was put

in force on the 5th of June, 1821 ; on which day

they again marched to the Largo de Rocio , and

there demanded that the bases of the Cons t i

tut ion lately t ran sm it ted from Po rtu ga l should

forthw ith be sworn to. T h o u g h hig hly incensed

at this rebel l ious conduct , Don Pedro, after con

voking the provincial electors , and ascertaining

th a t the ir se nt im en ts w ere in acco rdanc e with

tho se of th e troo ps, too k the oa th requ ired be

fore the Bishop of Rio and the Municipali ty ; in

which example he was immediately imi tated by

the ent ire asse m blag e. N o soon er ha d he thus

far accede d to the wishes of th e revo lters, than

they further required that the Count dos Arcos

should be dismissed from the Ministry, that the

com m and of the a rm ed force sh ou ld be placed

in the hands of a mil i tary commission, and that

a Junta, responsible to the Cortes of Lisbon,

should be appointed, without whose approbat ion

no law should be pr om u lg ate d, nor a n y im por-

tantbus inessdecided upo n. H is H igh ne ss found

himself under the ne ce ss ity of ac ce din g to all

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organized; but the former was short ly af ter re

duced to a nu l l ity , and the lat ter spe ed i ly dis

solved itself, by the mutual consent of i t s mem

bers .

O the r sources of cha grin w ere, in th e m ea n

t ime ,

rapid ly cont r ibut ing to d i sgus t the Pr ince

with his la tely acquired au tho ri ty . B y a law ,

da ted th e 24 th of A pri l , 1821, th e C orte s of Lis

bon declared, tha t a ll the provincial gov ernm ents

which should detach themselves f rom thei r com

mon cent re , R io de Ja ne i ro , and subject them

selves to th e im m ed iate adm inistrat ion of th e

t r ibu na ls of P or tug al , w ould be well dese rving

of their co un try. T h e resu l t of w hich diso rga n

izing decree, was the instantaneous formation of

a crowd of pet ty provisional municipal govern

ments throughout Brazi l ; each corresponding

direct ly with the Cortes of Lisbon, and each re

fusing any longer to pay i ts quota towards the

revenu e of R io de Ja n ei r o . T h e al leged grou nd

of this separat ion from their natural centre, was

an app rehen sion that the P rinc e w as only wai t

ing a favourable opportuni ty to invest himself

with abs olute po w er; and this opinion w as in all

par ts eagerly fomented by the commercial c lass ,

consis t ing almost exclusively of nat ive Portu

gu ese, who w ere, as h as bee n before sta ted ,

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reign er the y co nsid ered a s an inter lop er , a nd the

t re at y of co m m erce w hich had been effected wi th

th e E n g lish in 1810, w as th e esp ecial object of

thei r vi tuperat ion.

S uc h w as the inf luence of this p ar ty in the

ci ty of Bahia, that the provis ional Junta who had

held the reins of government in that province

ever since its first manifestation in favour of the

C on st i tut ion , ex plic i t ly refused to acknow ledge

the autho r i ty of Do n P e d ro as R e g e n t ; on the

ground that his nominat ion ought to have eman

ated from the Cortes, and not from the King, and

that consequently the decree of the 22nd of Apri l

w as nu ll an d void. A s a furth er proo f of their

loyal ty to the government of Portugal , they also

requ ested from the nc e an ad dit io na l nu m ber of

troops, to m ain tain the ex istin g rela tion s of the

two coun tries . T he se m an ifesta t ion s were too

flattering to the C or tes no t to b e well received.

T he y declared them to be es se nt ia l ly const i tu

t ional, and imm ed iately s h ip p e d off to B raz il the

detach m ents required. T h e colonial sys tem ,

which the me rch an ts in B a h ia testified a wish to

revive, also m et w ith th eir en tir e ap p ro b atio n, an d

their ackno w ledgm ents . T h u s , thou gh nomin

al ly the Regent of Brazi l , Don Pedro found him

self in real i ty no mo re th a n the sim ple G ove rnor

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H I ST O R Y OF B R A Z I L . 4 3

ed by a numerous and expens ive adminis t ra

tion : w hile, to ad d to hi s financial e m b a rr as s

m ent s , t he N at iona l B a n k suspended i ts pa y

ments on the 28th of July, 1821.

This es tabl ishment , the his tory of which is so

int imately interwoven wi th the subsequent pol i

t ical history of B raz il , w as first in sti tu te d by a

Royal decree, dated the 21st of October, 1808,

under the denominaton of the Bank of Brazi l ;

and the du rat ion of i ts ch ar ter fixed at tw en ty

y ea r s .

T h e shareh olders w ere respon sible to

no further ex ten t tha n the am ou nt of thei r re

spect ive sh are s ; an d i ts ca pi tal was one tho u

sand, two hundred contos of reis , which at par,

amounted to £337,500 sterl ing, in shares of one

conto of reis each ; which capital was, however,

in the first instance doubled, and afterwards

t rebled. A l l sui ts and act ions ag ain st B a n k

stock were nul l .

T h e projected ope rat ions of the B a n k were

the discounting of bi l ls ; advances on mortgaged

property, s i lver, gold, and diamonds ; the t rans

m ission of the funds of ind ivid ua ls, a nd th e

T rea su ry, to all p ar ts of Brazi l, or a b ro a d ; the

recep tion of de po sits a t the lega l rate of in ter

est ; the sale of the Royal monopolies, such as

diamonds, Brazil wood, ivory, and orchil la weed;

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4 4 HISTORY OF BR AZ IL.

nual ly f rom thei r own number, who were again

placed under the pres idency of four di rectors .

T his J u n ta w as to ha ve the d i sposal of the

funds of the B a n k , an d the d i rec tors were ap

po inted for the sc ru t iny of i t s var iou s t ran sa c

t ions .

A ll di sp u tes to be dec ided b y a gene ral

meet ing of the proprietors .

The nominat ion of the members of the Junta

and directors of the Bank, was in the f i rs t in

s tan ce ves ted in the R eg en t , an d af terwards in

the g ene ral ass em bly of sh are ho lde rs , subject

to the roya l confirmation. F iv e -s ix th s of the

dividends accruing to the proprietors were to be

paid every s ix m o n th s ; the rem ainin g s ix th

be ing reta ine d in th e coffers of th e B a n k as a

fund of reserve, on account of which they were

to receive five pe r cen t , pe r a n n u m . Fo reigne rs

were allowed to hold shares, but not to take any

part in the direction.

Much unwil l ingness was in the outset dis

p layed by both Brazi l i an and Por tuguese capi

talists, to invest th eir fund s in th is nov el ins titu

tion ; nor w as it unt i l the K in g m ad e kn ow n his

intent ion of conferring th e ho no urs of kn igh t

hood on all the p rinc ipa l sh ar eh old ers , th a t a

sufficient sum could be raised for the commence

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and left the actions unpaid for in the coffers of

the B a n k as secur i ty . T he se share s were in th e

half ye ar ly s tate m en ts of the di rectors cou nted

as m etall ic cu rren cy ; ye t , w hene ver th e dividend

fel l due, many of them are known to have been

privately del ivered over to their nominal owners,

an d after th e full am ou nt of inte re st h ad be en

paid upo n them , to h ave be en aga in place d in

de po si t in th e coffers of the B a n k . T h e direc

tors are also kn ow n to ha ve m ad e a pra ct ice of

discounting bil ls for their own peculiar benefit ,

w i th th e funds belonging to the e s ta b l is h m en t :

which they were enabled to do with complete

impunity, s ince publici ty on these points formed

no part of their system.

It w as not to be ex pe cte d th a t an associat ion

th us con st i tuted could long be prev en ted from

becom ing a wi l ling ins t ru m en t in the ha nd s of

a desp otic go ve rnm ent . I t w as th e inte res t of

the B a n k to lend , and i t w as also the mom en

ta ry interes t of the gov ernm ent to borrow . L oa n s

upon loans of paper money were in consequence

m ade to the T rea su ry ; b ut as ne i ther the cap i ta l ,

nor th e respon sibi li ty , of the B a n k w ere in

creased, this pap er m oney w as not the rep res en

tat ive of an y real value. T h e pro prieto rs of

Bank stock nevertheless received their ful l rate

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46


ad o p te d b y th e direc tors , an d oth er chief func

t ion arie s of th e in st i tu t io n, could long support

thei r increase d ex t ra va ga nc e. D azzled by their

apparent ly inexhaust ible resources , they forsook

thei r commercia l occupat ions , adopted the man

ners of the Court , and entered upon a style of

l iving un rival led even b y th e no bil i ty A t length,

the Treasurer abandoned his family, and f led to

the Uni ted States ; carrying wi th him the funds

of an In su ra n ce co m pa ny , w i th w hich he was

also en tru ste d ; an d ou t of th e four individuals

ap po inted to the di re cto rsh ip, — on e declared

himsel f a bankrupt , ye t having secured the

b ulk of his pr op er ty to his son s, to whom he

acted as guardian, was enabled to enjoy his

il l ici t gains with impunity; another retired from

trade insolvent , and was never able to reimburse

the sum s w hich he had ta k e n a s a loan from

the Bank ; and a third, after having for a long

tim e shel tered himself und er th e protect ion of

a corru pt M inis try , failed for a n enorm ous

am oun t , the gre ater p a rt of w hich consisted in

a debt due to the b an k . T h u s w as an ins t i tu

t ion, created at a n epoch w he n Bra zi l had

opened her ports to the commerce of al l na

t ions, and which u nde r judic iou s m an ag em en t

might have proved an important source of pros

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At the t ime when Don John lef t Brazi l , the

Government debt to the Bank a lone amounted

to considerab ly m ore tha n the a ctu al ca p i ta l of

the es tabl i shment : whi l s t the ent i re su i te ac

companying h i s Majes ty to Por tugal , having

sent al l the Bank paper in thei r hands to be

exchanged for bul l ion, the Junta were reduced

to the gre ates t pov erty, and on the 28th of Ju ly

fol lowing, being unable any longer to take up

their issues in specie, they found themselves

un de r the nec ess i ty of sub st i tut ing a cer tain

form of e x c h a n g e ; as for ex am pl e, for a no te of

on e hu nd red m ilreis, R s . 75||000 w ere given in

small notes, Rs. 15||000 in silver, and Rs. 10||000

in copper; a measure const i tut ing in fact a sus

pens ion of payments .

This financial crisis was not, however, at the

m om ent, product ive of an y violent com mo tion ;

as the less instructed part of the populat ion

were taug ht to a t t r ibu te the consequen t de pre

ciation of the B a n k p ap er to the B alan ce of

t rad e, — a groundless pa nic , and the w an t

of a ci rculat ing m e d iu m If the y were not

convinced, they were at least mystified, and do

not ap pe ar to have rega rded the late m ea sur es

on the par t of the Bank wi th any adequate

alarm . T he se adverse ci rcum stance s , in con

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office an d a ttr ib u te s w hich h e t h e n h eld ; an d,

accordingly, on the 21st of September , we f ind

him address ing his Royal father in the fol lowing

w o r d s : —

" With the permission of your Majesty, I wil l

l ay before you the unhappy and lamentable

s i tuat ion of this pr o v in c e ; to th e end, that

you r M ajes ty m ay tran sm i t m e such orders, as

w ill en ab le m e to ret i re with dig ni ty from the

fatal labyrinth wherein I f ind myself en

t ang led .

" T h is pro vinc e, S ire , w as for thir te en years

con sidered as the se at of the m on arc hy , and i t

w as so in rea l i ty :— circum stance s ha d thus or

da ine d i t. All the auth ori t ie s ord inari ly con

centrated in a metropolis were here establ ished,

a n d in defau lt of a sufficient re venue , all the

other provinces con tr ibuted the i r sh are . The

Bank, moreover , enjoyed a cer tain credi t ; there

we re prec ious m eta ls in i ts coffers ; th ere was

b ut l i t tle cop per coin, an d th e l i t t le th a t there

was,

ci rculated freely; th a n k s to th e honourable

reputat ion of the B a n k .

" Fortunate ci rcumstances having res tored the

Monarchy to i ts ancient and primit ive seat , al l

the provinces of B raz i l ad h er ed , a s in du ty

bound, to the nat ional ca use . T h e B a n k , m ean

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dilat ion, no province remits funds, and yet al l

the Minis ters , a l l the pr incipal members of the

administrat ion, continue to reside here; and the

dependents l iving at the expense of the State

are innu m erab le. M eanw hi le , the only funds

paid into the Treasury, are the revenues of the

province, and thes e a re paid only in pa p er. I t

is, nevertheless , necessary to maintain as here

tofore, a m ul titu de of fun ction aries , th e staff of

an ent i re army, and numerous t r ibunals ; and, as

I hav e before said, the re are no longe r an y

finances, nor do I k no w how to ob tain th em .

Such is a faithful picture of the unfortunate

situation of this province.

" I supp licate you r M ajesty, b y al l tha t is

m ost sacre d, to relieve m e from th es e painful

functions, be ne ath the b u rth en of wh ich I ca n

no longer ex ist . H orr ible visions con tinua l ly

surround m e. Som e a l ready are ben eath my

e y e s ;

others more dreadful are in prospect .

T h e y are con tinual ly before m e, an d I conjure

your Majesty to permit me, as soon as possible,

again to kiss your royal hand, and to reseat

myself on the steps of your throne."

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C H A P T E R I V

M easures adop ted by the Co rtes of Lisb on— Su ppre ssion of the tribu

nals,

and recal of the P rinc e — A pp oin tm en t of Governors-at-

Arm s— As pirations for Inde pen den ce— Effe cts of the Abolit ion of

the Ce nsorsh ip— Patriotism of the Sec ular Clergy—Proclamation

of the 4th of O ctob er, 182 1— Atte station of D on Pedro— Effect of

the De crees of the 29th of Sep tem ber — Pre pa ratio ns for the Re

gent 's D eparture — State of Part ies— Ad dress from San Paulo—

Andrada Family—Address of the Municipality of Rio—Consent of

the Prin ce to rem ain in Braz il— Re volt of the Au xiliary Division

in consequence—Ejection of the Portuguese Troops—Convocation

of a Council of State—Dissensions in Pernambuco and Bahia.

T H E

C ortes of Lisbo n w ere in th e m ea n time

proceeding in their labours, with but l i t t le con

sideration for the opinions of the people for

whom they were legislat ing ; excepting in those

cases wherein they happened to agree with their

own. T h a t their inten t ions w ere patriot ic can

not be denied, b u t unfo rtun ately the i r pa

tr iot ism w as of the m ost ex clusiv e cas te. The ir

measures for doing away with the Inquisi

tion, for the admission of every citizen to

public offices, for the liberty of the press,

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HISTORY OF BRAZ IL. 5 1

cate the spiri t in wh ich the y w ere de term ine d

to legislate for themselves ; yet , no sooner were

the affairs of B raz il on an y occasion b ro u g h t

before the m , tha n th eir dispo si t ions be ca m e as

aristocrat ical , as they had on other quest ions

been democrat ic.

B y a dec ree of th e 28 th of J u ly , 182 1, i t w as

resolved, that the army of Portugal and Bra

zil should henceforth form but one body.

The object of this measure evidently was,

by en ab ling the gove rnm ent to call , at will , the

Brazi l ian t roops to Portugal , and to despatch

the Portuguese to Brazi l , thus to re-accom

plish the subjection of the American portion of

the king do m . O n receiving intel l igen ce of the

increasing agi tat ion throughout Brazi l , and of

the refusal of th e city of B a h ia to ac kn ow led ge

the authori ty of the Regent , their conduct be

cam e sti ll m ore arb i trary. A lthou gh not m ore

th a n one-fourth of the B razil ian d ep utie s ha d

taken their seats, by a decree of the 29th of

Sep temb er , the Ch ancery cour t, the Tre asu ry ,

the Junta of commerce, and al l the various cen

t ral t r ibunals and es tabl ishments , which had

been created in Rio de Janeiro during the reign

of D on Jo h n , were ab ol ish ed ; wh i ls t , by an

other decree of the sam e da te , the P rin ce w as

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5 2 H I S T O R Y OF B R A Z I L .

and Sp ain , for the pu rp os e of co m plet ing his

poli t ical educat ion.

P e rh a p s , m ore w orthle ss and ineff icient t r ibu

nals th a n tho se in R io de J a n ei ro ha ve , on the

whole, seldom ha d ex is t en ce ; y et i t would be

dif

ficult to vin dic ate the ir su pp re ssio n. I n a M an i

festo which P o rtu g al h ad ad dre sse d to the var ious

na t ion s of E u ro p e at the t ime w hen she reclaimed

her King, one of the pr incipal grounds of com

pl ain t wa s , th at jus t ic e was a dm inis tered with

ex ces sive d ela y a nd ex p e n se , from a distanc e of

six thousand miles : and vet, in the face of this

plea , she now a t tem pt ed to subject Brazil , a

co nst i tue nt pa r t of the kin gd om , to the same

disab i l i ty T h e recal of the P rin ce w as, l ike

the aboli t ion of the t r ibunals , dictated by a wish

to an n ihi la te even the las t vest ige of the central

government , previously es tabl ished in Rio de

Jane i ro .

T o this succe ede d an oth er d ecree , dated the

1 s t of October , by w hich a G ov ern or-a t -arm s, de

puted by th e e xec utive pow er in Lisb on , and in

dependent of the provis ional juntas , was ap

pointed to each province; and, on the 18th of the

same month, i t was also decided that further

detachments of t roops should be sent off to Per

nam buco , and Rio de Ja ne i ro . I t i s, pe rha ps ,

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H I ST O R Y O F B R A Z I L . 5 3

been assumed that they were conferr ing a

boon, which must necessar i ly be accepted wi th

grat i tude . T he y asser ted th at this rem oval of

the t r ibunals must mater ial ly tend to mul t iply

the relat ions, and strengthen the bonds of union

exis t ing between the two countr ies ; and that

the t roops already sent to, and at present des

tined for B razil , w ere C on sti tution al forces,

whose ap pe ara nc e m ust necessar i ly be grat ify

ing to all the friends of l ibe rty . T h e B ra zi

l ian s could not, ho wev er, b e m ade to co m pre

hend the force of this rea son ing . T h ey m igh t

possiblyh ave subm itted to the d ec re es , if the rein

forcements had preceded them; but as the Cortes

in their wisdom invariably sent out the decrees

first, an d the troo ps de stine d for the ir en forcem en t

afterw ards, sym ptom s of rebell ion very soon b e

came apparent .

As i t has been before observed, the nat ive

Brazi l ians had , in imi tation of the E u ro p ea n

residents , embraced the Const i tut ional cause

with ardour, be ca us e, by m ea n s of i t, the y ex

pe cte d an am plification of the ir civil lib er tie s.

W he n, on the con trary, th ey be ca m e convinced

that i t was the intent ion of the Cortes to reduce

them once more to the condition of colonists,

they again s tood apart f rom the Portuguese

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before, immediately evinced themselves through

out the whole social body ; and the press began

to teem w ith per iodical pu bl ic at io ns . Fo rtu

nately for the progress of humani ty, the wri t ings

of the A bb e de P r a d t , on colon ial pol icy, had

fallen in to th e h a n d s of so m e of th e chief lead

ers of pu blic opinion in the city of R io . T h e

w ork s of* th is au th or h av e s inc e be en super

seded in E u ro pe , w here th ei r no ve l ty is gone

by , an d where less diffuse ex positi ons of the

sam e principles have s ince a pp ea re d ; bu t the

soundness of his general maxims has s ince this

period only been confirmed . H e w as th e first

popular wri ter on the continent who gave ut ter

ance to that celebrated sent iment , " Let Europe

look to Eu ro pe , and A m erica to A m eric a, and

all will be w ell " w hich truly p ro p h e tic words

were echoed back wi th the most ardent en

thusiasm am ong th e ear ly p ar t iza n s of the in

dependence, in their conversat ion, in their cor

respon den ce, and , m ore th an al l , in the ir M a

sonic asso ciat ions. S en tim en ts of a s imilar

tendency, though far more caut iously worded,

also from t im e to t ime m ad e the ir ap p ea ra n ce

in the newly ins t i tuted journals ; and though, in

other respects , i t must be owned that these

pub licat ions con tained bu t l i tt le w orthy of in

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HISTORY OF BRAZIL. 5 5

the great m ass of the free po pu lat ion ha d re

mained in ignorance, but ignorance is less diffi

cult to van qu ish than prejud ice. T h e y ha d l i t tle

to un learn, and th e p rog ress of t ruth w as no t

em barrassed at every ste p by th a t false kn ow

ledge wh ich is too often the b a n e of cu lt ivate d

Eu rop e. T h e very insignificance of P or tu g ue se

l i terature was here favourable to the progress of

the new philosophy.

It is also gratifying to record, and it may be

characterized as an important and interest ing

fact, th at the se cu lar C lergy w ere ever in th e

foremost rank throughout this moral struggle.

Being deprived of their t i thes, they had neither

any property to protect , nor any establ ished

privileges or ab use s to prese rve. O n the con

trary, they were animated with the same spiri t

as the peo ple, an d rega rded the ir inter es ts as

bound up with those of the entire Brazil ian

com m uni ty. In gene ral , they were cer tainly de

ficient in knowledge, and but too often licentious

in their habi ts , yet they were possessed of con

siderable influence, and this influence they uni

versally em ployed for the pro pa ga t ion a nd ge

neralization of l iberal opinions.

In proportion, however, as the crisis ap

proached, the par t izans of independence be

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5 6 H ISTO RY O F BRA ZIL .

m ea n s of co m m un icat ion w ere difficult and

un cer tain, and the province s w ere divided

am ong s t them selves . U nle ss th e co-opera

t ion of the Pr in c e could b e ob taine d, i t ap

peared impossible that , e i ther the central iza

t ion of the kin gd om could be ag ain estab l ished ,

or a sanguinary and doubtful contes t be avoided.

His Highness was therefore at once sounded on

th e topic, and is said to ha ve given th e pro

moters of the scheme a favourable hear ing;

though on subsequent ly discovering that the

Brazi l ians were wi thout any regular ly organized

p ar ty , th a t m uc h confidence w as st il l place d in

the Cortes, and that the auxil iary division were

st il l the virtual m as ter s of th e ci ty, he ap pe ar s

to have vacil lated, and to have again recurred to

the scheme of following his Royal father to Por

tuga l . T h e pa t r iots nev erthe less determined

on an effort, and as early as the 4th of October,

proc lam ations were issued, de cla rin g Brazi l in

depen dent , and Do n Pe dro em peror . Th is a t

tempt, however, proved al together abort ive, and

in address ing the King on the subject , his High

ness expressed himself against the conspirators

in the most violent lan gu ag e. " T h ey have

wished," he observed, " and i t is said that they

sti ll wish, to proclaim m e E m p e ro r. I pro tes t to

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sacred me, and my brave Portuguese adherents ,

since I here swear to be always faithful to your

Majesty, and to the Portuguese nation and Con

stitution a solemn oa th, w hich I now tra ce w ith

my blood."

The force of this at testat ion, which, according

to i ts tenor, he actually traced with his own

blood, may certainly have some weight in evinc

ing the sinceri ty of the P rin ce at the m om ent

when the communicat ion was penned; yet i t i s

far from exonerating him from the guilt of hav

ing held secret counci l with the conspirators:

the belief in w hich ch arg e ap pe ar s to be con

firmed by the fact , that though a number of the

subordinate agents were arrested, no not ice was

ever taken of the real heads of the conspiracy.

Though every hope of Don Pedro's co-operat ion

was thus for the moment excluded, the patriot

party were short ly after s t rengthened by a most

powerful reinforcement, whence they had least

exp ected i t. O n the arrival of th e D ec re es of th e

29th of Se ptem ber , a phe nom enon occurred

which does not appear to have at al l entered

into the calculation s of the C or tes. A ll th e ind i

vid ua ls who were disp os ses sed of the ir offices b y

the annihi lat ion of the t r ibunals , were instanta

neously converted into exalted patriots ; and, as

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pow er, now s t a r te d u p am on gs t th e m ost noisy

and s t renu ou s adv ocates for ind ep en de nc e. The

decree for the recal of the Prince natural ly

gave birth also to an equal ly violent commotion

amongst al l the old royal is ts , who began to ap

prehend, wi th much apparent jus t ice , tha t i f h i s

H igh ne ss were once allowed to de pa rt , M onarchy

could never more be re-es tabl ished in Brazi l .

D on Pe dro , nev er theless , pre p ar ed to obey the

intim ation ; a nd or de rs w ere give n for the elec

t ion of a J u n ta , into w hose h a n d s the reins of

th e go ve rnm en t w ere to be confided, on his de

p a rtu re . A s soon as th e choice shou ld be made,

he wrote to his father that he would immediately

se t sail for P o rtu g a l. " A ll is a t p re se n t quie t ,"

said his Highness, " s ince the t roops are uni ted

and obedient, al though too few for the service."

The outcry against his departure became,

however, day by day more general ; and this , too,

more especial ly , amongst a class whom none

could accuse of favouring either the cause of in

dep end enc e, or any other inno vat ion whatsoever .

Perhaps the s ingular aspect which the contend

ing factions sud de nly assum ed at this jun ctu re,

h a s seldom, if ever, bee n pa ral le led . W hilst on

the one hand, the C on st i tut ional Po rtugu ese

were disposed to support to the utmost , the late

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cause of the pa triots , un de r the im pression , th a t

they were thus al ike thwart ing the operat ions

of the dem ocrat ic C ortes, an d pre ven ting th e

future establ ishment of a republican government

in Brazil.

In the ci ty of S an P au lo , which is s i tua ted

within a few d ay s ' jou rn ey of Rio de Ja n ei ro ,

and where the patriots were even stronger than

in the metropolis, their operations were also, on

this occasion, more prompt and decisive than

those of their par tiza ns in th at c ity. O n his

receiving the intell igence of the Prince's recall ,

Joze Bonifacio d e A nd rad a e Si lva, the V ice-

presiden t of the Prov incial ju n ta , sum m oned a

meeting of his colleagues at eleven o'clock

at night, and before the y a ga in sep ara ted , su c

ceeded in obtaining their s ign atu res to an ad

dress,

wherein his H igh ne ss w as p lainly told,

that his departure would be the signal for Bra

zil to declare her ind ep en de nc e. " H ow da re

these deput ies of Portugal ," observed the Junta,

in this jus t ly celebrated doc um ent , " w ithou t

waiting for those of Brazil , thus promulgate

laws affecting the most sacred interests of each

province of an entire kingdom

?

Ho w da re they

disme m ber an d subdivide th is kin gd om , into a

number of isolated part icles, possessing no com

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had invested you ? H ow da re the y sn atc h from

B razi l the T ribu na l in s t i tuted for the interpre

tat ion and modificat ion of the laws (desembargo

do paco) ; the one for the general adminis t rat ion

of ecclesiastical affairs (mesa de consciencia e

ordens); the Council of f inance (Conselho de

faze nd a) ; the T r ibu na l of com m erce (Jun ta de

com m ercio) ; the C ourt royal (C asad esu pl icac.ao ) ;

and so m an y other es ta bl i sh m en ts ca lcula ted

for th e pu blic uti l i ty ? T o w ho m a re th e unfor

tun ate pe op le hereaf ter to ad dr ess them selves ,

touch ing thei r econom ical an d jud icia l interes ts?

After ha vin g be en for twelve ye ars accustome d

to pro m pt red ress, will they now u nd er go anew

the delays and the chicanery of the t r ibunals of

Lisbon ? After all the dece itful p ro m ise s of

reciprocal eq ua l i ty an d fratern i ty, can an y one

actually believe in the existence of this vile

stratagem ?"

In this sam e ad dre ss th e proviso th at the

Regent should t ravel through Europe incogni to ,

before he was pe rm it ted to en ter P or tu g al , was

also st igmatized as an insul t which had exci ted

the public indignat ion even more than the out

rage on their affections, committed in the re

moval of the au gu st heir to th e ho us e of B ra-

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HISTORY OF BR AZIL . 6 1

and the e lde st of thr ee b ro th er s, al l of w hom

had enjoyed the advantages of an educat ion in

the college of Co imbra in P o rtu g al ; wh ere h e took

his degree as Doctor in jur isp ru de nc e and

na tural ph i loso ph y. H e afterwa rds t ravel led

during several years in the northern countries of

E uro pe , devot ing himself m eanw hi le to scien

tific researches, the results of which it was his

intent ion to pu blish in B raz i l . O n his re tu rn

to Portugal , he was created Professor of metal

lurg y in Coimbra, and of chem ist ry in L isb o n ;

and on the invasion of Portugal headed a corps

formed from am on g the stu d en ts to repe l the

intrud ers. H av ing , however, at len gth ob tained

the requ isi te au tho ri ty, he retu rne d to B razi l in

1819. A ntonio Ca rlos, the second brother, who

had also taken the degree of Doctor in jurispru

dence and philosophy, had returned from Por

tug al at a m uch earl ier pe riod, an d w as exe r

cising the office of Ouvidor in Pernambuco,

wh en the revolt in 1817 took p la ce . B e in g ar

rested as an acco m plice of the co nsp irators , he

was sent down to Bahia, where he remained in

prison four years, which period he almost exclu

sively em ployed in instruct ing a n um be r of h is

fellow priso ne rs in rheto ric, foreign lan g u a g es ,

an d the elem ents of jud icial scienc e. B ein g

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6 2 H IS T OR Y O F B R A Z I L .

whither he had recently gone for the purpose of

exe rcis ing his funct ions . M art in F ra nc isc o , the

yo un ge st , ha d also ta k e n his de gre e as D octor

of m at h em at ic s ; an d of the en t ire family, i t

m ay be rem ark ed tha t , they were am ongs t the

m ost intel l igent an d talen ted m en in the coun

t ry.

O n the com plet ion of th e ad dr ess to Don

P ed ro , Joze Bonifacio im m ed iately t ransm itted

i t to R io d e Ja n ei ro , w hith er he sho rt ly after

w ar d s p re p a re d to follow it , for th e pu rpo se of

enforcing i ts ar g um en ts in pe rso n. A corres

ponding agi tat ion had in the meant ime evinced

itself in th e prov ince of M in as , w he re similar

proceedings were in progress ; when the inhabi

ta n ts of R io de Ja ne i ro, on b ein g m ad e aware

of what was taking place, addressed themselves

also to the Municipali ty of the city as their only

representat ives; and in a Manifes to, to which

were at tache d u pw ard s of eig ht tho us an d s ig

natures , requested the interference of the Pres i

de nt wi th D on P ed ro , to aver t th e execut ion

of the two late dec rees of th e C orte s. In

accordance with their wishes, Joze Clemento

Pereira, afterwards Minister, waited officially on

the Prince, on the 9th of January 1822, and after

pre sen t ing the M anifesto, proc eed ed to lay be

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exclaimed the orator, in his address, which was

imm ediately afterwards pu blish ed , " th a t your

H ighn ess is st il l ign ora nt of th e ex iste nc e of a

republ ican par ty, disseminated through several ,

if not all , th e p rov ince s of Brazil ? A re no t a

number of the leaders of the explosion in 1817

still in existence ? And if so, are they not men

of energet ic characters , whose ideas are not

l ikely to have ch an ge d? W h a t other opinion

will ap pe ar to the m so well founded as th ei r

own ? Do es not p ublic rumour an no un ce i t as

certain, that even in this city a fraction of their

party has acquired new vigour with the hope of

the de pa rtur e of yo ur H igh n es s? T h a t its efforts

to acqu ire s tren gth , an d to gain con ve rts, a re

unceasing ? A nd th at i t h as lost courage on ly

at the asp ect of the prev ail ing opinion w hich

calls for the residen ce of you r R oy al H ig h n es s in

Rio de Janei ro

?

" Le t B razi l be endow ed with a pro xim ate

ce ntre of union and ac tiv ity ; let he r own a p a rt

of the leg islative, an d a br an ch of th e exe cu

tive power, with competent, extensive, and

liberal at t r ibu tes ; bu t so re gu lated th at ther e

will still be one only legislative, and one only

executive power; one only Cortes, and one only

King; that Portugal and Brazi l may henceforth

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re ign Co ngress t im e to beco m e acq ua inted wi th

the perilous state of affairs here, and to furnish

that assembly wi th the means of becoming ac

qu ainted wi th our pre do m ina nt op inions . Give

the m time to receive the hu m ble rep rese ntat ion s

of this fai thful and const i tut ional people, uni ted

to tho se of th e othe r pr ov inc es . G ive these

provinces le i sure to congregate round that cen

tre of union, w he re i t is in d isp en sa bl e to rally

in ord er to sav e th e co un try . G ive us t ime,

P rin c e , and let us hop e th a t th e fathers of the

country wil l yet l is ten to the aspirat ions of their

chi ldren in Brazi l . "

An immense concourse of people of al l classes

had at tended the Municipal i ty on this occasion,

amongst whom were a number of officers belong

ing to the P o rtu g u es e division, an xio us to wit

ne ss th e res ul t of th e req uisi t ion . After a

pat ient hear ing of the deputa t ion , the Pr ince

final ly thought proper to accede to the general

wish, e x c la im in g — " If i t be for the good of all,

and for the general felicity of the nation, tel l the

people that I wi l l remain "

T h is ex pl ici t de clarat ion gave rise to the m ost

en thus ias t ic dem on st ra t ions of jo y amo ngs t

both pat r io t s an d roy al i s t s . T h e Po r tugu ese

mil i tary, however, soon again evinced .symptoms

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am ounting to two thou san d m en , left the ir q u ar

ters on the evening of the I l t h o f J an ua ry , an d

providing themselves with art i l lery, marched to

the Castello hi ll , w hich com m and ed the en t ire

ci ty. Intel l igen ce of this m ovem ent w as du ring

the nigh t m ad e pub lic, an d e re the following d ay

dawned, the Cam po de S an ta A nn a, a plain abo ut

half a mile distant from the posit ion occupied

by the Po rtug ue se t roops , was crowded wi th

armed men . T h e majority of the se were un dis

ciplined citizens, little fitted to cope with the ve

teran Portuguese, many of whom had fought un

der the Duke of Wel l ington in the Peninsula.

In numbers, however, they were far superior to

their antagonists : they were also well provided

with art il lery, an d an im m edia te conflict a pp ea red

inevitable, when Avilez, pe rplex ed b y this u n

expected opposition, fearful of offending the

Prince, and vaci l lat ing from the circumstance

of his ha vin g no posit ive o rders from th e C orte s,

offered to ca pitu late , on con dition t h a t his sol

diers should be allowed to retain their arms.

This was conceded, provided they would ret i re

to P ra y a G ran de , a vi llage on the opp osi te s ide

of the b a y , un ti l vessels could be prov ided for

their em bark at ion to Lisbo n. T h e rep ea ted

attempts at dictation which this division had

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6 6 H IS T O RY O F B R A Z I L .

the present occas ion, he determined on thus re

m oving them to the m othe r coun t ry . A s H is

Highness promised to become respons ib le to the

Cortes for the consequences of thei r departure,

the P o rtu g u es e finally ac ce pte d the term s, and

crossed over to Praya Grande the same day.

T h e P r in c e h imsel f ab s ta in ed from appear ing

in the Campo, and the Princess , wi th her chi l

d re n , w as se n t for safety to th e R oy al seat

at S a n ta C ruz, ab ou t twelve leag ue s from the

ca pi ta l . T h e fat igue of the jou rn ey , which was

performed wi th great precipi tat ion under a burn

ing sun, unhappi ly proved fatal to the hei r appa

rent, the Prince of Beira, a feeble child of eleven

months old ; who died on the 6th of the following

month .

Prepara t ions were in the meant ime made for

the immedia te embarka t ion of the Por tuguese

t roops in P ra y a G ra nd e. B u t wh en the moment

of de p ar tu re arrived, the y refused to go on board

the t ransports , unt i l the arrival of an expedit ion

w hich w as dai ly ex pe cte d from Lisbo n. I r r i

ta ted at thei r refusal , the Prince s tat ioned him

self in one of the gun-boats , by which the divi

s ion had been prevented from communicat ing

with the ci ty of R io, and th re ate n ed th a t , unless

they immediately embarked, he himself would

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was at once com plied w ith, an d on th e 15th of

February they final ly sai led for Europe.

D urin g the progress of the se ev en ts , Jo ze

Bonifacio had arrived from San Paulo, and had

been elevated by Don Pedro to the office of Mi

nister of the Interior, of Justice, and of Foreign

affairs. O ne of th e first objects of the new P ri m e

Minister was to re-establish that centralization of

the provinces, which the Cortes had almost en

tirely annulled, and which became of necessity

th e m ost effectual safegu ard ag ain st ex ter na l

aggression. W ith this intent a D ec ree was p u b

lished on the 16th of F eb ru a ry , the da y after

the de pa rtur e of th e au xiliary division, dire ct

ing the convocation of a Council of representa

tives ; the m em be rs of wh ich were to be de pu ted

by the electors of all th e va rious pro vinces of

B razil . A ll such as ha d se nt four de pu ties to

the Cortes were to name one for this assembly,

and the others in the sam e propo rt ion. T h e

duties of this convocation were to counsel the

Prince in all affairs of importance ; to insti tute

various pro jects of reform in the ad m inistra tion ,

and to bring forward the claims and exigencies

of the respec tive provinces : th e P rin ce be ing ,

by virtue of the same decree, created i ts Presi

dent .

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C H A P T E R V

Incorporation of the Band a O riental with B razil in 18 21 — P re vi ou s

siege of Mo nte Video — Op erations of Artigas, and invasion of

the disputed province by the Po rtugue se — Ove rthrow of Artigas

— M unicipal Congress — Th reats of Buenos Ayres — De m onstra

tions of the Cortes.

W H I L E

the en t ire king do m of B razi l w as th u s

agitated by internal commotions, the acquisi t ion

of a distant terri tory was apparent ly confirmed

by G eneral Lecor , B aron of L a g u n a ; at wh ose

instance, the Cabildo, or Municipal Congress of

M o n te v id e o , met on the 18th of Ju ly , 1821,

for the purpose of deciding whether the Banda

Oriental should const i tute i tself independent ,

or form a federative union with Brazil : when,

after a prolonged and violent discussion, the

lat ter al ternat ive was agreed to.

In order to have a clear percept ion of the

causes which led to this union, i t will be neces

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7 0 H IS T O R Y O F B R A Z I L .

roys hip of the M ar q u is C isne ros . E l io , the

G ove rnor of M on te V ideo , as w ell as th e Gover

no rs of C on ch as , Cordova, P oto si , C ha rc as , the

Viceroy of Lima, and the ex-Captain-general of

B ue no s A y re s , declared ag ain st th e revolution,

and took u p arm s ag ain s t the insurg ents . W i th

the ex ce ptio n of E l io , the y w ere, however, all

successively overpowered ; and the republicans,

un de r the jo in t com m and of R on de au , a South

A m erican officer, an d A rt ig as , a G au ch o chief

tain , laid sieg e to M on te V ide o. E l io, finding

him self un ab le to m ain tain the ci ty, applied to

the P o rtu g u es e go ve rnm ent in B razi l for suc

cour . F o u r tho us an d m en w ere accordingly

despatched to h i s ass i s tance ; but the Spaniard

having apparent ly become dis t rus t ful of his

new al l ies , short ly afterwards succeeded in

making terms of peace ; whereby i t was agreed

that the republ icans should ret i re f rom the Ban

da O r ienta l , an d the P o r tu g u es e a t the same

t im e return to B raz i l . T h is w as at on ce com

plied w ith by bo th p ar t ie s ; b u t th e t ruc e was

no t of m ore th an twelve m o n th s ' du rat io n. Elio

was superseded by Don G. Vigodet , who arr ived

from Spain wi th reinforcements ; but the re

pu bl ica ns were on the aler t , an d M on te Video

was again besieged by the uni ted forces of Ron

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little principle ; for, in consequence of a quarrel

with R on dea u, he w ithdrew hi s followers, a n d

de spa tche d a letter, which w as interc ep ted , of

fering his services to th e S p a n is h gov ernor of

M onte Video. R ond eau neve rtheless m ain

tained the siege unt i l June, 1814, when the

ci tadel su rren de red : thou gh the repu blican forces

were un ab le to m aintain their conq uest ag ain st

A rt igas, who, und er pre ten ce of aiming at th e

entire indep end enc e of th e province, comm enced

ho stilities ag ain st his old allies . After ha vin g,

therefore, shipped all the art i l lery and stores

to Buenos Ayres, they evacuated the place, and

A rtigas entered i t . T h e pre sen t was a tem pt

ing opportuni ty to the Portuguese government

in Rio de Ja ne iro , wh ich had long coveted the

possession of the B a n d a O rien tal ; an d th e

Q ueen, who was a Sp an ish Prince ss , and s is ter

to Ferdinand VII . , resolved on taking this un

fortunate province und er, wh at w as term ed, he r

m ate rn al protection. So m e trifl ing ag gre ssion s

committed on the frontier of Rio Grande served

as an im m ediate pr ete xt for ho sti li t ies, an d a

force of ten thousand men was accordingly des

patched under the command of General Lecor ;

the principal division of which entered Monte

Video in Jan ua ry 1817, s inging " T e D e u m " for

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7 2 H IS TO R Y O F B R A Z I L .

nu m be r , and th e sub urb s were b u t a h ea p of

b l ackened and c rum bl ing ru i ns . T h e Por

tuguese invasion gave the f inishing stroke to

this work of destruct ion ; even the vi l lages and

set t le m en ts of th e interior w ere for th e most

p a r t des t roye d, a nd the ci ty of M on te Video

was for a t ime reduced to a s tate of dest i tut ion.

The exis t ing government of Buenos Ayres com

plain ed loudly of this inc ursio n into a terri tory

ap pe rta inin g to the i r repu bl ic , bu t to no pur

pose .

T o all the i r rem on stra nc es Ge ne ral Lecor

answ ered, th a t h e had com m it ted no act of in

terference ; the province in quest ion having con

s t i tuted i tself ind ep en de nt .

Art igas himself not only held the plains with

his celeb rated " M on ten ero ," or roving band,

bu t b y giving th e san ct io n of his au tho ri ty to

every pira te who chose to pre y on the Portu

guese, he almost annihi lated thei r coast ing t rade

with the sou thern prov ince s. O n lan d also,

though at present he ret i red before the invaders,

he co ntin ue d to ca rry on a gu eril la w ar of four

y e a r s '

cont inuance; during the course of which

he m ade an a t tac k on Bue nos A yr es , invaded

E n tre R ios , exci ted a revolt in S a n ta Fe , and

com m itted m an y flagrant ou trag es in P a ra g u a y .

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forces, into Paraguay ; where he was seized and

retained a prisoner by the Dictator Doctor

Francia.

H avin g thu s got rid of his m ost da ng ero us

enemy, Lecor laid the proposal for the incorpo

ration of the lon g-disp uted p rovince w ith th e

kingdom of Braz i l, before th e M un icipal C on

gress. M an y of the m em be rs of this bo dy w ere

at the time holding public offices, and others

had received honorary decorations, from the

government of Rio de Ja ne i ro . T h ey were,

therefore, neither impartial arbitrators, nor were

they in reali ty invested with attributes for any

such decision. T h e m ajority ne ve rtheles s ga ve

their votes in favour of th e incorporation ; a n d

the decision does n ot ap p ea r to ha ve m et w ith

any opposit ion on the p ar t of the in h a b ita n ts .

Exhausted by civi l war, abandoned by their re

publican compatriots , esteeming themselves too

weak to maintain thei r own independence, and

distracted b y co nten din g factions, even foreign

supremacy appeared preferable to perpetual

anarchy.

In Rio de Janeiro the event was hai led as a

decisive t r ium ph . T he principle " tha t m an k in d

are nei ther the property, nor the heri tage of any

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7 4 H ISTO R Y O F BRA ZIL .

the point of the bayonet could be considered as

a free ch oice . I t was also urg ed thro ug h the

sam e m edium , th at the r iver P la ta formed the

na tur al bou nd ary of B ra z i l ; w i thou t it s ever oc

curr ing to the sa ga ci ty of the se reas on ers , that

if once the pr in ciple of na tu ra l bo un da ries were

ackn ow ledged , the sm al l s t r ip of lan d denomi

nated Por tugal , might wi th equal jus t ice be

cla imed by Spain .

T h e B ueno s A yre an s , who h ad h i ther to ab

stain ed from all interfe ren ce , no w m ost vehe

m en tly de clared a g ain st this secession of territory,

and thei r government openly s tated i t s intent ion

of a ga in res torin g at al l r i sk s th e integ ri ty of

the un i ted provinces of the re pu bl ic . Th e

Cortes of Lisbon were also far from regarding the

proceedings of General Lecor wi th unmixed

sat isfact ion. In th e first in sta n c e th ey appeared

to approve of w ha t h e h ad d o n e ; b ut as they

deem ed i t jud icio us pol icy to w ea ke n Brazi l,

while reinforcing the m othe r co u ntr y , th ey short ly

afterw ards evinced a w il l ingn ess to ab an do n

M on te V ideo to i ts fate, in c as e th a t S pa in would

in return give up O live nc a. T h is tow n, which

is s i tuated on the front ier of Estremadura, ori

ginal ly ap pe rtaine d to Po rtug al , an d ha d been

ceded to Spain by the t reaty of Badajoz, in

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five thousand inh ab itan ts , an d w as stro ng ly for

t ified, the Portuguese were naturally anxious to

recover possession of it.

The inhabi tants of Rio de Janei ro, and more

particularly the roy alists, received no tice of th e

intentions of the C ortes w ith co nsid era ble im

pat ience. Th ey were indign ant beyo nd m eas ure

th at a ferti le and exten sive province should th u s

be balanc ed aga inst a pa l t ry tow n; and the y uni

versally exclaimed, that neither patriotism, nor

religion, nor hu m an ity, would allow them th u s

to desert a people who had voluntarily sought

their protec tion. I t is no t im po ssible, how ever,

but the prospective advantages which were ex

pected to res ult from the possession of M on te

Video, m ay have ha d some influence in th us aw a

kening their phi lanthrop y. W ere M onte Video

to be ceded to Spain, i t appeared probable that

the exclusive system would again be enforced;

and not only would Brazil be thus deprived of all

communication with the city in question, but the

commercial intercourse with the Uruguay and

the Parana, would be henceforth held by a very

precarious ten ure . In prop ortion, therefore, to

the willingness of the C ortes to ced e this ter ri

tory, the g enera l wish of B raz il to reta in it

natural ly increased; and hence arose another

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7 6


C H A P T E R V I .

Demeanour of the Portuguese members of the Cortes towards the Bra

zilian D e p u tie s— Arrival of the squ adro n for the conveyance of

the Prince — Journey of his Highness to Villa Rica — Prohibition

of the exp ortation of arm s to Brazil by the Po rtugu ese Government

— Acc eptation of the t i tle of " P e rp e tu a l Prote ctor and Defender

of Bra zil" by Do n Pe dro — D ecre e for the convocation of a Con

sti tuent Assem bly — Or der to Genera l M ad eira to embark for

Po rtug al — Manifesto of the first of A ugu st, 1822.— Com mence

ment of hostil it ies in Bahia— Ejection of the Portu gue se troops

from Perna m buc o— Jou rney of Do n Pe dro to San Pau lo, and

declaration of independence—All dissentients subjected to banish

men t—E lect ion of D on Ped ro as Em pero r— State and prospects

of the new Empire, and its Administration.

NOTWITHSTANDING

th e dissat isfact ion w hich had

been caused throughout the American port ion

of the kingdom by thei r previous measures , the

Cortes of Lisbon were st i l l pursuing their legis

lative care er , un ch an ge d ei ther by the sp read of

l iberal opinion s, or b y the curr en t of ev en ts . A

number of the Brazi l i an Deput ies had been in

structed by their co ns t i tue n ts to s t i p u la te for

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minded by thei r Portuguese col leagues , that

Brazil ha d m ade oa th to th e C on sti tution of th e

Co rtes; and tha t it was therefore inc um be nt up on

her to adopt i t , whatever might be the principle

on which i t was con struc ted . T h e D ep u tie s for

Portugal amounted to more than one hundred

and t h ir ty ; those for B razi l to seven ty only, an d

of these seventy not more than fifty ever arrived

in Lisbon. Th eir num ber was con sequ ently

too small to exercise any powerful influence on

th e decisions of the asse m bly . T h e y w ere ever

in the minori ty; and the demonstrat ions of con

tem pt to which they were perp etua l ly subjected,

were even more mortifying than their repeated

defeats . O ne of them , nam ed M inez Ta va re s,

requested a decree for the formation of an Uni

versity in B ra z i l ; w hen he w as told in rep ly,

that a few infant schools would be more appro

priate . O thers , whose sent imen ts were kn ow n

to be opposed to those of the majority, were by

the clamours of the galleries frequently prevent

ed from obtaining a hearing; and of the remain

der, a few were trea ch ero us ly unfaithful to their

trust .

O n the su bject of free tr ad e, the ir rep res en

tations were even more fruitless than in behalf of

their personal l ibert ies . I n the ent ire ch am be r,

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and he was regarded by his col leagues as a

dreaming theorist , ut terly out of the pale of al l

a rgumen t . T he practical men ei ther passed

over his exposi t ions in contemptuous s i lence, or

t r iu m p ha nt ly referred him to the successful policy

pursued in former days by the Marquis de Pom-

ba l .

E ve n ha d the sp rea d of intel ligence been

m ore ge ne ral am on g the C orte s , i t m ay be

doubted whether they could have acted wi th

more l ibera l i ty . T h e bulk of the Portuguese

nat ion wa s decide dly op po sed to an y material

concess ions to Brazi l ; and an assembly con

st i tuted as the Cortes of Lisbon were, could not

long have acted in opposi t ion to the popular

voice. O n rece iving inte l l ige nc e of the disor

ders in Ba hia , a com m it tee w as appointed by

th e Co rtes to del ib era te up on th e pro priety of

al lowing the Prince to remain abroad unti l

t ranq uil l i ty could be resto red . A bo ut the same

time i t w as also de cid ed th a t th e m arin e aca

dem y in Rio, wh ich th ey ha d previously sup

pres sed , should be m ain tain ed ; b u t this wise

and conciliatory l ine of conduct was evinced far

too late to be of any service in checking the

revolut ion already in progress.

The squadron dest ined for the conveyance of

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t ire obedience to th e will of th e P rin ce . T h is

was finally done, and after having been fur

nished with such stores an d su pp lies as w ere

deemed needful, the fleet was again despatched

to Po rtug al on the 24th of the sam e m on th. S ix

hundred men were, however, engaged to remain

in the service of B razil . — " I have foun d," re

m arked D on P ed ro , w hen w ri ting on this topic

to the K ing, " t h a t these ar ran gem ents are

useful on two accounts; first , because they have

furnished Brazil with soldiers, who, when the

period of their service is completed, will become

excellent labourers ; and secondly, because they

have served to evince that there is no hatred

felt towards the Po rtug ue se. B y this ex pe die nt

I have endeavoured to t ighten the bonds which

unite us to the m other co un try." In the avowal of

these sent iments there appears no reason what

ever to suspect the sincerity of the Prince.

Tho ugh prepa red to proclaim the independ ence

of Brazil, in case this step should afterwards be

come nec essary for the m ain ten an ce of h is au

thority the re, he w as e xe m pt from all feelings

of hostility to P o rtu ga l, a nd wo uld w illingly

have maintained the exist ing union between the

two countries , had this been any longer pract i

cable.

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8 0 H IS T OR Y O F B R A Z I L .

visional go ve rnm en t in wh ich ci ty h ad refused

to acknowledge the author i ty of the Pr ince; of

whose intent ions they were as yet distrustful .

His unexpected presence proved, however , suff i

cien t to resto re the ir co nfid en ce ; an d in the course

of a few d a y s, he w as en ab le d to re tu rn to Rio

de Ja n e iro , in the full as su ra n ce of ha ving en

tirely er a d ic at ed all ge rm s of disaffection.

Affairs in th e me trop olis w ere , in th e mean

t ime , as su m in g a m ore seriou s as pe ct . A n of

ficial notification had arrived, wherein the

government of Portugal not only di rected i t s

Consuls in foreign ports to prevent the exporta

t ion of ei ther arm s or am m u nit io n to i ts Trans-

At lant ic provinces , but also threatened that ,

w he re th e pro hib i t ion w as elu de d, confiscation of

both ship and cargo should take place on thei r

arrival . T h is not if ication w as regarded as

equ ivalen t to a dec lara t ion of w ar, an d the. Mu

nicip al i ty ca m e in a b o d y to su pp licate the

Prince to accept at thei r hands the t i t le and at

t r ibutes of " P e rp e tu a l Pr ote cto r an d Defender

of B ra zi l ." I n acc or da nc e with the ir wishes

he ins tan t ly did s o ; an d on th e 13th of M ay,

the bi r th-day of the King of Portugal , the event

w as celebrated b y gre at pu bl ic rejoicings . Th e

patr iot par ty were more especial ly amongst the

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Brazil an indepen dent legislature. E x pe rie n ce

had made them fully aware that no good govern

m ent could be an ticipa ted from th e C or tes of

Lisbon, and they were impatient for the organi

zation of a Chamber, the members of which

being exclusively chosen from among their fel

low countrymen, would naturally have for their

chief object th e welfare of B raz il. N o sooner,

therefore, had they accomplished the first step,

tha n m easures were tak en for the imm ediate ful

filment of the se co nd ; and on the 20th of the sam e

month the Municipali ty, many of whom were in

fluenced by similar op inions on th is po int to tho se

of the patriots, again marched to the Palace, at

tended by a large assemblage of cit izens, where

they presented a petit ion to H is H igh ne ss, for th e

speedy convocation of an ind ep en de nt legisla

tive cham ber; whose office it shou ld be to de

liberate in public session, on the conditions

which should henceforth co ntinu e to un ite B raz il

to P or tu g al ; and to m ak e such al terat ions and

am end m ents in the Co nst itution, as m igh t be

deemed necessary.

Do n Ped ro replied to the dep utat ion, th at h e

would be guided by the will of the various pro

vinces, as expressed by the Council of represen

tatives already decreed; which body was accord

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first act was to declare their own incompetence,

and to requ es t an ind ep en de nt l egi s la ture . This

req uisi t ion , wh ich w as se co nd ed b y the entire

ca bin et , was in co ns eq ue nc e acc ed ed to . A de

cree for th e cr ea tion of a co n sti t u e n t an d legis

lat ive Assembly was issued in the course of the

sam e da y, and th e P rin c e , in his address to the

cou ncil , assu red i ts m em be rs tha t this was the

happiest moment of his l i fe, s ince the assembly

m u st ne ce ssa ri ly pro m ote th a t felicity of the peo

ple , w hich w as his only de sire . H is enthusiasm

be in g at leng th exci ted in th e ca us e,— " I t is ne

c e ss a ry ," he ob serve d in h is correspondence,

" th a t Brazi l shou ld h av e h er own legislature:

this opinion becomes dai ly more general . With

ou t this leg isla tur e sh e can kn ow no felicity.

Laws made at a distance, by individuals who

are ne i ther B raz i l ians , no r ac q ua in ted with the

w an ts of B razil , ca n n o t b e go od. B razil is in

he r ad olesce nce , an d is eve ry d ay developing

new vigour. W h a t is a p p ro p ri a te for her to-day

will no lon ge r be so to-m or ro w , a s it will then

be useless, and a new necessi ty wil l be experi

enc ed. S h e is b es t ac qu ain ted w ith her own

wan t s ,

and i t is a bs u rd to re ta in h er longer in

dep ende nce on ano ther he m isp he re . A s I have

already said, she ought to have her own Legisla

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maintaining an union which must otherwise

shortly cea se. W itho ut eq ua lity of rig hts the re

can be no un ion. No one un ites him self in so

ciety with the view of injuring his condition,

and the strongest party ought certainly to know

how to pro tect h is own rig h ts. B ra z il will a t

least pro tect he rs, and I myself will su sta in them

with m y blood. D eig n , S ire , to order th a t th is

letter be presented to the Cortes."

During the same month His Highness also

despatched an order to G en eral M adeira, com

m and ing him to em ba rk with all his troop s

for Lisbon ; and at the same time forwarded an

address to the inh ab itants of Ba hia , com m end

ing them for the opposition which they had

made to this comm ander. Th is m an da te, how

ever, m et with l i tt le atten tion. D on P e d ro pro

mised to become responsible to the government

of Portugal, but Madeira refused to move with

out the sanction of the Cortes. T h is refusal,

and the intelligence that the Cortes, offended

beyond m easure by the return of the squ ad ron

from Rio de Janeiro, were on the point of send

ing out a more efficient force, at len gth ind uce d

the R eg en t to adop t a bolder line of policy. A

M anifesto, dated A ugust the lst ,182 2, was acco rd

ingly published, wherein H is H igh ne ss , wh ile e x

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the grea t work of the i r ind ep en de nc e. This

interes t ing document , which was in real i ty wri t

ten by Ledo, one of the members of the Council

of Representa t ives , though abounding in exag

g er ate d de cla m atio n, w as on th e wh ole not ill

adapted to capt ivate the people to whom i t was

ad dres sed . T h e op enin g pa ssa ge , which was

ta k en en t ire from a pro clam ation published in

F ra n c e d u rin g th e t im e of th e revolut ion, com

menced in the fol lowing prophet ic s t rain. "The

t im e for deceiving m a n k in d is pa st . T h e Govern

m e n ts w hic h sti l l w ish to found the ir power on

th e al leged ign ora nc e of th e pe op le, or on an

cient errors and abuses, are dest ined to see the

colossus of their greatness hurled down from

the fragi le base on which i t has been erected."

A D ecree w as also issue d on th e same day,

whereby al l t roops quartered in Brazi l without

the permission of Don Pedro, were declared

enemies; and an order was given for the fortifica

tion of the p o rts . A t th e sam e tim e, to avoid

every ap pe ar an ce of ho st i l i ty, i t w as in the same

inst rument declared that the commercial and

amicable relat ions exis t ing between the two

coun tr ies should rem ain un al te red . T his was

followed b y a jus tific ato ry M an ifesto , add ressed

to al l the various nat ions and governments with

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H ISTO RY O F BRAZIL.

85

doubtless aver to you : the fault rests solely

with

circumstances

." At the same time, however,

His Highness did not hesitate to bestow on the

Cortes, who, in addition to their m isgo ve rnm en t

of Brazil, had acted with but little consideration

towards Do n Jo h n , a series of epith ets m ore dis

tinguished by their force th an the ir pr op rie ty.

Th is assembly ha d certainly bu t few claim s on

his grati tude. A s though repe nta nt of the wil

lingness to concession evinced during the early

pa rt of the year, they h ad since decided upo n the

indictment of such of the members of the Junta

of San Paulo, as had signed the petition for the

stay of the P ri n c e ; they had also declared th e

nullity of the Decree conv oking a Council of R e

presentatives ; and had finally de sp at ch ed a force

of fifteen hundred men for the reinforcement of

General Madeira in Bahia.

T his exped ition arrived at i ts de stination in

the month of August, about the same time that

a Brazilian squadron, despatched from Rio for

the purpose of expel l ing the Portuguese t roops,

also made i ts ap pe ara nc e the re. L ab atu l , the

Brazil ian Gen eral , nev ertheless, disem ba rked his

troops on the coast without opposition, and suc

ceeded in un iting his de tach m en t to the na tive

force which had maintained itself in the interior

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8 6 H ISTO RY O F BRA Z IL .

t ia t ions were af terwards entered into, but wi th

out success, and host i l i t ies f inal ly commenced.

The divis ion of Madeira comprised al together no

more tha n three tho us an d reg ula r t roops , and

about two thousand mi l i t i a ; composed pr inci

pal ly of Portuguese, devoted to the cause of the

m othe r-co un t ry . T h e B razi l i ans were about

eight tho us an d, and th ei r n um be rs increased

da i ly . T h e y w ere, how ever , qu i te un able to

cope wi th the discipl ined t roops of Madeira;

and though they made repeated a t tacks on the

city, th e suc ces sful all ies of th e ga rriso n as fre

quently compelled them to ret i re with consider

able loss.

In Pernambuco, where the sp i r i t of inde

pe nd en ce w as stron ge r than in a n y other city of

Brazi l , the patriots were more fortunate, as they

succeeded in ejecting the lately arrived division

of " Const i tut ional t roops," by means of nego

tiation alone ; an d, on th e co m ple tion of this im

po rtant s tep , se n t down a d ep uta t ion to Rio de

Janeiro for the purpose of s ignifying their adhe

s ion to the Regent .

The final declarat ion of ent ire independence

and separation from Portugal , was in the mean

t im e has ten ed by th e de sp atc he s t ransm i tted

to D on Pe dro by his R o y al father . A t the pe

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had taken place between the A nd rad a family

and Oy enhausen, the Pre side nt of the prov i

sional Ju nta , and w hich ha d term ina ted in th e

expulsion of M artin Fran cisc o from th a t cit y .

T he P rince left Rio on the 14th of A ug us t, after

investing the Princess Royal with the Presi

dency, and the M inistry and Council of R ep res en

tatives with the administration of affairs during

his absence. Previously, however, to his arriva l

at his destination, w hither h e w en t b y way of

Santos, he was put in possession of letters from

the King of Portugal, which had the instan

taneous effect of inducing him to declare the

entire independence, in such a decided and

explicit manner, as to render all retrograde

measures utterly impracticable.

It was on the 7th of September, 1822, on the

margin of the Ypiranga, a small stream near

the city of San Paulo, that he thus finally com

plied with what had long been the warmest

wish of every enligh tened B raz ilian, an d from

this day the independence of the country has

since held its official da te . I t w as in th e eyes

of all the civilized world a memorable circum

stance, and must ever form an epoch in the his

tory of th e tran s-a tlan tic world. I t w as on e of

those great events regarding which men look

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A m erican inde pe nd en ce, and the universa l en

thus iasm in h i s favour knew no bounds .

Sc arce ly ha d th e cere m on y be en concluded,

before H is H ig h n es s ag ain de pa rted for Rio de

Janeiro, where he arrived on the 15th of the

sam e m on th , ha ving performed th e in tervening

jo u rn e y in less t ime th a n i t w as ever know n to

have been executed before ; and on the evening

of his arr ival appeared in the Theatre wi th a

badge on h i s arm bear ing the mot to " Independ

ence or death

/" T h e se tran sa ct io ns were such

as could no longer leave any doubt regarding the

future inten t ions of the P ri n c e . T h e proximity

of his access ion to the throne became apparent

to all , an d i t , therefo re, cr ea te d b u t l i t t le su rprise,

w he n, on the 21st of S ep tem be r , a Proclam at ion

was issued by the Municipal i ty , declar ing, that

it w as the ir in ten tio n to fulfil th e m an ifes t wish of

the people, in solemnly proclaiming Don Pedro

" Const i tut ional E m p er o r of B r a z i l " on the 12th

of the October following.

A Decree signed by Joze Bonifacio, with the

rubric of the P ri n c e , w as also m a d e publ ic on

the same day, wherein i t was enacted, that al l

the Portuguese who were wi l l ing to embrace the

popular cause should manifest the same by the

adoption of a badge similar to that borne by the

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leave the country within four months, and those

resident in the maritime cities w ithin two m o n th s,

from the period of the promulgation of the pre

sent decree ; and that if any one should hence

forth attack the sacred cause of Brazil, either by

words or writing, he should incur the full penal

ties imposed on high treason.

The 12th of October, the birth-day of the

Prince, being appointed for his formal recogni

tion, the functionaries of the Court, the munici

pal authorities, the troops, and an immense

concourse of people, were early in attendance,

and the ceremony took place in the Campo de

San ta An na, where His High ness publicly de

clared th at he accepted the title of C on stitu

tional Emperor of Brazil, from the conviction

that it was conferred on him by the will of the

people. At the same time he stated th a t he

would accept, and put in force, the Constitution

which might shortly be expected from the Con

stituent an d Legislative A sse m bly ; provided that

this document were worthy of himself and of

Brazil. Th e troops then fired a sa lute , a nd

the city was illuminated in the even ing . T h e

final solemnity of the Coronation w as po stpon ed

until the 1st of December.

Don Pedro was at this period still young, and

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beaut i ful, yet her kin d ne ss of h ea r t an d her

unassuming manners were such as to endear

h er to all aro un d he r ; an d a lon g a n d bril liant

future app eared to aw ai t the h a p p y M onarch.

U nd er a mo re econom ical m an ag em en t , the s ta te

of the f inances had been gradual ly ameliorated,

and the la te ap po intm en t of M ar t in Francisco ,

th e br oth er of th e chief M inister , to the super

in tendence of th i s depar tment , gave hopes that

i t would henceforward meet with an honest and

efficient ad m in istra t io n. T h e ci t ies of Bahia,

M ar an ha m , P a ra , an d M onte Video were still

held by P or tug ue se t roop s , sup po rted by a nu

m erou s and w el l -appo inted sq ua dro n ; but , as it

will sho rt ly ap pe ar , th e en er gy an d foresight of

Joze Bon ifacio ha d alre ad y p rovide d adequate

means for their speedy and effectual expul

sion.

I t may cer tainly be urged, that there was

neither any privileged class of nobili ty whose

interest i t was to form a barrier around the

Emperor, and to protect him in the face of mal

ad m inis tra tion , how ever flagrant; no r we re the

Clergy ei ther placed in ci rcumstances , or in

fluenced by conv ict ions, in d u ci n g th em to preach

the theo ry of the " divine r ig h t ; " ye t public

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favour, and had he governed with even common

prudence, he might have been completely suc

cessful in strengthening and consolidating his

newly constituted authority.

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9 2

HISTORY OF BR A ZIL .

C H A P T E R V I I .

Further

dfs.TVA

of the Co rtes of Lisb on — R et ur n of the Brazilian

0<r[;ut«:s — (XhtH M-A of the A nd rad a M inistry , and their arbitrary

i i U:y

- fji>.ser.-//ti>. in tlie C a b in e t— D e p o rt at io n of Ledo , and

tinvAuU'/tj of rhft M asonic Lo dges — Co ronation of D on P edro —

New Order of Knighthood— Sequ estrat ion of Portuguese property

— Ov ertures to Lord C och rane — Eng agem ent of British seamen,

and organization of a battalion of foreigners — Incorporation of the

Imperial Guard of Honour—Lord Cochrane's operat ions off Bahia

— Portugue se aban donm ent of Bahia — Cap tain Grenfell 's opera

tions at P ar a — D ea th of Pris on ers from suffocation — Lord

Coc hrane 's seizure of Po rtugu ese prope rty at Ma ran ha m , and re-

tu.Ti to Rio.

D U R I N G

th e co urse of th e foregoing events, the

C orte s of Lisb on h ad , in a D ec re e dated the

19th of S ep tem be r, 1822, de clare d : —

First , That the decree of the 3rd of June,

convoking a const i tuent assembly in Brazi l was

illegal.

Second, That the Minis ter , or Minis ters , who

sig ne d t h at dec re e, w ere resp on sible for i ts ille

gal i ty, and should be indicted accordingly.

Th ird, T h a t the gov ernm ent of S an Pau lo, in

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HISTORY OF BR AZIL. 9 3

voluntary obedience to its a uth or ity should be

accounted criminal.

Fourth, T ha t the power existing in th e h a n d s

of the Prin ce should b e com mitted to a R eg en cy ,

nominated in Lisbon.

Fifth, Th at, unless the P rin ce em barked for

Lisbon, within the space of a month from the

receipt of this decree, he should be excluded

from the throne of Portugal.

Sixth, That every mili tary commander volun

tarily obeying the actual government of Rio de

Janeiro, should be accounted a traitor.

Seventh, That the Government should em

ploy all the means in its power for the enforce

ment of these resolutions.

In addition to these fulminations, another De

cree, dated October the 3rd, was also issued, in

the name of the King, whereby all the festivities

customarily held on the birth-day of the Prince

were prohibited.

It is needless to say, that nearly all the Bra

zilian Deputies voted in opposition to these

ordinances, bu t their voices were drowned in th e

clamours of the majority. In su lts an d thr ea ts

were also continually heaped upon them by the

pop ulace; and now that an arm ed struggle ap

peared inevitable, seven of their number, the

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22nd of O ctobe r , th ey pu bl is he d a solemn de

claration of the motives which had forced them

thus to deser t the Cortes , and to qui t Lisbon.

The Andrada Minis t ry , meanwhi le , cont inued

to m ain tain them selve s at t h e he ad of the

G overnm ent in R io de Ja n e i r o : ye t though

Brazi l owed her independence, and Don Pedro

h is cro w n, chiefly to the ir ex er tion s, ye t i t

must be confessed that thei r subsequent ad

minis t ra t ion cannot be by any means exempted

from ce ns ure . T h ei r views w ere comprehen

sive,

an d thei r inten t ion s pat r iot ic , bu t tha t im

pat ient and ambi t ious spi r i t , which had incl ined

the m to rep ub l ica n p r in cip les du ring the colonial

bo nd ag e of the i r c ou ntry , now rendered them

arbitrary and intolerant on their accession to

pow er. O n th e ex pu ls ion of M art in Francisco

from the ci ty of S a n P a u lo , u pw ar ds of thirty

individuals , principal ly people of considerat ion,

were also banished, as opponents to indepen

dence ; and am on gst th is nu m be r were several

who,

from former feuds, were the personal ene

mies of the Andrada fami ly ; a c i rcumstance

tending to s tamp the whole t ransact ion wi th the

despicable spiri t of revenge for private injury.

M any others were also a rre s te d in Rio de

Jan eiro , un de r pr etex t of al leged conspiracies ,

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absolute regime of Don John, and in several of

the decrees issued for the apprehension of indi

viduals accounted hostile to the national cause,

it was, with utte r disregard to th e es tab lish ed

law, enacted that the crim inals should be pu

nished with all the rigour which the peace and

security of the state should seem to require.

One only Journal, the " Correio de Rio de Ja

neiro," presumed to censure their acts ; and on

the 21st of October, its Editor was unex

pectedly summoned to the Police Office, where

he was compelled to sign a document, binding

himself

to

discontinue his publication, and to

leave the states of Brazil in one of the first

vessels sailing thence.

The A ndrad as were not, however, long pe r

mitted to enjoy their supremacy unmolested.

Ledo,

the individual who had pen ned the M an i

festo of the 1st of A ugust, after ha ving ob tained

the co-operation of Joze Clem enti Pe re ira, a Por

tuguese by birth, whose services in behalf of the

popular cause have already been alluded to, had,

on the proclamation of the independence, made

an effort to supplant the Andradas in the favour

of Don Ped ro, by causing H is H ighn ess to be

declared Emperor in all the Masonic lodges

of the metropolis; with a proviso that he should

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at once seen by the Andradas , and adroi t ly de

feated . T a k in g ad va nta ge of the c lau se , where

by the Pr ince was requi red to adopt any Con

s t i tu t ion which the Assembly might f rame, how

ever dem ocrat ic i t s ten de nc y, th ey endeavoured to

brand Ledo and h i s col leagues as Republ icans ,

assum ing th e guise of M o n a rc h is t s ; and hence

arose a series of dissensions, which at length

reac he d suc h a h eig ht , th a t on th e 28th of Oc

tober , the A n d ra d a s sen t in the i r res ign at ion.

N o soon er, ho w ever, w ere th e y ou t of office,

th a n from th e violent ex ert io ns of their part izans,

and the tumul ts of the people, His Majesty was

induced to recal them to the Cabinet , which they

persisted in refusing to re-enter, unless their op

po ne nts , an d ce r tain o ther obno xious individuals ,

were im m ed iately b an ish ed . T o this arbitrary

m ea su re D on P ed ro finally as sen ted . Ledo and

h is followers were ex iled forthw ith ; an d the two

br oth ers on th e seco nd da y after their resigna

t ion were reinstated, to the great apparent sat is

faction of the populace, who drew the carriage

of Jo z e B onifacio into town in t r ium ph . The

pa pe rs and doc um ents app er ta in ing to the Ma

sonic ass oc iat ion s in q ue st ion, were subse

q u en tly se ize d; seve ral of their m em bers were

p u t up on th e ir trial on frivolous p re te x ts ; and

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body than the party of Ledo, they proceeded

to organize a new secret S ociety, un der th e nam e

of the "Apostalado," with the ri tes, and, incon

gruous as it may appear, with some of the de

nominations of the Carbon ari of It a ly . T h is

Institution , which had for its object to c ou nte rac t

the efforts of the M aso ns , an d to confirm M on

archy in Brazil, under the principles adopted

in Europe, and which subsequently received

within its bosom nearly all the Deputies of the

Consti tuent Assembly, became in the hands of

the Andradas a powerful instrument of domina

tion. A t the same tim e a F ria r of the nam e of

Sampayo, a man of talent, was charged on the

part of the society with the management of a

journal entitled the " R eg u lad o r," intende d to

vindicate the principles of their Institution, and

to promulgate the doctrines above mentioned.

Notwithstanding this apparent success in the

political schemes of the Ministry, not only were

m any pa rtizans a lienated by the closing of the

M asonic Lodges, but the ap preh en sions of the

patriots were aroused. T h e po pu larity of the

Cabinet beg an rap idly to d ecline, an d m an y

schemes were formed on the part of its oppo

nents,

for the purpose of effecting the ejec tion

of the Ministry.

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br ate d by gr ea t fest ivi t ies an d rejoicings. The

enthusiasm of several of the patriots is never

theless sa id to ha ve been som ew ha t dam ped by

the unexpected promulgat ion of a Decree , da ted

on the same day, in which His Majesty stated,

" t h a t be ing des i rous to au gm en t w i th h is Im

perial munif icence the means of remunerat ing

th e services ren de re d to him , he h ad , in con

formity with the constant pract ice of the au

gu st M on arc hs his pre de ce sso rs , determined to

found a new O rd er of K n igh tho o d, to be deno

m i n a t e d , The Order of the Crusader."

This unexpected resumption of a feudal usage,

the un for tun ate re su l ts of w hic h had been so

fully exemplified since its adoption in Brazil,

du ring th e prec edin g reign , natural ly became

prod uct ive of mu ch dis sat is fac t ion ; more espe

cially among all such of the patriots as were in

cl ined to rep ub lican pr inc iple s. In th e provinces

of the north this was even more apparent than

in R io d e J a n e i r o ; an d a pa m ph let was there

pu bl ish ed , de no m inate d an " A na lys is of the De

cree of the 1st of D e c em b e r," w herein the author

co nte nd ed , th a t al l such services as those alluded

to in the document in quest ion, were rendered to

the nat ion rather than to the Emperor; and that

consequently, al l decrees for their recompense

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HISTORY OF BRAZIL. 99

hitherto been done by the new A dm in istr ati on ;

and it appears beyond a doub t th a t it ten de d

materially to augment the disaffection existing

both in Bahia and Pernambuco to the still un-

cemented authority of His Imperial Majesty.

Th e exterior relation s of the coun try w ere ,

however, still the paramount object with the

public as well as with the Adm inistration ; and

the necessity of expelling the Portuguese forces

from all the various points of the empire of

which they still held possession, having already

met with the timely attention of Joze Bonifacio,

by a Decree dated the 11th of D ece m ber, all

property in Brazil belonging to Portuguese sub

jects, was seque strated. T he M arine force

was also augmented, and overtures were made

to Lord Cochrane, at this time residing on his

estate at Q uintera, in Chili, to ta k e th e com

mand of a Brazilian squadron . T h is h is Lord

ship agreed to do, on the same term s as thos e

on which he had already comm anded the C hilia n

Fleet; with the further proviso, that the sum

of sixty thousand dollars, owing to him by the

Chilian Government, should be defrayed by the

Emperor, in case his Lordship should render

services to Brazil.

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1 0 0 H IS T O RY O F B R A Z I L .

was entered in to wi th un ex am pled enthus iasm ;

al l the unemployed vessels of the Government

were fi t ted out for war; and the only seventy-

four whose t im b er s w ere ju d g e d to be sound,

w as in a m a n n e r re -b ui l t . I t w as, however,

found ut te rly im po ssible to eq ui p the se vessels

wi th nat ive seamen, the coast ing t rade having

be en hi th erto c arrie d on exclu sively by Portu

gu ese ; an d orders w ere co nse qu en t ly sent to

Fel isber to Brant , who had been appointed Bra

zil ian C h ar g e d'Affaires in L on do n, to engage a

n u m b e r of both officers an d se am en , on terms

high ly ad va ntag eo us to th e p ar t ies . Th e Mili

tar y es ta bl ish m en t w as also augm ented, and on

the 8th of January a Decree was issued for the

organizat ion of a bat tal ion of foreigners.

About the same t ime, the formation of a body

guard of yeomanry, ent i t led the Imperial Guard

of H o no u r, w as effected, th e m em be rs of which

were selected at the pleasure of the Emperor,

from amongst the youth of the principal families

in R io . B y th e term s of th is Ins t i tut ion , which

was productive of a far greater sensation in the

metropolis than the decree of the 1st of Decem

be r, al l th e ind ividu als sele cte d w ere, whatever

might be thei r pr inciples , required to take an

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HISTORY OF BRAZIL. 1 0 1

pledges in behalf of the sentiments of their

connexions.

A series of events was, however, on the point

of occurring, which for a time, at le as t, turned

all the speculations of the public in a very dif

ferent direction. Lord Cochrane arrived in R io

on the 21st of M arch , 1823, on which day he

entered the port with some officers in a brig,

afterwards named the Bahia, and immediately

hoisted his flag on board the line-of-battle sh ip

the Pedro Primeiro, as first Admiral of Brazil.

On the 29th of the same month, the port of

Bahia was declared in a state of blockade; and

fortunately, a number of officers and seamen

arrived at this juncture from England, in the

English merchant vessel the L ind say , and en

abled his Lordship to p u t to sea on th e 3rd of

April, with the following squadron :—

Pedro Primeiro, 74 guns

P ira nga - 46 ,,

M aria de Gloria, 32 „

Liberal 22 ,,

and

two

vessels intended as fire-ships. T here ye t

remaining in port, to join as soon as ready, the

Paraguas su, 42 guns, and N itheroy of 36. This

latter vessel having joined the squ adron on th e

29th of April, the coast of Bahia w as discovered

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1 0 2 H IS T O R Y O F B R A Z I L .

armed, and as effective as frigates, four corvettes,

two br igs , an d two sm aller craft . T h e disparity

of force was great , yet Lord Cochrane imme

diately bore down, broke their l ine, and the

act ion became general for some t ime; when a

ci rcu m stanc e occurred on b oa rd the Pedro Pr i

meiro, which compel led his Lordship to bear

aw ay w ith his ve sse ls, followed b y the enemy's

two frigates C on st i tuica o an d Pero la. Two

marines , nat ives of Portugal , who had been

stat ioned to hand up the powder, had become

intoxicated, and on at tempting to remove them,

they threatened to f i re the magazine. This

n a tu ra l ly led to m uc h confusion. H is Lordship

also observed with great annoyance, that the fire

of the Pedro Primeiro was extremely i l l -di

re cte d , from w an t of sk il l in th e crew. There

were only one hundred and seventy Engl ish

m en on bo ard , th e re m ain de r of the men con

sist ing of a crowd of vagabonds picked up in

th e stre ets of R io, an d one hu nd red and thir ty

black marines ; a newly raised corps composed

prin cipa l ly of em an cip ate d s laves . U nder these

ci rcu m stan ce s , the A dm iral jud ge d i t most ad

vis ab le to re tre at , an d ad o p t fresh m easu res for

th e en forcem ent of his ord ers, w hich were the

usu al ord ers of w ar, " to ta k e , s in k, burn, and

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transferred the whole of th e E ng lis h officers

and seamen of the squadron to the Pedro

Primeiro; and, with the exception of the Maria

de Gloria corvette, laid up all the other vessels.

The two former, luckily for Brazil, were excel

lent sailers, and maintained the blockade of

Bahia with such vigilance, a s to cu t off nea rly

all supplies from that city ; and that in the face

of an enemy infinitely superior in numbers, in

the rainy season of the year, and at a time when

the seamen were badly supp lied w ith provisions.

Th e Portuguese made repeated attem pts to su p

ply themselves with farinha, a kind of coarse

flour, forming the staple food of the in hab ita n ts

of Brazil, by sending down smacks to San

Matheos, in the captaincy of Espirito Santo, for

that article. Th ese , however, rarely e sca pe d

the two cruizers, and above a dozen of them fell

into the hands of Lord Cochrane. Occasion ally

the Portuguese squadron would come out, and

chase the two vessels as far as the M orro

de San Paulo, but they always retired again

without committing hostilities. A t len gth , on

the night of the 12th of June, the Admiral

determined on entering the po rt of Bah ia, w ith

the intention of cutting out, by a coup de main,

the Constituicao frigate of 52 guns, at anchor

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1 0 4 H IS T OR Y O F B R A Z I L .

and the Maria de Gloria , and at midnight pro

ceed ed up the ha rb ou r w i th a l ight breeze, and

w as hai led b y the gu ard -bo ats , and subsequent ly

by the C on st i tuica o. A t th is cris is , unfortunately,

a dead calm came on, the t ide was beginning to

eb b , an d th e ve sse ls of Lo rd C oc hra ne were

again gradual ly swept out of the bay ; a s ingle

shot only having been fired from one of the

forts.

T h e blo ck ad e, how ever, continued with

th e sa m e rigou r as befo re. A ba ttalio n of troops,

under the command of Colonel Jose Joaquim de

Lima e Si lva, had also been sent up previous to

the expedit ion of Lord Cochrane, for the pur

pose of reinforcing the division under General

L ab a tu t . T h u s bes ieged b y land , and b lock

aded by sea, Bahia was at last reduced to a

sta te of s ta rv at io n. T h e slave s w ere absolutely

dy in g in the stre ets from hu ng er, and the Por

tuguese were at length compel led to evacuate

th e ci ty. T h e y ac co rdin gly sai led on the 3rd of

Ju ly , 1 8 2 3 ; t a ki ng w i th them near ly all the

m ove able r ich es of the ci ty, an d the church plate.

T h e sick and th e w ou nd ed were also take n on

board, and most of the merchants embarked

w ith thei r whole pr op er ty. Lo rd C och rane imme

diately fol lowed them with the Pedro Primeiro,

Paraguassu , Ni theroy, and Mar ia de Glor ia , but

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HISTORY OF BRA ZIL. 1 0 5

however, were the terrors of his nam e, an d th e

anxiety of the Po rtug uese to avoid a conflict

that they allowed him to make a succession of

captures ; during the course of which one vessel

only, a charrua, fired a broadside upon him.

The top-masts of the vessels taken were imme

diately cut away, but from a want of hands to

keep them, several made their escape . T h e

weather, which was stormy, accompanied by

drizzling rain, enab led them to elude th e vigi

lance of the Admiral, and several of the most

valuable prizes were thus lost to the captors.

Such as were retained were sent under the

charge of an officer to Pe rnam buco . For tun ate ly

for Brazil, the private signals and ins tructio ns

of the Portuguese Admiral were captured on

board the Gran Para, the following morning;

by which Lord Cochrane learned, tha t part of

the transports with troops were to proceed to

Maranham, and the remainder, in case of sepa

ration, to rendezvous at the island of Fernando

de Noronha. They were acco rdingly m et some

days afterwards near that island, and chased

thence to the north of the line. F inding it im

possible, however, to separate the more va lua ble

vessels from the rest of the fleet, and aware of

the urgent importance of clearing the entire

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1 0 6 H I ST O R Y O F B R A Z I L .

th at effect from th e go ve rnm en t . C ap tain T ay

lor , the Commander of the Ni theroy, in the

meant ime, fol lowed in the t rack of the Por

tug ue se squ adro n to th e very m ou th of the

Tagus ; and succeeded in taking severa l va luable

prizes , w hich we re succe ss ively sen t to R io de

Janeiro for adjudicat ion.

Lo rd C ochran e, m ean w hi le , succeeded in con

duct ing his vessel through a most peri lous and

int r icate navigat ion into Maranham, a port into

w hic h no l ine-o f-ba t t le sh ip ha d ever preceded

the P e d ro Pr im ei ro . H er e he perceived that a

number of t ransports wi th t roops had al ready

arr ived, and immediate prepara t ions were made

for th e b lo c k ad e of th e po rt . T h is , however,

became unnecessary , as the Provis ional Junta

ca m e on bo ard to del iver u p th e town, and to

test i fy their adhesion to the cause of independ

en ce .

Po ssess io n w as co nse qu ent ly taken of

the br ig-of-war Don Miguel , and a schooner;

as well as of al l the Portuguese merchant vessels

in the harbour, excepting such as were dest ined

for the conveyance of troops to the mother-

count ry

;

and an order was given for the confis

cat ion of all pr op er ty be lon gin g to Portug uese

res ident in Por tugal .

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HISTORY OF BRAZ IL. 1 0 7

arrived before th e town , he sum m on ed i t to

surrender , in t imat ing a t the same t ime, tha t

Lord C oc hra ne w as off the m ou th of the r iver

w ith a powerful sq ua dr on to enforce the sum

mo n s , in cas e of oppo s i tion . T h e conseq uen ce

was , that the ci ty submit ted, and al l obnoxious

individuals were expel led, before the decei t was

found out . H ere several m erch antm en were cap

tured ; in addit ion to the Imperatriz, a f ine new

fifty-gun frigate. T h e good fortune of C a p ta in

Grenfel l w as not , however , un inter rup ted . A

number of anarchis t s , denominat ing themselves

pa rt iz an s of D on Pe dro , in conjunct ion wi th a

division of undiscipl ined troops, made an at

t em pt to dep ose the Prov i s iona l J u n t a : which

bod y be ing thu s ci rcum stanc ed, at once claimed

the assistance of Captain Grenfell ; Avho landed

with his men, and af ter having quel led the

insurre ct ion, an d, w i th the aid of the au thori t ies ,

made a cons iderable number of pr i soners , shot

five of th e rin g- lea de rs in th e p ub lic sq ua re .

T he nc e he re tu rned on board , w here on the

same evening he received an order from the

President of the Junta, to prepare a vessel large

en ou gh to con tain abou t two hu nd red of the

pris on ers . A ship of s ix hu nd red tons bu rthe n

was accordingly selected ; but instead of l imit

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108

H ISTO RY O F BRAZIL.

in the ab sen ce of C ap ta in G renfell, were all

cramm ed into th e hold of th e prison-sh ip, and

pla ced un de r a gu ard of fifteen Braz ilian sol

diers.

Crow ded un til alm ost unab le to breathe, and

suffering a lik e from h ea t and thirs t, the poor

wretches attempted to force their way on deck,

but were repulsed by the guard, who, after

firing upon th em , and fastening down the

hatchway, threw a piece of ordnance across

it, an d effectually debarred all egress. The

stifling se nsa tio n caused by th is exclusion of

a ir drove th e suffering crowd to utter madness;

an d m a n y ar e sa id to have lacerated and

m an g le d ea ch oth er in th e most horrible man

n e r. Su ffoca tion w ith al l its agonies suc

ce ed ed . T h e ag ed an d th e young, the strong

an d th e feeb le, th e a ss a ila n t and his anta

go nist , al l s a n k dow n ex hau sted, and in the

ag onies of d e a th . I n th e ho pe of alleviating

th e ir suffe rings, a st re am of w ate r was at length

directed into the hold, and towards morning the

tu m ult ab a ted , bu t from a cause which had not

bee n an tic ip at ed . O f all the two hundred and

fifty-three, four on ly w ere found alive, who

h ad esc ap ed d es tru ctio n from ha vin g concealed

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recruited in the province of P ia u h y , w ith th e

in tent ion of m arching upon M ara nh am , and w ho,

al though they had rendered no service, were

clamorous for p a y . H is L or d sh ip , therefore*

sent them the sum of s ixty contos of reis , found

in the Tre asu ry . H av ing subseq uent ly em

ba rke d on board the P om bin ha , a beaut ifu l

Por tuguese ship in the harbour , such goods

as , after a pro pe r ex am ina t ion at the C ustom

ho use, w ere found to be lon g to Po rtu gu es e

merchants res ident in Por tugal , and having

also des pa tche d his other pr izes to R io de J a

neiro,

he pr ep ar ed to follow them . A qu an t i ty

of the merchandize seized in the Custom-house,

and also several of the prize vessels, were at

once redeemed on account of the proprietors ,

and the amount paid over to Lord Cochrane.

H is Lo rdsh ip f inally sai led from M ar an h am

on the 20th of S ep tem b er , 1823, an d arrived

in R io on th e 9th of N ove m ber fol lowing;

having had the sat isfact ion of seeing the ent ire

Brazi l ian terri tory, with the exception of the

Banda Oriental , c leared of i t s enemies , pr in

cipal ly by m ea ns of his own ex ert ion s . In

R io de Jan ei ro his services ap pe are d to ha ve

given the m ost en t ire sat isf ac t ion ; an d on h is

arriva l in th at city , h e w as informed th a t th e

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110


C H A P T E R V I I I .

Affairs of Po rtugal— Decree for the Banishment of the Q ueen—Inva

sion of the Peninsula by the Fren ch , under the Due d'Angouleme—

Influence and Agency of the Clergy in Portugal—Counter-revolu

tio n , and consequent Dissolu tion of the Cortes of Lisbon—Convo

cation of the Co nstitue nt Assembly in Rio de Janeiro—Spirit of

its Members—Speech of Don Pedro—Subsequent Discussion-

Co alition of the Royalists and Patriots against the Andradas, and

consequent dismissal of the latter from the Cabinet—New Mi

ni str y, an d their M easures— Factious Opposition of the Andradas—

Arrival of Commissioners from Portugal—Dissensions between

Braz ilian s and Portugu ese — Th e Military March to San Chris-

tov a'o , an d the M embers of the Assembly declare themselves in

pe rm an en t Session—N egotiations with the Government, and sub

sequent forcible Dissolution of the Assembly.

T H E C onst itu en t Cortes of Lisbon closed their

la b o u rs on th e 4th of Novem ber, 1822, and were

im m e d ia te ly succee ded by the Legislative As

se m b ly ; t h e B raz il ian D ep uties remaining in

Portugal being sti l l retained as the representa

tive s of B ra z il . Se ve ral of the Portuguese

members were supplanted by others, but the

spiri t of the assembly remained essentially the

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H IS TO R Y O F B R A Z I L. I l l

which now beg an to agi ta te th e m othe r-cou n

t ry, turne d the im m ed iate at tent ion of he r le

gislators towards an oth er qu ar ter . A law ha d

been pa ssed , b y w hich all pub l ic funct ionaries

of the A dm inis t rat ion w ere required to m a k e

oath to the Const i tut ion prior to the 3d of De

cem ber , 1822, un de r pa in of ba nis hm en t . T h e

King, who was as easi ly ruled by the Cortes of

Lisbon, as he had previously been by his minis

ters in R io de Jan ei r o, had acceded to this

condi t ion on his arr ival ; but the proud spi r i t

of the Q ueen w as not thu s eas i ly sub du ed.

S he dis t inct ly and en erge t ical ly refused com

pl iance

:

a f r igate was in consequence prepared

for h er remo val, even before th e exp ira tio n of

the allotted t ime, and an order was finally issued

in the na m e of the K in g for her ba nis h

ment .

I t i s wel l known that this sentence was never

ca rried into exe cution . U n de r the plea of i ll -

he al th , the Q uee n dem and ed a respi te of a few

months, and before the period which she herself

had appointed for her departure arr ived, the

Cortes were too busi ly occupied in preparat ions

for external war, to bestow even a thought upon

Her Majes ty .

Hi s mos t Chr i s t i an Majes ty , Loui s XVII I .

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1 1 2 H ISTO RY O F BRA ZIL .

and in al l iance wi th Ferdinand VII . he wi l l ingly

consented to despatch an army of 100,000 men,

under the command of the Due d 'Angouleme

into Spain, with the al leged intent of preserving

that country from the anarchy towards which

i ts fanat ical rep rese ntat iv es ap pe are d to be

hu rry ing i t . T h e C on st i tut ional p a r ty in Spain

ne ve rthe less, took u p ar m s ag ain st these offi

cious ph i lan th ro pi s ts , an d the C ortes of Lisbon

resolve d to sec on d th eir efforts. E v e n such as

h a d b ee n am on g th e leas t scrup ulou s when legis

lat ing for the t rans-at lant ic port ion of the

kin gd om , were now found am on g th e foremost

in repell ing all at tempts at foreign dictation

reg ar din g the ir own affairs. F ir st amongst

the advocates for host i l i t ies was the Deputy

Moura; hi therto noted, above al l others , for his

ex ag ge rated an im osi ty to the ca use of Brazil.

" T h er e i s no w an t of m on ey ," exclaimed this

ac u te logician ; " th er e is p le n ty of m oney in

Portugal , and being expended in war i t remains

in the co u n try ." T o an ass em bly enter taining

the economical sent iments prevalent in the Con

gres s of Lisb on , such an a rg u m en t alone m ust

have proved irresist ible.

Whils t , however , the members of the assem

bly in qu est ion were th u s legisla t ing, their op

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s tan ce w as by the pa r t izan s of the anc ient sy s

tem of G ov ernm ent rep resen ted as a t t r ib uta ble

solely to the m is-gov ernm ent of th e de m ocra t ic

C ortes . T h e clergy, whose lon g-e stab l ished

privi leges had, in several ins tances , been in

fringed upon by the exist ing legislature, re

pe ate d th e cry w hich every w here obtaine d an

easy cred enc e. W he re the pres s is co m parat ively

un kn ow n, the influence of the priestho od is ne

cessar i ly great , and the Portuguese clergy were

moreover possessed of con siderable tem pora l

s w a y ; fully two-thi rds of th e land ed pr op erty

in Portugal being at this period in their posses

s ion. T h ey w ere th u s , from m an y reaso ns , en

abled to faci l itate the coun ter-revo lut ion, a n d

by point ing out the existence of the Cortes as the

only obstacle to a reconci l iat ion between the

K in g and D on P ed ro , or, in other w ords , be

tween P or tug al a nd B razi l , they succeed ed in

inducing a hope, tha t were the monarch re

invested with al l his ancient powers, the mo

ther-co un try m ight even y et re-m onopol ize the

commerce, i f not the government , of al l the

Brazi l ian terr i tory.

S uc h was th e s ta te of the publ ic mind, w hen,

in Fe br ua ry , 1823, the C ount de A m ara n te

planted the standard of rebell ion in favour of

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1 1 4 HISTORY OF BRAZIL.

Luiz do Rego, the ex-Governor of Pernambuco,

and driven into the Spanish terri tory, where he

m ad e an offer to th e D u e d'An gou lem e to com

bine his movements with those of the invading

arm y. H is R o y al H igh ne ss declined the pro

po sa l, a s inc om pa tible w ith the relations of

pe ac e exis t ing betw een Fr an ce and Portugal;

y e t int im ate d to G en era l do R ego , who had

cro sse d th e P ortu gu ese frontier in pursuit of the

Count de Amarante, that the consti tutional

forces would be he ld re sp onsib le for any acts

of ho st i l i ty co m m itted ag ain st the French

army.

T h e cou nter-rev olution w a s, how ever, too far

advanced to receive any material check from this

affected forbearance on the part of the French.

O n th e 27 th of M ay , a re g im en t of infantry,

which had left General do Rego on the frontier,

w a s m et b y an officer who h a d form erly com

m an de d i t, b u t who h a d be en dism issed by the

present Government , and by him the t roops

were induced to declare against the Const i tu

t ion. T h e reg im en t th en pro ce ed ed to Villa

F ra n ca , wh ere the Infa nte D o n M iguel, who

had secret ly left the capi tal , placed himself at

thei r h ea d, an d issued a P ro cla m at io n calling

up on th e na t ion to del iver th e K in g . T h e intel

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in the cap i tal , proceeded to jo in the P rin c e.

All the t roops, with th e ex ce ptio n of one regi

ment, followed ; and though the King for a while

affected to de pre ca te th e pro ce ed ing s of a p a rt y ,

the leade rs of which w ere sus pe cted to b e his

own emissar ies , he eventual ly abandoned Lis

bon, placed himself at the head of the retro-

grad ers , an d after ag ain en ter in g the m etrop o

l is, and for some t ime amusing the people with

pro m ises of an oth er C on sti tution , finally re

esta bl ish ed the old sy stem of ab solu te govern

ment .

T h u s ,

on the 3d of

J u n e ,

1823, ab rup t ly term i

nated the Session of the celebrated Cortes of

1820.

U nw ise in their pol icy tow ards B raz i l , i t

ha s lain w ithin the scop e of the p re se n t na rra

t ive to b rin g forward o nly su ch of th eir a c ts a s

can be but i l l defended ; yet i t would doubtless

be un just on this accou nt to condem n thei r en

t i re ad m inis t rat ion. T he ir intent ions were pa

triotic, and had their efforts received a more

judicious direct ion, instead of having, as at pre

sent , been the means of creat ing a prejudice

against Const i tut ional Government , f rom the

ba ne ful effects of w hich P o rt u g a l is still suffer

ing, they m ight have been hai led al ike a s the

be ne facto rs of their co un try and their rac e.

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R oy al is ts w i th rejoicing, an d even b y the pa

tr iots w ithout an y m ate ria l dissat isfact ion.

Fro m th e lab ours of the co ns t i tuen t an d legis

lat ive Assembly, a l ready convened in Rio, the

latter party looked for a more satisfactory code

of fun da m en tal law th a n could un de r an y cir

cum stances b e exp ected from Po r tug al . This

const i tuent body, which was f i rs t assembled on

th e 17th of A p ril , co un ted in i ts nu m be rs fifty-

two deputies ; and, after a series of preparatory

se ssio ns , i t w as de cide d t h a t their lab ou rs should

commence on the 3d of May, the anniversary of

th e discov ery of B razi l , b y C ab ra l . Before en

tering upon the proceedings of the new legisla

t ion, i t may, however, be desirable to give some

ge ne ral ide a of i ts ele m en ts. T h e majority

w as formed alm os t exc lusively of M ag istrates,

Judges of pr imary jur isdict ion, Jur is-consul ts ,

an d the higher D ign i tar ie s of the C hu rch, princi

p al ly m en of u p w a rd s of fifty y e a r s of age,

contracted in their not ions, and incl ined to roy

al is t principles. The minori ty, consist ing chiefly

of th e su bo rdin ate C lergy , an d of land ed pro

prietors of small fortune, were eager in their

asp irat io ns after l ib erty ; b u t l ibe rty of that

vague and undefined cast , which every one in

terpreted after his own fashion, and according

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pract ical apt i tude for thei r a l lot ted funct ions .

In h a b i ta n ts of dis t r ic ts , w here thei r sup erio r

learning ha d h i ther to caused them to be re

garded as oracles , each brought wi th h im exag

gera ted ideas of h i s own im po r tance , com bined

in m ost ins ta nc es w i th an ut ter ign oran ce of the

tac t ics u su al ly p u t in force in del ibe rat ive as

sem bl ies ; and , un less th e thre e A nd ra da s , who

were al l e lected deput ies , be excepted, there

w ere few, if an y, individ uals above m edio cri ty

among them.

On the 3d of May the Sess ion was opened by

the E m pe ror in person, who ad dressed the De

pu ties at som e le ng th on the occa sion. After

laying before them a rather overcharged exposi

t ion concerning the f inances, the marine and

land forces, the new E m p ire , an d the reforms

inst i tute d since his accession to the thr on e, H is

Imperial Majes ty thus concluded :—

" When I was consecrated and crowned on the

1st of last D ec em be r, I m ad e oa th as co nst i tu

t ional Em pero r , and more par t icu lar ly as per

petual Defender of th i s Empire , to defend with

my

sword

the country, the nation, and the Consti

tution, if this last were worthy of Brazil and of

me. I now solem nly rati fy th is pro m ise, pe r

suaded that you will aid me to fulfil it , in form

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fu nd am en tal law, es ta bl ish ed on the bases which

experience has demonstrated as the f i t tes t to

ensure l iberty to the people, and strength to

th e au tho ri t ie s . W e hav e nee d of a Constitu

t ion w he re th e po w ers m ay be so divided and

defined , th a t n o on e b ra n c h can arro ga te to itself

the prerogat ives of another ; a Const i tut ion

which may be an insurmountable barr ier

against al l invasion of the Royal authori ty,

w h e th e r ar is to cr at ic or po pu lar, w hich will

overthrow an ar ch y, an d ch erish the t ree of

l i b e r t y ; b e n ea th whose sh ad e we shall see the

union and the independence of this empire

flourish. A ll th e C o n sti tu tio n s founded on the

m od els of tho se of 17 91 , a n d 1792, have been

ackn ow ledged as too ab st ra ct , an d too metaphy

sical for ex ec utio n. T h is h a s bee n proved by

the ex am ple of F ra n c e , an d m ore recent ly by

those of S p ai n an d P o rtu g a l . T h e t rue princi

ples with which the members of this Assembly

are imbued, give me hopes that the Const i tut ion

which you will form, will be worthy of my

Im pe rial sa nct ion , an d ap pr op ria te to the exi

gencies and civil ization of the Brazil ian nation.

In a word, that i t will excite the admiration of

other nat ions, and even of our enemies, who

wil l consecrate the t r iumph of our principles in

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of him and of B razil , w he n cou pled w ith th e

circum stances w hich ha d given rise to t h e la te

ban ishm ent of Ledo and h i s col leagues , b ec am e

the cause of m an y ser ious ap pr eh en sio ns ; an d

on the subsequent proposal of a vote of thanks

to the Emperor , Deputy Arau jo L ima ob

served, that the tenour of His Majesty 's speech

w as ent i rely sat is factory, wi th th e ex cep t ion

of th e w ords in qu est ion . " I t could no t be

supposed," he said, " that the Assembly of De

puties would seek to form a Const i tut ion which

should be unworthy of Brazil."

An tonio Car los de A nd rad a rem ark ed in re

ply, that the words al luded to were perfect ly

co ns t i tut io na l ; th a t no one w as obl iged to d e

fend what was unworthy of

himself,

and that he

w as of opinion, th a t the A ssem bly oug ht to de

cla re i ts inten tion to form a Co nsti tution w or thy of

B razi l , and consequen t ly wo r thy of the E m pe ro r .

Deputy Maia then observed, tha t in order

th a t t ime m igh t not be lost in forming a C on

st i tut ion, which might not after al l be accepted,

i t w as to be desi red th a t H is M ajesty wo uld

succinct ly and br ief ly es tabl ish the condi t ions ,

under which he was wi l l ing to accede to the

socia l c o m p ac t ; bu t tha t even the se condi t ions

should not be admit ted, unless they were

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do ub tles s ac ce pt of i t . M oniz Tav ares, ex-

deputy to the Cortes of Lisbon, coincided in

opinion with the last speaker, and observed,

th a t in ca se th e E m p e ro r should disapprove of

the Consti tution when formed, he would doubt

less accede to the suggestions of his conscience,

and res ign the Imperial authori ty .

T h is la st cl au se in sta nt ly gave rise to the

liveliest animadversions on the part of both

A nto nio Ca rlos de A n d ra d a , and the Minister

Jo z e B on ifac io. A fter de fend ing the language

of D on P e d ro , th e la tte r the n proceeded to

a n a th e m at iz e th e sp iri t of dem ocracy with consi

d er ab le w a rm th . H e dila ted on the unfortu

nate condition of Spanish America, for four

tee n y e a rs involve d in civil w a r ; he dwelt on

th e sufferings of F r a n c e , as sua ged only by

the return to a monarchical form of Govern

m e n t ; an d, after al lu din g to the present dis

t ra cte d s ta te of th e P e n in s u la , concluded in the

follow ing w or ds :— " A s far as m y voice can go,

I p ro te st in th e face of th e A ssem bly, and of

th e e n tire p eo ple , th a t w e will form a Con

s t i tut ion not democrat ic , but monarchical ; and

I m ys elf will b e th e first to concede to the

Emperor tha t which i s rea l ly h i s due ."

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they m ight be ena bled to fram e a C on st i tut io n

which should be al ike worthy of the Brazi

l ian nat ion, of the Emperor, and of them

selves.

T he A nd rad as were a s y e t a ll powerful .

Profi ting by thei r inf luence in th e " A p o s to -

lado,"

wherein D on P ed ro h imself w as P re s i

dent , they there discussed beforehand al l the

m at te rs subse que nt ly subm itted to th e de l i

be rat ion of th e A ssem bly ; and a pla n for dis

solving th e H ou se , in ca se i t shou ld refuse to

su bm it to this sy ste m of dicta tion, is even s aid

to have been h ere devised by the A n d ra d as

the m selv es. T h e period of the ir final ov erthrow

was, however, fas t ap pro ac hin g. T h e pa t r iots

were al ready al ienated, and the R o ya l is ts ,

though a t prese nt supp or t ing the adm inis tra

t ion, ha d al l along reg ard ed i ts leade rs w ith

suspicion. A casu al ci rcu m stanc e con tr ibuted

to ha sten the cris is . O n th e 20th of Ju n e , 1823,

Moniz Tavares la id before the Assembly the

project of a law for the expulsion of all adopted

Po rtug ue se, who m ight be deem ed h ost ile to

the cause of the E m pi re , an d A nton io C arlos

spo ke in favour of the m eas ure . T h e R oy al is ts ,

who were ap preh ensiv e les t this blow m ig ht be

aimed at themselves, entered into a coal i t ion

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1 2 2 H I S TO R Y O F B R A Z I L .

his ho rse, w he reb y his l ife w as ap pa ren t ly en

dangered, prevented his at tendance to publ ic

b us ine ss for seve ral we ek s, b u t n o sooner did

he find himself in a state of convalescence, than

the A n d ra d as w ere d is m iss ed ; an event which

took place on the 17th of July.

Their successors, who were both chosen from

the Royalist party, though not highly popular,

had at least, up to the period of their elevation

borne the repute of being well intentioned.

They were Joz6 Joaquim Carneiro de Campos,

afterwards Marquis de Caravellas, as Minister

of th e E m p ir e ; an d M ano el Jac into Nogueira

de Gama, af terwards Marquis de Baependy, as

Min i s t e r o f F inance .

T h eir ap p o in tm e n t w as, as a m atte r of course,

succeeded by an immediate change of pol icy

throughout al l the relat ions of the Government .

N ot on ly w ere th e po lit ica l pro sec ution s insti

tu ted by the A nd rad as ag ain st the alleged

op po nen ts of the ind ep en de nc e, aban don ed, but,

al though both Brazi l and Portugal were at this

m om en t in a s t at e of op en an d de clar ed war,

an Imperial order, dated the 2nd of August ,

w as de spa tche d to the provis ional Governmen t

of B ah ia, req uir ing i t s m em be rs to enl is t, and

em b ar k for R io de Ja n ei ro , a ll the Po rtugu ese

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H I S TO R Y O F B R A Z I L . 1 2 3

th a n the A nd ra da s . O n thei r d i smissa l from

th e C ab ine t they ins t i tuted a per iodical , e nt i t led

th e " T am oy o, " the na m e of an Ind ian t ribe

noted for th eir ho st i l i ty to th e P o rtu g ue se , in

w hich , w hile an o th er individu al figured as t h e

respo nsible edi tor , they covert ly at ta ck ed th e

exis t ing adm inis t ra t ion . T h e pub l ica t ion w as

wel l wri t ten, and bore evidence to both the ex

tent and var ie ty of the i r l i t e rary a t ta inments ;

yet the free, i f not democrat ic principles which

i t advo cated, were in str an g e disco rdan ce w ith

those by which the A n dr ad as them selves h ad

be en ac tua ted du ring the t ime of thei r M inis t r y.

Th ere w as a lso an unbecom ing pe tu lance m ani

fested, w hen ever their former pol icy h ap p en ed

to come un de r the cen sure of thei r co ntem po

rar ies ; an d whi le ex ag ge rated eulogium s we re

pa sse d on thei r own ad m inis t rat ion, th e errors

of the ir succe ssors w ere at t r ib ute d to t h e ve ry

w orst m ot ives . T h e en l is tme nt of the P or tu

guese pr isoners of wa r had na tural ly rend ered

th e pa t r iots susp icious , les t an at te m p t m igh t

even ye t be m ad e to rep lace the two co un tr ies

on th eir former rela tive footing ; a n d th is su s

picion w as op en ly fom ented b y the w ri t ings of

the Andradas , whose advances to thei r ancient

p ar t iz a n s w ere sufficiently obvious. I n th e

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1 2 4 HISTORY OF BRA ZIL.

cisco w ere dism issed from the M inis try , they

we re ever found in th e ra n k s of th e op po si t ion;

where thei r ascendency was as constant ly exer

cised to the prejudice of their successors.

I t w as at th is ju n c tu re , th at , on the 7th of

Se pte m be r , a P or tug ue se br ig , on board of which

wa s the M ars ha l P i n to de F ra n c a , arr ived with

d es p at ch es from the E m pe ro r, an d after hoist

in g a flag of tru ce , en ter ed th e ha rbo ur of Rio

de Ja n e i ro . T he se de sp atc he s H is Majesty ,

how eve r, refused to rece ive, un les s the indepen

dence of Brazi l were acknowledged as the basis

of all future ne go tiat io ns . T h e M arsh al had

not be en em pow ered to en ter into any stipula

t ions on this he ad , an d th ou g h he himself was

al low ed to di se m b ar k , in co nse qu en ce of his

infirm health, the remainder of his suite were

prevented from holding any communicat ion with

th e ci ty. A P o rtu g u es e corv et te arrived a few

d ay s afterwa rds w ith the Co un t de R io Maior,

and other C om m issioners de pu ted by the Por

tugu ese governm ent , to arr an ge a set t lem ent of

exist ing differences, and without any prel imi

n a ry ne go tiation , or eve n ho istin g a flag of

t ruce, entered the port .

Wi th these Commiss ioners the Emperor a l so

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H I S T O R Y O F B R A Z I L . 1 2 5

with the shore , b ut as the y had en tered un de r a

hosti le flag, the vessel was detained as a prize,

and the Count de Rio Maior , and his sui te , sub

sequ ent ly com pel led to reem ba rk for Lisbon in

a packet .

W hilst , how ever, from m otives of ex pe die nc y,

the Emperor t reated the ent i re body of the

Commissioners thus unceremoniously, and even

made an affectation of refusing to open the

pr iv ate lette rs from his relative , he is, w ith

every app ea ran ce of t ruth, cha rged wi th having

held secret com m un icat ions wi th the Co unt de

R io M aior . B e this m at te r as i t m ay, the

en tire official co rre sp on d en ce relativ e to th e

transact ion was forthwith t ransmit ted to the

Ch am ber of D epu t ies , a s an indub i table tes

t imony of His Majesty 's good fai th towards the

cause of the independence.

T h is A sse m bly h ad of la te be en the cau se of

mo re tha n ordina ry an xie ty to the Em pero r ,

s ince the pr es en t Ca bine t wa s becom ing dai ly

more and more embarrassed in i t s career ,

through the fact ious opposi t ion of the Andra

da s .

A s i t h as been before state d, the m ajori ty

of the Asse m bly were individuals of con tracted

no tions, wh o, ha d the lead ers of th e M inistry

be en possessed of even common adm inis t rat ive

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his M inisters were a p p ar en tly qualified to un

d er ta k e their directio n. O n the other hand,

th e A nd ra das w ere fluent, bold, and subtle;

an d by their in t im ate ac qu ain tanc e with par

lia m en ta ry form s, an d a ce rtain declamatory

elo qu en ce , w hich p e rh a p s m ore from its novelty

than from its intrinsic merit, gave them the re

putation of being the first orators in Brazil,

th e y w ere ab le to thw art nea rly all the mea

su re s of the ir opp on en ts. Th is they were

ge neral ly m ost un scru pu lous in doing, even at

th e ex pe nse of th eir con sistency. On the

occasion of a deba te relative to the title con

ferred on Lo rd C ochra ne , for ins tan ce , it was

ins inu ate d by some m em ber of th e minority,

th a t H is M ajesty had in this instan ce infringed

on the attributes of the legislature; an opinion

which w as ins tan tly echoed by An tonio Carlos,

who, n otw iths tan din g th e previous fervour of

his loyalty, remarked, that nobility unaccom

panied by any corresponding power, was an

institution of which he could not comprehend

th e ob je c t; an d th a t he therefore hoped that

an intim atio n m ig h t b e conveyed to Don Pedro,

re q uest in g h im to confer no more titles, unless

with the sanct ion of the House of Deputies.

T h e se p e t ty bic ke ring s, w hich were of con

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an d a casu al ty w hich occu rred short ly after

w ards, bro ug ht m atte rs to a cris is . A le t te r

had ap pe ared in a periodical en t i t led th e " S en ti-

nel la ," co ntaining some re m ar ks to the p rejudice

of the Portuguese mil i tary, incorporated in the

arm y of Braz i l. T h e resul t w as , th a t on th e

evening of the 5th of November, two officers of

art il lery, bo th na t ives of P o rtu g al , en tere d th e

shop of a Brazi l i an apothecary , named David

Pamplona, whom they suspected of being i t s

autho r , and m al t rea ted the unfo rtunate m an in

such a brutal manner, as nearly to deprive him

of life.

A t a ny o ther per iod th e ou trage m ight per

haps have passed over wi thout par t icular not ice;

but in th e p rese nt exci ted sta te of pu blic feel ing,

it w as magnified into an outra ge on the n at io n .

T h e sufferer d em an de d jus t ic e from the H ou se

of Deput ies ; and the Andradas , who had a l l

along inveighed ag ain st th e en ga ge m en t of the

Po r tug ue se m i li tary , and who were ha pp y in

the present oppor tuni ty of turning the publ ic

w rath ag ains t thei r op po ne nts , m ost loudly

dem and ed veng eance on the agg ressors . I n

the "Tamoyo" a l so , t he i r l anguage was equa l ly

violent. Ins inu at io ns were thrown out th a t un

less the Government should turn as ide from the

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1 2 8 H I S TO R Y O F B R A Z I L .

of E n g la n d w as al lu de d to, b y w ay of warning

to D on P e d ro . T h e m il i tary , in the meantime,

esp ou sed th e c au se of th ei r comrades, and a

regiment of infantry, the commanding officer

of which was known to be on terms of cordiality

with the Emperor, marched to Santo Christovao,

w h e re th e y w ere sho rtly afterwards joined by

th e re m ain de r of the arm y. H ere they were

fav ou rab ly receive d ; a circ um stance which gave

rise to th e m os t serious a pp rehe nsion s on the

part of the Assembly, who began to regard

th e ir po litica l ex ist en ce as in peril. In this

re sp ec t, th e ir su sp ic io ns w ere only too well

gr o un d ed . M ortified be yo nd m easure by the

as ce nd en cy of the A nd ra da s , H is Majesty re

solved e ith e r on th e ir exp ulsio n, or on the

dissolut ion of th e en t ire C ha m be r. Th e Minis

ters be in g un w il l ing to co un ten an ce either of

the se bold m ea su res , were im m ediately dis

missed ; and on the 10th of November replaced

b y indiv idua ls of roy al is t pr in ci p les , and of a

less scrup ulou s ca s t . O n the sa m e da y an

im m ens e crowd be ga n to co ng reg ate abo ut the

H ou se of D e p u t i e s ; and , a t the ins tan ce of

D ep u ty A lencar , w ere adm i t ted in to the cham

ber . H er e, however , the i r pr es en ce natural ly

led to gr ea t confusion, an d th e P re s i d e n t was

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H I S T O R Y O F B R A Z I L . J 2 9

was stated, that the officers of the troops en

cam ped at S an Chris tovao req uired sat is fact ion

from the Assembly, for the at tack made on

their hono ur, as we ll a s on the in ten t io n s of

H is M ajesty in var ious per iod icals . In con se

quence of which , Antonio Car los de Andrada

proposed th at th e H ou se should declare i t self

in permanent sess ion; and that a deputa t ion

should be se nt to inq uire from the go vern m en t

the motives of th e late m ov em en ts of th e m ili

ta ry force; both of w hich p ropo si t ion s w ere,

after a brief disc uss ion, app rove d of; an d th e

resul t was t ra n sm it ted by two Se cretar ie s to

Don Pedro, with a request for information from

the Government regarding the nature of the

satisfaction re q u ir e d ; th e n u m b er of officers

who had urged the c o m p la in t ; an d a lso , which

were the offensive periodicals.

T o these inqui r ies the G overn m ent some

w ha t evasively m ad e rep ly, " th a t as to t h e

officers, th ey w ere u na n im ou s ; th a t th e offen

s ive per iodicals were the Tamoyo, and the

Se nt in el la ; and the individuals com plained

of, t h e th re e A n d ra d a s, as E d ito rs of the first,

and col laborators of the second ; and, moreover,

lead ers of a sedi t ious p ar ty :" a com m unicat ion,

which, after some discussion, i t was resolved to

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st i l l emphatical ly and characteris t ical ly termed

b y th e p at rio ts " th e N ig h t of th e ago ny," the

Deput ies remained at thei r s tat ions , notwi th

s ta n d in g th e m ost po ign an t apprehensions had

gradual ly succeeded to the exci tement which

induced them to declare their session perma

n e n t . In e x p e rie n c e d in the m arch of political

ev en ts , a n d w ith t h e m as sa cr e of the " Praca do

Commercio" still fresh in their recollection,

th e y al re ad y reg ard ed them selves as martyrs in

th e ca use of the i r c o u n tr y ; an d many of the

P ri e s ts p ro ce ed ed to con fess them selves to each

othe r, un de r the im pre ssion th a t ere many hours

h a d ela ps ed , t h ei r l ives m ig h t prob ably fall a

sacrifice to th e w ra th of th e infu riate soldiery.

T o th eir c red it i t m a y , ho w ev er, be remarked,

th a t in th e face of th is a p p a re n t danger, they

b etr ay ed no sy m pt om s ei the r of wavering or

t rep ida t ion . O n the co ntra ry, b y mutual exam

ple and exhortat ion, they sustained each other 's

flagging sp iri ts, a n d wh en th e following day

dawned their numbers were st i l l undiminished.

E a r ly on th e m o rn in g of th e 12th, Antonio

C arlos prop ose d th a t th e M inister of the Em

pire should be summoned before the Assembly;

and on being put to the vote, i t was decided in

th e affirmative. O n his arr iva l , th e President

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were many, and tha t H is M ajesty ha d himself

affirmed, th a t his ph ys ica l an d m ora l ex iste nc e

had been at tacked in one of the numbers of the

Tamoyo.

President. Did H is Ex cel len cy know the

motives which had led to the assemblage of the

troops in S an Ch ristovao ?—had th e y al l be en

sum m oned there , or ha d a p a r t of the m gon e

the re vo luntari ly ?

Answer. H is Exce l lency kn ew nothing , ex

ce pt ing th a t the y w ere assem bled the re to

prevent any disorders in the capi tal , and to

preserve th e subo rdinat ion of the t roop s . A n y

further inquiries on this head could be best

repl ied to by the Minister of War.

Question. H a d orders been given for th e

arrest of an y E d ito rs of perio dica ls ?

Answer.

H is Ex cel len cy bel ieved th a t som e

orders to this effect had been given to the

Minis ter of Just ice.

Question.

W ere the t roops un der arm s ?

Answer. H is Ex cel len cy d id not know.

Question.

H ad H is M ajesty dem anded , o r

proposed the dismissal of the Andradas

?

Answer.

Su ch a reques t had been m ad e, b u t

he ha d s tate d to his M ajesty th at the ap pl ica

t ion was inadmiss ible .

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Answer.

I t w as considered im prudent to

q u it th ei r statio n, un ti l the Assem bly had

acc ede d to the ir w is h e s ; a nd the troops were

perfect ly unanimous .

On the termination of these interrogatories,

th e M in iste r ret i re d, an d an acrimonious dis

cu ssion en su ed ; d u rin g the course of which it

was proposed, that the troops should receive an

o rder to re tire to su ch a d ista nce from the city

a s m ig h t le av e th e as se m bly unre stricted in the

ex er cis e of th ei r d elib er atio ns . In proportion,

however, as the danger began to be regarded as

m ore im m ine nt , t h e ci t ize ns who h ad hitherto

crowded the gal leries , and on whom the An

dradas placed much rel iance, began to disperse,

an d in a s ho rt t im e th e re w ere few remaining

in the H ou se , exc ept the m em be rs . T he Royal

ists,

and more par t icular ly such as had been

no ted for their ho st i l i ty to th e A nd ra d as , were

overjoyed at this ci r cu m sta nc e, an d made no

at te m pt to conce al thei r ex ul ta t ion . Joze Boni

facio,

how ever, ag ain st w hom the ir virulence

was principal ly directed, bore the ordeal with

forti tud e. I t w as on th is m em or ab le occasion

th a t , in t h e w ords of a y ou n g au tho r, who has

s ince adverted to the ci rcumstance ;—

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133

Now will I die for her ; the purple flood

That fills this aged heart shall freely flow,

And glut the craving of your m urderou s br oo d ;

Yet mark ye, from this blood when I am low

A Hy dra will spring up , and w ell avenge the blow '

Ex hau sted wi th his emot ions , an d overcome

with fatigue from having sat up all the pre

ced ing nig ht, he soon after re tired from th e

chamber.

T h e Em peror, in the m ea ntim e, finding th a t

the three brothers s t i l l maintained their pre

dom inance, m ounted on horse bac k, rode into

town at the head of a bo dy of ca va lry, an d

after surrounding the chamber with a mil i tary

force, and plant ing cannon before i ts walls ,

sent up Brigadier Moraes to the Assembly,

with an order for i ts ins ta n ta n eo u s disso lution .

T he Pre s iden t at te m pte d to enter the proceed

ing of M oraes in the records of th e H o us e, b u t

no t even this was p e rm it te d ; an d along wi th al l

his col leagues , he was com pel led im m ediately

to retire.

A ntonio Carlos and M art in Fr an cisc o de

A nd rada, as well as D ep ut ie s R och a an d M on

tezuma, were arres ted on the s tai r -case; and in

company with Joze Bonifacio, who was also

apprehended in his own house, conveyed on

bo ard a vessel almost re ad y for sea, a nd with

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134


On the impart ial Chronicler , i t is incumbent to

confess, that when in power they were arbitrary,

and when out of place factious; yet their views

w ere ever gre at, an d their pro bity unimpeach

able . I t w as b y Joz e Bo nifacio, tha t the un

certain and inconstant resolut ions of Don Pedro

w ere irrev oc ab ly fixed. H e it w as, who, by

co ntra s t ing th e suprem acy over a nascent Em

p i re ,

w ith th at over a de ca yin g kingdom, and

w ho b y re p re se n t in g the loss of Brazi l as ine

vitable in case of the Prince's departure, again

kin dle d u p the ex pirin g ambit ion of the youth

ful potentate, and led on to the accomplish

ment of a revolution, effected with but little

sacrifice, an d a lm ost u n sta in ed b y blood. The

di sin ter es ted n es s of bo th himself and his bro

the r M art in Fr an cisc o is , per ha ps , equally

de se rv ing of eulogy. T i t le an d wealth had

al ik e be en pla ce d w ithin the ir g ra sp , yet they

re tire d from office undeco ra te d , an d in honour

ab le po ve rty . In m a n y of the ir ac ts they may

doubtless be censured, yet when the cri t ical

ci rcumstances of Brazi l a t the per iod are taken

into considerat ion, surely some apology may be

made for their errors .

D u rin g th e en t i re per iod ela ps ing from the

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the discussion of the various art icles of the

Consti tution.

In the D ec ree for the dissolution, H is M aje sty

stated, th at he ha d be en led to this s te p by th e

perjury of the A ssem bly ; bu t th a t an othe r would

be immediately convoked for the purpose of

tak in g into con siderat ion th e pro ject of a Co n

sti tution, which he would himself lay before i ts

m em be rs ; and which would be doubly as l iberal

as the one projected b y th e A sse m bly . T h is

w as succeed ed b y a dec larat ion, d ate d on th e

13th, w hereb y his M ajesty thou gh t pro pe r to

qualify the charge of perjury as applied to the

whole A ssem bly, and to sta te th a t the fact ious

individuals only, who by their pr ep on de ran ce

ha d dom inated over the Co ng ress , were in

cluded in the accu sat ion. A Pro clam at ion w as

also issued on the same day, wherein the arrest

of the An dr ad as , an d thei r pa i za ns , w as s tate d

to have been effected solely with the view of

avoiding an ar ch y ; and a promise w as mad e th at

the famil ies of the criminals should be taken

un de r the protection of the go ve rnm en t . " T h e

salvat ion of the co un try," cont inued his M a

je s ty in th e Pr oc lam atio n, " w hich is confided

to me, as the Perpetual Defender of Brazil, and

wh ich is the sup rem e law, ha s required the se

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1 3 6 H I S T O R Y O F B R A Z I L .

dulgence. Union Brazilians, union Whoever

has adhered to our sacred cause, and made

oath to the independence of the Empire, is a

Brazilian "

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H I ST O R Y O F B R A Z I L . 1 3 7

C H A P T E R I X .

Manifesto relative to the dissolution of the Assem bly— Con vention of

a Co uncil of State for the formation of a New C on stit utio n-

Plot for the Assassination of Don Pedro—Affairs in Monte Video

— U nple asa nt situation of Lo rd Coc hrane — Bad faith of the

Go vernm ent relative to the Prize C laims — Abstract of tha New

Constitution, made oath to on the 25th of March, 1824—Subse

qu en t analysis of its prin cipa l features— Spirit of the A dm inis

tration—Further particulars relative to the Prize Claims.

W H A T E V E R

might have been the feel ings of con

sternat ion with which the patriots beheld the

dissolution of th a t b od y, w hich th ey h ad re

garded as the great bulwark of their l ibert ies ,

the Por tuguese res idents , whether absolut i s t s

or ad h er en ts to th e la te C orte s, w ere for th e

m ost pa rt grati fied. T h e y ha d looked on the

Chamber with dislike from its first convocation,

and th ey now be held i ts dissolut ion with ple a

sure.

H is M ajesty did not , however, deem i t pru

dent to leave his defence ent irely in other

h a n d s . A M anifesto, to w hich the imp erial

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ge niu s of evi l. T h e E m p e ro r ingenuously

owned that he himself had summoned the

troop s to S a n C hristov ao, w ith th e ju st de

sign, as he asserted, of leaving the Assembly in

perfect libe rty . In th e sam e docum ent , vehe

m en t co m plain ts we re m ad e regard ing the ca

lumnies, of which His Majesty had been the

o b je c t ; th e m otion th a t the t roops should re

tire from th e vic inity of th e city, was stigma

tized as a measure which would have deprived

th e Go ve rnm en t of i ts ne ce ssa ry vigour and

e n e rg y ; an d th e pu bl ic w ere finally reminded,

th a t tho ug h the E m p er o r h ad , from regard for

th e tra nq u ill i ty of th e em pi re , tho ug ht fit to

dissolve the said Assembly, he had in the same

decree convoked another, in conformity with

the acknowledged const i tut ional r ights of his

people.

A S p ec ial com m ission, or Co uncil of State ,

consis t ing of ten individuals , was subsequent ly

co nv en ed on th e 26 th of th e sa m e m on th, for

th e pu rp os e of forming su ch a C onst i tut ion as

might meet wi th the Imperial approval ; and i t s

members immediate ly commenced thei r l abours

under the personal inspect ion of Don Pedro,

w ho forthw ith furnished th em w ith the bases,

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of Brazil from Portugal was in their eyes of

equal importance wi th the adopt ion of repre

sentat ive ins t i tut ions; and this separat ion now

appe ared to have been aga in ren dere d ex

t rem ely problem at ical. D on P e d ro w as b y

m an y regarded as being s ti ll the he i r-ap pa ren t

to the Crown of the lat ter country; and now

that he had obtained possession of the throne

in Brazi l , apprehensions arose lest he might

at tempt again to uni te the two countries , and

thu s reduce the inde pen den ce of the lat ter to

an em pty assum pt ion. T h e conseq uenc e wa s a

conspiracy, originat ing with the republican

faction, for the a ssa ssin atio n of th e E m p e ro r,

and the day subsequent ly named as the one on

which he would m ak e oath to the ne w C on st i tu

t ion, was the one appointed for the perpetrat ion

of the deed.

Notwithstanding, however , the per i l s and the

discon tent wi th which the A dm inis t rat ion were

encompassed in Rio de Janei ro, the cause of

B razi l was st il l ga ining gro un d. In tel l ig en ce

of the succe ss of Lo rd C och rane in th e no rth,

and his subsequent arrival in the metropolis ,

had no sooner reached Monte Video, than i t had

the effect of indu cing the P o rtu g u es e C om

m an de r of tha t c i ty to ca pi tu late . Pre viou sly

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vened by Don Pedro ; and the Municipal Senate

sh or tly afterw ard s testified the ir adherence to

th e ca us e of in de pe nd en ce . T h e efforts of Ge

ne ra l Le cor to b ri n g ov er th e garrison, were,

how ever, un su cc es sfu l. T h e y revolted, and

placing themselves under the command of Bri

ga die r D o n A lvaro de C osta , continued to re

ta in po sses sion of the city on beha lf of the

Cortes .

Lecor meanwhile fled to the vil lage of San

Jose ,

w he re, b y co n c en tra t in g th e nat ive forces

stat io ne d on the U ra g u a y , he raised an army of

nea r ly thre e tho usan d m e n ; a nd , re turning to

C asav al le, ab ou t two le ag ue s from M onte Vi

deo, declared the city in a state of siege, prohi

bi ted all p ay m e n ts to the ga rr ison , and threat

en ed every on e who sh ou ld afford the m assist

an ce w ith pro sec utio n. T h e loca l i ty of Monte

V ideo, which can be ap pro ac he d by land in one

dire ction on ly, fac il i tated th e op eration s of

the General ; ye t , such was h i s remissness , tha t

a c on sta n t co m m un icat ion w ith the interior is said

to have bee n ma intain ed thro ug ho ut the entire

perio d of th e sieg e. D o n A lvaro, a t leas t , con

tinued to hold th e city, an d th e C abildo , not

w ith sta nd in g the ir pre vio us professions in fa

vour of th e in de pe nd en ce , th o u g h t fit to ac

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HISTORY OF BR AZ IL. 1 4 1

dered Don Alvaro and his followers to embark

immediately; and final ly sent down a naval

expedit ion for the enforcement of their man

d a t e s ; bu t all to no pu rpo se. Don A lvaro

maintained his posi t ion, nor was i t unt i l he be

came aware that the Portuguese forces had

been ejected from e very oth er po int of B raz il ,

th at he w as ind uc ed to en ter into a conve ntion

with G en er al Le cor, in w hich , on con dition th a t

the Brazi l ian Government would pay up the

arrears due to his t roops, and provide t rans

por ts ,

he agreed to embark with al l his forces

for Lisb on . I t w as also st ip ul ate d, th a t th e

Brazi l ian Government should convoy the squad

ron as far as the Azores, and guarantee the

troops against hosti l i t ies, in case stress of wea

ther should com pel the m to p u t into an y of the

nor thern po r t s . T he em bark at ion took p lace

as soon as t ra ns po rts could be provided , a nd

the Portuguese t roops were thus paci f ical ly dis

possessed of their last s t ronghold in America.

M eanw hi le , Lord C oc hra ne himself rem aine d

in Rio, pat ient ly wait ing the adjudicat ion of his

prizes ; an d, as a succe ssion of ca ptu re s w ere

sti l l coming in from the coast of Portugal,

whi ther C ap tain T aylor ha d followed the P o rtu

gu ese , th e officers an d crew s of th e sq ua dro n

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1 4 2 HISTORY OF BR AZ IL.

the squadron previous to i ts sai l ing, but the

object of the expedit ion was now at tained, and

H is M ajesty, un de r th e influence of his Roy

al is t Counsel lors , manifested but l i t t le eager

ne ss in fulfilling th e e n g a g e m e n ts en tered into

dur ing the m inis t ry of the A nd ra da s . H e was

anxious, in the first instance, to avoid giving

offence to his P or tug u es e s u b je c ts ; and, in the

second, by delaying the condemnation of the

sequestered vessels and property, to faci l i tate a

peace wi th the mother-count ry .

H e did no t, h owev er, d ar e to m a k e an open

avowal of the se sen t im en ts. A nom inal Prize-

court was inst i tuted; of which, incredible as

i t may appear, the majori ty of the members

were by birth Portuguese, every way interested

in defeat ing th e claims of the ca pto rs. To

the pr izes taken in Maranham, and the pro

perty there seized in the Custom-house, this

tr ibunal denied the al leged rights of the squad

ron al to g et h e r; on th e ple a, th a t this city had

formed an integral part of the Brazil ian Empire

before Lo rd C oc hra ne 's arriva l , an d that , con

se q u en tly , al l th e seizu res effected there, were

invalid. H is Lo rd sh ip in va in reca lled to the

at tent ion of the members the fact , that though

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that , as i t ha d afterwa rds be en delivere d u p

by the Po rtugu ese autho ri t ies to an arm ed

Brazi l ian force, al l property appertaining to

the enem y, by the cu stom ary u sa ge s of w ar, fell

to the share of the captors, unless an equivalent

were granted by the Crown.

T h e Prize -cou rt not on ly overruled this ob

ject ion, bu t even declared the A dm iral bo un d

to m a k e resti tution of all such su m s as he ha d

received in ransom for property apprehended

in the port in question ; a decision, however, to

wh ich his Lo rdsh ip pe rem pto ri ly refused to

accede.

In the adjudication even of such prizes as

had been actual ly gu aran teed , the sam e spi r i t

prevailed. In every instan ce , ple as th e m ost

extrav aga nt were adm itted, and sen tenc es the

most incon gruo us issued . I n th e ca se of a

certain prize, Captain Taylor of the Nitherby,

an officer, who, after following the enemy into

the m outh of the T ag us , ha d burne d four

vessels under the guns of the l ine-of-bat t le

ship D on Jo h n V I . w as sentenced to be im

prisoned for s ix months on the I lha das Cobras,

and to forfeit d oub le th e am ou nt of h is p riz e-

money, in behalf of the owners of the property

seized. In another , the P o m bi nh a, the ship

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1 4 4 H ISTO RY O F BR A Z IL .

de c la red an i l l ega l p r i z e , g ive n u p to the Po r

tu g u e se o w n er , a lo n g w i th a l l h e r ca rg o . T h ese ,

an d m a n y s im i l a r d ec i s io n s , w e re p u b l ic ly im

p e a c h e d b y h i s L o r d s h i p , b u t t o n o p u r p o s e .

Off ic ia l le t t e r a f te r le t te r , a n d ap p e a l a fte r ap

p e a l , w e re t r an sm i t t e d t o t h e M in i s t e r , b u t no

re d re ss w a s to b e ob t a i ne d ; a n d h i s Lordsh ip in

consequence , f e l t h imse l f compel led to re fuse

p a y m e n t t o t h e G o v e r n m e n t of t h e a m o u n t of

sp ec i e s e i ze d d u r in g t h e b lo ck ad e of B ah ia , as

wel l a s o f the sum subsequen t ly rece ived in

r e d e m p t i o n o f t h e s e i z u r e s i n M a r a n h a m ; a

re so lu t io n , in w h ic h , t a k in g in to considerat ion

th e b a d f a i t h o f t h e G o v e r n m en t , h e ap pea rs

to h a v e be en fu lly ju s t i f i e d .

T h e p r i z e - v e s s e l s w e r e i n t h e m e a n t i m e de

l ive red u p b y o r de r o f th e G ov er nm en t , to the

c h a r g e o f t h e I n s p e c t o r o f t h e A r s e n a l , a n d by

h i m a g a in t o i n d iv id u a l s , w h o , b e in g in no

m a n n e r r e s p o n s i b l e fo r t h e p r o p e r t y on b o a r d, al

lo w ed i t to b e ca r r ie d off b y n i g h t w i th th e u tmost

i m p u n i t y . T h e c o n s e q u e n c e w a s , t h a t w h e n the

m e m b e r s o f t h e P r i z e - c o u r t a t l e n g t h d e c i d e d in

th e i r w i sd o m o n d i s ch a r g i n g t h e v e s se l s , i n o rde r

t o p r e v e n t the cargoes from being damaged, they

d i s c o v e r e d t o t h e i r a s t o n i s h m e n t , t h a t in t h i s r e

s p e c t , t h e i r i n t e n t i o n s h a d b e e n a l r e a d y f o r e

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for the vessels themselves, they were for the

most part al lowed to l ie and rot , unti l they

became equal ly valueless to ei ther party.

On the occasion of the entry of Captain

Grenfell , in the frigate Imperatriz with forty

contos of reis on board, the product of the ran

som of th e prizes ta k e n by him in P a r a , a st i l l

more flagrant br ea ch of faith w as co m m itted ;

as the Em pe ror proceeded on board in perso n,

and in the absence of Captain Grenfel l , carried

off the m on ey . T h e C ap tain w as also soon

afterwards subjected to a Court Mart ial , in

consequence of the suffocation of the prisoners

in P a r a ; bu t on i ts be ing proved th at h e ha d in

reali ty but l i t t le connection with that disastrous

circumstance, and that through his exert ions

the ci ty had been preserved from ut ter anarchy,

he was in the end honourably acquit ted.

The preceding are, however , minor par t i

cu lars , wh ich would be un w orth y of relation,

except inasmuch as they may serve to explain

the motives of th e sub seq ue nt co nd uc t of Lord

C o ch ra n e; and it now becom es nec essary to

refer to th e cou rse of ev en ts of m ore im po rt

ance . T h e projec t of the new C on sti tution to

be conceded by the E m pe ror w as bro ug ht for

ward early in the m onth of Ja n u a ry , 1824, b u t

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1 4 6 H IS TO RY O F B R A Z I L .

however , t ransmit ted to the Municipal Chambers

of th e va rious pr ov inc es , an d a s th e majority

Avere judged to be in favour of its adoption,

the E m pe ror , the E m p re ss , th e B ishop of Rio,

an d th e M un icip al B od y, finally m ad e oath to

it on the 25th of March following.

In the evening the Royal family at tended the

T h e a tr e . I t ha d bee n the design of the con

sp irato rs ag a in st th e l ife of H is M ajes ty, to set

fire to th e ho use du rin g the perform ance, and

to assassinate him in the confusion expected to

e n su e. T h is p la n , ho w ev er, proved abortive,

the E m p er o r bein g h ap pi ly rescued in the

beginning of the tumult , without even being

aw are of the im m ine nc e of his dan ger. The

T h e a tre w as reduced to a s h e s ; bu t although

som e su spicio n w as ex cited , the existence of

the conspiracy never ful ly t ranspired unt i l sub

sequent ly to the abdicat ion in 1831.

T h e C on st i tut ion w as , in i ts gen eral principles

at lea st , eq u ally sa tisfac tory w ith th e projected

one in discuss ion in th e late A ssem bly. In

accordance with the promise of the Emperor,

m a n y of i ts disp os it ion s w ere even m ore liberal.

By its provisions, Brazil was declared an inde

pe nd en t E m p ire , and i ts gov ernm ent Monarchi

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exercise of all othe rs w as pe rm it ted . T h e un

res t r icted com m unicat ion of tho ug ht , e i ther by

m ea ns of w ords , w ri t ing s , or the ag enc y of the

p r e s s ,

ex em pt from cen sure , was pe rm i t ted ; wi th

the condit ion that al l who should abuse this

pr iv ilege , should become am ena ble to the la w ;

an d a g ua ra n tee founded on the pr inciples of

the En gl i sh H ab ea s C orpu s ac t w as a lso con

ced ed to the pu blic. T h e privi leges of ci t i

zenship were extended to al l free nat ives of

Brazi l , to al l Portuguese resident there from

the t ime of the Independence, and to a l l na tura l

ized s t ra ng er s . T h e law wa s declared equ al to

a l l ;

al l were const i tuted l iable to taxat ion in

propor t ion to thei r possess ions ; the h ighes t

offices of the State were all laid open to

every c i t iz e n ; and all pr ivileges , ex ce pt in g

tho se of office, ab olis he d. T h e po litical po w ers

acknowledged by the Cons t i tu t ion were the

Leg is la t ive , the M oderat ive , the E xe cu t ive , a nd

the Judic ia l ; a l l of which were acknowledged

as delegat ions from the nat ion. I t was declared

tha t the G en era l A ssem bly should henceforth

cons i s t of two chambers ; the chamber of Depu

t ies , an d tha t of the S e n a te , bo th elect ive ; b u t

while the Deputies were to hold their office for

four years only, the Senators were appointed

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cy ; to elect the R e g e n t, or R eg en cy ; and to fix

the l imits of his or their authority ; to acknow

ledge the Imperial Prince as successor to the

T h ro n e , on the first m ee ting after his birth ; to

nominate the Guardian of the young Emperor ,

in case such Guardian were not named in the

parental testament; to resolve al l doubts re

lative to the succession on the death of the

Emperor , or vacancy of the Throne; to exa

m ine into th e pa st a dm inistrat ion, and to re

form its a b u s e s ; to elect a new dy nasty, in

ca se of th e ex tinction of th e reignin g family;

to p a s s law s, an d also to interp ret , suspend,

and revoke them; to guard the Consti tution,

an d to pr om ote th e w elfare of the nation ; to

fix the pub lic ex pe nd itur e, an d ta x e s ; to ap

po int th e m ar in e an d lan d forces annually

up on the rep or t of th e G o ve rn m en t; to con

cede ,

or refuse, the entry of foreign forces

within the Empire; to authorize the Govern

m e n t to co ntra ct lo an s, to estab lish means for

th e p a y m e n t of the pu blic de bt, to regulate the

ad m inistra t ion of nat io na l prop erty , and de

cree i ts alienation ; to create, or suppress pub

lic offices, and to fix th e s tipend to be allotted

to the m ; and lastly , to d ete rm in e the weight,

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their resp ect iv e C h am b e rs , or when seized in

the com m ission of a ca pita l offence. F o r th e

opinions ut tered during the exercise of thei r

funct ions, the y w ere de clare d inviolab le. A ll

m easu res for the lev yin g of im po sts , a nd m ili

tary en rolm en ts , the choice of a new d y n a sty

in ca se of the ex t inct ion of th e ex ist in g one, th e

ex am inat ion of th e ac ts of the p as t ad m inis t ra

t ion, and the accusat ion of Ministers , or Coun

sel lors of S ta te , were requ ired to have the ir

or igin w i th the H ou se of D ep ut ies . F or the

indem nificat ion of i ts m em be rs, it was d ecided

that a pecuniary remunerat ion should be a l

lot ted to ea ch d u rin g the period of th e session s

T h e nu m be r of the S en ato rs w as fixed at

one-half tha t of the D e p u t i e s ; and the m em

bers were required to be upwards of forty

ye ars of ag e, an d to b e in ac tua l possession of

an income amount ing to at leas t e ight hundred

m il reis pe r an nu m . I t was thei r exclusive at

t r ibute to take cognizance of the individual

cr imes commit ted by the Members of the Royal

F am i ly , M inis ters , or Counsel lors of S t a t e ; as

well as of the crimes of Deputies, during the

period of the Le gis la ture . T he ir an nu al s t i

pe nd wa s fixed at ha lf as m uch aga in as th a t of

t he Depu t i e s .

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150


which only minors, monks, domestics, and indi

viduals not in the receipt of one hundred milreis

pe r an nu m , were ex clu de d from vo ting. Whilst,

how ever, th e D ep u ties w ere ap po inted directly

by th e E lec to rs, th e S en at o rs were nominated

in tr ip le lis ts , from w hich th re e cand idates it was

orda ine d t h a t h is M ajes ty should select one.

E a c h C ham ber w as qualified with powers for

th e pro po sitio n, opposition , and approval of

projec ts of law . In case , however, the House

of D ep u tie s sho uld disapprove of the

amend-

ments,

or

additions

of the Se na te, or vice

versa,

it

was decided that the dissenting Chamber should

have th e p rivilege of requ iring a temporary

un ion of th e two hou ses, in order tha t the mat

te r in d ispu te m ight th us be decided in general

Assembly.

A veto w as c onceded to the Emperor, but it

w as on ly su sp en so ry in its na ture. In case

th re e suc ces sive P ar lia m en ts should present the

sa m e proje ct for the Im per ia l sanction, it was

decla red th a t on the th ird presentation it

sho uld, un de r all, or any circu m stanc es, be con

sidered that the sanction had been conceded.

T h e ord ina ry an nu al S ession of the two Houses

of L eg isla tu re were limited to th e period of four

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mation of projects of law accommodated to i ts

local i t i es , and urgencies ; but these Assem

blies were not invested with any power ex

cepting that of proposing laws of provincial

interest .

The at t r ibutes of the Moderat ive power,

which was designated the Key to the ent i re

poli t ical organizat ion, and which was vested

exclusively in the h an d s of the Em pero r , were

the nominat ion of Senators , according to the

before ment ioned regulat ions; the convocat ion

of the General Assembly, whenever the good

of the E m p ire should requ ire i t ; the sanct ion

of the de cree s, or resolut ions of th e A ssem bly ;

the enforcem ent , or susp ensio n of the pro jects

of the provincial C ou nc ils d ur ing th e rec es s of

the Chambers ; the d i ssolu t ion of the House

of D e p u t i e s ; the no m ination of M inis ters of

S ta t e ; t he suspension of m ag i s t ra t e s ; the d i

minution of the penal t ies imposed on crimi

nals ; and the concession of amnest ies .

T h e t i t les ackn ow ledged in the C onst i tut ion

as ap pe rtain ing to H is M ajesty, were, " Con

s t i tu t ional Emperor , and Perpetual Defender of

B ra zi l . " H is person w as declared inviolable,

and sacred, and he himself exempt from al l re

spo nsibi l i ty . H e w as, moreover , de s ign ated as

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con voc ation of a new G en er al A ssemb ly in

th e third ye ar of ea ch leg is la tu re ; the nomi

n at io n of B ish o p s, M ag ist ra te s, military and

na va l Co m m an de rs , A m ba ssad ors , and Diplo

matic, and Commercial Agents; the formation

of all treaties of alliance, subsidy, and com

m e rc e ; th e dec lara tion of wa r and peace ; the

granting of patents of naturalization, and the

exclusive power of conferring titles, military

orders, and other honorary distinctions. All acts

e m a n a tin g from th e e xec utive pow er were to be

signed by the Ministers of State, before being

carried into execution, and those Ministers

w ere to be he ld re spon sib le for all abuses of

power, as well as for treason, falsehood, pecu

latio n, or a tte m p ts ag ain st th e l iberty of the

subject .

In ad ditio n to the M inis try , a Council of State

was also appointed, the members of which were

to ho ld th e ir offices for life. T hey were to be

heard concerning all matters of serious import,

an d pr inc ipa lly on all sub jects relating to war

and peace, negotiations with foreign States,

and the exercise of the moderative power.

F o r all c ounse ls w ilfully tend in g to the preju

dice of the State, they were to be held respon

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criminal cases, according to the disposi t ion of

future co de s for th is effect. T h e Ju ri e s w ere

to decide upon the fact , and the Judges to ap

ply the law . Fo r al l ab use s of pow er the Ju d g e s ,

as well as th e o ther officers of ju st ic e , w ere

to be held resp on sible . I t lay wi thin the at t r i

bu tes of the Em pe ro r to su spen d the Ju d g e s in

th e exe rcise of the ir funct ions, bu t th ey w ere

to be dism issed from office on ly by a se n ten ce

of the sup rem e C ourts of ap pe al , which were to

b e forthw ith inst i tu ted in al l th e vario us pr o

vinces .

T h e P re s id en ts of the provinces were to be

nominated by the Emperor ; but the i r pr iv i leges ,

qua lifications, a n d au tho rity , w ere to b e fixed

hereaf ter by the Assembly.

If, after the expiration of four years, it should

be found that any art icles of the Const i tut ion

required reform, i t was decreed that the pro

posed amendments should or iginate wi th the

H o us e of D e p u ti e s ; and if, after discu ssion, th e

ne ce ssi ty of th e reform w as conce ded , an ac t

was to be pas sed and sanct ioned by the E m

peror in the usual manner , requir ing the electors

of the Deput ies for the next Par l iament to con

fer on thei r rep rese ntat iv es especial pow ers

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to the Consti tution, and solemnly promul

ga ted .

F in a lly , civil an d cr im ina l co des were to he

or g an ize d ; the use of tor tur e wa s abolished;

the confiscat ion of property was prohibi ted; the

custo m of d ec lar ing th e ch ildr en a nd relations

of cr im in als infam ou s w as ab rog ate d, and the

rig h ts of p ro p er ty , an d the pu blic debt were

gua ran t eed .

O n th e w ho le, th e C on sti tution was a satis

factory document, and far more l iberal in i ts

disposit ions than the character of i ts compilers

ha d led th e pu blic to an t ic ip a te . Fortunately,

they were Royalists, unqualified to estimate

ei ther the ul t imate consequences, or even the

immediate bear ings of the guarantees which

th e y w ere con ferring. T h e y we re instructed to

form such a document as might ensure popu

la ri ty , an d , m oreover, the pe riod allotted by the

Emperor for the completion of their labours had

be en res tr icted to forty d a y s. T h e y were thus,

from a double motive, compelled to rely rather

on authority, than on the results of either ratio

cin atio n or reflection. I n th ei r compilation,

the y followed the P o rt u g u e se C on sti tution of

1822,

rather than the one lately projected by

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in ca se of diss en t , was copied from the fund a

mental Code of Norway, and several ar t ic les

were t ranscribed, word for word, from the Con

s t i tu t ion of the French Cons t i tuent Assembly

of 179 1. T h e C ode, how ever, to w hich th e y

were more than al l indebted, was a project

propo sed in th e w ri t ings of B en jam in Co n

stant, as a modification of the Charter of

F r a n c e .

On at tent ive revision, t races of the vaci l lat ion

under which the commission laboured in the at

tempts to reconci le contending interes ts , and to

amalgamate pr incip les in themselves cont radic

tory, m a y be found in the disp osit ion s of the Co de

itself.

In one art icle, al l th e po w ers leg islative,

m ode rat ive, exec utive, and jud icia l , are s ta ted

to be de leg at ion s from the na t ion , an d y e t ,

short ly afterwards, the moderat ive or i rrespon

sible pow er, is s tyled th e K e y to the ent ire po

l i tical org aniza t ion. I t is t rue , th a t the p h ra se ,

" the K e y to the en t i re pol i tical orga nizat ion ,"

be ing a l together m etaphor ica l, may be e x

plained aw ay in such a m an ne r , as to remove

the appearance of a contradict ion ; yet why em

ploy a n y suc h figurative ex pr es sio ns in th e con

coct ion of a code of laws? The admission of the

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to be their own defe nd ers. B y virtue of this ap

pel lat ion, the privi leges of dictatorship were ap

parent ly vested in His Majesty, and in case he

should at any future t ime, have requested an

ulterior law for the entire development of his

attributes in this respect, i t is easy to perceive

that a venal legislature could instantaneously

have invested him with almost absolute au

thori ty.

N otw iths tan din g the se , and some other minor

dis cre pa nc ies, the C on st i tut ion wa s as a whole

ha iled w ith rejo icin g. A few of the M unicipa

l i t ies were opposed to the appointment of the

Senate for l ife, on the ground that this per

manence was nei ther more nor less than an

ut ter ex em ptio n from all re sp o ns ibi l i ty ; and

that the strongest of all incitements to public

este em w as th u s wilfully don e aw ay with.

From a similar feeling, objections were also

made to the separation of the Moderative from

th e E xe cu t iv e po w e r; an d ha d the Constitu

t ion bee n su bm itted , a cc ord ing to promise, to

the sanct ion of a N ati o na l A ssem bly, i t ap

pears doubtful, whether either of the foregoing

provis ions would have been accepted.

Whils t , however , c i rcumstances had thus

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H I S T O R Y O F B R A Z T L . 1 5 7

a retrograde principle s t i l l appeared to per

vade nearly al l the acts of their administrat ion.

None, ex cep t ing M inister ia l pa pe rs were a l

lowed to be printed; the tendency in favour

of the Por tuguese was open ly p ronounced ;

and even the interests of the Naval officers,

through w hose ins t ru m en tal i ty the inte gri ty

of the Empire had been accompl i shed, were

st i l l thwarted as before, and the si tuat ion of

Lo rd C och rane rendere d daily more and more

dis ag ree ab le. O n th e one h an d , th e officers

an d sea m en looked to him for the ir priz e-

money, and reproached h im wi th a p a th y ; and

on the other, h e w as told b y th e M inis ter of

the Empire, Joao Severiano Maciel da Costa,

af terwards M arquis de Q ueluz , tha t he wa s

too ex ac t ing , and avaricious , an d oug ht to con

ten t himself wi th his p a y . T h es e ta u n ts from

both par t ies a t l ength exaspera ted h im be

yond al l measure, and led him to form the cele

bra ted project of repaying

himself,

which he

soon afterw ards carried into execu tion ; an d

which has s ince be en the m ean s of draw ing

upo n him so m uc h obloq uy, from individuals

un ac qu ain ted wi th the facts of his provocat ion.

Eight ent i re months were consumed in frui t

less at te m p ts to br ing the M inis t ry to a sense

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158


alist p ar ty , however, m ain tain ed their pre

ponderance, and it was not until affairs in Per

nambuco assumed •an aspect which again put

the Admiral 's services in requisition, that his

co m plain ts w ere atte nd ed to . Th en , and then

only, w as a g ra n t of two hundred contos of

reis given out of the Treasury on account;

w hic h sum was im m ediately distributed amongst

the officers and crews still remaining.

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C H A P T E R X .

Application of the Portuguese Government for the intervention of his

Britannic M ajesty—M ediation of M r. Ca nnin g, in 1824— Attem pt

of D on M iguel to overthrow the P ortugue se Ad m inistration —

N eg otiatio ns relative to the affairs of Braz il — Un satisfactory line

of policy adopted by the Portuguese Government.

T HE

violent dissolution of the C on st i tue nt A s

sembly w as regard ed by the C ab inet of P o r

tuga l , as an un qu es t ion ab le proof of the as

cendancy of the Po r tug ue se pa r ty in Br az i l ;

and thei r hopes that Don Pedro might even

yet acknowledge the supremacy of his father ,

and establ ish an ent ire re-union with the

m othe r-co un try, were con sequ ent ly revived. I t

wa s not long, how ever, before they discovered

that in forming this opinion, they had been

far too sanguine, and in March J 824, they ap

pl ied specifical ly, in a " N ote V er ba le," p re

sented in London by M. de Vil la Real , for

the intervent ion of H is B ri tan nic M ajesty, to

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, 0 0 H IS T O RY OF B R A Z I L .

1st T h e ce ss atio n of ho sti l i t ie s on the part

of Brazi l against Portuguese ships and subjects .

2d T h e res ti tu tio n of all Portugu ese pro

p er ty w rongful ly confiscated.

3d, A b st in e n c e from any atta ck upon the

Colonies remaining fai thful to Portugal .

4th, The dismissal by the Brazilian Govern

ment of all British subjects from its service.

This application was made on the alleged

fo und ation of an cie nt Treatie s subsisting be

tween Portugal and Great Britain: which

Treaties, however, Mr. Canning, who then held

th e se al s of the Fo reig n D epartm ent, did not

consider applicable to the present contest,

which he looked upon as of a domestic, rather

than of a foreign nature, though he willingly

accepted the office of a mediator; as British

in te re s ts were at st ake both in Portugal and

B ra z il. In wh ate ve r m anner a protracted strug

g le be tw een th e two coun tries might have ter

m in a te d , G re a t B ri ta in would inevitably have

bee n a loser by

the

c o n te s t ; and in the hope

of accomplishing a peace, Mr. Chamberlain,

th e B ri tis h C harge d'Affaires in Rio, was im

m ed ia te ly dir ec ted to urge upo n the Brazilian

M in is try th e fulfilment of th e foregoing con

dit ions.

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guese M inis ters . T h e y ha d looke d for posi t ive

m anda tes , to be sup po r ted by an arm ed in

terferenc e. T h e y eith er w ere, or affected to

be, st i l l of opinion that an union between Brazi l

and th e pa ren t s tate m ight a ga in b e effected,

and being disap po inted in thei r ex pe ctat ion s

of forcible intervention on the part of Great Bri

tain , th e y at lea st m ad e an affectation of tu rn

ing their minds to a project for again reducing

B raz i l to ob edien ce, by me an s of an e xp ed it ion

fit ting out in the T a g u s. W hile the y con tinued

in this disposi t ion, Fel isber to Brant returned

to E n g la n d from a voyage to B razi l , ch arg ed ,

joint ly w i th ano ther Co m m issioner , to open a

negot iat ion for the arrangement of peace.

N o sooner did the P o rtu g u es e M inis try learn

the arrival of the B raz i l ian P len ipo ten t iarie s in

England, than they gave posi t ive assurances

tha t no ex pe di t ion should sai l from P o rtu g al

whi le neg ot ia tions were p e n d in g ; and these

as su ran ce s , wh en in the i r turn they reac hed R io

de Janeiro, also produced on the part of the

Brazi l ian Ministers , a determinat ion to do al l

in the ir pow er to p re v en t further ho sti l it ies :

though this cessat ion of arms could not be pub

l icly an no un ce d. A ll t re at y w as, how ever, for

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l 6 2

H I ST O R Y O F B R A Z I L .

rac ter of the K in g h a d th er e roused at once

th e fears of th e A b so lu tist s, an d the hopes of

th e C on st i tut io na l p ar ty . T h e Q ueen herself

openly declared to her adherents that her hus

band was unfit to reign ; Don Miguel was well

known to share the sentiments of his mother;

an d th e res ult w as an atte m p t made on the 30th

of A pri l, 1824, to de po se the ex isting Adminis

tr a ti o n . U n d e r the plea of hav ing discovered

a conspiracy against the life of his Royal father,

th e In fa n te pla ced himself at the head of the

m ilit a ry , an d a t once proceeded to throw into

prison the most influential of his own political

op pon en ts. T h e K in g , however, with appa

re n t ju st ic e , r eg ard ed th is step as preparatory

to an a tt e m p t for h is own dethronement, and

so ugh t refuge from th e over-zealous loyalty of

his son on board the Windsor Castle, an Eng

lish s h ip of war, ly ing at ancho r in the Tagus.

H e t h e re he ld an au die nce with the Foreign

A m b a ss ad o rs at th a t time resident in Lisbon,

and finding them unanimous in the determina

tion

to

su ppo rt him , h e des pa tched a letter to

the Infante, intimating, that in case of submis

sion, H is M aje sty would ove rlook the excesses

which an ind isc reet z ea l ha d induced him to

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sion to ret i re from Portugal , lest his presence

should afford a pretext for a continuance of

in t rigue am on gs t the C on s t i tu t ional i s t s . T h is

wish was, of course, granted wi thout any dif

ficulty . T h e Inf an te, in con seq uen ce, de pa rted

for V ien na , a n d the K in g finally r e-a ssu m ed th e

co m m an d of the ar m y in pe rso n. A s for th e

Q uee n , she l ea rned the t r ium ph of he r w eak

an d i r resolute spo use wi th b u t l i t t le sat is fac

t ion ; de clar ing tha t , h ad the Inf an te consu l ted

w ith he r, " th e stre ets of Lisb on sho uld ha ve

run with blood before such a disgraceful com

pa ct should have bee n a ccede d to . "

I t was not unt i l the European concerns of

Portugal were set t led, that those of Brazi l could

be a t tend ed to . N ego t ia t ions betwee n the B ra

zi l ian Plenipotent iar ies on the one hand, and a

Portuguese Minis ter on the other , were, how

ever , a t length entered upon in London, on the

12th of J u ly , b u t no thin g defini tive w as con

cluded. N otw i ths tan din g the previous over

throw of the democrat ic Cortes, to whose exist

ence alone the obst inacy of the Brazi l ians had

been ascr ibed, the negot iat ion made but l i t t le

prog ress . T h a t pro m pt i tud e of opera tion which

is often cited as one of the characterist ic advan

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tuguese Co ur t . T h e B razi l i ans dem anded in

depe nden ce , t he Po r tug ue se So vere ign ty ; and

these words reciprocal ly interchanged, formed

th e on ly su b st a n c e of five different conferences.

T h e un sat isfacto ry na tu re of th es e proceedings

at leng th indu ced M r. C an n in g to address a

com m unicat ion to the Po rtug ue se Government,

pointing out the danger lest their hosti l i t ies

might convert the Monarchical Government

already establ ished in Brazi l , into a number of

sep ara te re p u b l ic s ; an d, on this account, re

qu est in g an ack no w ledg m ent of the indepen

de nc e. O n th e other h an d, the representat ives

of A u stria , R u ss ia, and P ru ss ia , which coun

tries had not a single sail off the coast of South

America, or a single bale of goods in the ports

of ei ther Portugal or Brazi l , calmly recom

m ende d pe rp etu al war , ra the r tha n the admis

sion of revo lut ionary prin ciple s.

T h e P or tug ue se M inis t ry decided upon an

interm ed iate c ou rse ; an d th u s m anaged to dis

satisfy all p a rti e s. T h e y drew u p a project,

wherein the independence was nominal ly ac

kn ow led ge d ; bu t, as the y sti ll insisted on a

joint diplomacy, a common army, and that the

King of Portugal should be acknowledged as

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H IS T O R Y O F B R A Z I L . 1 6 5

the Brazi l ian com m issioners in L on do n, the

Por tug uese G overn m ent sent out an obscure

em issary , of th e na m e of D e L ea l , to R io d e

Jan ei ro , w here he was throw n in to p r i so n ;

and after having had his proposals rejected,

dismissed w ith orde rs to qu i t th e terri tories of

'Brazil forthwith.

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1 6 0


C H A P T E R X L

R ev olt in Pe rna m bu co— A rres t and subsequ ent release of Manoel

Carvalho Paes de Andrada—Proclamation of the " Confederation

of the E qu ato r"— Lo rd Coc hrane despatched to Pernambuco, in

August, 1824—His operations and negociations there—Advan

tages obtain ed by the Im pe rialis ts, und er the command of Fran

cisco de L im a— A rrival of Com mo dore Jew ett in Pernambuco,

and flight of Carvalho—Execution of Ratcliff, Metrowich, and

Loureiro for high treason.

W H I L E the Emperor was thus in vain attempt

ing to obtain satisfactory terms of peace from

th e m oth er-c ou ntry , the integ rity of the new

Empire was seriously endangered by an insur

rection in the N o rth . T h e city of Rio de Ja

ne i ro ,

an d t h e circu m jace nt provinces had sub

mitted to the violent dissolution of the Consti

tu e n t A ss em b ly , w ithout an y show whatever of

in su b o rd in a t io n ; bu t , in the more distant pro

vi nc e of P e rn a m b u c o , a ve ry different spirit was

m an ife ste d. T h e ca us e of the Independence

had th e re rec eiv ed no factitious aid from the

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expel led the Dutch in the seventeenth century ,

the inhabi tants of Pernambuco had ever been

noted for thei r impat ient and democrat ic spi r i t ;

and, in 1817, whilst the inhabitants of every

other province in Brazi l had been retained in

uncomplain ing submiss ion , they had a l ready

revolted. Th ou gh defeated, the y ha d again

taken up a rm s ag a ins t Lu i s D o re g o ; and ,

final ly, they had expel led the Portuguese with

out any ext raneous ass i s tance .

I t could not be ex pe cted th at a com m uni ty

im bu ed w ith this rebel lious disposi t ion would

long yield a bl ind and unscrut inizing obedience

to th e arb i trary dom inat ion of the C ou rt . O n

the con t rary , the y declared , through the m edium

of their pu blic jo u rn al s , tha t they m igh t as w ell

rem ain a colony of P or tug al as co nst i tute the m

selves a colony of Rio de Janei ro; and, on re

ceiving intel l igence of the events which had

taken place in that ci ty on the 12th of Novem

ber, th ey cam e to th e resolut ion of p roc laim ing

a republican form of government .

At the head of an associat ion for the accom

pl ish m en t of this ras h a n d pr em atu re project,

for both rash and premature i t must unques

t ionab ly be pron oun ced , w as M anoel Carvalho

P ae s de A nd rad a, the e lec ted Pre s ide nt of the

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themselves thus favoured by the exis t ing pow

ers, and aware that the t roops under thei r com

m and could be influenced in a n y m an ne r which

they might think proper , they came to the reso

lution of effecting a cou nter-re vo lution , a n d

proceeded to ar re st M ano el C arvalh o as before

s tated . T h e garr ison of F o rt de B ru m , wh ere

he w as conv eyed a priso ne r, how ever, revolted

in his favour. A ll th e troo ps , w ith th e ex ce p

tion of tho se im plic ate d in his arre st , also d e

clared in behalf of the popular cause ; and, be

fore many hours had elapsed, Carvalho was

again reins tated in the Pres idency, and the

refractory b at ta l ion sen t off to B a rr a G ra n d e , a

small port in the province of Alagoas.

T h e con spi ra tors , m eanw hi le , proceeded to

engage a small naval force, and were only

w ait ing a favourable m om en t for the exe cu

tion of the ir pla ns , w hen a D ec re e, da ted in

Rio,

on th e 11th J u n e , 1834, w as receive d,

whereby the Go vernm ent of Pern am bu co were

informed th a t a sq u ad ro n w as now fitting out

in the T a g u s, for the invasion of B ra z i l ; an d

that , as the E m pe ro r was incom peten t to pro

tect the whole coast of the E m p ire , the P er -

nambucans would for a t ime be required to

rely upon themselves for means of defence.

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P re sid en t on the 2d of Ju ly , den oun cing Don

P e d ro as a t rai tor , w ho se in ten t ion i t was to

aban don B razi l to the P o r tu g u es e . A t the same

tim e a call w as m a d e on th e va riou s provinces

of the north of Brazil , to disclaim the authority

of the Im p er ial G ov ern m en t , an d to league

themselves in an all iance to be enti t led the

" Co nfederat ion of th e Eq u a to r." T h e troops

were also placed under arms, and al l necessary

m ea su re s were ta k e n for th e defence of the

ci ty . A la rge n um be r of th e inh ab itants of

P a ra h y b a , R io G ra n d e do N orto, and Ceara,

subsequently declared in favour of the same

c a u se ; b u t th e m ovem ent w as less unanimous

th an ha d been an t icip ate d. M isled by the

enthusiasm exis t ing in the ci ty of Pernambuco,

the conspirators had expected that the whole

co un try would rise in a rm s at the ir call . But

th e pacific in h a b ita n ts of th e interior were too

indifferent to th e ca u se of disse nsio n, and too

m uc h in th e h a b it of im plicit obedience, to

b e a t al l r ipe for an y s uc h p ro je c ts ; and Bar-

re to ,

afterw ards cre ated M ar q ui s de Recife,

th e pr op rie tor of an ex ten siv e terri tory near

C a p e S t . A ug us t ine, even took u p arms in the

cau se of the E m p e r o r ; w hi ls t the troops who

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aded them by s e a ; bu t wi thout a ny decided

success.

In te l l igen ce of the se proce eding s in the m ean

t ime reached Rio de Ja ne i ro , wh ere the " H a

beas C orp us ," conced ed by the C ons t i tu t ion ,

was suspended th rough Pernambuco ; and ano

th er P re s id en t , a nat ive of th a t province, a p

pointed in Carvalho ' s s tead . T h e une m ploye d

vessels of war were also fitted out for sea, and a

divis ion of ab ou t twelve hu nd red men des patc hed

un der the comm and of G en era l Franc isco de

L im a, the bro ther of Lim a who ha d previously

co nd uc ted th e s iege of B ah ia, w i th orders to

co-ope rate wi th the t roops of B ar re to . T h e

squa dron sai led from R io , on th e 1st of A u gu st ,

1834, unde r t he command o f L ord Cochrane ;

and, after l an din g the t roops in M ac ey 6 , pro

ceeded to b lockade the c i ty of Pernambuco.

H is L ord sh ip did not , however , i t m us t b e

owned, proceed in this service with his usual

v igour. H e i ssued rep ea ted Pr oc lam at io ns ,

s tat ing his persuasion, that the dissensions

now ag i ta t ing Pe rna m bu co had thei r or ig in

in er roneous imp ress ions reg ard ing the eve nts

which had t aken p lace in Rio de Jane i ro ;

and h e volunteered to act as a m ed iator betw een

the insurg ents an d the E m pe ror . H e recalled

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of the blockade; to dest roy thei r shipping,

and by sinking vessels in the mouth of the

harbour, to block up al l entrance into the port ,

un less th e inte gr i ty of the E m p ir e were again

ack no w ledg ed w ithin eig ht d a y s from the date

of his first P ro cl am ati o n.

His Lordship had ant icipated immediate

com pl iance , bu t was disap po inted . H e had

on ly em plo ye d the foregoing thre ats in the

ho pe tha t b y int im idat io n a s truggle might

b e pr ev en ted ; an d as this opinion proved in

co rrec t , his si tu atio n b ec am e one of much em

b ar ra ssm en t . W ha tev er m ight be his desire to

av oid a conflict, h e cou ld no t, after the decisive

lan gu ag e which he h ad ado pted , employ his

ow n officers in a n y fur ther nego tiation . It,

how ever, h a p p e n e d th at at this cris is the Eng

l ish p a c k e t arrived from F alm ou th, with Mrs.

G ra ha m , the au thore ss of the "J ou rn al of a

voyage to Brazi l ," on board as a passenger;

an d of th e m ed iatio n of this L a d y Lord Coch

rane determined to avai l

himself;

well aware

that while he might, without suspicion, employ

her as a Diplomatic Agent , her sex would

en su re he r re sp ec t an d p rote ction from all

pa rt ie s . M rs. G ra h a m cheerful ly undertook

the office prop osed , an d m a d e sev era l attempts

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H ISTO RY O F BRA ZIL . 1 7 3

there. F ai l in g , how ever, in this , she was ne x t

entrusted wi th terms of peace; wherein, on

condition th at all G ov ern m en t pro pe rty should

be respected, and the ba lan ce in th e T re as u ry

paid over to the Im pe rial A utho ri t ies , a per

mission w as gr an ted to the le ad ers of the re

bellion, to em b ar k for a ny foreign port alon g

with the ir fam ilies, an d all th eir bona fide pro

pe rty ; a cert if icate of protec t ion b ein g pr o

mised to al l the rest who should surrender.

These efforts on the part of the Admiral ,

w ere all un av ai l ing. To his ad va nc es, C ar

valho replied by an offer of four h u nd re d

contos of reis, in case his Lordship would

aband on the Im pe rial ca use , a nd com e over to

the R ep ub lica ns ; and on an in dig na nt refusal ,

all further negotiations were broken off.

A schooner , the Leopoldina, was conse

quently f i t ted out for the bombardment of the

ci ty, the harbour being too shal low to admit

vessels of heavy burthen, and as no doubt

exis ted bu t tha t Lord C och rane would at te m pt

to carry his threats into execution, unless the

place should surrender , the inhabi tants of

Recife, th e w ea lthie st division of th e city,

began to fly tow ar ds th e interior in the u tm o st

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l i t t le effect , being inadequate to such service.

T h e idea of tak in g the pla ce b y s torm, was in

consequence given up for the present , and a

ca su al ty which occ urred to th e A dm iral 's ship a

few days afterwards, compelled him to abandon

the blo ck ad e al tog ethe r . T h e La m eirao, or outer

road of Pernambuco, i s an ext remely danger

ous anchorage during cer tain months of the

year, and the ground so rocky, that a vessel

rarely moors there for any length of t ime,

w ithout losing an anc ho r. S uc h w as the case

with the Pedro Primeiro: she los t every anchor

but one, which circumstance was al leged by

Lord Cochrane as his motive for bearing down

for Bahia, whither he sai led, leaving Pernam

buco st i l l in the hands of the republicans.

In the meant ime, the t roops of General Lima

formed a ju n c t io n w ith tho se of B arr eto . The

forces of th e R ep u b lic an s w ere st i l l in greater

n um be r, b u t as the y we re far be hind their op

ponents in discipl ine, and they met with but

l i t tle of th a t ar de nt co-o pera t ion which they

had ant icipated, they were unable to oppose

a n y effectual b a rr ie r to th e inv ad ing force.

After a succession of skirmishes, terminat ing

in ev ery insta nc e to the ad va nta ge of the Im

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were found four h u n d re d co nto s of reis, pro

bably the money rejected by Lord Cochrane,—

and of the Government Palace .

The t roops of Carvalho, meanwhi le , ret reated

into the pa rish of R ecife, an d br e ak in g down

the brid ge w hich un ites this distric t to th e res t

df the city , the y there e nt re nc he d them selve s ,

and com m enced a b ris k fire on the posi t ion

occupied by th e Im p er ia l is t s . B u t very fortu

nately for the Im p er ia l cau se , a n av al division,

commanded b y Co m m odore J ew et t , arr ived on

the 11th w ith eig ht h un dr ed m en on bo ard , a

number of whom w ere imm ed iately disem

barked, and p re pa ra t ion s m ad e for the a ssa ul t

of Recife. I n th e m ea n tim e, howeve r, a for

tui tous circ um stan ce did m ore for th e bes ieg ers

than all their own ex ert io ns. A t th e t im e

when Genera l L ima en te red Pernambuco , he

managed to interc ep t C arva lho, who w as at the

head of a bo dy of tro op s in th e vic inity ; an d

the lat ter be ing an xio us to rea ch the c i ty, w as

consequ ently obl iged to proce ed th i th e r on a

fishing raft, in th e on ly direc tion by w hic h it

could under exis t ing ci rcumstances be ap

proa che d. B efo re, h e could effect h is lan din g,

however, the firing became so incessant that ,

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he arrive d soon after m id ni gh t, and in the

co urse of the following d a y d es p at ch ed condi

t ions to Commodore Jewett , by which, in case of

thei r acceptance, he guaranteed the ent i re

surrender of the Republican force within ten

h o u r s .

I n s u b sta n ce , th e term s were little

more than a transcript of those previously

offered b y L ord C o ch ra n e, b u t th e season for

capi tulat ion was past , and they were t reated

with ut ter neglect .

T h e flight of C arva lho , w as in the meantime

bla zo ne d forth ; an d as few kn ew the exact

circ um sta nc es un de r w hich i t ha d take n place,

his partizans at once gave up their cause as lost .

T h e as sa ul t on Re cife took plac e on the 17th

of S ep tem be r, ab ou t two in th e m orning, when

th e r es ista n ce w as even m ore feeble than had

been a n t ic ip ate d; and before 8

A.M.

the entire

ci ty was in the hands of the Imperial is ts ;

the majority of the Republican troops, either

m a k in g the ir esc ap e, or sec ret ing themselves.

The prisoners, amounting to about four hun

dred men, were for the most part embarked

for R io d e Ja n e ir o , an d the n ce again to the

ports of the South.

T h e Im pe ria l troop s had ex pec ted to have

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H ISTO RY O F BR A Z IL . 1 7 7

tions.

T h e ch ap el wa s br i l l iant ly i l lum inated,

and it m ay be rec or de d as a trait of natio na l

m anners , tha t for m ore th a n ' s ix m on ths she

had burned tap er s nig ht a nd day before the

shrine of O ur L ad y of C on ce pt io n; to w hom

she had also, during the same period, directed

iier fervent b u t fruit less su pp lica tio ns for th e

success of the cause in which her son was en

gaged.

Three only of the individuals connected wi th

the insurrect ion were su bs eq ue nt ly ex ecu ted.

Their names were

Ratcliff,

Metrowich, and

Loureiro; and they were arrested on board a

vessel in w hich w ere also a n u m b e r of ince n

diary pro clam ation s. Ra tcl iff w as a P o rtu

guese ; M etrow ich, a M a l t e s e ; and Lou rei ro,

a B razilia n. T h e first two w ere officers of

the brig-of-war, Co ns t i tuic a5 on M orte, em

ployed in th e s iege of B ar ra G ra nd e, an d the

third was C om m an der of the schoon er , M aria

de Gloria, also engaged in the same service.

Thoug h th ey we re not proved to have take n

any very act ive p a r t in the s ie g e ; though the

indictment w as info rm al ; the evidence brou gh t

against them principal ly hearsay, and i t was

shown that Loureiro had been compelled to

em bark ag ain st his wil l, ye t all w ere con

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The severi ty exercised in this instance may

perhaps, however, be explained by a reference

to th e affairs of P o rt u g a l. R atcliff had for

m er ly be en em plo ye d in th e office of one of

th e M inis ters of S ta te in Lisbo n, and had

vo lun teere d to w rite ou t th e D ec ree for the

b a n is h m e n t of the Q ue en , on the occasion of

her refusal to make oath to the Constitution.

H is d ea th w as th u s reg ard ed by al l as a sacri

fice to th e w rath of offended R oy alty , rather

th a n a s th e ju st p un ish m en t du e to his offence;

an d as the un fortu na te m an 's com panions were

implicated equally with himself in the terms

of the indictment, i t was deemed necessary

that they should suffer also.

D u rin g the sho rt imp risonm ent elapsing be

tw ee n th e p eriod of his se nte nc e and i ts execu

tion, R atcliff tra ce d on the wall of the Oratory

the l ines—

"

Quid mihi mors nocuit? virtus post fata virescit,

Nee savi gladio perit ilia tyrann i."

" What pain can death inflict, where virtue still

Survives and triumphs o'er the tyrant 's will?"

Their meri t is perhaps t r i f l ing; the second

line is even defective in m e a s u r e ; ye t they at

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Brazi l ." H e w as an xiou s to ha ve add ressed the

people, bu t w as no t pe rm it ted . Lou reiro b e

t rayed some sym pto m s of t rep ida t ion as the

cris is ap pro ach ed , b u t M etrowich, l ike

Ratcliff,

died w ith firmness.

Lord Co chrane in the m ea nt im e, retu rne d to

Perna m buco , an d, in co njunct ion w i th G en er al

Lima, took measures for put t ing an end to the

war in the m ore rem ote pro vin ce s. In th is

their efforts were at tended with perfect suc

cess.

P ar ah yb a , Rio G ran de do N or te , and

Ceara, success ively submit ted to the Imperial

forces ; and thus terminated within the space of

a few m on ths , th e ce leb rate d " Confe derat ion

of the E q u at o r."

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1 8 0 H I S T O R Y O F l i R A Z I L

C H A P T E R X I I .

Arrival of Lord Co chran e in M ara nh am , in Novem ber, 1824 — Dis

sensions there — O per ation s of his L ord ship — H is claim on the

ordn anc e, &c . formerly a ppe rtaining to the Portuguese Govern

m e n t— Banishm ent of Ab ranch es — Arrival of a new President,

and his subse que nt removal by Lord Co chran e — His Lordship's

departure for England.

F R O M Pernambuco Lord Cochrane proceeded

along th e co ast , acc om pan ied by the Pi ranga,

Com mo dore Jew et t , an d th e Cacique brig,

C ap ta in M an so n ; and , having secured the

al legianc e of R io G ra n d e , an d Ce ara, arrived

in the port of M a ra n h a m on th e 9th of No

vem ber, 1824. T h is pro vin ce h e found in a

sta te of an ar ch y . T h e lea de rs of the army or

ganized in favour of the independence, had risen

against the authori ty of the President , Miguel

B ru ce , a B raz i l ian, orig inal ly of Scotch ex

tract ion, and host i l i t ies were actual ly in oper

at ion a t th e t im e w he n Lo rd C oc hra ne entered

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his chief con fidence in pe op le of colour, to m a n y

of whom he ha d given com m issions , the m ore

respectable class of th e in h a b i ta n ts hai led the

arr ival of Lord C oc hr an e w i th gre at jo y . A d

dresses pou red in up on him from al l q u ar te rs ,

and even the ladies of Maranham came for

ward in a deputat ion to congratulate him.

After remaining a few weeks in port , and

ascer taining the ac tua l s ta te of pa r t ies , his

Lordship se nt a cu t ter w i th thi r ty m en up the

river Ita p ic u ru to th e sc en e of ho sti l i t ies, w ith

an order for both parties to lay down their

arms. Th is m an da te th e assa i l ing pa r ty im

mediately com pl ied w i th, an d disp ers ed . T h e

troops of the P re sid en t also e m b a rk e d in five

smacks , and we re un de r w ay to M ara nh am ,

when they were met by Lord Cochrane, who

had followed the cutter in the Atlante schooner,

and after be ing br ou gh t un de r th e gu ns of the

Piranga , and the P e d ro Prim eiro, they were

compelled to disembark on a small is land,

where they were retained as prisoners unt i l

after the de pa rtu re of his L or ds hip . B ruc e

himself was subsequent ly dispossessed of his

powers, and sent off by an early conveyance

to Rio de Janei ro.

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Cochrane proceeded to car ry

into execution

a plan which he had formed long before.

N otw i ths tan din g the services wh ich he had

al ready rendered to Brazi l , and the acknow

le dg m en t of the m in the t i t le of M arqu is of

Maranham, confer red upon him by the Em

peror, he had hi therto met with nothing but

b ad faith on the p ar t of th e A dm inistrat ion in

Rio de Janei ro; and he was wel l aware that

terms of peace enact ing the rest i tut ion of al l

Portuguese property were in actual negot iat ion.

H e therefore look ed up on th e adm ission of

his claim s on the Im pe rial G overn m ent as

hopeless, and determined to seize the present

opportuni ty of indemnifying himself whilst

y et in his pow er. In do ing this , he had

nothing to apprehend from the Pres ident .

T h is individual , the hu m ble ex -secretary to

th e provinc ial G ov ern m en t , owed his elevation

solely to th e favour of his L o rd s h ip ; the be

sieging army ha d disp erse d, an d the t roops of

B ru ce were pr ison ers . U n d er the plea, there

fore,

that the ordnance, mi l i tary s tores , am

m un ition, an d all th e va rious fixtures formerly

apper ta in ing to the Por tuguese Government ,

were in reali ty the lawful prize of their captors

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contos formerly

furnished to the arm y of P ia u h y ,

his Lordship, in considerat ion of the impo

verished sta te of th e prov ince, ag ree d to com

mute for about the fourth part , or a hundred

and s ix co nto s; prov ided the lat ter sum were

paid immediately.

A M em orial to th is effect w as th en se nt in

to the Treasury, but as the claim was al together

novel, and the m em be rs of the B oa rd had

ne ither a sufficient am o u n t in their coffers,

nor any orders from th e G ov ern m en t of R io,

they dem urred regarding i ts pa ym en t . H is

Lordship, in co nse qu enc e, ap pe are d in person

at a m eeting held by this bo dy , an d after ad

ducing his est imates, proceeded to urge the

claim s of the sq ua d ro n with g re at firmness.

From a glance at the respective posit ion of

the pa rties, i t is e a sy to perceive how th e dis

pute m ust necessar i ly term inate . A n u na ni

mous vote w as finally p as se d , th a t as the T re a

sury was near ly empty, the Custom-house

should furnish the st ipulated sum; and an

order was given on the lat ter establ ishment

for the amount .

T his order w as to be discha rged by succes

s ive ins talments , but the conduct of Lord

Cochrane

w as, in the m ea nt im e, bi t ter ly ar

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audaci ty to s t igmat ize the

Admiral

a s

at once a

pira te and a robb er . F o r several w eek s Lord

Cochrane, through the medium of another pe

riodical , pu blic ly resp on de d to the accusations

brought aga ins t h im in the " C e n s o r ; " but,

finding th at his exc ulp at io ns ap p ea re d only to

ag gr av ate the violence of his opp one nt , he de

termined on the adoption of more decisive mea

su res .

F o rtu n a te ly for him , the " C enso r" en

joy ed the sym pa thies of the Po r tugue se party

only, for the Brazil ians universally regarded

the services of his Lordship with grati tude.

By his energet ic conduct he had twice pre

served the m from th e ho rro rs of civil w ar. H is

pre se nt exact ion w as ce rtain ly a hea vy one, but

i t w as of l it tle co ns eq ue nc e to th e people whe

th e r their rev en ue s w ere pa id over to h is Lord

sh ip ,

or to the T re a su ry in R io de Janeiro.

U nd er the se ci rcu m stan ce s , therefore, the Pre

side nt w as easily in d uc ed to iss ue an order for

the ins tantaneous banishment of Abranches , on

the alleged ground of his having issued publica

tions a t once inim ical to th e pu blic pe ace , and

personally offensive to the Marquis of Ma

ra n h a m ; a sentenc e which was imm ediate ly

carried into exec ution, an d w hich subseq uen tly

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HISTORY OF BR AZIL . 1 8 5

again subjected to

a far more serious obstacle

in the arrival of another Pres ident f rom Rio de

Janeiro. The co nd uc t of B ru ce ha d for a long

time been unsat isfactory to the Court , and the

consequen ce w as th a t , before the new s of his

dismissal had arrived there, an individual of the

name of Pedro Joze da Costa Barros , a par t izan

of the Po rtug ue se fact ion, h ad bee n ap po inted

to supersede h im in the P res ide nc y. T h e newly

appointed func t ionary arrived at his dest inat ion

early in F e b ru a ry , w he n he w as received w ith

al l due honours by the actual President , as well

as by Lord C och rane an d his sui te , and requ ested

to take charge of the government on the follow

ing da y. T o the ir sol ici tat ions he very n atu ra l ly

replied, that, finding the province in a state of

peace, he was an xio us to asc ertain the pa rt icu

lars of the late convulsions, and the actual state

of poli t ical parties, before he entered upon his

official du tie s. N o soo ner, how ever, h a d h e

been made aware of the late proceedings of Lord

Cochrane, than he int imated to his Lordship his

intention to assume office in the course of a few

days.

T o this sud de n resolut ion h is Lo rdship re

fused to ac ce de . I t ha d bec om e ev ident tha t Ba r

ros w as an in divid ua l of a mu ch less com plying

disposition than Lobo, the ac tua l P res ide nt ; and,

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HISTORY OF BRA ZIL. ] 8 7

contos in ransom for

a s lave vessel , claimed as

a prize on the first sur render of M ara nh am , and

still retained there, h is L o rd sh ip finally sa iled

for England in th e P i ra n g a , on th e 20th of M ay .

H e had a l read y p laced C omm odore Je w et t in

the Ped ro P r im ei ro ; and ha d desp a tched th i s

vessel to Bahia, whither he gave i t out to be his

intention to follow her . H e n ev erth ele ss pr o

ceeded direct ly to Portsmouth, where he arrived

after a p as sa ge of thir ty -se ve n da ys , and on

landing was received with the most enthusiast ic

greet ings , H is en ga ge m en t ha d been to serve

Brazi l unt i l the recognit ion of her independence

by Po rtugal , and as th is ha d n ot as ye t bee n

effected, he s till k e p t h is flag flying on bo ard

the Piran ga, thou gh the re w as bu t l i tt le prob a

bil i ty that his services would ever again be put

in requ isition ; es pe cia lly after th e l ine of con

duct which he had pursued in Maranham.

T he new s of his p roc ee din gs in the mean t ime

arrived in R io de Ja n e iro , w here they ex ci ted

the l iveliest ind ign atio n on th e p a rt of the M i

nistry. S en sib le, how ever, of their own pr e

vious br ea ch es of fai th, th ey w ere spa ring in ce n

sure.

T h e " D ia r io F lu m in e n se ," the only official

organ of the Adminis t rat ion, t ranscr ibed the ac

counts from M a ra n h a m relat ive to the foregoing

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Pres idency, and the re-

appointment of Pedro

Joze de Costa Barros to that office. T he Portu

guese , who had ever regarded his Lordship with

dis l ike, w ere loud in thei r v i tup era t ion s; but

th a t th e B razi l i ans w ere in genera l influenced

by a ve ry different feeling, w as app arently

evinced by their election of Lobo as one of their

Deput ies to the General Assembly .

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HISTORY

O F B R A Z I L . 1 8 9

C H A P T E R X I I I .

Assassination of Calde ira in Bah ia— Ac know ledgm ent of the inde

pendence of the Sp anish re pu blics by E ng lan d, and its effects on

the Negociations betwee n Po rtug al and Bra zil— M r. C ann ing's

proposals to the Portugu ese Governm ent—T heir Im polic y— Em

bassy of Sir C harles Stu art— Tr ea ty of the 29th of A ugu st, 1825,

recognizing the independence—Secret convention annexed—Ratifi

cation of the treaty — State of par ties in Brazil— Priv ate charac ter

of Don Pedro— M archioness de Santos— Chalaca the favourite—

Operations of the Absolutists.

SCARCELY ha d the insurrect ion in Pe rna m bu co

been quel led, when the t roops in Bahia rose

against Fel isber to Gomez Caldei ra , the mi l i tary

Governor of th a t c i t y ; an d, on th e 25th of O c

tober, 1824, ass ass ina ted him . H is un du e pa r

t ial i ty to the Portuguese Was the al leged cause

of the sedi t ion, in w hich th is ca tas tro ph e ha d

its origin. T h e lea de rs of the co nsp iracy we re,

however, rem oved to M on te V ide o, before an y

further demonstrat ions of disaffect ion had taken

place, and public order was again res tored.

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his own t i t les a n d dig ni t ie s , as well as his

private property in Brazi l .

N otw i ths tand ing the a p p ar en t feasib il ity of

this arran ge m en t , the re were m an y object ions

to i t, wh ich do no t ap p e a r to ha ve ha d their

due weight w i th th e E n g l is h M inis ter . W ith

fegard to the ack no w ledg m en t of D on Pe dr o

as heir app ar en t to the Crown of P or tug al ,

i t may be observed, that by an old fundamental

law of tha t K ing do m , no Fo reig ne r can, un de r

any c i rcumstances , ascend the T h r o n e ; and

Don Pedro having expatr iated himself by his

accession to th e C row n of B razil , h ad cle arly

incapaci tated himself for any such assumption.

That cont inued connect ion between the two

Crowns, w hich M r. C an nin g ap p ea rs to have

considered i t thus desirable to maintain, or

rather to re -e sta b lish , it w as also th e first wish

of every pa trio tic B ra zi l ia n to avo id. A fter

all the stru gg les for the ir ind ep en de nc e, the

Po rtuguese influence th us entai led upon them

m ight easily de priv e the m of all the chief pr i

vileges for w hich th e y h a d so ar d en tly strive n.

Th e private pr op erty al luded to, ha d, moreover,

no real ex is ten ce . U nd er the abso lute regim e,

the prop erty of the M on arc h an d th at of the

Nat ion w ere in ev ery resp ect syn on ym ou s.

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apper t a in ing to the S ta t e ; ye t

this was in his'

ca pa ci ty as the he ad of the Government, and

not as a priva te in d iv id u al ; an d no claim there

fore, den om inat ing as pr ivate prop er ty all the

various tenements and possess ions appropriated

by the Monarch during his res idence in Brazil,

could reasonably be admi t ted .

Sir Charles Stuar t was , nevertheless , des

patched to Lisbon with the before-mentioned

pro po sal . H e w as also au tho rized to express

his w ill ing ne ss to b e th e b ea re r to Brazil of

eith er this, or an y oth er ed ict , formed on the

sam e p rin ci p le s ; an d there to do his utmost to

secu re to P o rtu g al the com m ercial advantages

enjoyed b y th e m ost favoured n a t i o n ; waving

an y righ ts which G re a t B ri ta in m ight possess

u n d e r th e T r e a ty of 1810, to object to this.

T h e co-o pe rat ion of th e Em p e ro r of Austria

w as abo ut this t im e also sec ured by M r. Can

nin g. T h e da ug hte r of this P o te n ta te , was the

wife of Don Pedro, and now that a Monarchical

form of go vern m ent ap p ea re d to hav e been

co nso lidated in B ra zil , th e aid of th e Au strian

Representat ives , both in Lisbon and in Rio

de Ja n e ir o , w as finally en su re d to Sir C harles

S tu ar t , who arrived in Lisb on in th e m onth of

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HISTORY

O F B R A Z I L . 1 9 3

certain specified

cond i tions . T he se were , tha t

in the first*place, H is m os t F aith fu l M ajesty

should assume the t i tl e of E m pe ro r of B ra z i l ;

and in th a t ch ara cte r , as well as in th at of K in g

of Portugal and Algarves , c rea t e D on Pe dro , b y a

" Car ta P a te n te , " h i s associa te in the Im pe r ia l

l i t le ,

and then cede to him the sovereignty over

Brazil , as well a s th e ev en tua l rig h t of su cc es

sion to th e thro ne of P o rtu g al . T h e o ther s t i

pulations, required as essential to the final ac

knowledgment of the independence, were the

resti tution of captures, the removal of all se

questrat ions, the adoption by Brazi l of the

common debt , and the establ ishment of a sat is

factory t reaty of commerce between the two

countries.

Now, independent ly of the ext ravagance of

the condit ion whereby Brazi l , after clearing her

territory b y an arm ed stru gg le, w as req uired to

encumber herself with the debts of Portugal ,

the ti tle of Em p e ro r h a d alr ea dy been confer

red on D on P ed ro b y acclam at ion, and no t by

any supposed legi t imate inher i tanc e . T he re

was, on this account , an apparent ly insuperable

obstacle to i ts b e in g c on ced ed to t h e K in g of

Portugal, and Sir Charles vainly exerted the

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se t t lem en t . H e ac co rdin gly s ai led for Rio de

Janeiro on the 24th of May, and arrived there

on the 18th of July following.

T h e E m pe ro r received h im warm ly, but in

th e o utse t de clar ed , th at p ub lic opinion would

prevent his grant ing the t i t le of Emperor to his

fath er. H e , ho w eve r, referre d th e terms of

p e ac e to his M in is tr y . Se ve ral conferences

were held in consequence, but as the Brazi l ian

Plenipotent iaries remained fi rm in refusing to

ac kn ow ledg e th e sovereign ty of D on John, Sir

Charles was finally compelled to propose the

acceptance of a preamble, wherein the acknow

ledgment of the independence, and of Don

Pedro as Emperor , preceded the announcement

of H is m os t faithful M aje st y 's resolution to as

sum e th e Im p er ia l t i t le, an d this they ac

cepted .

T h e pr ea m ble hav ing been thus decided, the

articles of the Treaty were found of more easy

ad ju st m e n t. T h e first two we re l i t t le more than

a rec ap itulat ion of th e pr ea m b le . T he third

co ntain ed a prom ise, on the p a rt of the Emperor,

not to accept the proposals of any of the Portu

gu ese colonies to u n ite th em se lve s to Brazil,

and thus placed i t in the power of Portugal to

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coun tries on th e footing of th e m os t favoured

nat ions . T h e s ix th an d seven th decree d the

mutual restorat ion of confiscated property,

ships, and cargo es . T h e e igh th es tabl i shed a

joint comm ission of B raz i l ians an d P o rtu g ue se

to decide up on th e m at te rs t r e at ed of in the two

foregoing art ic les . T h e n in th st ip ula ted , th a t

where rest i tut ion of p ro p e rt y sho uld be found

impracticable, indem nificat ion sho uld ta k e pla ce .

Th e tenth estab l ishe d a du ty of fifteen p e r c e n t ,

to be paid reciproc al ly on al l m erc ha nd ize im

ported into ei the r c o u n try from th e othe r : a n d

the eleventh ap po inte d th e t im e of th e rat if ica

tion. A ll m en tion of th e suc ces sion to th e

throne of P or tug al w as pu rpo sely om it ted.

Throughout the whole neg ot iat ion D on P ed ro

openly avowed his de term ina t ion to ren ou nc e

all claim to th e crow n of t h a t co un try , an d , as

any st ipulat ions on th is m at te r wo uld nec essa

ri ly have increased the difficult ies of the treaty,

Sir Charles de em ed i t mo st p ru d e n t to avoid

their introduction.

W hils t, however , the term s of this im po rtan t

document we re a pp ar en t ly co nst ruc ted on fair

and open principles, a secret convention was

appended to i t , whereby not only did Don

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1 96 HISTORY OF BRAZIL.

for

the

express purp ose

of

oppos ing

the

inde

pendence ; but he also entered into a stipula

tion

to pay

over

to His

m ost faithful M ajesty,

a

sum

equivalent

to

600,000/. s terl ing,

for his

pa l ace ,

and

o ther pr ivate p rop er ty

in

Brazil ;

t hough ,

as it has

b ee n befo re observed, this

p rope r t y had h i ther to been regarded as he-

longing solely

and

exclusively

to the

nation.

T he t r ea t y

and

co nv en tion w ere , nevertheless,

several ly signed

in Rio, on the

29th

of

August,

b y the Brazi l i an Plenipotent iar ies on the one

par t ,

and by Sir

Char l e s S t u a r t ,

for His

most

faithful Majesty on the other , and of the whole

t ransact ion

it may

cer ta in ly

be

said,

" Here Fol ly dash 'd

to

earth

the

victor's plume,

And policy regain'd what arms had lost ."

The Emperor subsequent ly aff ixed

his

ratifi

cation to the document , and it was sent off to

E n g l a n d

in the

Bri t ish ship-of-war,

the

Spar-

t ia te . The phraseo logy of the ratification was

no t , how ever, a l toge ther sat isfactory

to Sir

Char les .

He

represen ted

to the

Brazilian Go

vernment , t ha t

the

s tyle which

the

Emperor

had adopted ,

viz. " By the

g race

of God, and

t he unan imou s acc lamat ion of the peop le," was

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This imp or tan t a l tera t ion having be en m ad e,

the S pa rt iate sai led for E n g la n d wi th th e

treaty. O n i ts rece pt ion, M r. C a n n in g w rote to

the En glish Ch arg e d 'Affaires in Lisb on , re qu ir

ing him to urge i t s im m edia te ac ce pta nc e, an d,

if possible, to ind uc e H is m os t faithful M aje sty

either to ab stain from all as su m ptio n of th e Im

perial title, or a t le a st to as su m e it in su ch a

manner as might not chal lenge recognit ion.

Such, however, w as th e disc on ten t with w hich

the Trea ty w as received in P o rtu g al , t h a t the

Bri t ish Minister abstained from divulging his

instructions on the la t te r po in t . T h e G ove rn

ment are said to ha ve co m plain ed al ik e of the

style of the preamble, and of the si lence regard

ing the success ion to the thron e of P o r tu g a l ;

whilst the peo ple w ere eq u al ly loud in the ir c la

mours against th e com m ercial arr an ge m en t . I t

was not sufficient th a t t h e y w ere p er m itte d to

trade on the terms of the most favoured nations.

What the Po r tugu ese m erc ha n t s w anted , and

what they h ad even a nt ic ipa ted , w as ei ther a

direct , or an indirect , continuation of the ex

clusive system, by the absence of all impost in

the Custom houses of each nat ion.

The Rat i fication b y D o n J o h n n eve rtheless

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m ent , an ins t ru m en t den om inated a " Car ta de

L e i " was publ ished by the Minis ter of the In

terio r, wh ere in not o nly did H i s m os t faithful

Majesty assume the t i t le of Emperor of Brazi l ,

in precedence to that of King of Por tugal ; but

th e ve ry co nd ition s w ith w hich S ir Charles

S tu ar t ha d be en ch arg ed previous to his de

p ar tu re from L isbo n, an d to which the Brazi

l ian Government had explici t ly refused accept

ance ,

were inserted as those which had been

actual ly acceded to .

S u c h w as th e ind ign at ion , e i ther real , or as

sum ed, of D o n P e d ro an d his M inisters , on re

ceiving n otice of th es e pro cee ding s, tha t they

threatened the Por tuguese Cabinet tha t they

would publish some act which should have the

effect of an n ul lin g th e w hole tr e a ty . Th eir sin

ceri ty in this menace may be doubted, yet they

were evidently apprehensive lest this injudi

cious assumption on the part of His most faith

ful M aje sty , m ig h t ag ain ex ci te suspicions of re-

colonizat ion, an d t h u s pro m ote the extension of

that republican spiri t which i t had hi therto been

their chief endeavour to quel l .

N or w ere the A dm inistra t ion w ithout their

coadjutors a nd su p p o rte rs in th e provinces.

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eluding in their ranks nearly al l the individuals

who ha d held office d u rin g th e pre ce din g reign ,

a great number of weal thy Por tuguese , and

many other individua ls , wh o, wh i ls t ad m it t ing

all the ad va nta ge s of con st i tut ional gov ernm ent

in the a b stra ct , ye t den ied the pol icy of i ts ap

pl icat ion to the ignorant and heterogeneous po

pulation of B ra zi l . U n d e r th e other w ere the

adherents to the Consti tution as i t stood, or, as

they may s t i l l be denominated , the Pat r io t s ;

each sect , meanwhi le , avowing themselves the

partizans of D o n P ed ro , y et each see kin g to

bias the A dm inistra t ion acc ording to their own

peculiar view s. O n th e first pr oc lam atio n of

the C on st i tut ion al code of law , th e Ab so lut is ts

had for a t ime refrained from the open advocacy

of their op inion s, b u t th e la te m ea su re s of th e

internal A dm inis trat io n had revived their h op es .

The new princip les w ere for the m ost pa r t u n ap

pl ied theories ; and they, as wel l as thei r oppo

nents,

ha db ec om e aw are tha t , ins tead of recurr ing

to the pec uliar cir cu m sta nc es of his elevat ion w ith

hones t pr ide , His Majes ty appeared anxious

only to sin k th em in obl ivion. I n th e co lum ns

of the " Diar io F lu m in en se ," a pe rpe tual s t ress

was la id on the c i rcumstance of Don Pedro ' s

legi t imacy; whilst not a word was ever said

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cal led into quest ion, and the part ing charge,

w hereb y Don J o h n w as kn ow n to have enjoined

on his son th e ass um ptio n of th e Crown of

B raz i l , w as mo re th a n on ce br ou gh t before the

pu blic b y th e sag acio us ed i tors of the same

periodical .

W it h th e dissolu t ion of the Co nst ituent As

sembly, His Majesty had at length obtained

po sse ssion of th a t su pr em e a n d uncontrolled au

tho rity , for wh ich h e h a d so ard en tly striven;

yet the very circumstance of i ts at tainment ap

peared to have the precise effect of unfitting him

for i ts ex erc ise. P e r h a p s th is resul t was no

m ore th an n atu ra l . H av in g achieved his great

object, he had no longer the same motives,

eith er for th e ex ertio n of hi s ta le n ts, or the con

ce alm en t of h is fai l ings. Te m pta t ion s were

ne cess ar i ly m ul t ipl ied arou nd h i m ; men of in

teg rity w ere as m uc h as possib le excluded from

his p re se n ce ; an d the plain and s imple lan

g ua ge of t ru th an d so be rn es s, w as superseded

b y th e vilest ad ul ati on . H e sti l l continued to

associate with all ranks on terms of cordiali ty,

and even of familiari ty, but his conversation

was not adapted to inspire reverence for either

his m ora ls , or h is ab i l i t ies . T h e principal part

of h is leisu re ho urs wa s sp e n t in th e society of

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in en ga ging his affect ions, th a t he pu blic ly

avowed her as his mistress, created her Mar

chioness de S a n to s, an d ere cted a pala ce for

her res idence in the imm ed iate vicini ty of S an

Christovao. A t th e sa m e t im e, his t re at m en t

of the un fortun ate E m p re s s w as mo st unfee l ing.

While favours were showered down on the head,

and promotions dispensed from the hand, of

the newly crea ted M arc hio ne ss , th e high -bo rn

daughter of the House of Hapsburg , though

unexpensive in h er h a b i ts , w as co ntinu al ly

reduced to the necessity of solicit ing the loan of

money from he r d ep en de n ts .

The characters of the pol i t ical agents by

whom the Em pe ro r w as surround ed, was , more

over, but l i t t le calculated to insure public con

fidence. P a rt iz a n s of th e A bs olu t is t faction

were found even in th e C ab in e t, and in th e se

lection of friends, or rather favourites, His Ma

jesty was even m ore un fo rtun ate . A t their

head was a P o rtu g u es e of th e nam e of Fran cisco

Gomez da Si lva; bet ter known in Brazi l by the

appellat ion of C ha lac a, a word syn ony m ou s

with the French term

persiflage,

noisy , ext rava

gant , insolent , and diss ipated in character ; yet ,

on the othe r ha nd , f rank in his m an n er s , wi tty

in conv ersat ion, ind efa t igab le in an y service in

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2 0 2 H ISTO RY O F BRA Z IL .

cessively elevated by the Emperor to that of

A dju tan t of th e G u ar d of H on ou r, an d pr ivate Se

cretary ; and had finally acquired such an ascen

dancy over the mind of his Royal patron, that

he may, wi thout exaggerat ion, be said to have

shared the supreme author i ty .

Such were the coterie in whose hands the

co ntrol of affairs w a s ac tu all y vested . That

Don Pedro was sincerely anxious for the wel

fare of Brazil, was, however, sufficiently mani

fested b y hi s diso rde rly ac tivity . I n the army,

in th e na vy , in th e m in iste ria l offices, and in

the Custom-house, his interference was per

pe tu al , an d the confusion he nc e resul ting may

b e eas i ly im ag in ed . H is ca re s were, indeed,

dire cte d ra the r to p o in ts of de tai l than to ge

ne ral m e a s u r e s ; a nd in th es e i rregular sallies,

h e w as u nfo rtun ately on ly too m uch encouraged

b y th e i l l-tim ed eu log ies of th e individuals by

wh om h e w as su rrou nd ed . U na ble either to

appreciate, or to comprehend, the vivifying in

fluence of free in st itu tio n s, th e ir only object

w as to p er p et ua te thei r own po w er ; and a mo

dification of th e C onsti tu tio n , with t he effect

of rendering i ts provisions somewhat less de

m oc ratic , at le n g th ca m e to b e confidently

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ext inguished; the Pres idents of the provinces

still con tinued in th e ex erc ise of th e m ost a rb i

t rary a c t s ; the funct ions of th e legislat ive bod y

were cont inual ly infr inged upon by th e C a b in e t ;

and though ne ar ly two y ea rs h a d elapsed s ince

the dissolution of th e first A ss e m b ly , th e re as

•yet app eare d bu t very l i t t le pro ba bil i ty of th e

early convocation of an oth er . E m bo ld en ed by

this retrogra de line of po licy, th e lea d er s of th e

Absolut is t par ty s imul taneously drew up a

number of p eti t io n s from va riou s p a rt s of th e

Empire , reques t ing the Emperor to abrogate the

Const i tut ion al together ; and s t range as i t may

appear, though thei r req ue st w as de cl ined , th e

requisit ionists w ere y e t s ing led ou t for m a rk e d

dis tinction. C onrad o Ja c o b de N iem ey er , the

President of a mi l i tary commission appointed

for the trial of the rebels in Ceara, one of these

individuals , was rewarded with the Order of the

Crusader;—Chichorro, the Juiz de fora of Tau-

bate, procla imed absolute G ov ern m en t in thre e

towns in the pro vin ce of S a n Pa ulo , a nd r e

ceived thanks from the Minis ter of the Empire,

the Count de Valencia, in the n am e of H is Im p e

r ial Majes ty ;—Teixera, a res ident in I tapar ica,

who wrote to th e M inis te r of Ju st ic e, C lem ente

Ferreira F ra n q a , in 1824, in favour of ab solute

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p ar ic a ; an d , finally, t h e e n tir e C ab ildo of Monte

V ideo, w ho h ad also p re se n te d a pet it ion of a

similar cast , were one and al l honoured; the

Pr es ide n t b y the " C om m enda r i a ," and the

other m em be rs by the " H ab i to , " of Chr i st .

A revolt , however, took place in this last-men

tioned pro vinc e, ev en be fore th e ratification of

th e t re at y w i th P o rtu g al , w hich had not only

th e effect of pr ec lu d in g a n y ch an g e of govern

ment at this t ime, but which, though of apparent

insignificance in i ts commencement , was yet

fated to become the means of effecting an entire

change in the future dest inies of Brazi l .

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HISTORY

O F B R A Z I L. 2 0 5

C H A P T E R X I V

Description of the Banda Oriental, and of the manners and character of

its inhabitants— State of Mo nte V ideo — Pe tition of the C abildo

for absolute G ove rnm ent— U niqu e letter from the same b ody to

Don Pedro—Conspiracy for throwing off the Brazilian yoke—

Expedition of the thirty adve nturers from Bu enos A yres— De fec

tion of Rivera— Interference of B ueno s Ayres— System of warfare

pursued by the Ga uch os— Battle of the Sa rand i, on the 13th of

October, 1825.

BEFORE enter ing upon any deta i led explanat ion

of the eve nts in w hic h th e revolt allu de d to at

the close of th e pr ec ed ing ch ap te r h ad i ts r ise,

i t may be well to give some account of the topo

graphy of the province in which i t took place, as

well as of the m a n n e rs an d ch ar ac te r of i ts in

habitants.

Th e B an da O rien tal , or , as i t was formerly

termed, the C isp lat in e pro vinc e, is s i tua ted on

the m argin of the R iver P la ta , an d is bo un de d

on the west by the U ru gu ay , and on the ea s t

by the A tlan t ic oc ea n. O n th e no rth , i t is

part ial ly separated from the province of Rio

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to ry of one h u n d re d lea gu es from north to

so uth , b y ab ou t eig hty from ea st to west.

The pr incipal towns are the sea-ports of Monte

V ideo , M aldon ado , a nd Co lonia del Sacra

m en to . T h e re are also a few tow ns of less im

portance in the interior, but Monte Video is the

only pla ce of an y exte nsive comm erce. I ts

ex po rts con sist exc lusive ly of hid es , horn s, tal

low, a n d j irk ed

beef.

T h e prov ince contains no

plantat ions of any descript ion ; nor, indeed, any

agricul tural es tabl ishments whatever , except ing

a few sm all farm s in th e im m ed iate vicinity of

th e tow ns . T h e inte rior co ns ists of one vast

ex pa ns e of u nd u lat in g pla ins , ut ter ly devoid of

enclosures : the only boundaries being the small

streams with which the province is intersected.

The margins of these are overrun with thickets ,

w hich , from th e pre va len ce of the sarand i , an

aq ua t ic sh ru b, can only be pe ne trated at cer

tain p as se s op en ed for th e conv enience of tra

vel lers . O n th e op en pl ain s no t rees are to be

seen, ex cep t ing such a s ha ve be en planted by

th e h an d of m a n . O stri ch es , deer, and wild

horses abound throughout the province, and the

fastne sses on t h e b a n k s of th e r ivers are much

infes ted b y the oun ce, an d the ja g u ar , or Ame

rican t iger.

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he av y sph erica l s to ne bal ls , ea ch enclosed in a

ca sin g of un ta n n e d h ide , are at ta ch ed to thongs

ab ou t four feet in le n g th , w hich are again at

tac he d to ea ch othe r, at th e opp osi te extremi

t ies . W h e n th row n, the G au ch o seizes one of

the balls, and whirls the other two over his head,

un ti l th ey se p a ra te , after th e m a n n er of the go

vern ing b al ls of a s tea m -en gin e. W he n stretched

to th e ir full e x te n t, th e y ar e flung so, tha t the

central point , where the thongs are at tached,

falls full up o n th e ob ject aim ed a t; an d the balls

are then coiled round and round with irresist ible

violence.

I n thei r m an ne rs , the G au ch os are hospitable

a n d k in d ; y e t th e y ar e also quarrelsom e, un

pr inc iple d, an d cru el . T h e w ars which have

agitated the Spanish provinces, ever since 1810,

ha ve in pa rt co ntribu ted to th is . Eq uip pe d only

with his bolas, his lasso, and the knife invaria

bly st u c k in his gird le, eve ry G au ch o is from

his ha bits a sold ier ; an im ate d by the spirit of

na t ion al i ty , an d ever ea ge r to en ga ge in corpo

re al strife. A m o n g st suc h a pe op le the affec

tions can have but l i t t le sway, and home hut

few attr ac tio n s. I t is on the pla ins tha t their

physical energies are developed, their emulation

exc i ted, an d the ir t r iu m p h s ach ieved. Their

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H ISTO RY O F BR A ZIL . 2 0 9

defence ag ain st th e inc lem en cies of the wea

the r. T h ei r leisure ho urs ar e, for th e m ost pa rt ,

devoted to ga m ing , of which th e y are inordi

nately fond. W he n t ravel l ing throu gh un inh a

bi ted distr icts , or when benighted, they are in

the ha bit of form ing a bed from the ir sa dd les,

which con sist of sev eral de tac he d piec es, an d

after m an ac l in g their ho rse s, to s leep in the

open air , un de r no cov ering bu t a po nc ho . Lik e

the m en, the w omen are also exc el lent eq ue s

trians-,

a nd perform all their jo u rn e y s, however

short the dis tance, on horseback.

Such are the inhabi tants of the inter ior of the

B anda O r ie n ta l ; t he p rov ince , whose sub juga

t ion by the Portuguese, as wel l as i t s subsequent

cess ion to B raz i l , h a s al re ad y been related .

The inhabi tants of the mar i t ime towns have, on

the o ther hand, adopted European cus toms, and

presen t a s t r ik in g c on t ras t , bo th in m ann ers and

ap p ea ra n ce , to the rude and uncivil ized dw el l

ers on th e pla ins . C on sis t ing pr inc ipal ly of

landed propr ie tors , and t radesmen, they pos

sess am ple m ea n s of ins t ruct ion , an d are often

inte ll ige nt a s well as affable.

B y th e ter m s of th e cap i tulat ion agreed upon

betw een G en er al Lecor an d D on Alvaro, i t wi ll

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th in k fit," so lou dly en u nc iate d on occasion of

th e previous incorp ora t ion, th e ide nt ical pro

vince then in quest ion was thus unceremoniously

transferred by one foreign power to another;

and this too in opposit ion to the remonstrances

of a large portion of the inhabitants ; for many

w ere be co m ing so m ew ha t im p atie n t of foreign

sw ay . S in ce th e first oc cu pa tion of Monte Vi

deo by the Portuguese, not a s ingle public work

h a d be en e ng ag ed in . T h o u g h a few individuals

h a d be en enrich ed by th e pr ese nc e of an army,

m ain tain ed prin cip al ly a t th e co st of the Bra

zil ian Government, yet the landed proprietors

w ere , for th e m os t p a rt , involved in ru in ; and

du rin g th e re pe ate d sie ge s of th e ci ty, the su

b u rb s h ad be en q u ite razed to th e ground. So

fearful ha d th e bes ieg ers b ee n of any unex

pe cte d at ta c k on th e ir l in es , th a t for miles into

th e interio r, no t a ho us e, n or even a tree, had

b e e n left st a n d in g . A ll th e imm ediate vicinity

of the city ha d b ee n ag ai n redu ced to the soli

tude and s t i l lness of the deser t .

T h e ou tcries of th e O rie n tal patriots were,

how ever, m ad e in va in. G en era l Lecor again

entered the ci ty wi th his t roops; and the Ca-

bildo,

ever obsequious to the rul ing party, made

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incorporat ion w ere mo re l ikely to en tai l preju

dice th an benefi t, th e elec tors of th e provinc e

were ul t im ate ly led to desi re the i r ab ro ga t ion ;

and on the occasion of the elect ion of Deputies

for the en su ing Le gis la tive A ssem bly , the y de

clared in a pu blic a ct , the ir a n x ie ty to b e pla ce d

in every res pe ct on th e sa m e footing w ith th e

other provinces of Brazi l .

To General Lecor th i s in t imat ion proved any

thin g bu t ag re ea ble . H e held hi s office of pe r

petual Governor by virtue of the art icles of the

incorporat ion ; and anxious only for the perma

nence of office, or perhaps secretly influenced

by the C ab ine t in R io, h e recu rred to the sch em e

of inducing the Cabi ldo to pet i t ion His Imperial

M ajesty ag ains t an y u l ter ior innov at ions w ha t

ever. I n p u rs u an ce of th is object h e avai led

himself of the services of Jose Raimundo

Guerra, the Syndic of the province, a nat ive of

Old Sp ain , who drew u p the ce lebra ted let ter ,

w here in the C ab ildo , after at te st i n g the ir fide

l i ty to the cause of Brazi l , en t rea ted the Empe

ror that no interference might take place wi th

their re lig ion , h ab i t s , a nd c u s t o m s; bu t th a t

the y m igh t s t i ll be governed un de r th e old re

gime, and al l obstacles thus be removed from

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2 1 2 H ISTORY O F BR A Z IL .

ha ve be en rega rde d as th e sl igh test obstacle to

th e pe ti t ion . T h e M em b e rs all affixed their

sig na tur es to th e do cu m en t , and moreover des

pa tche d a co m pl ime ntary ad dres s to Don Pe

dro, on th e sa m e occ asion , w hich m ay be wor

th y of p a rt ic u la r n o te , as at o nce illustrating

th e ch a ra ct e r of i ts c om pile rs, an d the style of

elo qu en ce in vogu e w ith th es e adm irers of ab

solute sw ay . H is Im p e ria l M ajesty had sent

down his p o rtr a it to M on te Video, where it was

allotted a co ns pic uo us situ atio n in the Munici

p al C h am be r, a circu m stan ce w hich gave rise

to the effusion alluded to.

" W h o is th is ," exc laim ed th e worthy mem

bers of the Cabildo, in this overflowing ebulli

t ion of lo y a lt y ; " who is th is th a t approaches us

majestically, with an august yet juvenile, sweet,

and affable a sp ec t, w ith a ga llan t and heroic

ai r, an d to whom ou r tr ib u te of affection is ren

de red betwee n p er tur b at io n an d pleasure, as

th ou g h we w ere in th e p re se n ce of the Angel of

the Lord

?

T h e re can be no do ub t i t is Pedro the

F i r s t H is m ar t ia l ap pe ara nc e and h is expres

sive co un ten an ce , a l ik e in dic ate his presence.

B y a n im p uls e of th e m ost sing ular love, he is

se ate d on th e su blim e throne,^ an d resting his

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Vi deo .

The

l andscap e represen ted ,

is

l ike

the

r e a l l a n d s c a p e ; a proof that the po rt rai t m us t

also resemble

the

o r iginal .

It is a

fact, Sire,

your Monte Video loves you, and can say to

you

as a

br ide ,

I am my

lover's ,

and my

lover

is

mine

"*

It could

not be

exp ected th at th i s in teres t ing

an d elo qu en t effusion, when cou pled as it was

with

the

r eques t

for the

re-adopt ion

of the pa

ternal system

of

government , would

be

allowed

to pa ss unreco m pense d. The M e m b e rs of the

Corporat ion were rewarded

in the

m a n n e r

be

fore indicated, and Genera l L ecor was short ly

af terwards honoured wi th

the

t i t le

of

Viscount .

The requis i t ion in ques t ion , never theless , ap

pears

to

have be en regarde d e i ther

as

p rema

tu re , or

w h a t

is

more p robab le ,

to

have consi

derab ly exceeded

the

wishes

of the

E m p e r o r .

T h e s a m e m e m b e r s

who had

been pr ivate ly

re

warded, were publ ic ly reproved ; and Don Pe

dro,

in his

reply

to the

Cabi ldo , rem inded them

that , wi thout infr inging

the

Const i tut ion

to

which

he had

m ade oa t h ,

he

could

not

accede

to thei r req uis i t ion ; tha t

all

al terat ions were

vested solely in the h a n d s of the leg islative As

sembly, wi th

the

i mper i a l s anc t i on ;

and

that ,

in all nece ssary cases , the G o v e r n m e n t w a s al-

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2 1 4 HISTORY OF BRAZ IL.

re ad y au tho rize d to su sp e n d all th e formalities

gu ar an tee ing individu al l ibe r ty , as had been

already done in the provinces of the north.

The indisposit ion of the patriot , or Buenos

A y re an p a r t y , to B raz i l ian suprema cy, under

any form, was, however, too deeply rooted to

al low th e p er m an e n ce of t ranq uil l i ty. A con

sp ir a c y for t h ro w ing off th e foreign yoke was

formed in M on te V ide o. T h e conspirators were

u pw ar ds of two h un dr ed in nu m ber; and,

am o n g st the m w as Colonel Fructuoz o Rivera, a

na tiv e of C ord ov a, an d an officer in the Brazi

l ian ar m y , u n d e r G e n e ra l L ec or. On previous

oc ca sion s h e had o ften dis tingu ish ed himself in

th e service of th e E m p ir e , an d had received

m an y pro m ises of ad va nc em en t from the Court

of R i o ; y e t th e y all prove d insufficient to main

tain him in h is alle gia nc e. H a v in g finally deter

mined on the adoption of hosti l i t ies, the conspi

rators sent over emissaries to request assistance

from Buenos Ayres .

T h e Go ve rnm en t of th a t c i ty wa s as yet un

w illing to afford a n y d ire c t aid to th e Cispla-

tine p at rio ts ; y e t s u b sc rip tio n s in their favour

were openly entered into; insurrect ion was

every where advocated; and arms and ammuni

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Argos , a Bu eno s A yre an G aze t t e , ha d the t em e

r i ty to sp ea k of Fruc tuozo R ivera a s a pa r -

t izan.

T h is officer, how ever, m a n a g ed to remove th e

suspicions of the Court of Rio, by publ ishing a

M anifesto, da ted F e b ru a ry the 13th, 1825, wh erein

he declared, that he would ever defend the pre

vious inco rpora t ion w ith th e good fai th inc um

be nt on a m an of hon our, an d a soldier . T h e se

profess ions , i t need hardly be remarked, were

insince re, or a t lea st eq uiv oc al . A t this very

period he w as in c orre spo nd en ce wi th th e en e

my ; an d, w ith his k no w led ge an d col lusion, a

pa r ty of th i r ty- th ree m en, a t the he ad of wh om

was Colonel Ju a n A nton io L aval le ja , c rossed

the r iver f rom Buenos Ayres , wi th the intent

of procla iming rebel l ion throughout the Banda

Or ien ta l .

La va l leja w as a na t ive of M on te V ideo, who

had long been noted for his uncompromising

ho st i l ity to foreign sup rem acy . D u ri n g th e

m inis try of the A nd ra d as , he ha d bee n des ig

nated by them as a declared enemy to the Em

pire , and h i s proper ty had, in consequence,

bee n sub jected to seq ue st rat ion . Sin ce this

per iod, he had res ided pr incipal ly in Buenos

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March, 1825, he crossed the river, as before

sta ted , in an open bo at, alon g with thirty-two

other bold spiri ts , and landed unobserved at

L as V ac as , on th e no rther n b an k . Several

cases of arms and ammunition were also brought

over, but were for the moment deposited in an

Estancia, or catt le farm, near Colonia, while

Lavalleja and his companions employed them

selves in scouring the country for recruits.

W h at ev er m ay be tho ug ht of the prudence of

this little band of adventurers, it is difficult to

refrain from admiring that intrepid spirit , which

could induce them, with their slender resources,

to bid defiance to th e po w er of the Em peror of

B ra z il. B u t th ey w ere not left long alone.

R iv er a jo ine d th em on the 17th of April, and

the inhabitants of the plains flocked round

the m from every q u a rte r. A n d now commenced

a guerilla war, in which the skirmishes in every

instance terminated in favour of the Gauchos.

They were few in number, but on horseback

th ey were far sup erior to the ir op p on en ts; and

th ey , m oreov er, pos ses sed a pe rfect knowledge

of the face of the country.

Intell igence of Rivera's defection in the mean

t ime rea ch ed R io d e Ja ne iro , w he nc e two thou

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they a b sta ine d from further aid to the revo lters ,

an d recal led the i r sub jects now un de r arm s in

the B an da O r ien ta l , H i s Im pe r i a l M ajes ty

would repel force by force, being determined

to pro tect th e po l i tical r ig h ts of his C ispla t ine

sub jects . To this com m unicat ion the G ove rn

m ent of Bu en os A yr es repl ied, tha t the actual

insurrect ion was the work of the Oriental peo

ple a lo n e ; th a t the su pp l ies furnished from

Buenos Ayres had been bought e i ther wi th

the money, or on the credi t , of private indi

viduals in the stores of the city, which were

open to al l a l ike, w he the r f riends or e n e m ie s;

that they were not aware that any of thei r sub

jec ts w ere in the B a n d a O riental ; and tha t ,

even if such were the case, the laws of the

R ep ub l ic would not auth orize them to recal l

th eir cit ize ns from a terr i tory over wh ich th ey

po ssesse d no con trol . M oreover, the y a dd ed ,

in order to evince une quivo cal ly the i r am icable

disposi t ion tow ard s B raz i l , the y would p u t in

execution a project , which they had long before

formed, of sending up an Envoy to the Court of

Rio ,

b u t th a t the y would no longer condescend

to carry on a diplomat ic correspondence wi th

the Admira l .

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blished a l ine of t roops along the Uruguay,

wi thout pretext and wi thout not i fying the same

to th e C ou rt of R io ; th e y allowed a numb er of

armed vessels , appertaining to unknown indivi

dua ls ,

to b e fitted ou t in th e ro a d s ; and, finally,

on occasion of th e B raz i l ian C onsu l having been

in su lted b y th e p op ula ce , th e y refused to give

any adequate sa t i s fac t ion .

The gueri l la war in the Cisplat ine meanwhile

co ntin ue d as before. A cc ord ing to the " Diario

F lu m in e n s e ," the revo lters w ere t im e after time

ro ute d with tota l lo s s ; y e t from some unex

p lain ed fa tal i ty, th e y a p p ea re d to acquire fresh

forces from every defea t . L ik e the Pa rthian s of

old, th e y fough t as th e y fled. T h e y achieved their

su cc es se s b y av oidin g all dire ct coll ision; and

by th e sp eed of th eir m ov em en ts, and their un

sy ste m atic m od e of w arfare, set at nought the

profound tact ics of the Imperial leaders .

W h e n lea st ex pe cte d, th e y would sweep like

a w hirlwind rou nd th e ou tsk irts of the Brazi

l ian a r m y ; throw dow n th e ho rses with their

b o l a s ;

en tan gle th e r ide rs in the ir la ss o s; and,

after depriving the unfortunate wretches of l ife,

ag ain ins tan tane ou s ly d i sa pp ea r . Pu rsui t was

ou t of th e que st ion . N ot only w ere the Gau

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burthen themselves wi th s tores , provis ions , and

fodder, w hi le the y them selves were u nin cu m

bered . Y et the i r t r iu m ph s w ere not ow ing to

mere phys ica l super ior i ty a lone. There was

another cau se , to the ag en cy of w hich the y

were m ore th a n al l in d eb ted for the ir ^victories.

The y were volun teers , an d th ey w ere a l l a n i

mated by the sp i r i t of nat ional i ty ; whereas the

Brazi lian t roop s ac t in g ag ain st th em w ere, for

the m ost pa r t , e i the r con scr ip ts or foreigners ,

who,

tho ug h bra ve , ha d no t thei r he ar ts in th e

cause . I t w as not a s in th e wa r for ind ep en d

ence,

wh ere every freeman felt a l ike his in te

res ts and his ho no ur en ga ge d in th e s t ru gg le.

In the pr es en t ins tanc e , the common sold iers

regarded the i ssue of the con tes t wi th co m para t ive

indifference. T h e y w ere ne i the r m ore nor less

than m ere m ac hin es ; an d thei r every m ovem ent

was m ech anica l . A m on gs t t he G auc ho s , on the

other h an d , " La Patria /" w as th e ral lying

cry. I t i s no t , th en , su rpr is ing th a t a hand ful

of men should have ha rasse d an a rm y. E n th u

s iasm in th e cau se of the i r na t ive co un try len t

wings to the i r spe ed , an d gav e an edg e to thei r

sabres .

No dec isive act ion , how ever, occu rred un t i l

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covered th e Im p er ial ar m y in a disadvantageous

posi t ion, on a s i te d en om ina ted " E l Sarand i ,"

they commenced the at tack, and a general

engagement took p lace; wherein , s t range

a s i t m a y a p p e ar , th e followers of th e band of

th irt y -th re e , w ho h ad a few m on ths before

crosse d the R iver P la ta b y nig ht, in an open boat,

defeated upwards of 2,200 troops of the l ine.

The intel l igence soon reached Rio de Janeiro,

w he re it h ad th e effect of con vincing the Em

pe ror, th a t eithe r th e O rie n ta l province must be

for ever ce de d by B ra zi l, or a m ore vigorous po

licy ad op ted . B y th e adv ice of his M inistry he

de cide d on th e la tte r st e p . In the columns of the

" Dia rio F lu m in en se ," the fatal combat of the

S a ra n d i was t ransform ed into an important and

de cisive vic tory ; y e t on th e 13th of December

following, w ar, offensive and defensive, was de

c lared agains t Buenos Ayres .

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C H A P T E R X V

Spirit of the Ad m inistration— Co nces sions of t i tulary hono urs, and

their effect—Treaties with the British Government —The Emperor

sails for B ahia, in February , 1826 — Pam phlet of C hap uis— Its

effect, and the subsequent banishment of the Writer—Death of Don

John VI.—The Regency of Portugal declare in favour of Don Pe

dro,

who consequent ly assumes the Crown—Grant of a Const i tu

t ion to the Portug uese— Policy of the appo intmen t of an Hered i

tary Senate—Projected marriage of Donna Maria to her uncle Don

Miguel .

N O T W I T H S T A N D I N G the growing importance of

the war , th e sam e pr incip les of gov ernm ent

were st il l acted upo n in R io de Ja n e ir o . In

stead of s t r iving after th e further d ev elo pm en t

of the sys tem nominal ly adopted , the Adminis

trat ion appear to have made i t their chief object

to en ter up o n a rivalry w ith th e old C ou rts of

E uro pe . D ip lom at i c age n t s , m an y of whom

were st i l l in their teens, were despatched to al l

t he Co nt inen ta l G ov er nm en t s ; F rench F igu

rantes , and I tal ian Sopranos, were al lured to

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a lik e all th e ca res a n d a ttr ib u te s of a Consti

tut ion al G o v er n m en t . I n th e concession of ti

tu la ry ho no urs , th e sa m e sp iri t was also made

a p p a re n t . Sc arc ely h a d th e independence been

g u ar an te ed b y th e t re a ty of Au gust , when His

Imperial Majesty celebrated the occasion of his

b irt h -d a y on th e en su in g 12th of October, by a

cre atio n of N ob ili ty, co m pre he nd ing one Count,

seventeen Viscounts, and twenty-one Barons,

besides Commendadores, and Knights of differ

en t O rders , i nnu m erab le .

I t ca n n o t b e sa id , th a t eithe r this, or any of

the future distributions of honorary Insignia,

fulfilled th e effect in te n d e d . Unaccustomed,

under the absolute government , to the presence

of either nobili ty or large proprietors, the Bra

zi l ians, as a pe op le, h a d con trac ted the habit of

re ga rd ing al l, ex ce p tin g tho se pla ce d in autho

ri ty ov er th e m , as the ir e qu als ; an d the system

of ca ste s, introdu ced b y th e In st i tu t ion in ques

tio n , h ad all al ong proved h ig h ly offensive to

th e n at io n a l v an ity. M oreo ver, no t only were

th e t i t les co nc ed ed often m isa p p lied , b u t as for

eve ry ba dg e the re w as a crow d of asp iran ts , for

eve ry one who w en t a w ay sat isfied, numbers

w ere nec essar i ly dis ap po inte d. H a d the ser

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t rar i ly , according to the decis ion of the Empe

ror alone, th e ne glec ted cla im an ts al l u ni te d in

condemning His Majes ty ' s unjus t par t ia l i ty , and

in b i t t er ly lam en t ing h i s un for tuna te w an t of

di scernment . A s w as jes t ing ly observed, by

many of the R oy al i s t s t hemse lves , m ore R e

publ icans were made by these honorary promo

t ions,

th an b y a ll the m ac hin at ion s of the D e

mocrats .

O ne ju s t an d benef icent m ea sure , to which

the M inistry a t th is period gav e the ir ass en t ,

ought not , however, to be passed over in s i lence.

Th is was a t re a ty wi th th e B r i t ish G ove rnm ent

for th e final abo li tion of th e Slave T r a d e ; a

m easure no t less desi ra ble in a pol i t ical , th an

in a m oral po int of view. A t re aty , w he reb y

this traffic was l imited to the South of the

Equator , had been previously entered into, be

tween Great Br i ta in and Por tugal , on the occa

sion of th e C on gre ss of V ienn a, in 1815. B y a

subsequent Convent ion, dated the 28th of July,

1817,

i t w as further s t ipu late d, th a t all vesse ls

engaged in the Slave Trade should be provided

with p as sp or ts , s ignifying th e legal i ty of the

voyage; that the r ight of search should be con

ceded to al l vessels of w a r ; an d th at a m ixed

comm iss ion, formed of E ng l i sh and P o r tu gu es e

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from the m oth er co un try, h ad rend ered a re

new al of th e t rea t ie s prev iously entered into

w ith the C ou rt of P o rtu g a l a m atte r of neces

sity ; at th e sa m e tim e th a t i t h ad given the

Bri t i sh Government an increased claim on the

A dm inistra t ion in R io . A further t reaty was,

in co nse qu enc e, acc ed ed to b y the Em peror;

by th e term s of w hich i t w as st ipu lated , that

in four years after its ratification, the Slave

T ra d e shou ld e nt ire ly cea se. T h e vessels of

wa r a p p er ta in in g to eac h of the contracting

pow ers, were m utu al ly invested w ith the right

of s e a rc h ; an d al l sub se qu en t continuat ion of

th e traffic, w he th e r u n d e r th e B ritish, or the

B razi l ian flag, be ca m e pu nis ha ble as piracy.

U nf or tun ate ly, how ever, t h e cond itions of this,

as well as of a new Co m m ercial Tre at y, were ne

gotiated by Sir Charles Stuart without suffi

cient authori ty from his Government; and as

the re were in eac h of these instru m en ts s tipu

lations of an unsatisfactory nature, the English

P rem ier, M r. C an nin g, thou gh t f it to prevent

their subsequent ratification in Great Britain.

Mr. Canning was, moreover , much annoyed by

the publication of these Treaties in the official

jou rna l of the Bra zi l ian G o ve rn m en t ; and on

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Lei la tely i ssued in P o rtu g al ha d, in the m ean

t ime, reac he d B ah ia , a nd serious ap preh en s ions

of recolonizat ion h ad b ee n exc i ted in con se

que nce . T h e E u ro p ea n s were there fewer in

num ber th an in R io de Ja n ei r o ; th ei r inf luence

in society w as less , and the re m em bra nc e of

the suffering experienced during the previous

siege was st i l l rankling in the minds of the

inh ab i tants . M uch anim osi ty w as thu s exci ted ,

and the cry of " D ea th to the P o r tu g u es e "

rang through th e ci ty , no tw i thsta nd ing al l th e

efforts of th e P re si d e n t to sm oth er i t . T h e

know ledge of this disquietud e induced D on

Pedro to v is it th a t c i t y ; w hi ther he w ent ac

companied by the E m pr es s . In h i s p re pa ra

t ions for t h e vo ya ge , he ac ted w ith th e sa m e

celeri ty which had before characterized him on

similar occa sions , an d arr ived the re un ex pe ct

edly in the m on th of F eb ru ar y , 1826. H ap p i ly ,

the ferm ent w as a s ye t bu t in i t s com m ence

men t ; an d the pe rson al ass ura nc es of H is

Majesty, a ided by the co-operat ive measures

of the M arq uis d e Q ui luz, a t this t im e P re s i

den t, we re soon found am p ly sufficient to re

s tore peace and order throughout the ent i re

province.

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on the treaty of Independence, and the Carta de

Lei issued by His most Faithful Majesty." The

author , Pierre Chapuis , a Frenchman by bi r th ,

had for some time been Editor of the Regulador

de M ad rid . F a l l in g , however, un de r the displea

sur e of th e Sp an ish G ov ern m en t , he had removed

to Lisbon, where he again resumed his occupa

tion as a Journalist , unti l persecution at length

co m pe lled him to qu it th a t city, and to seek a

refuge in R io de J a n e ir o : w here he published

the pamphlet alluded to, soon after his arrival .

As has been already stated, the public press

ha d been al l bu t an nih i lated . T h e banishment

of th e E d ito r of th e Co rreio, b y th e A ndradas,

the subsequent exi le of the Andradas them

selv es, an d la stly , th e ad op tion of the same

arbi t rary s tep in Maranham towards the Edi tor

of the Censor, had jointly contributed to

th i s . T h e m inor jo ur n als ha d ent irely disap

p ea re d . A few de tac he d p am ph lets from the

p en of Joz6 de Silva L isbo a, a R oy alist , sub

se qu en t ly created V iscount de C ayru, and the

columns of the Diar io Fluminense, were at

this period the sole vehicles of political infor

m atio n ; an d th is las t m en tion ed publication,

th e w orthy rival of the on ly ga ze tte published

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2 2 8 H IS T O R Y O F B R A Z I L .

nin g, an d which by th e ter m s of the Ca rta de

Lei was dist inct ly implied, was also charac

terized as r ep lete w ith p e r i l ; s ince Brazi l was

thus unwit t ingly rendered responsible to foreign

nat ions for al l the mal-administrat ion of the

P o rtu g u es e C ab ine t . " In case of a war in

E u ro p e ," urged th e autho r , " the enemies of

P or tu ga l m igh t at once fall upon B ra zi l ; take

her vessels , annihi late her commerce, and

blo ck ad e he r p o r t s ; an d this solely on ac

coun t of this un w arr an tab le assert ion. The

w ords of th e C art a de Le i are in direc t contra

diction to the spiri t of the Treaty, and one

of the two documents is thus necessarily in

val id."

T h e co nstern at ion of the Go vernm ent at this

audacious language in the mouth of a s t ranger,

wh ile no B raz i l ian ha d a s ye t ven tured to med

d le w ith th e su bje ct, m ay b e ea sily conceived.

T h e D iar io Flum ine nse assailed him as an

anarchist banished from every country in Eu

rope , on account of his revolutionary princi

p les ,

and now come to Brazil for the sole

pu rp os e of fom enting dissension . A n attempted

refutation of the pamphlet was also put forth

by a Fr iar of the name of Sampayo, the ex-

ch am pio n of th e A p o sto la d o ; but as , for the

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H IS T O RY O F B R A Z I L . 2 2 9

with the one inte nd ed . T h is very opp osi t ion

was by C ha pu is reg arde d as a tr ium ph ; and

had i t s influence in ind uc ing him to u nd er tak e

the management of a newspaper , in the co

lumn s of w hich he retorted w ith in ter es t on th e

ass ai lan ts of his e ss ay . M isled by a de cree

of the M inis ter of the E m pi re , wherein the

ban ishm ent of A br an ch es by Lord Coch rane,

was censured as a s tep which could be tole

rated only in a G ov ern m en t w here

will

had pre

cedence of law, he proceeded to arrogate to

himself th e office of a C en so r on th e pro ceed

ings of th e A dm inis t ra t ion . C om para t ively a

strang er in R io de Ja n ei ro , he had formed his

opinions on polit ics from a perusal of the Con

sti tutional Code, without sufficiently ascertain

ing whether i t s enactments were ever carr ied

into ex ec ut ion . I t m ay , however , be pleaded as

some extenuat ion of his error, that i t was of

very brief d ur at io n. I n less th a n a w eek after

the re tu rn of the ir M ajest ies from B a h ia ,

whence they arrived on the 1st of April , 1826,

he w as, w i thout an y previous int im at ion , ar

res ted, thrown into pr ison, and thence sent

on bo ard sh ip, and com pel led to qu i t the E m

pire.

The forcible removal of the unfortunate Edi

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2 3 0 H IS TO R Y O F B R A Z I L .

the intent ions of His Majesty to the test , and

henceforward effected an ent ire change through

out the pol i t ical relat ions of Brazi l .

T h is w as th e un ex p ec te d de ath of his most

fai thful Majesty, Don John VI. , who expired in

L isb on on th e 10 th of M arc h , 1826, not without

stron g susp icion s of be in g poisoned . During

the short i l lness preceding his dissolution he

appointed a Regency, consist ing of the Princess

Donna Isabel la Mar ia , the Pat r iarch , the Duke

de Cadaval , the Marquis de Vil lada, and the

C ou nt do s A rcos ; bu t h e did no t proceed to any

no m inat ion of his suc cesso r. B y m any it has

been assumed as a matter of regret , that the

Crown should not have been bequeathed by

tes tam en t , ei the r to D o n P ed ro , or to the In

fan te D o n M ig u e l; ye t i t does not appear to

ha ve b ee n reco llected, t h a t a n y disposition to

this effect would have been in direct opposition

to th e fun da m en tal Co de en ac ted on the first

consolidat ion of the Portuguese Monarchy, and

su bs eq ue nt ly sanct ioned by th e Cortes con

vo ke d in 1640. E v e n the m ost despo tic govern

ments in Europe, as for example Russia, have

the ir fun da m en tal law s of succession . By vir

tu e of th e on e in q uestio n , an d it is necessary

to remark that i t had never been abrogated, the

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re igning Monarch i s not , under any pre text ,

pe rm it ted to no m inate his succ essor . In case

of vacancy, this pr ivi lege is by the same autho

rity de clared to be ve sted solely in the na t ion .

Foreigners are also express ly prohibi ted from

assum ing the reg al au tho ri ty , an d th e las t of

the P h i l ip s w as actu al ly ex clude d un der this

pretext .

N otw i thsta nd ing , therefore, th e term s of the

C arta de Lei , w he re by the r igh t of success ion to

the Po r tugu ese th ron e wa s conceded to D on P e

dro, he ap p e a rs to ha ve clea rly forfeited al l

legal claim to i t, in ha vin g co ns t i tute d him self

a B razi l ian. C on sider ing, ne verthe less , th at

the interes ts of Portugal could be best fur thered

by the conservat ion of the two Crowns in the

same l ine of the R oy al F am i ly of B rag an za ,

relying on the su pp ort of the E n g l ish C ab inet ,

and personal ly indisposed towards Don Miguel ,

the Regency decided on the proclamat ion of

Don Pedro as Monarch , and a sh ip was imme

dia te ly de sp atc he d to R io de Ja ne i ro w i th the

t idings .

T h e vessel arr ived a t he r de st inat ion on th e

24th of A p ri l , 1826, on w hich occasion pu blic

de m on strat ions of m ou rning were ado pted for

the spa ce of thre e d ay s . D on Pe dro , in the

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daughter , the Pr incess Donna Mar ia de Glor ia ,

a t th is tim e in the 8th y e a r of her age. If, how

ever, th e a ssu m ptio n of th e va ca nt throne by

the Emperor were open to the imputat ion of

il leg ali ty , th is ab dic atio n in favour of Donna

M ar ia w as st i ll m ore so . E ve n in case of the

admission of Don Pedro's claims, the Crown

ought to have descended to his son, at this t ime

five m o n th s o l d ; an d no t, du ring the existence

of th a t son, to a d au g ht er . T h e situation of Don

P e d ro w as, how ever, one of m uch embarrass

m e n t. B y the C on sti tution of B razil , all alli

ances , or fed eration s, op po sed to the indepen

dence of the Empire were expressly prohibi ted;

an d h e h a d on this asc erta ine d th e state of

pu blic feeling too ju st ly , no t to know that any

a t te m p t to re -u nite the two Crowns might be

come the signal for a second revolution through

ou t B ra zil . H is son w as, moreover, an infant;

born since the proclamation of the indepen

dence ; the nobil i ty of Portugal , jealous beyond

m ea su re of th eir priv ileges, and indisposed to the

slightest innovation, were more l ikely to support

th e claims of D on M iguel , tha n those of H is Im

perial Majesty ; and the Const i tut ional party in

that kingdom, though possessed of l i t t le influ

ence , were clamorous in favour of a representa

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H IS T OR Y O F B R A Z I L . 2 3 3

celebrat ion of a m arr iag e b etw een th e Inf an te

Don M iguel and the Q ueen D o n n a M ar ia ; and,

secondly, in th e g ra n t of a C on st i tut ion al

C ha r ter ; whereby , whi l s t the people were en

trusted with the privilege of choosing their own

representat ives , the nobi l i ty were created an

hereditary H ou se of P e e rs . S i r C har les S tua r t ,

who w as on th is occasion a dm it ted into the

Imperial Councils , and by whom the idea of

placing Do nn a M ar ia on the thron e of P or tu

gal,

is said to ha ve be en first su gg es ted to th e

Emperor, objected in part to the foregoing pro

ject , on the grou nd , th a t the g ra nt of an en t irely

new C on st i tut ion could no t fail to aw ak en th e

jealousy of m an y of the E ur op ea n pow ers . O n

this account , the Engl ish Ambassador advised a

convocation of the an cien t s ta tes of th e K in g

dom ; a m ea su re ag ains t w hich no suc h objec

tion could be urg ed . T o th is , how ever, H is

Majesty repl ied, that i f i t were necessary again

to cal l tog eth er the said C ortes of th e n a

t ion, many al terat ions would be found indispen

sable, from the se con voc at ions h av ing been in

disuse for many years ; and that this Assembly

might thus become dangerous to the govern

m ent , or, at lea st , give r ise to gre at pe rtu rb at io n,

from the facility with which it could take to itself

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gis latu re, an d a C on sti tutio n formed on the

model of that of Brazil was in consequence con

ceded to the K ing do m of P o rtu ga l . Th e veto

of th e So ve reign w as , how eve r, ren dered abso

lute instead of suspensory, and the elect ive Se

nate superseded by an heredi tary House of

P e e r s .

R e g a rd in g the first of the se changes,

a difference of opinion may exist, yet the policy

of th e seco nd ap p e a rs sufficiently obvious. Un

qu es tion ab ly, th e n om ination of Sen ators from

a regard for their qualifications for the office

m u s t in th e a b st ra c t ever l ie less open to ex

ception, than their appointment from the acci

de nt of b ir th ; bu t , w ithou t at tem ptin g here to

enter upon any analysis of the motives of Don

P e d ro , i t m ay be re m a rk ed , th at an Institution

which had its origin in the peculiar circum

s ta n c e s of B ra z il, cou ld no t ha ve proved alto

ge the r ap p lica b le to th e ex isting state of Por

tu g a l. In th e former co un try, no aristocracy

could, at th e p eriod of th e independen ce, be

sa id to ex ist , w he rea s, in the latte r, they were

an o pu len t an d pow erful b o d y ; w ho, if not al

lowed to take their share in the legislation,

would naturally have directed their efforts to

th e overthrow of th e go vern m ent . Whatever

may have been the unfitness of many of their

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r a t o r s ;

and the i r ap po in tm en t as a Se na te thus

app ears to ha ve b een no t only judic ious , but

imperatively called for, in the existing state of

the mother-count ry .

Having final ly organized the Charter , and

issued an act of amnesty to all confined for poli

t ical offences, the E m p e ro r a bd ica ted th e Crow n

of P or tug al in favour of his d au g h te r, on the

3d of May, 1826; with, however, a proviso,

rendering the va l idi ty of the ac t de pe nd en t on th e

future m arr iag e of the Q ue en w i th D on M iguel .

This m arr iage the la te K in g had long ha d

in con tem plat ion, an d i t i s spo ke n of b y D o n

Pedro in h i s corre spo nd enc e wi th th at M on arch .

I t had s ince the n b een advo cated by M r. C an

ning, and ha d be en a m at te r of comm on con

versat ion in Portugal , where the union of

persons s tanding towards each o ther in that

degree of affinity is freq ue nt. T h e violent an d

dissolute ch ara cte r of the P rin ce w as the only

material object ion to the step, but i t was on

this account proposed that he should be pre

vented from ha vin g th e custod y of the Q ue en

unti l after the expirat ion of her minori ty.

O n the w hole, the projected schem e w as

sufficiently feasible in a p p e a ra n c e ; b u t, before

i t could be carried into execution, obstacles

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C H A P T E R X V I .

Convocation of the Legislative body on the 6th of May, 1826 — Law

regarding the nom ination of Senators perverted by Don Pedro—

Speech on the ope ning of the Ch am bers— Blo cka de of Buenos Ayres

— O pe ratio ns of the Na vy— Pro cra stinatin g policy of General Lecor

—Contrast of manners between the South American Spaniards and

the B razilians — Tim idity of the H ous e of Dep uties— State of

Fin an ce — D issatisfaction of the Ho use concerning the late Treaty

with Po rtuga l — Leg islative m easures — Close of the Chambers,

and Speech of His Majesty on that occasion.

U N D E R

different pretexts Don Pedro had

hith erto deferred th e con voc ation of the House

of A sse m bly , b u t th e ut ter exhau st ion of the

treasury occasioned by the war in the South,

and the consequent necessity for further re

sources, appeared at length to have rendered

the assistance and co-operation of the nation

through the medium of i ts Representat ives, a

m a tte r of ab so lute n ec es sity . T h e election of

the D e p u tie s ha d alre ad y ta k e n place in 1824,

acc ording to the forms pre scr ibe d by the Con

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body a number of individuals who were l i t t le

more th an th e bl ind in stru m en ts of his w ill .

A s i t ha s bee n before sta ted , in th e a b str ac t of

the Const i tut ion, His Majesty ought to have

appointed one mem be r from am ong the thr ee

first na m es of ea ch l is t. I n severa l in sta n c es

it, however , ha pp en ed , th a t th e sa m e m em bers

were dep uted for two p la c e s ; of wh ich H is

Majesty took advantage, and af ter nominat ing

the members in quest ion for

one place,

he erased

their na m es from al l the oth er l is ts , an d nom i

nated the fourth, or even th e fifth, m em b er in

stead of the thi rd . A n ex am ple m ay ren der

th is somew hat m ore c lear . T h e E m pe ror was

anxious to no m ina te th e f ifth m em be r for G oy az

instead of th e th ird , an d th e two m em be rs first

on the l is t for G oy az , ha d also a pre ce de nc e in

other pro vin ce s. A fter, therefore, no m ina t ing

these ind ivid ua ls for oth er prov ince s, he erased

their names from the l is ts of Goyaz, and counted

the fifth member on the l ist as the third.

The meet ing of the General Assembly f inal ly

took place on the 6th of May, 1826, when His

Imper ia l M ajes ty addressed the m em be rs . H e

exp ressed his reg ret t h a t he sho uld formerly ha ve

been com pel led to dissolve th e C on st i tue nt

Chamber, and s tated the cont inuance of peace

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m en t of Bu en os A y re s. F o r the defence of the

national honour, he said, i t therefore became

necessary that the integri ty of the Empire

should be maintained.

" T h e ind epe nde nce of B razi l , " the Emperor

con tinued, " ha d bee n ac kn ow ledg ed b y his au

gust Father , Don John VI. on the 15th of No

vem ber prec ed ing , and the recognit ions of Aus

t r ia , E n g la n d , Sw ede n, and F ra nc e, had since

succe ede d. T h a t of the U ni te d S tates of Ame

r ica, had al ready preceded these.

" Sin ce th en , inte ll ige nc e ha d arrived of the

de ath of D on Jo h n , w hich w as the cause of

much grief to the Emperor, who, finding him

self the leg it im ate K in g of P o rtu g a l, at a period

when he had least expected i t , had been guided

in his conduct solely by his wishes for the wel

fare of Br az il . O n th is ac co un t he had abdi

ca ted , a nd given u p all his in d isp ut ab le rights in

favour of his d au g h te r D o n n a M aria da Gloria,

now Q ueen of P o r tu g a l . " H is M ajesty then

concluded by expressing a hope that even the

m ost incre du lous wou ld now ackn ow ledge him

as the Perpetual Defender of Brazil, and by

recommending to the Assembly measures for

the dissemination of instruction, attention to the

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para ted, ea ch to perform i ts al lo t ted du t ies in

the form prescribed by the Const i tut ion.

A squadron of upwards of thir ty sai l were, in

the meant ime, b lockading the r iver P la ta , under

the com m and of A dm iral Lobo . T h e ci ty of

Buenos Ayres , as wel l as her dependencies , had

been declared in a s ta te of bl oc ka d e on t h e

21st of D ec em be r, 1825, b ut b y a n u l terior com

municat ion from the Brazi l ian Admiral , foreign

vessels w ere allowe d to lea ve th e p o rt un ti l th e

13th of February.

The Governm ent of B ue no s A yre s had an t ic i

pated these host i l it ies , an d ha d m ad e all th e pre

parat ions in their po w er for rep el l in g th e m ;

having pu rch ase d a m erc ha nt s h ip which the y

fitted u p a s a co rvette of tw en ty -s ix g u n s, four

brigs, and several sm all cr a ft ; in al l, how ever, a

very inefficient force compared with that of their

opp onen ts . T h e se vessels were almost en t i rely

m anned b y E n g l is h sai lors , an d a few C hin os ,

or na t ive In d ia n s from the province of E n tr e -

Rios, an d were p laced un de r the co m m an d of

Ad miral Bro w n, an E n g lis h Officer, who h ad

already dis t in gu ish ed him self in the service of

the Republ ic dur ing the s t ruggle for independ

ence. In the i r dec larat ion of w ar da ted the 2d

of Ja n u a ry , 1826, th ey , m oreover, s tated th a t

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pe ro r of B ra z il, wo uld be acc ord ed to all who

should ask for them.

The equipment of the newly purchased

vessels not being complete on the first declara

t ion of th e blo ck ad e, th e B raz i l ians were but

l i t t le m olested un t i l th e 4th of Fe bru ary , when

A dm iral B row n b ore down on their squadron,

a t th is pe riod co ns isting of seven teen sail, in

cluding three corvettes, and three brigs of war.

N o tw ith st a n d in g th eir supe riority of force, the

Brazil ians declined action, and stood away from

the ir op po ne nt s . A dm iral Brow n nevertheless

co ntin ue d cru isin g in the ir vicinity, and on the

9th suc ce ed ed in en g ag in g thre e corvettes, the

united force of which he alone withstood for

some t ime, unsupported by any of the remain

ing vesse ls un de r his com m and . Being, at

le n g th , co m pe lled to hau l off, he rejoined his

own ves sels, an d on th e sam e da y by superior

manoeuvring succeeded in bringing on a general

ac tion ; in w hic h, inc red ible as it m ay appear,

the B raz i l ian s w ere con siderably worsted, and

com pelled to re t i re tow ards E ns en ad a, a small

po rt ab ou t e ight le ag ue s below Bueno s A yres;

w here th ey for som e t im e rem ained stat ionary.

T h e B ue no s A yre an squa dron hereon pro

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which struck upon a

reef,

and also several gun

boats , which fell into th e h a n d s of their an ta

gonis ts . B row n nev ertheless m ain tain ed his

posi t ion, unt i l the arrival of the ent ire Bra

zi l ian squadron, on the 7th of March, compelled

him to stan d aw ay for th e ou ter roa ds of B u e

nos Ayres.

H av ing suc cou red Co lonia, the B razi l ian

naval force n e x t sa iled in th e direc tion of M o n te

Video. A dm ira l Brown in the m ea nt im e con

t inued cruising'about the r iver, and on the 11th

of Apri l unexpectedly ran into the port of Monte

Video, w here fifteen B ra zil ia n v esse ls of wa r,

and amongst them two frigates, were lying at

anchor. T h e Co m m ande r of the Im per ia l squad

ron ha pp en ed to b e on shore at th e t ime , an d

Brown, after reco nn oi ter ing, w as th u s en ab led

to m ak e good his r etre at w ithout even com ing

into action.

Finding, however , that he could obtain no

decisive advantage with his small vessels , he

came to the resolut ion of at tempt ing to carry

the Brazi l ian Flag Ship, a fr igate of f i f ty guns,

by board ing . T h e a t t em pt w as accord ing ly

m ade on th e nig ht of th e 27th of A p ri l ; bu t ,

unfortunately for the success of i ts projector,

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2 4 2 HISTORY OF BRAZ IL.

For the purpose of sat isfying al l doubts ,

Brown

hailed he r in E n g lis h , a n d on receiving an un

sat isfactory an sw er, po ur ed in a broad side and

p re p a re d to bo ard . T h e frigate, however,

an sw ere d his fire vigo rou sly, w ith art il lery and

m us qu etr y , an d at th is cri t ical m om ent one of

the B ue no s A yr ea n B r igs com ing up a-stern , ran

betwe en the com ba tan ts in such a m anner as to

pre clud e all po ssibi l i ty of bo ard ing . Du ring

th e t im e lost in ex tric at in g the thre e vessels , a

number of the Brazi l ian men of war had got

un d er w eigh , an d i t w as resolved b y Brown to

dis co ntin ue th e ac tion . H e accordingly stood

off, and was pursued by the Brazilians until

d a y -b re a k . O n rejoining the rem aining vessels

of his squ ad ron a p ar t ia l act ion took plac e;

b u t th is, l ik e all p re ce din g i t , term ina ted with

out any decisive resul t to ei ther party.

For several weeks afterwards both part ies

abstained alike from hosti l i t ies, but the Buenos

A y re an s co ntinu ed cruisin g ab ou t the river to

facil i tate the passage of foreign merchant ships

wh ich w ere alm ost dai ly b re ak in g the blockade.

The i l l success of Admiral Lobo meanwhile led

to his recall to R io de Ja n ei ro , w here he was

shortly after his arrival summoned to appear

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t ran ce of the U ru g u a y ; in it se lf an im po r tan t

pos t , a n d on e w hic h h ad al re ad y be en fortified

a t a cons iderab le expense by the Braz i l i ans .

W hi le these ev ents we re occurr ing , the Im

per ia l t roops cont inued to keep possess ion

of M on te V ide o. A fter the defeat a t E l S a

randi , th ey had tak en up thei r h ea d-q ua r ters

in this c i t y ; ye t suc h w as the au da ci ty of th e

Gauchos that they would f requent ly r ide up

to th e very w al ls in h op es of plu nd er . A

reward of three contos of reis was at length

offered for

the head of the infamous Juan Antonio

Lavalleja, an d an o th er of four con tos for th a t

of the trai tor Fr uc tuo zo R ive ra , bu t the u n

civi l ized inhabitants of the plains were ei ther

un ab le to rea d, or un w il ling to ac ced e to t h e

terms po inted out in the proclam at ion . N ot

wi ths t and ing the nomina l b lockade , boa t s were

also p as s in g con t inual ly to , an d from, B ue no s

Ayres; the per iodicals of this ci ty were ci r

cu la ted th rou gho ut M onte V id e o ; and , w hat

was of s t i l l more importance, detachments af ter

de tach m en ts of t roops were t r an sm i t ted to the

B a n d a O rie n ta l , for the pu rpo se of reinforcing

the revol ters . L ik e the G au ch os of the no r thern

ba nk , the y w ere inure d to the ha rd sh ips of a

w an de rin g l ife, an d w ere , mo reover, soldiers by

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th e w hite in h a b ita n ts th er e st i l l ex ists a war of

ex ter m ina t ion . I t could no t b e expected that

B ra zil ia n co n sc rip ts, utte rly devoid of enthu

siasm, could in a war of skirmishes contend

with success against such troops as these.

W h il e , ho w ever, ad m ittin g to the fullest extent

th e p h y s ic a l a s well as moral inferiority of

th e Im p e ri a l troops, it would be somewhat

unjust to refrain from bestowing upon them

th a t co m m en da tion which is really their due.

W it h reg ard to prec ision of movements, watch

w ords , signa ls, an d all the formalities and

minutiae of military science, which the Gauchos

in the ir unso phis tic a ted ignorance affected to

despise, they had attained a proficiency truly

a st o n is h in g ; ye t even th is proficiency proved at

t im es but a feeble g u a ra n te e aga inst the irre

gu lar a ss au l ts of the en em y. T he y were unable

to ven tu re ou tside th e w alls w ithou t danger of

b ei n g cu t off by the ir o p p o n e n ts ; and on one

occasion it is record ed , th a t th e sentinel on

guard at the gates of Monte Video was actually

lassoed and carried off by a Gaucho.

T h e ph ilosop hic sp iri t w ith w hich the y bore

these pe t ty an no ya nc es i s p erh ap s even more

praiseworthy than their high state of discipline.

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his young officers were, with few exceptions,

too well sat isfied w ith th e a t t r ac t io n s of M on te

V ideo, to be a t all an x io u s to q u it i t for th e

plains.

T he gaie ty of the South A m erica n Sp an iard s ,

and par t icular ly of the females , as contras ted

with the monotonous gravi ty of the Portuguese

and thei r B razi l i an de sce nd an ts , a r r es t s in a

rem arka ble deg ree the a t ten t ion of every t ra

veller. In B ra zil th e re is b u t l i t t le social inte r

course even am on gs t int im ate f r iends . T h e

women are retained in almost conventual se

clusion, an d h av e bu t l i t t le voice in so cie ty. In

M onte V ideo an d B uen os A yre s , on the con

t rary, every eve ning is de dic ated ei ther to th e

theatre, the bal l , or the tertul ia, or soiree;

and n ei t he r w ar, nor revo lut ion, nor fam ine,

have as ye t bee n able to cha ng e the na t iona l

bias in this res pe ct . H e n c e th e supe rior at

t rac t ions of the Sp an ish ladies . T he i r m an ne rs

are in genera l fas c in at in g; and thoug h imp er

fect ly educated, their conversat ion is replete

wi th wi t an d var iety . I t can no t be surp r is ing

then, that the contras t should have had i t s

w eigh t w ith th e B ra zil ia n officers. T h e y found

superior a t t rac t ion s am on g th e Sp anish ladies ,

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Thus were the forces of the procrastinating

G e n e ra l re tain ed in M on te V ideo, in complete

ina ct io n, thr ou gh ou t n ea rly th e ent ire year of

1826.

The House of Deputies in Rio de Janeiro were

m ea nw hile p ur su ing th eir career with timidity.

They had but l i t t le faith in the stabil i ty of the

ne w orde r of th in g s. M a n y of them regarded

their convocation as a step adopted for the

purpose of amusing the public, and l iable at al l

t im es to te rm in a te b y an oth er ac t similar to the

dissolut ion of th e C o ns t i tu en t Cham ber. Un

certain, moreover, of the degree of support

w hic h th ey mig h t look for from th e people, and

fearful of coming in collision with the supreme

pow er, the y pro cee ded in the ir labours with ap

prehens ion

.

T h e re port of th e financial affairs

of

the E m p ire given in by the M arq uis de Baependy

was , nevertheless, any thing but satisfactory.

A loa n of 3,68 6,20 0/. st e rl in g , effected by the

Marquis de Barbacena, then Fel i sber to Brant ,

in 1824, ha d be en en t irely exp end ed , and six

m ill ion s of cr uz ad es of co pp er coined, and issued

at ab o ut four t im es i ts in trin sic value. Ten

m ill ions of cr uz ad es in p a p e r h ad also been

bo rrow ed from th e ins olv en t B a n k , a step for

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giously abstained from al l augmentat ion of the

ob l igat ions ex is t ing on th e p ar t of the G ove rn

m ent towards th i s es t ab l i shm ent . Th e i r suc

cessors w ere, however , less sc ru p u lo u s; a l

though the imp ol icy of fur ther loan s , un d er ex

i s ting c i rcum stance s , w as g lar in g . T h e value

of the notes sank in proport ion to their in

creased issue ; the agio on th e pre cio us m eta ls

rose in a corresponding rat io , and the publ ic

were th u s com pel led to b ea r th e loss in cu rr ed ;

whi l s t the Government were paying in teres t on

the loan. H a d the adm inis t ra t ion , ins tead of

having succoured i t sel f by notes f rom the Bank,

em ployed i ts own pap er-m on ey, the gu ara nte e

to the public would have been equal ly good, the

payment of in teres t might have been avoided,

and the agio on the precious metals would pro

bably have been less ; for th i s paper might

have c i rcula ted throughout the Empire , whereas

th e ci rculat ion of the notes of th e B a n k e x

tended only to Rio de Janei ro and the o ther

provinces , B ah ia and San Pa ulo , in which ,

b ranch Banks had been e s t ab l i shed .

I n th e othe r d e p a rt m e n ts of finance, an

eq ual ly f lagrant system of m ism an ag em en t ap

pe ared to have bee n ado pted . A l togethe r th e

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" Brazil ," observed his Excellency, in his report

to the House, " must submit to these expenses

w hich a re un av oid ab le in th e formation of a

m ig h ty E m p ir e ; w herein i t is necessary to create

ev ery th in g, an d to en co ura ge every thing with

a large and generous

hand

if it be intended that

we take our rank among nations of the first

o rd er . F a r be from us eithe r indecision or in

qu ietu de from these em ba rras sm en ts Let us

ra th e r fix o ur at ten tio n on th e brilliant future

reserved for th i s nascent Empire "

F u ti le a n d un satisfa cto ry as was all this, the

H o u se refrained from a n y direc t strictures on

th e to p ic , and it w as o nly c on cern ing a point on

w hich th e y reg ard ed their nat ional ity as inte

rested, that they ventured on a remonstrance

w ith th e ex ist in g au tho ri t ies . T h e t ime had at

length arrived when it became impossible any

lon ge r to c on ce al th e p ar tic u la rs of the secret

co nv ention a n n ex ed to th e T re at y of the 29th of

A u g u st , 1825, an d to th eir u tte r astonishment,

the members were now, for the first time, made

acquainted with the fact , that His Imperial

M ajesty ha d u n d er ta k en to p ay from the

T re a su ry of Braz i l , an am ou nt equivalent to

2,000,000/. st e rl in g ; the g re a te r p a rt of which

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H IS TO R Y O F B R A Z I L . 2 4 9

t rea t ies sho uld be laid before th e A sse m bly , a s

soon as the inte res t an d sec uri ty of the S ta te

might permi t ; ye t , on the present occas ion, the

M inis ter h ad co nten ted him self by a s l ight an d

insufficient exp osi t ion of facts un su pp or ted by

any document whatever .

After due del iberat ion on the topic, the Com

missioners appointed for the inspect ion of the

affairs of finance an d d ip lo m acy , gav e it in a s

thei r impress ion, that the Minis ter ought to

have laid before th e H o u s e th e full p ar t icu lar s

of the sec ret co nv en tion , s ince the y were no t

aware th a t ei the r th e inte re st or sec uri ty of th e

Sta te would hav e th u s incurred an y im m inen t

per i l , and no other reason could exempt him

from th e ne ce ssi ty of so do ing . " T o th e C ha m

bers ," con t inued they , " i t app er ta in ed to exa

mine whether these t rea t ies conta ined any mat

ters wh ich m igh t b e of pre judic e or dishon our

to the na t ion , and for which the M inis ter s en

t rus ted wi th the negot iat ion might be deemed

responsible : moreover, according to the Const i

tut ion, i t was one of the at t r ibutes of the Cham

be rs to m ak e th e app l icat ion of funds ne ce ssar y

for such payments as the one entai led on Brazi l

by th i s Convent ion , though the language of the

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manumission, for which there existed not the

slightest necessity, and chiefly on this account,

au th en tic co pie s of th e Tr e a ty and Convention

in question, as well as of a Treaty of commerce

w ith F r a n c e b y th e ter m s of which the duties

form erly p a id on th e im po rts from th at nation

were considerably diminished, were demanded

by the Commiss ioners .

Inquiries were also made for some explicit

inform ation as to wh y th e T re atie s lately entered

into by the Bri t ish Government had not yet

been ratified in L o n d o n ; as well as with regard

to th e a p p o in tm e n t of diplomatic Agents in

n e ar ly all th e C o ur ts in E ur o pe , before the As

sembly had been enabled to decide either

on t h e c h ar ac te r, nu m be r, or emoluments of

th es e ind ivid ua ls . I n the repo rt of the Mi

nis ter i t w as state d, th a t the Em peror had

organized, and would continue to organize the

dip lom atic co rp s in su ch a m an ne r, that , with

out pressing heavily on the Treasury, he might

ha ve his d iplo m atic a g e n ts in all the principal

C ou rts , an d S ta te s , with w hich amicable rela

t ion s w ere en ter tain ed . Y et , by the terms of

th e Co n sti tu tion , h e h a d , in this respect, been

clea rly u su rp in g th e fun ctions of th e legislative

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rat ion being l imi ted to four months , and the

quant i ty of bus iness being excess ive , much was

nec essar i ly left u n d o n e. A pro ject of law

fixing the responsibi l i ty of the Council and Mi

nis ters of State , a decree for the immediate in

s t i tut ion of U nive rs i t ies in San P au lo an d

Olinda, and another for the augmentat ion of the

s t ipend a l lo t ted to H is Im pe r ia l M ajes ty , we re

the pr incipa l m ea sure s pa ssed through the H ou se

of D ep ut ie s , and sub seq ue nt ly rem i tted to the

Se na te . N o ar ra ng em en ts we re ado pted for

be t ter ing the s ta te of the reve nue , ye t , on th e

31st of A ug us t , the G ov ernm ent w ere au tho

rized to com plete th e recru i t ing of the various mi

l i tary corps now exis t ing, compris ing al together

more than thi r ty thousand regular t roops , in the

ent i re E m p ir e . T h e na va l force i t w as also de

cided shou ld be m ain tain ed a t i t s pre se nt ex

tent .

T h e pr inc ipa l m easu res dec ided upon dur ing

the sam e period in the Se na te, for su bs eq ue nt

t ransmiss ion to the Deput ies , were a project

for th e na tur al iz at io n of foreigners, an ot he r for

the regu lat ion of th e provincial C oun ci ls , and

a thi rd regulat ing the at t r ibutes of the Minis ters

of S ta te . Before the project s pa ssed throu gh

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L ik e all do cu m en ts of a similar na tur e, i t may

be reg ard ed as th e p rod uc tion of the M inistry,

and along with such facts as will subsequently

be adduced, may in some measure tend to elu

cidate their s tatesman-l ike views, and give some

idea as to their average scale of intellect .

" August and most worthy Representat ives of

the B razi l ian na t io n . T h e exe cution of the law

is th e first d u ty of all ci tizen s. I t ap po ints four

m on ths for the Se ssion s of th is A sse m bly ; they

a re co nc lud ed , th e tim e for closin g is therefore

arrived , a n d on th is ac co un t am I among you.

T h e lab ou rs of this Se ssion ha ve not been so

few bu t th a t th ey ha ve given som e laws, and

also afforded h o p e s th a t in future , others may

ap p e a r, I do no t sa y all , b u t a gre at part of

suc h as ar e n ec es sa ry for th e lite ra l execution of

the Co nst i tut ion. T h e harm ony reigning be

tween the two Chambers, and the efforts which

they have made for the happiness and the great

n es s of th e n atio n, cle arly show the patriotic

sp iri t by w hich this A ss em b ly finds i tself ani

m ated .— M y hop es have been consumm ated ;

the Se ssions ha ve be gu n an d be en closed, and

prudence and wisdom have presided over them."

" I t now b eho ves th e i l lustr ious Sen ators and

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pire,

an d inst il into th e pe op le ob edien ce to the

G ov ern m en t ; show ing them tha t whoever obeys

the G ove rnm ent , obey s also the law, an d th a t

he who obey s th e law, en su res to him self ho

nour, and l i fe, and prosperi ty.

" T H E C O N ST IT U T IO N A L E M P E R O R AND P E R

P ET UA L D E F E N D E R O F B R A Z I L . "

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254 HI ST OR Y OF BRA ZI L

CHAPTER XVII

Operations of the blockading force before Buenos Ayres—Impolicy of

the Brazilian Minister of Marine—Brown's discomfiture on the

29th of July, 1826—Privateers—Land blockade of Monte Video-

Enlistments in Brazil—Employment of foreign troops—Impolicy of

the measure—Affairs of Buenos Ayres—Enthusiasm of the English

in the service of that Republic—Voyage of Don Pedro to Rio

Grande—Critical situation of Admiral Brown—Death of the Em

press—Marchioness of Santos—Interment of the Empress—Her

character—Payment of her debts by the Legislative Assembly.

O N the recall of Admiral Lobo from the river

Plata, Admiral Rodrigo Pinto Guedes was

appointed to the command of the Brazilian

squadron. Two frigates and several smaller

vessels were at the same time added to the

detachment off Buenos Ayres, which was

placed under the command of Commodore

Norton, an English Officer, and other measures

were taken for enforcing the blockade in a more

efficient manner. The Brazilian force was

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HISTORY OF BR AZIL. 2 5 5

of an open road stea d, w hich is sep ara ted by a

long bar of sand running paral lel wi th the

course of th e r iver, into two divisions ; de no m i

nated the inn er an d the outer ro ad s . T h e inne r

roads,

w hich ar e w i thin the dis tan ce of a m i le

from B ue no s A y re s , are from th e sha l low ne ss

of the w ater, ina cc es sib le to vess els of h ea vy

burthen ; and are only connected with the outer

roads by a narrow and ci rcui tous channel , of

difficult na vig atio n. I n this former an ch or ag e

the few vessel s com posing the B ue no s A yre an

squadron were accustomed to l ie , whi ls t the Ad

miral general ly took his s tat ion in the connect

ing cha nne l . H er e , pro tec ted on one ha nd by a

sa nd -b an k ru n n in g out to the dista nc e of five or

six miles, and, on the other, by the bat teries

of Bu eno s A y re s , the y w ere co m pletely out of

the reach of the Brazi l ian squadron, which con

sisted pr inc ipa l ly of fr iga tes, a n d oth er ve ssels

of hea vy b u rth e n . U nfo rtun ately for B razi l , m o

t ives of os ten tat ion , an d an a nx iety to im pr es s

on foreign nat io ns an ex al te d idea of th e na va l

force of th e new E m p ire , ha d led to the jo in t

pu rch ase a n d co nstru ct ion of a f leet b u t l i t t le

qualified either for carrying on the war in the

river Plata, or for the protect ion of the coast ing

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th e i l l - jud ging policy of th e M arq uis de Para-

na go a, the M inis ter of M arin e, had hi ther to pro

vided frigates, corvettes, and other heavy vessels

only.

T h e B ue no s A y re an s m ight , in consequence,

ha ve r em ain ed for an indefinite period altoge

the r unm ole sted , h ad n ot Bro w n, in the hope of

surprising his opponents , had the temeri ty to

qu it h is position on th e n ig h t of the 29th of

Ju ly , 1826. B ein g, however, b u t inadequately

supported, and having a brave and intel l igent

officer to con te nd w ith , h e had reason speedily

to reg ret hi s pr ec ip itatio n. B y th e well-directed

fire of th e friga tes, B ro w n 's flag-ship was, be

fore th e follow ing m orn ing, reduced to an utter

w re ck , an d h ad th e u tm o st difficulty in regain

in g he r former po sit ion, thou gh towed in by

gu n- bo ats , an d c overed b y the brig R epublic, in

w hich th e A d m ira l re-h oisted his flag. From

this period the Bu en os A yr ea n s were, from the

insig nific an ce of th e ir force, obliged to content

themselves by remaining on the defensive; yet ,

by m ea ns of priv ate ers , w hich they were con

tin u al ly fitting ou t, th ey sh o rtl y succeeded in

rendering themselves more formidable than ever.

These vessels were, for the most part , beautiful

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character , yet brave and reckless to the las t

degree. T h e inac t ivi ty of the B ue no s Ay rean

squ adro n en ab led th em to fill up th eir com ple

m ent of me n as q uic kly as th ey could b e p re

pared for sea, and before m an y m on ths ha d

elapsed, the ent i re coast f rom Maranham to Rio

Grande was infes ted by these unscrupulous de

predators .

V essels from all p a rts of th e world w ere in

the m ea nt im e arr iving da i ly in th e r iver P la ta .

M any of the se w ere, a t th e t im e of de pa rture ,

unaware of the exis tence of a blockade, and

made no at tempt to avoid the Imperial squa

dron. All w ere , how ever, ta k e n p os ses sion of,

and sent into M on te V ideo . H en c e they were

again de spa tch ed to Rio for ad jud ica t ion ; ye t

not, i t is said , before th e m ost v alu ab le po rtion

of their carg oe s ha d be en furt ively ab str ac ted

by the Priz e A ge nts ; m an y of whom are k no w n

to have made considerable fortunes by these i l l i

cit de pr ed at io ns . I t ha d long been confident ly e x

pected by the Brazi l ian Cabinet that , even wi th

out any decis ive t r iumph on the par t of the Im

perial forces, the distress entai led on Buenos

Ayres by the b lockade, would compel the Go

vernm ent of th is R ep ub l ic to sue for peac e. T h e

nat ional Bank had there suspended i t s payments ,

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r ior , where their presence had hi therto been

required to keep the Indians in check, there

a p p ea re d ev ery p ro ba bi li ty t h a t a civil war would

short ly com m enc e in tho se distr icts . A similar

considerat ion had also some weight with the

Gauchos, but i t was only to induce them to

carry on the c am pa ign w i th increased vigour;

a nd , finding it im po ss ib le to se du ce the forces

of G e n e ra l Le cor to th e p la in s, the y decided

on a land blockade of the city of Monte Video.

F ru ctu oz o R ive ra an d a n um be r of his Cispla

tine partizans were opposed to the step, since i ts

adoption would block up the only channel

through which they could dispose of their pro

duce , or receive co m m od ities in re tur n. It was,

ne ve rthe less , ca rried into execu tion during the

m on th of Ju ly , b u t prod uce d no ch ange what

ever in the tact ics of the Brazi l ian General ;

who contented himself by remarking, that i t

w as a B ue no s A yr ea n m eas ure , which, by aug

ment ing the jealousy exis t ing between the

chiefs of the Republic and those of the Cispla

tine province, must of itself bririg^fnatters all

th e sooner to a cris is . •• I n th e pro*^nce of Rio

G ran de , w here the G au ch os had a l ready made

severa l in cu rsio ns , an d w here a ' fo rce of five

tho usa nd m en ha d be en bro ug ht together, this

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tember, several of his officers broke out into

open m ut in y, an d a com m otion too k p lace , in

which sev era l l ives w ere lost , b u t w hich en de d

in the re-es tabl i shment of the General ' s au

thority.

The enl is tment of t roops in Brazi l was in the

m eant im e found to b e at ten de d w i th gre ater

difficulties tha n h a d be en an t icip ate d. T h e free

pe asa ntry of the inter ior , a m ixed rac e, der ived

jointly from Ind ia n , E u ro p e a n , and Afr ican

origin, w ere al to g et h er indifferent as to th e

success of th e war, an d w ere al ik e, b y their

ha bits , pre jud ice s, an d disp osi t ion , unfi t ted for

the caree r of a rm s. B orn w i thin the gen ial an d

luxurious regions of the t ropic, and compara

tively un ac cu stom ed to ha rd sh ip , th ey w ere for

the most part an indolent , weak, and inoffensive

race.

In the s t rug gle for inde pe nd en ce, m an y

of them h ad ta k e n u p ar m s ; b u t th i s w as in

defence of th eir ho m es an d fam ilies , an d not

from any par t icular regard ei ther for the integ

r ity of th e em pire , or for Do n P e d ro . O n the

com pletion of th is gr ea t s t rug gle, an d on th eir

recognit ion as an ind ep en de nt peop le, th ey h ad

expected that they might a t l eas t be permi t ted

to enjoy the ad va nta ge s of p e a c e ; bu t to the i r

ut ter as tonishment , they found that this boasted

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seized l ik e m alefa ctors , a n d after be ing bound

and crammed into the holds of fi l thy ships, were

sen t off to th e b le a k a n d d re ar y pla ins of the

sou th, th er e to co nte nd w ith th e rigou rs of an

inhospitable clime, and the tactics of a pit i less

ene m y. N um be rs s ick en ed and died on the

p a ss a g e . D u ri n g the session of 1826, the vic

t im s who ha d th u s p erish ed , ei ther in the

vessels or in the hospitals on arrival, were

stated by one of the deputies to amount to

nearly one thousand.

T h is ill suc ce ss was on e of the motives in

ducing the Cabinet to decide on the further

em plo ym en t of foreign m il i tary . B y the terms

of the Constitution, it was one of the exclusive

privileges of the legislative body to permit, or

refuse, the entry of foreign troops within the

lim its of th e em p ir e ; ye t , wh ilst the letter of

the law was in appearance observed, i ts spiri t

was , on the present occasion, unscrupulously

infringed upon, by the engagement of Germans

as colonists, and by their being drafted into

th e ar m y on the ir arr iva l . For this ste p, greater

facilities e xis ted th a n e ven for the enlistm ent of

na tive troo ps ; an d the class w ho,în the event

of a servile war in Brazil, might be regarded

as the great bulwark against anarchy, were

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of whom w ere no t only ac tu at ed by the old p re

judice ag ain st foreigners , b u t w ere moreover

suspicious , les t the Government having at i t s

disposit ion a force un co nn ec ted ei th er b y

kindred, by sy m pa thy , or even b y the comm on

tie of lan gu ag e w i th the in ha bi ta nts , m ight at

some future per iod set the Chambers al together

at defiance. I t ca nn ot , how ever, be said th a t

these opinions h ad as y et m ad e m uch prog ress

beyond th e pre cin cts of the M etrop ol is . T h e

public dis co nte nt w as as ye t b ut in i ts germ ,

and by a m ore ju d icio u s po l icy on the pa rt of

the adm inis t rat ion , i t m ight eas i ly have been ex

tinguished.

T he land blo ck ad e of M on te V ideo was in the

meanwhi le maintained unt i l the end of October ,

by which t im e the B uen os A yre an G ove rnm ent

had be co m e fully se ns ible of i ts im po licy. O n

its first ado ption i t h ad occa sione d th e defec

tion of Fructuozo R ivera . Since the co m pa ra

tive ce ssat io n of th e m ari t im e tra de of B ue no s

Ayres , th e m ain cha nn el of he r com m erce lay

through Monte Video, and i t a t length became

fully evident to all , that in prohibit ing any

communicat ion wi th this la t ter c i ty , the Buenos

A yre an s h ad in rea l i ty been inflicting a far

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G overn m ent of B uen os A yr es an d the M unici

pali t ies of several of the confederated provinces,

yet the Republ icans unfl inchingly maintained

the ir hos ti le po sit ion. T h e y we re further in

du ce d to do th is from th eir confident expecta

tion of the speedy arrival of two frigates, a

co rv ette , a n d sev era l sm alle r vessels, which

they had lately purchased from the Chil ian

G ov ern m en t . U nfo rtun ately , however, for the

success of their calculat ions, the expected

ve ssels enc ou nte red a ga le off C ap e H orn, in

which one of the frigates sustained so much

d a m ag e, th at sh e w as com pelled to return to

C hil i , w he re she w as con dem ned as unsea-

w o r th y ; an d the other, w ith five hundred men

on board, is supposed to have foundered,

ne ve r after hav ing be en he a rd of. T h e only

vessels w hich succe ede d in m ak in g their way

to the po int of rend ezv ou s in P ata go nia , were

th e corv et te C ha ca bu co , an d a sm all schooner.

Had the ent i re squadron succeeded in reaching

B ue no s A yr es , the nava l op erat ion s of the Re

public would probably have assumed a far more

serious as pe ct . W hile th e B razi l ian vessels of

war were indifferently manned, and their crews

disp iri ted b y th eir ina bi l i ty to ob tain any de

cided advantages , the Bri t i sh seamen in the

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of ha vin g w ith su ch ineffectual m ea n s so long

kept at bay the colossal forces of the Emperor

Don Pedro, thei r sel f- love became interes ted in

the s tr ife in w hich th ey w ere eng ag ed . T h e

present salvat ion of the Republ ic they regarded

as in a gr ea t m e a su re the wo rk of thei r own

h an d s ,

and they swore to each other in perfect

sinceri ty, that , whilst they were in existence, the

cause of the Uni ted Provinces should never

succumb.

Such was the unfavourable state of affairs

which induced D on P ed ro to u n d er ta k e a voy

age to the seat of war, in the hope that he

might al ike s t im ula te the t roop s wi th his p re

sence, an d also asc er ta in from perso nal ins pe c

tion the real s ta te of the So uthern pro vinc es .

A Proclamat ion to this effect was accordingly

issued on the 12th of November, and on the

24th, H is M aje sty sa i led from R io in the line-of-

bat t le sh ip Don Pedro Pr imei ro , a t t ended by a

frigate, a corvette, a schooner of war, and a

num ber of t r an spo r t s . D u r in g the voyage he

had the annoyance to wi tness the escape of the

C hac abu co, the B ue no s A yre an corvet te , from

under the gu ns of the en t i re squ adro n. T his

vessel had been cruising along the coast , in

com pan y w i th the Sa ran di schooner , on board

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accused of having had the brutal i ty to s tr ike

her. In this there m ay possibly be some ex ag

geration, b u t w h at is ce rtain is, th a t th e unfor

tunate Empress, who was at this period far ad

vanced in her pr eg na nc y, wa s forthwith co nv eje d

from the scene of their interview to a sick-bed,

whence she never rose ag ain , ex ce ptin g to per

form a sho rt ^md painful pil gr im ag e to th e

Gloria C h ur ch , w he re vows w ere in va in offered

up for her reco ve ry . A fter a n illnes s of th e

most ex cru ciat ing na tur e, th e ea rth ly sufferings

of H er M ajesty ter m in ate d on the 11th of D e

cember, 1826.

It is painful even to the stranger to know,

that her last moments were embit tered by an

insult , which might well have been spared.

During the ag on ies of th e fever prio r to h er

decease, the M arc hio ne ss de S an tos had the

heartless effrontery to present herself for ad

mittance to the s ick-room . T h e de m an d na

turally created some confusion in the ante

chamber, of which Her Majesty inquired the

cause. She ha d hi th erto bo rn e th e i l l - t reat

ment of D on P ed ro w i th the m ost ex em plar y

submiss ion, b ut this las t insul t ins tan tan eo us ly

called u p in he r boso m th e prou d sp iri t of th e

House of A u str ia , an d sh e refused, in dec isive

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way in to the chamber of the Royal Inval id ,

and would have succeeded, had i t not been

for th e pe rso na l interp os i t ion of th e M arquis

de Paranogoa, the Minis ter of Mar ine , who

pla nte d himself on th e th resh old , and told h er ,

" T en ha pac ienc ia Se nh ora M arquezaVossamerce

nao pode en t ra r . " — " H ave pa t i ence , m y Lady

M arch ioness , you can no t en te r . " H er Lady

sh ip , in consequence, ret i red wi th many threats

of ve ng ean ce on th e en t i re C ab inet , some of

which were short ly after carried into execution.

Before the death of the Empress had taken

place , the le t ters of th e M arch ione ss , com

plaining bi t ter ly of the t reatment which she

ha d m et w i th in the P al ac e, w ere al re ad y far

advanced on thei r way to Don Pedro .

During the ent ire i l lness of Her Majesty, al l

the minor symptoms of her malady were de

tai led in the pub l ic jo u rn a ls w i th disgust ing

ci rcumstant ial i ty; in order , i t i s said, to pre

ve nt an y su spicion s of poison . W h en , at length,

the v i ta l spark became ext inct , prepara t ions

w ere m ad e, in conform ity w ith th e establ ished

ru les of Co urt et iq u et te , for a solem n " bei ja-

m a o , "

or kiss ing of hands, to take place on the

following d ay . L ik e t ru e co urt iers , the ad

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2 6 8


short ly afterwards evinced by the payment of

her debts , amounting to eighty contos, from

the nat ional purse, by an act of the Legislat ive

Assembly .

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HISTORY

O F B R A Z I L . 2 6 9

C H A P T E R X V I I I .

Return of His Im pe rial M ajesty to Rio — Dis m issal of the M inistry—

Affairs of Buenos Ayres—Marquis de Barbacena—Battle of Ituza-

ingo—Browne's blockade of the Brazilian force in the Uruguay,

and his success— Brazilian exped ition to Co lonia— Its failure

—Brown's discomfiture on the 9th of April , 1827—Overtures for

peace—Garcia 's Treaty—Refusal of the Buenos Ayrean Govern

ment to ratify it—State of public feeling in Buenos Ayres—Infrac

t ions of the blockad e— Op ening of the Legislat ive Cha m bers— His

Majesty 's speech—Treaty regarding the Slave Trade—Augmen

tation of the stipend allotted to the Em pero r— Co lonel Cotter sent

to Ireland to engage colonists—Attempt of dictation to the De

puties on the part of the S ena te— Do n Pe dro's scheme for sup

plyin g funds to me et the exp ense s of the war— Closing of the

Session of the Cham bers— Chan ge of Ministry— Ob vious incapacity

of the late Cabinet.

THE vo ya ge of D on P ed ro to the south wa s not

prod uctive of tho se h a p p y effects w hich had

been an t ic ip at e d . H e was sti ll in the cap i tal of

Rio G ra n d e, wh en the let ters of the M archion ess

de Sa nto s c om plain ing of the t reatm en t which

she had met wi th at the hands of the Minis t ry,

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to retu rn to R io. H is pro jec ted visit to the

sea t of th e w ar, th e anim atio n to b e exci ted

through out the r a n k s of h i s a rm y b y h i s pre

sence, and the corresponding terror so confi

de nt ly look ed for thro ug ho ut those of the ene

m y, w ere al l a t on ce forgotten. After ap pe as

ing the differences exist ing among his prin

cipal officers , and appoint ing the Marquis de

B ar b ac en a to the chief com m and, prepara

t ions w ere m a d e for his re tu rn , an d before h e

received intel l igen ce of the de ath of the E m

p r e s s , he w as alre ad y on th e p oin t of sail ing

for R io . H e ag ain arriv ed th er e on the 15th

of January, 1827, and, in conformity with Court

et iquet te, the Ministry went on board in a body

to co m plim en t H is M ajesty on his safe arrival.

Their recept ion was, however , marked by such

studied indignity, that , with the exception of

the Minister of War, they al l immediately sent

in thei r res ignat ions .

By the pat r iot par ty, whose ranks had of

late received g re at reinforc em ents, their dis

m issa l w as hai led wi th cong ratu la tion . " T h e y

h a d eve r ," i t w as urg ed, " t reated the R epre

se nta t ive s of th e peo ple with und isguised dis

da in ; th ey ha d refused the information aske d

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gis lature. T h e pe cu nia ry w an ts to w hich thei r

ext rav aga nce gav e r ise , an d the unforeseen

occurrences of the war which they expected to

have concluded in four or s ix months at the

utmost , had obl iged their Excel lencies to de

scend a l i t t le from th ei r h ig h po sit ion, an d to

seek com m unicat ion wi th the H ou se of D ep ut ie s ,

yet they n ei th er br ou gh t forward an y pro jects

of law, nor condescended to favour the Assem

bly w ith a n y exp os it ion of the ir poli t ical or

economical views. O n the co ntra ry, the y ap

peared to co ns ide r the m se lve s vilified, if b y

chance the y w en t before the C om m issione rs of

the nat ion to discuss i ts interests , and to subject

themselves to th e de cisions of the m ajo ri ty."

On the o ther ha nd , D on Pe dr o h im self ap

peared to ha ve heretofore rega rde d the ir

adminis t rat ion wi th tolerable complacency,

having con ferred on ea ch individ ua l of their

num ber the t i tle of M arq uis . T he y ha d all

formed p a rt of th e C ou ncil of S ta te convok ed

shortly after the dissolution of the Consti tuent

Assem bly, an d the i r successors on the pre sen t

occasion, w er e no t only sele cte d from the sa m e

body, bu t they w ere also individuals ap pe rtain ing

to the same rank of t i tular ar is tocracy, and im

bued w ith similar id ea s, feel ings, and pr inc iple s.

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de N aza re th , as M inis ter of J u s t i c e ; and the

V iscou nt de Sa n Leop oldo, a s M inis ter of the

E m p i r e .

The intel l igence of the arrival of His Imperial

M aje sty on th e frontier h ad , in the m eantim e,

exci ted the l ivel iest sensat ion in Buenos Ayres.

T h e P re s i d e n t of the A rgen t ine Republ ic ad

dresse d a Pro clam at ion to the inhab i tants , en

g ag in g them to join the arm y, w hich was

im m ed iately au gm en ted by considerable re

inforc em ents ; an d, am on gst others, by a

ba t tal ion of G er m an La nc er s . T he ent ire force,

comprising upwards of seven thousand cavalry,

an d a co rps of art i l le ry , w as p laced under the

com m and of D on Carlos A lv e a r; who threatened

th e po si t ions of the Im pe rial arm y in Rio

G ra n d e . T h e B raz i l ians were, nevertheless,

sup erior in nu m be rs. T h ey had at the present

pe riod no fewer tha n twelve tho us an d men on

the front ier; f ive thousand in Monte Video, one

thousand in Colonia, one thousand on the is land

of Gorrit i , and about five hundred on the island

of Lobos.

O n a few occ asion s th e succe ssful care er of

the B uen os A yr ea ns a pp ea rs to have lul led them

into a false securi ty, and by means of night

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of the Marquis de Barbacena proved even more

fatal to the Im pe rial ca use , tha n the proc ras

t inat ing pol icy of G en era l Leco r . T h e M arq uis ,

who und er the na m e of Fi l i sber to B ra n t , ha d

already rendered himself conspicuous during

the negot iat ions wi th Portugal , was a sagacious

and talented court ier ; possessed of considerable

tact , agreeable in conversat ion, and polished in

his manners , but wi thout any mil i tary expe

rience w ha tev er, an d of g re at self-conc eit . I n

a proc lam ation w hich he issued soon after his

accession to th e sup rem e com m and , h e prom ised

his t roops and the public, that within a few days

the Brazi l ian ba nn er should be planted in B ue no s

Ayres ; and after a subsequent series of marches

and co un ter-m arc he s , of w hich the object ha s

not yet t ranspired, he f inal ly engaged the enemy

on th e 20 th of F eb ru ar y , 1827, in th e plain of

I tuzaing o. Sc arc ely, however , had the en ga ge

ment commenced when Alvear wi thdrew his

troops, and by a feigned retre at succ eede d in

draw ing th e e nt ir e force of B a rb a c e n a into a

posi t ion where they were in turn at tacked at

great d i sadvantage; and af ter an engagement

of s ix h o u rs ' dura t ion , ut te rly routed, leav ing

twelve hu nd red me n de ad on th e field, an d ten

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2 7 4 HISTORY OF BR AZIL.

t rac t of sa nd y pla ins , or th e loss of th e B ra

z i l i ans would probably have been much greater .

W h a t contr ibuted to ren de r this disas ter m ore

m ort ifying, a nd the war st il l m ore un po pu lar, w as

th at the M arq uis of B arb ac en a ha d in the onset

be en so confiden t of victo ry, th a t h e refused to

w ait for an ex pe cte d re-inforcem ent of ne arly two

thousand men , under the command of Bento

Manoel ; and on his defeat af terwards , he threw

all the blame on his t roops in order to exonerate

himself.

On the very same day on which the news of

th i s en ga ge m en t ar rived in B ue no s A yre s , in

tel l igen ce was also received of the jo in t ca ptu re

and destruct ion of an ent ire division of the Bra

zilian fleet. O n th e retu rn of A d m ira l Brow n

from his c ruise in the S a ra n d i , he found that

the thi rd divis ion of the blockading squadron

co nsist ing of nin ete en sm all ves sels were u p the

U ru gu ay , wh i ther they ha d proceeded for the

pu rpose of com m un icat ing wi th the army.

B row n here on resolved on an ins tan t pursui t,

an d on th e d a y after his arriv al followed on in

their t ra ck w ith al l th e sm alle r ve ssels of his

squadron, which, however , were al together only

five scho one rs an d eigh t gu n- bo ats . After re

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took possess ion of the i s lan d of M art in G ar cia

commanding i t s en t ra nc e . T h is i s land, or ra th er

islet , w hich is si t u a te d ri g h t in the m ou th of

the U rug ua y, at th e po int wh ere this r iver falls

into the Plata , had at the commencement of the

war been fortified, a n d sub se qu en tly ab an d on ed

by Adm iral Lo bo. B row n aga in took po ssess ion

of it , and p la n t in g b at te rie s in suc h a posi t ion

as to pre ve nt al l ju nc t io n of th e Im p er ia l force

in the r iver P la ta w i th th a t a l rea dy in the U ru

guay, he pro cee de d to res um e th e offensive.

By this h ar d y m anoeuvre the si tuat ion of the

contending par t ies was rendered t ruly s ingular ,

and pe rha ps a l toge ther unp reced en ted . W hi l e

the B razi l ians were b loc kad ing Bue nos A yres ,

the B uen os A yr ea n s were a l it tle higher u p

blockading a Brazi l ian force in the Uruguay.

The second a t te m pt of Brow n took place imm e

diately afterwa rds, an d w as at te nd ed w ith perfe ct

success . O n the 10th of F eb ru ar y he suc

ceeded in bringing his opponents into act ion,

took eleven of the ir finest ve sse ls, an d b u rn ed

five of the rem ain de r. O u t of al l th e nin e

teen only three escaped him.

Th roug ho ut all the w ar the inde fat igable act ivi ty

of Bro w n afforded a forcible co n tra st to th e a p

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2 7 6 H IS TO RY O F B R A Z I L .

Po ssessed of co nside rable rep uta t ion for abi

l i ty ac qu ired du ring the t im e of the a b

solu te government , when everyth ing was

decided b y int r igu e alone , G ue de s w as b et ter

qualif ied to concoc t p la n s in the C ab inet , tha n

to ca rry the m into ex ec utio n. Cold, calcu lat ing,

an d selfish, he testified m u c h more e ag ern es s

in th e seiz ure of p rize s, from th e ca pt ur e of

which he succeeded in amassing a considerable

fortune, tha n in ha ra ssi ng an d discomfiting h is

enemies .

T o add to th e m isfortunes of th e B razi l ians ,

an e xpe di t ion wh ich th ey ha d de spa tch ed to

Patagonia fel l almost ent irely into the hands of

the ene m y. T h e B uen os A yrea n pr ivateers had

h ith e rto found a safe an d co nv en ien t refuge for

them selves an d thei r pr iz es in the Rio Neg ro,

on this coast , and a Brazi l ian expedit ion of two

corvet tes and two schooners , was despatched to

ta k e the p lac e . O n the 28th of Fe bru ary , they

entered the r iver leading to their dest inat ion,

b u t one of th e corv et tes gro un de d an d w as lost.

The navigat ion for the other vessels also became

so difficult that they were left at anchor, whilst

thei r crews proceeded against the town, s i tuated

on the b an k , by land . T h e a t ta ck was con

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quently to

a re t rea t ; dur ing which the Imper ia l

force discovered, to their dismay, that the priva

teers and other Argentine craft in port had

already fallen up on th e alm ost defe nce less

vessels of the expedit ion, and had succeeded in

overpowering th e few h a n d s left for the ir pr o

tection. T h u s cu t off from a ll suc cou r, th e

party on shore were compelled to lay down their

arms.

O u t of s ix h u n d re d an d fifty pris on ers

take n on th is occasion, two h u n d re d an d fifty

were E ng l i shm en an d A m erican s , who forth

wi th at tached themselves to the Republ ican

c a u se : the vesse ls fal ling into th e ha nd s of

the Buenos Ayreans , were the corvet te I tapar ica

of twen ty gu ns , an d the two schoon ers , E sc u -

dero and C on stan cia.

Brow n w as , how ever, from the sm allne ss of

his craft in the r iver Plata, unable to make any

impression on the heavy vessels of his oppo

nents ; an d the lat te r being , from the ir dr au gh t

of w ater, u n a b le to follow th e ene m y over th e

shoals , no decisive blow w as stru ck b y ei ther

party un t i l the 9th of A pr i l . O n this da y Bro w n

made an at te m p t to s ta nd out to sea, bu t w as

intercepted by Com modore N orton, an d an

act ion ensued ; during which two of the largest

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hi s amm uni tion w as exp end ed , an d subse qu ent ly

succeeded in set t ing fi re to one of the brigs.

The remaining one, which was reduced to a

perfect w reck, surr en de red to the fr igate . T hi s

w as an un for tunate b low for th e Bu eno s A y re an s ;

an d in co njun ct ion w ith th e stri fe betw een th e

Uni tar ians and the Federa l i s t s , in to which two

par t ies the inhabi tants of the Uni ted Provinces

w ere divided, a p p ea rs to hav e decided the G o

vernment of the Republ ic to enter into s t ipula

t ions for pe ac e . N otw i ths ta nd ing th e previous

su cc es s of th eir a rm s, th e difficulties of their

s i tuat ion had been cont inual ly on the increase.

T h eir t roops were alm ost n ak ed , civil wa r had

bro ke n out in the provinces , the p ap er m oney

of the N at io na l B a n k ha d su nk to one - th i rd of

i t s or iginal value, and al though they had at

len gth aba nd on ed th e land b loc kad e of M onte

V ideo , th e au tho ri t ies of th a t c i ty h ad h i ther to

preclud ed the renew al of com m ercial intercourse.

U nd er these c i rcum s tances , t he Pres iden t

dee m ed i t exp ed ien t to en ter into nego t iat ions

w i th D on P ed ro ; an d D on M an ue l Jos£ G arcia ,

a M inis ter who h ad b een all a lo ng opposed to

the war , w as de sp atc he d to R io de Ja ne i ro for

th e furth era nc e of this ob ject . I n case the

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H IS T O RY O F B R A Z I L . 2 7 9

ei ther the devolut ion of the Oriental province to

Buenos Ayres , or i t s erect ion into a separate

State , f ree and independent , under the forms

and rules which i ts own in h ab i ta n ts should

choose an d san ct io n. In t h e lat ter cas e, n o

com pensat ion w as to be acco rded to ei th er of

the be l l ige ren t pa rt ie s . S uc h, how ever, w as

this P le n ip o te n t ia ry 's d esire for a pacific ar

rangement , that he exceeded these ins t ruct ions

so far as to en ter into a con ven tion, w he reb y

the provinc e in q ue st ion w as ce ded to B razi l ,

and a co m pe nsa t ion agreed to for al l B raz i l ian

property hi ther to taken by pr ivateers .

Th is docu m ent the G ove rnm ent of Bu eno s

Ay res refused to rat i fy. T h e m em be rs of th e

A dm inistration were he re the lea de rs of an ul t ra-

pat riot p ar ty . In the pre sen t cr i tical c i rcum

stances of the S tat e , pe rh ap s no ne b ut an ul t ra-

patriot pa rty could ha ve direc ted al ike the peo

ple an d th e ar m y w ith sufficient en er gy . M o

derate m en would h ave bee n overborne by the

torrent of po pu lar opinion. T h e comm on peo

ple were intoxicated wi th th e frequent t r iu m ph s

of the arm y a nd n av y, an d th e com m ercial cla ss

were by this t im e eq ua l ly fanat ical . T h e long

con tinuanc e of the w ar had directed the ir spiri t

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Cafe de la Vic to r ia . " W a r w ar w a r w as

the cry in e very m outh ; an d th e w omen ca m e

forward to offer the ir je w el s an d the ir tr in k e ts

in sup po rt of th e ex ige nc ies of th e S ta te .

Whatever might have been the wishes of the

Government , they could not , in the present ex

cited sta te of pu blic feeling, ha ve resis ted th e

popular impulse.

In Rio de Ja ne i ro , m ean w hi le , the desi re for

peace amongst al l except the Corcunda, or

Royalis t pa r ty , w as equ al ly ext rem e. T he ra

vages of the B ue no s A yr ea n pr iv ateers had b e

come so form idable, th a t th e pre m ium of m ar ine

insurance from R io to B a h ia u nd er convo y,

could not be effected at less than ten per cent.

W ithout c onv oy, th ir ty p er cen t , was often re

fused. A t th e sa m e tim e, th e city of B ue n os

Ayres was kn ow n to receive succo urs direc t

from B ra zil . F a st -s a il i n g ve ssels, fitted ou t

and loaded pr inc ipal ly at R io de Ja n e i ro , and

cleared for the co ast of C hili , w ere co ntin ua lly

eluding the vigi lance of the blockading squa

dron. T h e de st ina t ion of thes e w as so no to

rious,

th at a pu bl ic jou rn al in R io, from m al i

cious motives, actually advertised a vessel for

" Valparaiso, via B uen os A y re s , " g iv ing as a

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open ed the Sess ion of th e Le gis la tive A sse m bly .

H e comm enced h i s ad dress by anno unc ing the

death of the Empress , and h i s regre t on the

m elancho ly occ asion. H e af terwa rds alluded

to the w a r ; th e cont inu anc e of which he de

clared ne ce ssa ry , un t i l the C ispla t ine province

shou ld be cleare d from he r inva ders , and he r

incorporat ion w i th the E m p ire of B razi l ac

kno w ledged by Bu eno s A yr es . Refer r ing to

the affairs of the interior, His Majesty requested

the at tent ion of the Representat ives to the

affairs of finance. " T h e ju d ic ia l po w er," ob

served the Em pe ror , " i s a lso an im po rtan t de

pa r tm en t , w hich ou gh t to give esse nt ial a id to

the new system of finance, which I hope to see

estab l ished . W e hav e ne i ther a Code nor forms

of procedure in accordance with the spiri t of the

ag e . T he l aws a re con t rad ic to ry ; t he judge s

embarrassed; cr iminals are suffered to escape

p u n i sh m e n t ; t he sa l a ri es of the Ma gi s t racy a re

insuff icient to guarantee them against the temp

tat io ns of a vile an d sordid intere s t . W ithou t

a good system of finance and legislation no

na t ion ca n ex ist . O n this acc ou nt , I part icu

larly cal l the at tent ion of the Assembly to these

two objects , which ought to claim a precedence

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as neglect their duty, and who str ive to over

throw the estab l ished order of th in g s. N o one

can be more disposed than myself to keep

within the l im its of th e law ; b u t w hen tho se

who en dea vo ur to elud e i t find no che ck , th e

Go vernment oug ht to b e provided w i th ne ce s

sary pow ers , un t i l the ge ne ral system can be

com pletely org an ized ." A s to exter ior relat ions

with the cont inent of Europe, His Majesty

affirmed the continuance of amity, and stated

that the bet ro thm en t of the Q uee n of P or tug al

had al ready been celebrated in Vienna, and that

D on M iguel m igh t sh ort ly be ex pe cte d in

B razi l . F in al ly , he desig nated as ene m ies to

the throne, to the country, and to rel igion, al l

entertaining opinions in opposi t ion to those

enunciated; and s tated his convict ion of the

uniformity of sent iments exis t ing between him

sel f and the members of the Legis lature.

The disposi t ion of the House of Deput ies was

st i l l as t imid and vaci l lat ing as during the pre

ceding Sess ion, yet the unfortunate resul ts of

the war, the obvious imbeci l i ty of the Adminis

trat ion, and the consciousness of the moral

power devolving upon them as a natural conse

quence of increasing intel l igence, had given the

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between the Br i t i sh Government and that of

B raz i l , for the su pp ress io n of the Sla ve -t rad e.

This document , which was drawn up under the

au spic es of M r. C an nin g, l im i ted the durat ion

of th e traffic to th re e y e a r s from t h e las t ratifi

cat ion of th e p re se n t t re a ty ; after w hich i ts

con t inuance became puni shab le as p i racy .

The Government of Brazi l had been long

ple dg ed to th e final a do ption of this s te p, an d

as His Br i tannic Majes ty threatened to employ

force, un less the former e n ga g em en ts on this

head were carried into effect , the Emperor had

already affixed his s ignature to the convention

on the 23rd of N ove m ber, 1826, du rin g the

recess of the C ha m be rs . T his unauthorized

rat i f icat ion of a t reaty involving so many im

por tant consequences , wi thout previous ly sub

m it t ing i t to th e G en era l A ssem bly, w as ex

ceed ingly i r r eg u la r ; y et from th e prevai ling

spiri t of th e d eb a te s on the topic, i t ap pe ars

probable that the chief art icles agreed upon,

would, under any ci rcumstances , have met wi th

app robat ion . A s w as s ta ted b y var ious mem

bers in the House of Deput ies , notwi ths tanding

the vigour wi th which the Afr ican t rade had

been carr ied on for many years , the amount of

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only. T o such a pi tch had this sy ste m been

carr ied, that on many es tates scarcely a s ingle

female could be found ; and in the majority of

the p lan ta t ions the y se ldom excee ded th e pro

portion of one fema le to four m al es . T h u s , u n

happily for America, as well as for Africa, did

this inhuman traffic appear to entai l on Brazi l

an ever increasing necessi ty for i ts continuance.

After a lengthened discuss ion a Commit tee was

finally ap po inte d for the pu rp os e of reviewing

and examining the condi t ions of the Treaty, and

though i ts m em be rs, in the ir repo rt , ap pe ar to

have co nsid ere d th e infliction of th e p en alt i es

awarded to pi racy on al l engaged in the contra

band traffic as opposed to the dictates of the

Const i tut ion, the majori ty were yet induced to

acquiesce in the jus t ice of the main pr inciples

on which the Convention had been founded.

To the revis ion of this important Treaty suc

ceeded the adoption of a decree for the inst i tu

t ion of Un ive rsit ie s in th e c it ies of Sa n P a u lo

and Olin da : a law for th e creat ion of Ju st ic e s

of p e a c e ; an oth er for the aug m entat ion of the

income of His Imperial Majesty, from two

hu nd red to one th ou sa nd contos of reis p er an

num ; a nd, finally, a D e c re e for th e fu nd ing of

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b y the opposi tion, i t m ay be re m ar ke d th a t i t s

prospect ive advantages were that , ins tead of

the se Ju s t ice s of pe ac e b eing nom inated , l ike

th e " Ju ize s de fora," by the g ov ernm ent , for an

un l imi ted t ime , th ey we re to b e a pp ointed di

rect ly by popular elect ion, for four years only;

an d thei r services were to be gra tui tous . Th eir

at t r ibutes were res t rained wi thin a more l imi ted

circle tha n tho se of th e " Ju iz de fo ra ;" and

from the m od e and circ um stan ce of the ir elec

t ion, an incre ased resp on sibi l i ty tow ards the

publ ic was secured.

C once rning the au gm en ta t ion of th e sum al

lot ted to the E m pe ro r , i t m ay be n ec ess ary to

sta te th a t on his firs t elevat ion to th e Re ge nc y

it had been fixed at one hundred and forty-four

contos of reis per a n n u m ; or 31,350/ . s ter l ing.

During the recess between the dissolut ion of the

Const i tuent and the convocat ion of the Legisla

t ive body, he had by a decree raised the amount

to two hundred contos , or 46,6661. 13s. Ad. ster

l ing ; a nd in 1826 i t ha d a ga in be en decided by

th e H ou se of D ep u t ie s , tha t i t shou ld be raised to

four hu nd red c on tos . T h is project ha d not , how

ever , as yet been sanct ioned by the Senate; and

as His Majesty 's expenses had for several years

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acknowledged that the moment for this increase

was ill cho sen. T h e pu bl ic d eb t ha d s ince the

last sess ion been con s iderably au g m en ted ; the

deficiency for the current year could not be

est imated at less than f ive thousand contos;

and the country was involved in a ruinous war;

yet , tho ug h a few of th e D ep u t ie s h ad the

hardihood to oppo se th e m ea su re, th e g reater

nu m be r we re st i l l too fearful of co m ing into col

l is ion with the Imperial authori ty, to resist

i ts ado pt ion. D u rin g the discuss ion s i t w as

clear ly evinced th a t the s t ipe nd a t p res en t

conceded to H is M ajes ty w as larger in propor

tion to th e reve nu e th an th a t of a n y con st i tu

tional m onarch in E u ro p e ; ye t the a m end m ent

was in th e en d carr ied thro ug h the H ou se of

Deput ies by a large majori ty .

Whi l s t , however , thus complai sant towards

the pe rso na l exigencies of the Em pero r , the D e

puties were resolved not to sacrifice their popu

lar i ty al together , to th e ex t rav ag an ce of the

A dm inis t rat ion. I t ha d been th e exp ectat ion

of the Cabinet that fur ther imposts would have

been levied , and th e revenue th us a u g m e n te d ;

but to this the Deputies were inflexibly opposed.

In the hope of conci l iat ing the opinion of their

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th e y reg ard ed as am p ly sufficient for t im es of

p e a c e ; and they on th i s acc oun t proceeded to

orga nize th e law for th e fund ing of the pub lic

debt , deeming, as they did, the system of credi t

to be the most expedient for the t ime being.

Intel l igence of the refusal of the Buenos

A y re an G ov ern m en t to ratify G arc ia ' s T rea ty of

peace in the meant ime arr ived in Rio, and

Colonel Cotter, an Irish Officer in the service of

the Empire , was in consequence despatched by

th e G ov ern m en t to Ire lan d, for the purpo se of

engaging colonis ts on the same pr inciples as

those on which the Germans, who had been

drafted into the army, had already been en

gag ed. T h e H ou se of D epu t ies w ere also re

quested to concede such ass is tance as might

en ab le the A dm inis t rat ion to carry on th e cam

pa ign w i th increase d vigour . In the desp atch

of the M inis ter i t wa s s ta ted t h a t " H is Imp er ia l

Majesty, having done every thing wi thin the

scope of his at t r ibutes , and even endangered

h is pr ec ious life for the good and salvation of

the cou ntry, ha d the ind ub i tab le r ight to look

for efficient co-operation on the part of the

C h a m b e r s . "

To this communicat ion the Pres ident repl ied,

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pa rt of th e H o us e, th at a force of th ir ty tho u

sand men, the number at present authorized,

was amply sufficient for present exigencies.

To th i s the S en ate ha d the ha rdihood to pro

pose as an amendment , tha t the number should

be aug m ented by three thou san d addi t ional

t roops; a s tep in i t sel f decidedly unconst i tu

t ional : s ince by the terms of the charter al l pro

posals for taxes and enl is tments , were required

to or iginate w i th the H ou se of D e p u t ie s . T h is

at tempt at dictat ion did not fai l to awaken the

indignat ion of the pa t r iots in the other H o us e.

" Let us not ," exclaimed Vasconcel los , a Mem

ber for the pro vince of M ina s G e ra e s, " let u s

not admit the sl ightest infract ion of the Const i

tut ion. T h is ar t ic le i s even m ore im po rtan t

than that relat ing to taxes; for enl is tment i s a lso

a t a x ; and , le t us ask , of w hat na ture ? I t

is a tax im posed on the l iberty , th e blood, an d

the l ives of our fellow-cit izens. L e t no t th e n

the S en ate violate this art icle of our C on st i tu

t ion."

In a fur ther amendment , the Senate a l so pro

posed that this addi t ional reinforcement should

be rec rui ted pr inc ipa l ly from am on g foreigners,

an int im ation w hich proved even m ore gal l ing

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las t resor t , resolved upon devot ing towards the

expenses of the war , the amount of one month 's

s t ipend, wi th a promise that as long as the

struggle should continue he would also continue

to apply towards the exigencies of the state, one-

half of the said st ipend, as

a loan,

for which he

would not require the payment of interes t .

This pat r iot ic example his subjects were cal led

upon to imitate; but with the exception of a few

confirmed royal is ts and the Marchioness de

Santos , the appeal appears to have been a t

tended with but l i t t le effect .

An addi t ional number of German colonis ts

w ere ab ou t the sa m e t ime drafted into the arm y,

an d several nat ive bat tal ion s t ran sp orte d from

the nor thern provinces to R io G ra n d e. H is

M ajesty, however , dee m ed it ex pe die nt to hold

out hopes of peace to the Chambers , and in

closin g th e Session , wh ich w as, on acco unt of

th e pre ss of affairs, pr o tra cte d un til th e 16th of

November , he recommended the Deput ies to re

main in the metropolis , in order that they

might be in readiness to del iberate at any t ime,

on the terms of a peace which must short ly be

looked for.

An ent i re change of the Minis t ry took place

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House of D ep ut ie s ha d not as ye t been a t ta ined

by i t s m em be rs . T h e ci rcle of th e Co unsel lors

of State , sarc ast ica l ly term ed by th e pa t r iots

" the vicious circle," from which the administra

t ions of the las t three years had been taken al

most in toto, h a d c erta inly be en an y thin g b u t

prolific in ta le n t. W it h th e ex cep tion on ly of

the Count de Valenâ, the Viscount de San

Leopoldo, an d th e M arq uis d e S an Joa o de

Palma, who had al l three been recent ly ad

mit ted, the members of this body were the same

individuals who h a d formerly organized the

C on st i tut ion; ye t , m onst rou s as i t m ay app ea r ,

thei r subsequent Adminis t rat ion seemed to have

been l i t t le else than one continual series of

aw kw ard an d ineffectual a t te m p ts for i ts sub

vers ion. C ertain ly the m em be rs of the late

C abine t were som ew hat less obn oxious on this

account th an the i r pre de ce sso rs , ye t they ha d

even managed to surpass them in incapaci ty .

A short t ime previous to the close of the Ses

s ion one of thei r E x cl le n ci s ac tu al ly pro po sed

tha t a sa lary should be allotted to th e C oun sel

lors of Sta te , an d at te m pte d to p ut his prop osi

tion to th e vote, no tw ith sta nd in g i ts op po si t ion

to the fundam enta l l aw of the E m p ire . A n

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lot ted to him self the sala ries at ta ch ed to two

different offices; a fourth avo w ed him self a pa r-

t izan of the theories of Bentham, yet , having a

defect in his art ic ula t ion he w as neve r able to

develope the m to the e nt ir e sat isfact ion of the

D e p u t ie s ; an d ano ther , after ha ving for some

tim e favoured th e H o u se w ith an exposi tion of

his own luminous perceptions on the subject of

ship-building, concluded in the fol lowing words:

" I cannot give a reason for my assertion, but

the House may rely upon me that i t i s t rue."

" O h , s t up i d i t y oh, i m p ud en ce " excla imed

the " Astro de Minas" a lately establ ishe d

paper of bolder pr inciples than any which had

hi ther to appeared s ince the t ime of Chapuis ,

" w h a t an opinion m u st foreigners form of

Brazi l , in case they es t imate her by her

M i n i s t r y "

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C H A P T E R X I X .

Re-appointment of General Lecor to the command of the Army—

M arq uis de Ba rbace na desp atche d to Euro pe— Sta te of Affairs in

Portugal—Revolt in favour of Don Miguel—Interference of Great

Britain — C on du ct of D o n Pe dr o relative to the Affairs of

Por tugal— App ointmen t of Don Miguel as Lieutenant -General ,

and Regent of Portugal—Don Miguel 's Oath to the Const i tut ion—

M achinations of the Ab solutists— De ath of M r. Ca nnin g, and its

effect on the Affairs of Portugal—Dissolution of the House ot

Deputies there—Convocation of the Ancient States of the Kingdom

in Ju ne , 1828 — Protest of the M arqu is de I tabayana— Assem bly

of the Th ree Es tates, and their decision — Do nna M aria sent to

E uro pe — Negotiations of the M arquis de Barbacena — Fulsome

style of the Official Journals in Rio.

F R O M

the period of the bat t le of I tuzaingo unti l

the close of the year 1827, the Imperial army

on th e frontier co nten ted them selves b y act ing

on th e defensive. O n ly one skirm ish of im

por tance took p lac e in C am acu a, in the m on th

of A p r i l ; and this , l ike all those wh ich had

preceded i t , terminated in favour of the repub

l icans.

T h e se rep ea ted defeats led to the recal l

of the M arqu is de B arba cen a, an d to the re

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theless , succeeded in inspi r ing His Majesty

with a hig h opinion of his ta le n ts ; an d, as the

late events in the South proved beyond a doubt

that they lay not in the mil i tary l ine, i t appears

to have been concluded that diplomacy was

his forte. C er tain ly, th e pa trio t p a rt y were of

a different op inion . T h e diplo m atic tale nts of

the Marquis had a l ready been put to the

proof,

dur ing the nego t ia t ions wi th P o r t u g a l ; and,

whatever might have been the advantages re

sul t ing to the plenipotent iary, the high terms

on which the acknowledgment of the inde

pendence had been purchased f rom Don

Jo hn V I . , t he y regarded as an y th ing bu t

sat isfactory. H is E xc el le nc y w as, however ,

de sp atc he d to E uro pe , for the join t pu rpos e of

effecting a further loan, of contracting a second

m arr iag e for D on P ed ro in some of the reigning

famil ies in that continent , and last ly, of con

du ct ing th e ne go t iat ions s t il l pe nd ing wi th

Por tuga l .

T h e C onst i tut ion framed b y Don Pe dro had

m et wi th ac ce pta nc e in this kin gd om , and on

the occasion of the first assembly of the Legis

lative bod y, bo th h ou se s w ere profuse in their

ack now ledgm ents of gra t i tude . Ref lec ting men

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heiro,

the ta lented ex-minis ter of Don John,

to a f riend in B r a z i l ; " ye t i t a p p e a rs doubtful

w hethe r i t will ever be p a i d ; for the draw er h a s

nei ther any funds here, nor is his credi t by any

m eans good in this m a rk e t ." Su ch , in fact,

was Pin he iro 's convict ion reg ard ing the future

course of eve nts in P or tu g al , th at , a l th ou gh

elected a m em be r of the H ou se of D ep u t ie s ,

he never tho ug ht pro pe r to ta k e his sea t . L ik e

m any othe rs , he ha d observed th at , exc ep t ing

among the middle class of ci t izens, who were

but a diminut ive number, the charter had few

sincere ad he ren ts . T h e M ag is t rac y were , for

the most par t , individuals of ret rograde ideas;

the bulk of the nobil i ty and clergy regarded the

app oin tm ent of a sepa ra t e and ind epe nde nt

C ham ber of D ep ut ie s as an inf ringement on

thei r es tabl ished pr ivi leges , and the populace

were, f rom the unsat isfactory adminis t rat ion of

the late Cortes , indisposed to any const i tut ional

government whatever .

U nd er the i r r ita t ion resu l t ing from th e inde

pendence of B ra z i l ; t he qu ar t e r when ce the

C on st i tut ion ha d em an ate d w as in i tsel f a

suf

ficient ca us e to pr ec lud e i ts po p ul ar i ty . N or

were the se sy m pto m s of dissat isfact ion long in

com ing to a cr is is . Sc arcely ha d th e sess ions

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the inte nt of proc laiming D on M igue l absolute

m on arch of the king do m . A t the sam e t ime,

the C ab inet of S p a in gave une qu ivoca l demon

stra t ion s of an inte nt io n to su pp o rt and assist

the revo l ters . T h e B ri t i sh M inis t ry were, on

the other hand, anxious that the Const i tut ion of

D on Pe dro should be m ai n ta in e d ; and Mr .

Canning, by h i s representa t ions , induced the

House of Commons to decide upon sending

such an armed force to Portugal , as might be

sufficient to k e e p the revo lters in ch ec k. Five

tho us an d m en, und er the com m and of Lieu

tenant-General Si r Wil l iam Cl inton, were ac

cordingly disembarked there on the 15th of

January, 1827. the insurgents fled for refuge

into Spain, and the members of the legislature

were thus enabled to cont inue thei r s i t t ings ,

free from further m oles tation . B etw een the

two chambers there was nevertheless but l i t t le

ac co rda nc e. T h e ma jori ty of the laws passed

through the House of Deput ies were thrown

out by the P e e rs ; am ong st whom the A posto

l ical par ty, headed by the Counts de Rio Pardo

and de San Miguel , were great ly predominant .

D on Pe dro , in the m ean t ime, notwi ths tand

ing h is co nd itiona l a bd ica tion of th e Crown of

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tel l igence of the death of the King of Portugal ,

was furnished exc lusively b y th e nav al ars en al

of Brazi l , and the l ine-of-bat t le ship Don

John VI, in which i t was intended that Don

Miguel should visi t Rio de Janeiro for the pur

pose of con vey ing thi th er his yo un g br ide, was

also magnificent ly decked out , and provided

with the due complement of seamen, at the ex

pense of the E m p ire . In a ll the desp atch es

relat ive to the adminis t rat ion of Portugal , His

M ajesty also re tain ed the style of a m on arch ,

and continued to affix his signature as Don

P ed ro I V M a n y of the se related to objects of

importance, yet they were decided wi thout any

con sul tat ion of th e Co unci l of Po rtug al . D octor

B erna rdo Jo ze de A bra nte s e Ca s t ro , was created

a Counsel lor of S ta t e ; M arsh al Luiz do R ego

Barre to , the ex-Governor of Pernambuco, was

appointed to the pos t of Lieutenant -General

and Governor-a t -arms in the province of Minho;

and his brother- in- law, the Baron de Rio Seco,

w as eleva ted to the pe era ge . A t the sam e t ime

the D u k e de Lafoens and the other m em bers of

the de pu tat ion from the Re ge nc y of P o rtu g al ,

who had arrived in Rio in a Portuguese vessel

express ly fitted out by the P or tug ue se G ove rn

m ent , w ere, in con seq uen ce of som e m isunder

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2 9 8 HISTORY OF BR AZIL.

pa ck e t , an d the o thers in Po r tu gu ese m erchan t

men .

U ne xp ec ted obs tac les , however , opposed them

selves about this period to the designs of Don

P e d ro . D o n M iguel w as nei ther wi lling to

visi t Rio de Janeiro, nor would the exist ing

minis t ry of the Infanta, Donna Isabel la Maria ,

consent to acknowledge the val idi ty of the des

pa tc h es in qu est ion . T his untow ard opposition

from both parties, and the fear of a civil war, at

len gth ind uced the E m pe ror , b y a De cree of the

3d of Ju ly , 1827, to ap po int D on M iguel his

L ieu tenan t -Genera l and Regent in Por tuga l .

I n ob serv an ce of this diplom a, in i tself repu ted

an infract ion of the Const i tut ion, His Highness

the Infante qui t ted V ienn a for P o r t u g a l ; and ,

after visi t ing Paris and London on his route,

arrived in Lisb on on th e 22d of F e b ru a ry , 1828.

H e re he m ad e oath to the C onst i tut ional Ch arter

on th e 26th of th e sa m e m on th ; an act nearly

s imul taneous wi th the absolute and uncondi

t ional abd icat ion of the Portu gu ese Crown by

Don Pedro in favour of his daughter .

E v en ts we re, however , t ran spir in g w hich

seemed to rend er the pe rm an en ce of He r most

faithful M aje s ty 's reign ex t rem ely problema

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cons t i tu t ing His Highness absolute monarch

For this they had a precedent before their eyes

in the elevat ion of Do n P e d r o ; who, no tw i th

s tanding his oath of al legiance to Portugal ,

tak en on occasion of his accession to the R e

gency of that country, had yet at an ul terior

period been created E m pe ror by th e acc lam a

tion of the peo ple. I t w as m oreover urg ed b y

the advocates for a s imilar s tep, that whenever

on previous occasions, a s , for e x am p le, d u rin g

the re igns of D on Jo h n I V an d D on Ped ro I I . ,

any art icles of the ancient Cortes of Lamego

had been al tered, the consent of the people, con

st ituted in Co rtes, h ad be en ob tain ed for th is

purpose; and that consequent ly , before Don

Pedro could legal ly annul these same ins t i tutes ,

he ought to hav e convoked the rep rese nta t ive s

of the pe op le in P o rtu g al for th is esp ec ial

purpose .

The expl ici t assumpt ion of the Sovereignty

of th e pe op le impl ied in the se arg um en ts , m ay

appear somewhat s tar t l ing in the mouths of the

advocates for absolute monarchy, yet a l together ,

they were such as were deemed most appropr i

ate to th e crisis ; the y w ere h ig h ly flattering to

the populace, and they were everywhere echoed

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of the inhabi tants , and a provis ional govern

ment was appointed, pr incipal ly composed of

suc h as h a d alr ea d y figured in th e revolution

of 1820, or w ho h a d s inc e m a d e sacrifices in

be ha lf of th e C on st i tu t ion al c aus e. Unfor

tun ate ly the nu m be r of m em bers was greater

than necessary ; their confl ict ing opinions were

cont inual ly tending to negat ive each other , and

al l thei r subsequent acts were consequent ly

w an t ing in th a t vigour and ene rgy which can

only be obtained under the adminis t rat ion of

a few.

The Visconde de I tabayana the Brazi l i an

M iniste r in Lo nd on , in conjunct ion with the

M arq uis de R ez en de the M inis ter to the Cour t

of Au st r ia , entered into a jo in t protes t ag ain st

the late proc eed ings of the In fan te, bu t to no

pu rpo se . T h e G ove rnm ent in Lisbon having

at i t s head a pr inc e al read y reputed as the mo

narch, neither suffered this protest nor the revolt

in O po rto to interfere w i th i t s m ea sure s . Th e

Sess ion of the Three Es ta tes was opened by

th e In fa nte on the 23d of J u n e 1828, and the

Bishop of Viseu addressed the members on the

occasion, reg ard ing th e r igh t of Do n M iguel to

th e Po rtug ue se crown, to the exclusion of D on

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caused to the Por tuguese nat ion , by the conces

sion of inde pen den ce to th e Em p ire of B r a z i l ;

he recal led th e ex am ple s wh erein var ious mo -

narch s of Po r tu g a l ha d on previous occas ions

been exc luded from the th ro n e ; and concluded

by assuming, that the nat ion only, as a supreme

jud ge , could decide betw een th e p reten sion s

of the E m p er o r of B razi l and h is da ug hter , a nd

those of D on M ig u e l ; and tha t , on this account ,

the thre e es tate s were assem bled. T h is dis

course, as well a s th a t of the bish op , w as lis

t ened to wi th apparent approbat ion , and the

Infante sub seq ue nt ly ordered th at each Es ta te

should ag ain asse m ble sep arately on the 25th,

in the var ious edifices of S an R oq ue , S an to A n

tonio,

and the C on ven t of S an Fr an cisc o . A s

was do ub t less ant ic ipated , the y decided t h a t

D on M iguel w as the legi t imate K in g, and th at

all th a t ha d bee n done by D on Ped ro w as nul l

and void from its i l lega li ty. F o r th e ad op tion

of th is de cision th e y gav e th e following

g r o u n d s : —

F irs t , D on P ed ro ha d becom e th e sovereign of

a foreign co un try ; an d this ci rcu m stan ce , by

const i tut ing him a foreigner, excluded him from

the thro ne of P o rtu g al , conformably to th e d e

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the king do m is con trary to the ord inan ce of the

C ortes of 1641, of th a t of T h o m a r, a n d of the

let ters patent of 1642.

T hi rd ly , P or tug al and Brazi l hav ing become

se p ar ate an d dis t inc t s ta tes s ince th e 15th of

N ovem ber 1825 ; an d Don P ed ro having chosen

th e crown of th e la t ter co un try, he is unq uali

fied to reig n over P o rtu g a l, by the term s of th e

same let ters patent of 1642.

Fo ur th ly , T his P r ince h as v io la ted the Po r tu

gu ese law s in arr og at in g to h imself an exorbi

tant and discret ionary power

The Assembly, moreover , declared in conclu

s ion, that the oaths pronounced by Don Miguel

w ere inva lid, from hav ing be en forced and cofP'

t rac ted in a foreign co un try.

W itho ut at tem pt in g to es t im ate the val idi ty

of th es e va riou s a rg u m e n ts , i t m ay be sufficient

to st a te he re , th a t th e decision w as confirmed

by Don Miguel , who caused himself to be pro

claim ed K in g of P or tu ga l an d A lgarve, and

wh o , by a decree of the 15th of July, again dis

solved the same Assembly to which his elevat ion

had been owing.

Intel l igence of the dissolut ion of the House

of D ep u t ie s in th e m ean t ime arr ived in Rio,

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grand father , the E m pe ro r of A us t r ia , he r union

w ith Don M iguel m igh t eve n y e t be effected.

T he M arquis de Barb ace na , the universa l g e

nius who du ring the ye ar 1827 h ad al te rn ate ly

figured before the army in the south, the minis

try in R io, an d su bs eq ue ntly before th e re

spect ive courts of London, Munich, Sardinia ,

and P a ris , and w ho, w ith al l his ve rsat i l i ty of

talent and his as ton ishing exp edi t ion, ha d y et

returned to R io w i thout hav ing concluded an y

one of the ob jects of his m ission, w as selec ted

as the guardian to the youthful potentate during

her v oy ag e; and a t the sam e t im e ch arg ed to

conclude as briefly as possible the ne go tiat ion s

for the second m arria ge of Don P ed ro . In his

previous co rresp on den ce w ith th e C ou rt of R io,

he had indic ated the dem ocrat ic regim en of

B razil as th e chief ob stac le to t h e all ia nc e of

the E m pe ro r wi th an y of the re ign ing families

in Europe ; yet , far from being discouraged by

this difficulty, he rep res en ted i t as ha vin g be en

in a great measure surmounted through his own

pec ul iar sub t lety. Before, however , he bro ug ht

his neg otiat ions to a close, he h ad de em ed i t

exped ient ag ain to vis it R io de Ja n ei r o , and ,

in consequence of his presence here at this

juncture , he became in t rus ted wi th the tem

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the ten th y ea r of he r age , an d her de pa rture

w as reg ard ed wi th b u t l it t le intere s t b y the in

h a b ita n ts of R io . If, how ever, a n y cre di t can

be at tached to the asseverat ions of the " Diar io

F lu m in en se ," th er e were at lea s t a few indivi

d ua ls who se ex ce ss of sen sibi l i ty on this occasion

was such as to make ample amends for the

indifference of the greater number.

" H e r M ajes ty D on na M ar ia the Second ,"

exclaimed the highly gifted Editor of this

per iodical , in a pa ra g ra p h, wh ich m ay b e

worthy of insert ion, as i l lustrat ive of the pom

pous no ns en se w ith w hich he st il l from t im e

to t ime dis figured h is p a g e s , — " H er M ajesty

D o n n a M aria the Sec ond left this ci ty on

the day before yesterday, for the Court of

Vienna, whi ther she is gone to kiss the hand of

he r au gu st gran dfath er . T h a t for tunate Court,

which eleven years ago fel ici tated Brazi l with a

prototype of virtues which it would be difficult

to imi tate , and which prototype was quickly

coveted by H ea v en , will now b e well repaid

w ith the sove reign p re se n ce of th e youthful

Q ue en , the blessed offspring an d living image

of her m other . T h e ju s t and pu ng en t anguish

in which the privation of this august object

s tee ps our h ea r ts , and wh ich th e pol icy of

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cross,

wil l henceforth l ight up the skies of

Eu rope , and re -produce in ano ther hem isphere

the high vi r tues of the gre at ge nius , the F ou n d er

of the Braz i l ian E m p ir e . O n occasion of her

departure we were favoured with the fol lowing

sonnet , which we publish al ike on account of

the w orthy object to w hich i t is de dic ated , an d

also from a w ish to m a k e kn ow n th e t ran sce n

dent genius of the wri ter .

" Alas high Q ueen,"

he. &c.

&c.

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3 0 8 HISTORY OF BR AZ IL .

C H A P T E R X X .

Disputes relative to the prize claims—The North American Ministers'

interpretation of the laws of blockade—Unavailing representations

— M r. Ra gue t dem ands his passports— The French and English

make similar claims to the Americans, and the British Ministry

undertake the office of mediators between the Emperor and the

Gov ernme nt of Buenos Ayres — State of the Im perial army—

Audacity of the privateers—Meeting of the Chambers in 1828—

New M inistry — Re volt of the foreign troops, and subsequent

massacre—Further changes in the Cabinet—A French squadron

enters in l ine of battle, and their dem and is acceded to— Neg otia

tions for pe ace — Prelim inary treaty— Effects of the war in Brazil

as well as in Buenos Ayres.

W H I L E the events t aking p lace in Por tugal thus

ap pe are d to be tok en the proxim i ty of a rup ture

be twe en D on P ed ro and Don Miguel , the deten

t ion and seizure of an immense number of neu

t ral vessels , by the blockading squadron in the

r iver P la ta , thr ea ten ed to becom e the cause of

an equal ly ser ious embarrassment to the Em

peror . In protes t ing aga ins t the m easure s car

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under the pretext of an infract ion of the block

ade of Pe rn am bu co , and ne ar ly fifteen m on ths

had elapsed before a definit ive sentence for her

release could be ob taine d. O n the sub seq ue nt

declarat ion of war wi th Buenos Ayres , the Bra

zilian M in iste r for foreign affairs inform ed M r.

R ag ue t , the C harg e d 'Affaires of th e U n i ted

Sta tes in R io de Jan ei ro , tha t the E m pe ro r

had given orders to equip a squadron for the

purpose of placing in a s tate of blockade al l the

ports belo ng ing to the U ni ted Pro vinc es of the

river Plata, and on the fol lowing morning i t was

anno unce d th at , by order of th e E m pe ro r , the

said ports would be immediately blockaded by

the force at pr es en t s tat ion ed th er e, w hich

would short ly be augmented by an expedi t ion

on th e po int of sai l ing. T o this co m m u

nicat ion of the Minis ter , Mr . Raguet made

reply on the 13th of December, acknowledging

the full right of a bell igerent power to injure i ts

enemy by means of s iege or blockade, but in

sist ing that no such power could of i tself decide

regarding the interes t of neutrals , who have

their r ig hts as well as the bel l ig ere nt p ar t ie s .

" W ith regard to the com m erce of ne utra l na t ion s

wi th f r iendly s ta tes , "argued Mr. Raguet , " i thad

been acknowledged as a pr inciple , that these

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or pla ce s bloc ka de d, or b es ie g ed ; b u t i t ha d at

the same t ime been acknowledged, that no port

could be considered in a s tate of blockade,

unless i t were encompassed by a naval force

sufficient ly imposing to preclude an entry.

Insomuch, that i f the squadron, or blockading

force were constrained to absent i tself by any

other cause than s t ress of weather , the blockade

was for the t ime raised, and i ts renewal must be

reg ard ed a s a new block ade , in no m ann er

affect ing the interests of the neutrals who might

ha ve en tere d the said p ort du ring the inter im .

T h is m an ne r of reg ard ing the laws of block

a d e , " co nt inu ed the negoc iator , " w as sanc

t ioned by the armed neutral i ty of 1780, and by

a convent ion concluded in 1801, betw een G re at

B ri tain and R us sia , in w hich i t w as s t ipulated

' th a t to de term ine the sta te of a bloc kad ed p ort,

this denominat ion shal l only be given to a port

w here th e d ispos i tions ta ke n by the a t tack ing

power, by means of vessels ei ther s tat ionary or

sufficient ly near to each other, demonstrate

the evident danger of at tempt ing to penetrate

the re in. T h is defini tion ha d bee n ado pted by

al l th e other C ab ine ts of Eu ro pe , an d by the

U ni ted Sta tes , the only inde pen de nt nat ion in

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the exis tenc e of the b lo c k a d e ; in defaul t of

which nei ther seizure nor condemnation could

tak e pla ce ." In su pp or t of the se pr in ciples ,

Mr. Raguet ci ted a var iety of ins tances in

which they ha d s ince be en ado pted by the va

r ious mari t ime nat ions of Europe.

To these representa t ions , the Viscount de

Santo Amaro, at this t ime Minis ter , repl ied

somewhat evasively, that , in the orders given

to the Brazi l ian Admiral , al l neutral vessels

having entered the Argent ine ports pr ior to the

declarat ion of the blockade, were to be al lowed

fourteen d ay s to c om plete thei r lad ing , a nd

afterwards to be permit ted to depart without

molestat ion.

T h e m at te r w as th u s suffered to res t for the

m om ent , bu t dur ing the m on ths of J u n e , Augus t ,

an d Se ptem be r , 1826, several A m erican vessels

were seized as being dest ined for the blockaded

p o r t ; an d this too, wi thout an y w arn ing to re

t i re .

O n th i s point the Brazi l i an G ove rnm ent

could ce r tainly qu ote the con du ct of E n g la n d ,

during the late wa r in E u ro p e, as a pre ced en t •

ye t the y do not a p p e a r to ha ve reflected th a t the

sys t em had been adopted by England only, the

most powerful mari t ime nat ion in the world ; and

th is too, in op po sit ion to th e pr o tes ts of all o th er s.

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ve ssels , and to a de m an d for da m ag es and in

terest on account of the delay occasioned.

T h e M arqu i s de Inha m bu pe , who had suc

ceeded as Minis ter to the Viscount de Santo

Amaro, repl ied to Mr. Raguet , that the not if ica

t ion, w hich i t wa s pre ten de d oug ht to have been

made of the exis tence of the blockade, had

already been fulfi l led in i ts previous announce

m e n t to all n ati o n s, a nd th at a sufficient spa ce

of tim e ha d ela ps ed for all to be aw are of it .

" N eu t ra l ve sse l s , " urge d the M inis ter , "co uld

no t b e p er m it ted to at te m p t a violat ion of the

blocka de un de r the pr ete xt of being ignoran t of

i ts existence, s ince they could easi ly inform

them selve s of the fact at th e ne are st

neutral

port ; and any other l ine of conduct on their

par t appeared to announce host i le intent ions .

Nevertheless , as vessels had been taken out at

sea on account of the dest inat ion of their pass

po rts for th e bloc kad e po rts , th e Em pero r had

dec ided th at such only shou ld be retained , as had

manifested an evident intent ion to violate the

b l ockade . "

Mr. Raguet , on the other hand, ins is ted on the

prin ciple alre ad y ci ted, th a t no vessel could be

seized for an infraction of the laws of blockade,

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the terri tory from the Amazon to Cape Horn,

was in the possession of one or other of the bel

ligerent p a r t ie s ; tha t the ne ares t neutral por t s

were V alparaiso, an d the C ap e of G ood H o p e ;

and tha t a vo yag e to ei ther of the se p orts wo uld,

in most cases , be tantamount to a return to the

port whence the vessel s tarted.

These representat ions were, however , ent i rely

unavai ling. T h e decis ion reg ard ing the ca p

tured vessels was referred to a prize Court , with

which the G ov ern m en t s tate d i t would be con

trary to the Con st i tut ion of the E m p ir e for

them to in ter fe re ; and the B razi l ian A dm iral ,

unable to make any invidious except ions exclu

sively in favour of th e A m er ic an s, co ntinu ed to

seize as prizes, al l vessels bound to Buenos

Ayres .

The resul t was the cont inuat ion of al terca

t ions between Mr. Raguet and the Brazi l i an

M inis ters , w hich term inated only on th e 8th of

M arc h, 1827, in a dem an d on the p a rt of the

former for his pa ss po rts . T h e y w ere of cou rse

gra nted ; bu t a few da y s after his de p ar tur e a

Brazi l ian envoy of the name of Rebel lo was

despatche d by the E m pe ror to the U ni ted

S tate s , w i th the object of m ak ing a n am icable

ar ra n g em en t rela tive to all ex istin g difficulties.

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ber fol lowing, when the Emperor , wishing to

p u t a n en d to th e ab u se com m itted b y foreign

vesse ls in the h ab it of en terin g M on te V ideo,

a n d afterw ard s sa i l ing osten sibly for distant

por t s , b ut in r ea l i ty for B ue no s A yr es , charged

the authori t ies in the former ci ty to prevent any

vessels f rom leaving that anchorage during the

co nt in ua nc e of th e w ar , unle ss the y could give

guarantees that thei r des t inat ion was not for any

of the po rts of the A rg en t ine R ep ub l ic . Ow ing,

however, to the energet ic representat ions of Mr.

Tudor , the lately arr ived American Minis ter , re

ga rd ing the inju st ice an d i l lega l i ty of this mea

su re , i t was subsequent ly abandoned on the 16th

of January, 1828.

O n sim ilar gro un ds to th e foregoing, the

F re n ch G ov ern m en t , following the ex am ple of

the Americans , ins t i tuted a plea for the damages

occasioned to their subjects by i l legal captures;

a n d En g la n d , w hich ha d been a gr ea ter sufferer

from the system pursued than al l other nat ions

conjointly, not only brought forward a claim for

indemni ty, but by her interference at tempted to

put a period to the continuance of the war.

T h e B ri t i sh A dm inis t rat io n ha d al l a long been

an xiou s to faci li ta te an am icab le a rran ge m en t

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in bat tle , had red uc ed th e effective force on th e

frontier to less th a n seven thou san d m e n ; the

enem y were fully eq ua l in n u m b e rs , an d th eir

force w as dai ly au gm en ted b y des ert ion s from

the Im pe rial ar m y. I n a dd it ion to th is , a two

years '

run of i l l success had ext inguished almost

every vest ige of m art ia l s p i r i t ; or , as G en era l

Lecor tho ug ht fit to term it , in an in ter ce p ted

desp atch, " of pa t r iot is m ." A m ong the m i li tia

an eq ua l indispo si t ion to th e service ex iste d.

Ev en in the prov ince of R io G ra n d e , suffering un

der the war , the in h ab i ta nts dispersed them selves

in the woods, and on the plains of the interior,

in preference to ta k in g u p arm s. T h e ow ners

of the ca tt le farms we re th e p rin cip al sufferers.

Incursions on their estates were of dai ly occur

rence ; thei r s laves w ere con t inual ly es ca pin g

into the Banda Orienta l , where they a t once

be ca m e invested w ith th e privi leges of freemen,

an d thei r ca t t le were sw ep t off b y tho us an ds .

B ra u n an d C ala d o, two of th e chief officers of

Leco r, we re of opinion, th at he o ug ht to give

batt le, al leging, that if they were to lose all , i t

would be b e tte r to do so in the field, th a n b y

deser t ion, and the demoral izat ion consequent

upon i t . T h e G en er al , how ever , rem ained firm

to his prin cip les, an d a violent discussion en

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In the r iver Plata the naval force of Don

Pe dro w as equ al ly unfo r tunate . From the

sm al lness of thei r rem ainin g vesse ls , the Bu enos

A yr ea n s were no longer ab le to encounter the

B raz i l ian squ ad ron , ye t the ravag es of the pr i

v at ee rs w ere m ore flagrant th a n ever. T h e

au da ci ty wi th which m any of these m araud ers

carr ied on thei r depredat ions appears t ruly

asto nish ing . O ne of them , the Congresso,

boarded every vessel enter ing the harbour of

R io de Ja n e ir o for n ea rly a week ; and finally

es ca pe d in th e face of two frigates, an d a brig-

of-war. T h e B raz i l ian brig-of-war C aciq ue was

captured off Pernambuco by a pr ivateer , the

utmost exer t ions of her commander , Capta in

M an so n, one of th e b rav es t officers in the service,

be in g u n ab le to ke e p his crew to their gun s :

an d th e N ige r, a sm all p rivateer of only eight

g u n s ,

made an at tempt to carry the Maria

Is ab e l , a thir ty -six gu n frigate,, by boa rding.

In the las t ins tance i t happened that the Niger

was lying off Santos, when the Maria Isabel

sailed from th a t p o rt w ith a convoy of sugar-

lade n sm ac ks . T h e C ap ta in of the Niger kep t

th e convoy in s ig h t ; an d du ring the night m ade

sai l and ran alongside the fr igate, boarded her,

and kept possession of her quarter-deck for

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relative po sition of th e tw o sh ips , th a t before a suf

ficient number of men could be thrown on board,

the frigate's crew rall ied, and the assailants were

again driven ba ck into the ir own ves sel , w ith

the loss of several pr iso ne rs. T h e N iger nev er

theless succeeded in escaping, and even after

this made a capture of part of the convoy.

Th ese unfortu nate r es ul ts , in conjunct ion w ith

the cont inual augmentat ion of the publ ic debt ,

were becoming a dai ly-increasing source of dis

content, when the leg is lature aga in assem bled

on the app ointed d a y , th e 3d of M ay , 1828. I n

his Speech on the occasion, the Emperor an

nounced that the Court of Madrid was the only

one in E ur op e w hich had refrained from a c

knowledging the Brazi l i an E m p ire ; th a t Tr ea

t ies of Commerce and navigat ion had been con

cluded wi th G re at B r i ta in and P r u s s ia ; tha t th e

G ove rnm ent of the U ni ted Sta tes had replaced

the C ha rg e d 'Affaires w ho ha d qu it ted R io ; th a t

neg ot iat ions ha d bee n entered into wi th th e

G overnm ent of B uen os A yre s , and th at the ac t

of his own abd icat ion of th e T hr on e of Po rt u g a l

ha d bee n co m ple ted. P a ss in g to the affairs of

the inter ior , h e c on gra tulated th e A sse m bly on

the order and t ranqui l l i ty exis t ing in al l the

prov inces ; a proof, urged the Em pe ror , tha t the

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he concluded by ag ain req ue st ing the at ten t ion

of the Assembly to the affairs of finance and

jus t i ce .

I t ha d been hoped th at the M inis t ry ap pointed

in the m on th of N ov em be r, 1827, would, for the

first t ime since the practical adoption of the

rep rese ntat iv e system , hav e been able to com

mand a major i ty in the House of Deput ies .

I ts members were in part selected from the

bosom of the legislature, and the reputat ion for

pr ob i ty enjoyed by A raujo Lim a, the M inis ter

of the Em p ire , in conjunct ion wi th the tact and

skil l universal ly ascribed to Calmon, the Minis

ter of F ina nc e, exc i ted for a m om ent the ex

pe cta t ion of al l p ar t ie s . T h is lat ter , a na t ive of

B ah ia , ha d been edu cated in an E ng l i sh U ni

versi ty ; w as re p u ted to hav e enjoyed the pe r

sonal int im acy of M r. C an nin g, a nd , al though

cold and artificial in his style of eloquence, was

yet one of the most acute debaters in the House.

Al l the favourable hopes which had been in

spired w ere, how ever, don e aw ay w ith on the

convocation of the C ha m be rs . Pe op le in gene

ra l form the ir op inio ns from re su lts alone, and

the unfortunate i ssue of the present war had

n at u ra l ly led to a m ate rial dev elopm ent of

the spiri t of opposi t ion in the House of De

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tutelar genius of the country, an almost univer

sal prejudice h ad ar isen a ga inst h i m ; a nd th e

adm inistrat ion of the C ab ine t did n ot ten d to

re-assure the pub l ic confidence.— The w an t of

talent in the majori ty, the suspected corruption

and overbearing de po rtm en t of othe rs , a nd the

egotism of all, w ere alo ne sufficient to dis cr ed it

them as a b o d y ; an d in sp i te of the m ea ns em

ployed to en su re votes, m ea ns sa id to have be en

modelled on those previously reduced to system

in En glan d by Si r R ob er t W alpole , the M inis

try sti ll found them selve s in a m ino ri ty. T h e ir

embarrassments on this head were, however ,

cut short by a casual ty , which unexpectedly led

to thei r dism issal . T h is w as no thin g less th a n

a revolt on th e p a rt of the foreign troo ps sta

t ioned in Rio de Janeiro.

T h e m ission of Colonel C otter to Ire lan d, for

the pu rpose of eng aging em igrants there , ha s

be en a l ready a lluded to . T h e term s entered

into by this officer with the colonists were, that

all should have thei r pas sag e p a i d ; tha t eac h

able-bodied m an should receive w ag es equ iva

lent to a shi l l ing a-day, and that they should be

furnished with good provisions, an d ap pr op ria te

clothing for a hot cl im ate . A rt is ts an d labo ure rs

were assured of co ns ta nt em ploym ent , and the

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it w as st ate d , th a t no one wo uld b e com pelled

to remain against his wi l l ; and not a word was

said regarding any engagement for mi l i t ary

service.

T h es e term s were far too ad va ntag eo us not

to m eet wi th im m ed iate ac ce pta nc e, and before

m an y we eks ha d e lap sed, ne ar three thousand

emigrants , men, women, and chi ldren , were

un de r sai l for Rio de Ja n e i r o . H er e their

arr ival had nei ther been ant icipated by the

inh ab i tan ts , nor were the y welcom e. Th e

intent ion of the Government to compel the

grea ter n um be r of them to ta k e up arm s , was

too evident to adm it of an y d o u b t ; an d the

general repugnance to a foreign mil i tary force

has been al ready spoken of .

The majori ty of the emigrants arrived at their

dest inat ion ear ly in January, 1828, and were

dise m ba rke d in a condi t ion wh ich, un de r other

ci rcumstances , could not have fai led to awaken

co m pas sion. M oth ers w ith their infants on the

breas t , young gi r l s approaching womanhood,

a n d a thle tic lab ou re rs in th e p rim e of l ife, were

al l landed in a s tate of almost ut ter nudity.

F ro m th e lan din g-p lac e th ey were m arched off

to the barracks , in the Rua dos Barbonos , amid

th e tau n ts of the po pu lace, and the jee rs of

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m inate the unfor tunate I r i sh . T h is ext raor

dinary recept ion immediately gave r ise to the

bel ief that they had been bet rayed, and they

spee dily b ec am e cla m or ou s for th e fulfilment of

the en ga ge m en t entere d into w i th Colonel C ot ter .

A s, however, th e l ibera l term s ente red into b y

this agent had been whol ly unauthorized on the

pa rt of the G ov ern m en t , their fulf ilment w as

explici tly re fu se d; and the m ale port ion of th e

colonists w ere clearly given to un d er sta n d th a t

they ha d no al tern at ive , ex ce pt in g ei ther to

enl is t or s ta rv e. F o r a t im e th ey were incre

dulous. T h e y could no t bel ieve th a t the

Government of any civi l ized country would

consent to sanc t ion th e u np ara l leled w an t of

fai th , by means of which they had been seduced

from thei r na t ive co un try. T h e y pu bl ished the

cond i tions of thei r en ga ge m en t , and , aw are of

the apprehension wi th which they were regarded

by the publ ic , asser ted that they were engaged

as pacific colo nists, an d no t as so ldiers . A t th e

sam e t ime, m an y resolutely ab stain ed from

enl i s tment , under the hope that t a rdy jus t ice

would at len gth be accorded to the m . O th er s ,

meanwhile, sought for temporary rel ief in

inebriety, and this fatal propensi ty , by in

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were stationed, finally led to the removal of the

greater par t of thei r number to more dis tant

qu arte rs , whe re al l who h ad th e pe r t inac i ty to

insist on th e fulfilment of th ei r co m p ac t w ith

Colonel Cotter , were deprived of their rat ions,

and compelled to subsist solely on eleemo

synary a id .

Such was the condi t ion of the Ir i sh emigrants ,

when, in the month of June, a German soldier

was , for some trifling neglect of discipline,

con dem ned to receive two h un dr ed a n d fifty

las he s . Before, however, tha t nu m be r ha d been

completed, his comrades cr ied out that i t was

in te n d e d to sacrifice his l ife, a n d th ey set him at

l ib er ty. O n rece iving inte l l ige nc e of this , the

Iri sh , to th e n u m b er of fifty or sixty , ran to co

opera te wi th the Germans , and the mut iny

ass um ed a ser ious as pe ct . Several wine and

provision store s w ere sac ke d, an d the q uarters

of th e officers w ere a tta c k e d an d pil laged. On

the fol lowing morning, the number of the

insurgents was found to have increased, and

the major of a German regiment , whom the

soldiers accused of having kept back thei r pay,

w as killed on th e sp o t, an d tw o oth er officers

wounded.

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A crowd of free men of colour and slaves,

of their own accord, went to co-operate with

the nat ive t roop s on the occasion, an d up w ards

of s ixty Ir i s h w ere ki l led, and one hu nd red

wounded in th e fray. T h e s laves , who ha d

been im pru de nt ly en t rus ted wi th arm s , were

dist inguished above al l the rest by their bar

bar i ties ; in m an y ins tan ce s , severing the limb s

of their expiring vict ims from the bodies, and

bearing them off in t r iumph.

Th is unfo r tunate occurrence decided D on

Pe dro on again send ing hom e the I r i sh . M r .

Aston, the E n gl i sh Se cre tary of Legat ion ,

proceeded to re-a sse m ble them ; and on th e

3d of Ju ly , one tho us an d four h un d re d of the ir

num ber were aga in em ba rke d for I re la nd . T h e

remainder dispersed themselves in the provinces .

T h e G erm an regim ent w as removed to ano ther

stat ion , an d one of the r ing -lea de rs of th e insu r

rec tion w as subseq uen t ly execu ted . T h e pat r io t s

w ere overjoyed with th e se d istre ssin g resu l ts ,

an d t h e affair w as re pr es en ted , in th e p ag es of

some of thei r la tely ins t i tuted Journals , as a

most magnanimous effor t on the par t of the

p eo p le ; bu t the Em pe ror , in whom the project

of bringing over the Ir ish had met i ts chief

par t izan , i nd ign an t beyond m easu re a t t he

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Ju st ic e and M arin e. O n the ado pt ion of this

chan ge , even the E m pe ror ap pe ared to have

at length been awakened to the necess i ty of

forming a mo re po pular A dm inis t ra t ion ; and

now, for the first time since the consolidation

of the m ona rchy, were the im po r tant depar t

m en ts of Ju st ic e and F in an ce offered to m em

b er s of the patriot p a rt y . T h e individuals

designated had, however, but l i t t le anxiety to

ac ce pt office, in th e p re se n t em ba rras sed sta te

of affairs . T h e y w ere und er the convict ion th at

i t wa s a ch an g e of system , ra the r th an of

individuals , tha t wa s re qu i red ; an d as they

had but l i t t le confidence, either in any projected

reform s, or in th e ste ad ine ss of th e deter

m inat ions of D on P ed ro , th ey decided on

rem ain ing in thei r ca pa ci ty of cen sors . T he

m em be rs for the new C ab inet were thu s nece s

sari ly selected from the Ministerial ranks.

With the except ion of Joze Clemente Perei ra ,

the individual formerly banished by the An

dr ad as , who w as ap po inted M inis ter of the

Empire and of Just ice, they were none of them

endow ed with m uch force of ch ara cte r . P er eir a

him self was inde fat igab le in th e C ab inet , and

possessed of con siderable ad m inis t rat iv e t a le n t ;

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an imp l ici t and un scru pu lous obed ience, an d

the other by every species of condescension.

Scarcely h ad the organ izat ion of th e M inis try

been com pleted, w he n the y were placed in r ath er

a s ingular di lemma by the arr ival of the French

Vice-Admiral Roussin, on the 6 th of July, who

came with a l ine-of-bat t le ship and two frigates,

for the purpose of demanding the immediate

rest i tut ion of al l the French vessels taken in the

river P la ta , as well as an in de m nity for the losses

incurred. T h e agi tat ion caused throug h the ci ty

on this occasion w as ex t rem e. B oth C ha m be rs

were indisposed to accede to any such demand;

yet , as R ou ssin t hr ea ten ed to em ploy force in

case o ther m ea ns were unav ai l ing , D on P ed ro

tho ug ht fit to pu t an end to th e q uest ion , an d

of his own will directed the resti tution of the

vessels reclaim ed, w i th ind em ni ty for lo s s ;

an d tra n sm itte d a de cla ratio n to th is effect to

the F re nc h com m ande r . T h e vesse ls were in

consequence given up, and i t was s t ipulated

that the pa y m en t of the inde m ni ty should be

completed before the end of the year 1829.

The media t ion of the Br i t i sh Government be

tween Bra zi l and B uen os A yre s , in the m ea nt im e,

tended to faci l i tate the long desired peace. Under

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been accomplished through the mediat ion of

his Brazi l ian Majesty, was concluded in Rio de

Ja ne iro on the 28th of A u g u st 1828. B y i ts

terms the long dispu ted province w as dec lared

an independent s ta te , separa te a l ike f rom Brazi l

and the Uni ted Provinces of Buenos Ayres , and

subject to whatever laws the interes ts , neces

s it ies an d reso urces of i t s in ha bi t an ts should

point out . T h e R ep res en tat iv es of the said

province w ere imm ediately to es tabl ish a pro

visional Government for the administrat ion of

affairs, unti l the installation of the definit ive

G ove rnm ent , to be crea ted by the Con st i tut ion.

On the ins tal lat ion of this provis ional Govern

ment , the authori t ies at present exis t ing in the

province we re to b e w i thd raw n. I f w i thin the

space of f ive years the t ranquil l i ty of Monte

Video should be per turbed by civi l war , the

con t rac t ing pa r t ies m utual ly bound each o ther

to render al l necessary assistance to i ts legal

G ov ern m en t . A fter the ex pirat ion of this per iod

i t was de cided th a t al l pro tect ion shou ld ce ase ,

and th a t the said province shou ld b e con si

dered as in a s ta te of perfect an d a bso lute in

de pe nd en ce. A n ab solute an d perp etua l obliv ion

of all po l i tical offences, a m utu al in ter ch an ge

of pr iso ne rs , and an ar t ic le gua ran tee ing th e free

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Such was the terminat ion of the fatal and

disas t rous war of the South; a war which, inde

pen de nt ly of the losses sus ta ine d by Ins ura nc e

Companies , and pr ivate individuals , i s calcu

lated to have cost Brazi l one hundred and

twenty mil l ions of cruzades , and eight thousand

ci t izens . A t the sam e t ime it m ust be acknow

ledge d, th at i t a p pe ar s to hav e been the m ean s

of preserving her from such modifications of her

Consti tution as might, if put in force, have ter

m ina ted in th e overthrow of m an y of he r most

va lua ble ins t i tu t ion s . T h e cont inued ill suc

cess of th e B raz i l ian arm s ha d, moreover, the

effect of alm os t a n n ih ila tin g th a t thirs t after

mil i tary dis t inct ion which perhaps holds out

but too many at t ract ions to the ardent and en

thu sia s t ic . T h e ene rgies of the r i s ing genera

tion were, as a consequence of this i l l success,

turned rather towards a civi l than a mil i tary

career ; and the social amel iorat ions which

have resul ted from this circumstance, have in

al l probabi l i ty been the means of s ince preserv

ing Brazi l from ut ter anarchy.

In B ue no s A y re s , on the other han d, where

the s t ruggle had been at tended by a cont inued

ru n of good fortune, a n d w he re victory after

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the

ecldt

with which they were st i l l invested,

the m i li tary acq uired a pre po nd era nc e over the

civ i l au thor i t i es ; d i ssens ions succeeded; each

pet ty chief appealed to the sword, and the

fert i le plains on the banks of the r iver Plata

have sinc e this perio d been l i t t le else tha n one

vast theatre of anarchy, civi l war, fraternal

bloodshed, and devastat ion.

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N O T E S .

Page 2 .— For more than three centuries, fyc.

T H E

affairs of Brazil were under the superintendence

of the " U ltra-M arin e C o u nc il" in Lisbo n, a body whose

aptness for their functions may be, in some measure, illus

trated by the following fact. T h e fort of Co imb ra, situ ate d

on the frontier of Matto Grosso, had, a short time previous

to the conclusion of th e tre aty of lim its, effected in 1 77 7

between Spain and Po rtu ga l, been attacke d by a Spanish

force. O n rece ivin g intellig en ce to this effect th e TJltra-

M arine Cou ncil imm ediately ordered tha t th e " N a6 das

q u in ta s, " or line-of-battle ship annually sent to Brazil for

the King's share of the product of the gold mines, should

be desp atched to the relief of th e garrison. H ow the

navigation of a line-of-battle ship up the Uruguay was to

be effected was not explained.

Page 2 .—

P rev iou sly to the year

1808, #e .

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3 3 2 N O T E S .

Viceroy, in 1640, and this nobleman took possession of his

post on the 15th June in the same year, but only retained

it until the month of A pril io the year following. Tw en ty-

two years afterward s elapsed ere Do n Affonso V I . revived

the tit le . T his he finally did in the person of D . Vasco

Mascarenhas, first Count de Obidos, who took office on the

24th Ju n e , 16 63 , and re ta ined i t unt il the 13th Ju n e, 1667,

when he delivered over his baton, to A le x an d re de Souza,

who came out as C apta in Ge neral . Fr om this period the

V ice-royal G ov ern m en t was inte rrup ted for the space of

forty-seven years, but was again established by Don

Joao V. in favour of D. Pedro Antonio de Noronhas,

second Count de Villa Verde and first Marquis de Angeja,

who entered upon his government on the 13th Jane, 1714.

D . Sancho de Faro e Souza, who succeeded him, was un

provided with any pa ten t as V iceroy, bu t D . Vasco F er -

nand es Cesar de M eneze s, f irst Co un t de Sab ugo za,

who succeeded him on the 23d No vem ber, 172 0, was

furnished with it, and it was henceforward conceded to his

successors, who were, Andre de Mello e Castro, installed

on the 11th May, 1735; D. Luiz Pedro Peregr ino, tenth

Count de Atouguia, who received the baton in 1749;

D . Marcos de Noronha, sixth Count dos Arcos, who took

charge of the gov ernmen t in 1 7 5 5 ; and, lastly, D . An

tonio de Alm eida Soares e P or tu g al, third Cou nt de

A vin tes, and afterwards M arquis de Lav radio, who took

office on th e 9th J an u a ry , 1 76 0, b u t who died on the

4th Ju ly following. T hr ou gh this casualty the govern

ment of Bahia fell into the hands of the Chancellor

Tho m az R ubim de Barr os B ar re to , to whom succeeded

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N O T E S . 3 3 3

tonio Rolim de Moura Tavares, first Count de Azambuja,

who, as Ca ptain G en eral , received th e gove rnm ent of the

Capitania in 17 66 . Ba hia could this en um era te only eig ht

Governors holding the patent of Viceroy.

The f irst Viceroy in Rio de Janeiro was D. Antonio

Alvarez de Cunha, Count of the same title, who took pos

session of his office on the 16 th O ctober , 1 7 6 3 . T o th e

Count de C unh a succeeded the Coun t de Azam buja, the

ex-Governor of Bahia, who took office on the 21st Novem

ber, 176 7. T he subseq uent Viceroys were D . Lu iz de

Almeida Portugal Soares Dega Alarcao Silva Mascarenhas,

second Marquis de Lavradio, and fourth Count de Avintes,

installed on the 4th N ov em ber , 17 69 ; Lu is de Vasco n-

cellos e Souza, who took office on the 5th April, 1779;

D . Jo ze Lu iz de Ca stro, the second Co unt de R eze nd e,

insta lled on the 9th J ul y, 1 7 9 0 ; D. Fernan do Joz e de

Po rtu ga l, installed on the 14th O ctob er, 1 8 0 1 , and , finally,

D .

Marcos de Noronha, eighth Count dos Arcos, who

entered upon his functions on the 21st August, 1806, and

remained in office until the arrival of D on Jo ao V I . from

Portugal in 1808.

In one of the latest books published on the affairs of

Braz il , viz ., " H isto ire du B resil depuis sa dec ou verte

jusqu 't i nos jo ur s ," the autho r , Mr. D . B . W ard en , has , by

some inexplicable mistake, given the names of several of

the later C ap tains G en era l of Ba hia as the V iceroys of

Rio de Janeiro.

P a g e 5.—

In Brazil, also, their pow er was once consider

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3 3 4 N O T E S .

de Janeiro, was deposed by the municipal chamber of

the city, and the G ove rnm ent in Lisbon subsequently

testified their approbation of th e ste p. O n ano ther occa

sion an entire chamber was arrested for having unduly

assumed the same authority. T h e patro nag e of the re

spe ctiv e pa rties w as of m ore w eight in Lisbon than the

evidence on either side.

Pa ge 6 .— The orders of knighthood, &c.

" T h e principal ord er of kn igh tho od ," observes an

En glish au tho r, when tre ati ng on the affairs of Po rtug al

abo ut the close of the last century , " is the O rd er of Ch rist,

ins titute d by K in g D en nis soon after the abolition of the

K ni gh ts Te m pla rs, and confirmed in the year 1319 by

Po pe John X X I I . Th e insignia of this is a red cross

w ithin a w hite on e. T h e seat of this o rder is at the city

of T ho m ar. I t has four hun dre d and fifty-four com-

m and eries. Co ncerning the order of San to Iag o writers

differ, but it is said to have been raised about the year

10 30 , from the fraternity of some other o rd er s; and to have

received the confirmation of Po pe Alexander I I I . The

badge of this order is a red sword, in the shape of a cross,

resem bling the han dles of ancient swo rds. To this order

belo ng forty-seven sm all tow ns, and places, and one hun

dred and fifty commanderies, besides the splendid convent

of San tos o N ov o, to the west of Lisbon . T h e third order

in Po rtu ga l, tha t of A viz, is said to have been ins tituted so

early as the year 1.147, by K in g Affonso H en riqu es. Th e

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N O T E S .

3 3 5

to the knig hts. T he K ing s of Po rtug al are their perpetual

M asters. T h e K nig hts of M alta have l ikewise twe nty-

three commanderies here."

In addition to the above orders, it may be remarked

that there was one denominated of the " Torre e Espada,"

(Tower and Sword,) instituted by Don Affonso V., but it

soon fell into entire disuse, and was only re-established

during the reig n of D on Jo ao V I . Th is lat ter mo narch

also, on the acclam ation, created ano ther orde r, the

" Ordem de C ong eigao ," bu t this was conceded to very

few individuals.

Page 7.—

The revenue of the Archbishop of Bahia, fyc.

Th e Episcopalian Establishm ent in Brazil was, and is still,

as follows: —

Comprehending within its limits

Archbishopric of Bahia Sergipe .

T

, .

~

T,.

,

T

• ) Santa Catharina, Esp iritoSanto,

Bishopric of R.o de Jane.ro J

a n d R i o

^ ^ /

Q g u

,

San Pau lo San Paulo only.

Marianna MinasGeraes.

Cuiaba M atto Grosso.

„ , ) Parahvb a,Rio Grande do Norte,

Pernambuco .. > .,

J

.-,

\

Alagoas, Ceara.

Maranham Piauhy.

Para Pa ra only.

T he au th or has not been able to ascertain th e ex act

reven ues of all th e Bis ho ps, as they consisted in p art of

http://jane.ro/

http://jane.ro/

http://jane.ro/

http://jane.ro/

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3 3 6 N O T ES .

very small, varying from four to eight thousand cruzades per

ann um , (at par from 45 0/ . to 90 0/ . sterlin g.) T h at allowed to

the vicarvaried from fourh un dred toeig ht hundred cruzades

pe r an nu m , (at pa r from 45 / . to 90/ . ste rlin g) , and the fees

from th eir office seldom m ore than d oubled this am ou nt,e xc ep t

in the three principal cities, Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, and Per

nambuco. All property beq ueathe d to the Ch urch was, and

is still placed at the discretion of the " Confraria," or lay-

brotherhood, attached to the respective establishment, and

devoted principally to the expense of religious ceremonies,

to alms, to the relief of th e breth ren sick or in distres s,

and oth er similar purp oses. T h e V icar has a voice in the

administration of the fund, but derives little direct benefit

from it. M any of these " C on frarias" thu s possess landed

property and dwelling-houses, and with the revenues each

supports a hospital for the brothers, in whose numbers

are comprised nearly all the middle class of citizens.

In Brazil there were never any tribunals for the adjudi

cation of ecclesiastical offences. W h il e in all the Sp anish

Colonies the Inquisition was established, delegates and

familiars only, of the Holy Office, were appointed in Bra

zil.

T his circum stance te nd ed to modify, in a very re

m ark ab le m ann er, the agen cy and influence of th at fear

ful tribun al. T he dele gate s havin g no positive jurisdic

tion, were obliged as a primary step, to embark all delin

quents for Lisbon : and although this measure was adopt

ed in a few instances, the individuals accused, in general,

found m ean s for its frustration thr ou gh th e pa tron ag e and

protection of th e civil au tho ritie s. Fo rtu na tely for the

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N O T E S . 3 3 7

delegate of the Ho ly Office in R io de Ja ne iro in vain at

tempting to obtain the sanction of the Viceroy for its

suppression. D .F e rn a n d o contented himself by invit ing

the worthy father to his box in the theatre on the evening

of the representation, and the latter finding his complaints

altogether unheeded, pru den tly dropped the contest . Th e

familiars were nu m erou s, but of little w eight. A ny per

son might obtain the qualification, provided th at he could

in the first instance obtain an authenticated certificate that

in his origin he was free from all tain t of eithe r M oorish ,

Indian, or other Infidel blood. On this account, it became

common for ind ividu als of su sp ec ted origin to obtain the

office, not so m uch from any amb ition for its ex erci se , as

from the anx iety of thu s pro vin g them selve s of th e p u re

Circassian (or rather Christian) strain.

Page 8.—All manufactures, except the preparation of

sugar, Sfc.

Even in the present century a number of spinning ma

chines, of the very rudest construction, were publicly

broken in Rio de Janeiro, in consequence of an order

from the m etropolitan Go ve rnm en t. O n another occasion,

the Count de Cunha shut up the shops of the goldsmiths.

In the words of the Ca non P iz ar ro , the most faithful if

not the most enlightened historian who has as yet appeared

in B ra zi l : " H e carr ied into execution the ' Ca rta R eg ia '

of the 28 th N ov em ber, 16 98 , which prohibited the exist

ence of m ore th an two or th ree go ldsmiths in the pro

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3 3 8 N O T E S .

the 20th May , 173 0, ordering that the regulations deter

mined on the 13th Ju ly , 16 89 , should be adh ered to ; and

finally, a ' C art a R eg ia' of the 30 th Ju ly , 17 66 , ordering

the office of goldsmith to be suspended in the Captainships

of M inas, R io de Jan eiro , Ba hia , and Pe rn am bu co ; and

he pro hib ited the pu blic lab our of the se said goldsm iths,

and caused th eir tools and the ins trum en ts in their work

shops to be carr ied off to th e mi nt. T his prohibition,

how ever, end ured bu t few y e ar s; the following Viceroys

w ink ing at its infraction , from a re g ar d to the necessity

which there existed for these artisans in the capital of the

State, where it was daily necessary to work at least in the

repa ir of plate and jew ellery, rend ered unavailable

through accidents ."— See " Memorias Histor icas do R io de

Janeiro," vol . v . page 180.

P ag e 9. — It is evident there could be very little

similarity, &c.

" T he re is certa inly ," (observes S t. H ilaire ), " nothing

homogeneous among the inhabitants of Brazil . Nev er

the less , it m ay in ge ne ral be said th at their man ners

are ge ntle , tha t th ey are good, gene rou s, and hospitable,

even m agnificently so ; and th at in par tic ul ar in some pro

vinces they are notable for their intelligence and vivacity.

B u t the colonial system had ke pt them in the most pro

found ignorance, the admission of slavery rendered the

ex am ple of th e m ost abject vices fa m ilia r; and from the

time of the arrival of the Co urt of Po rtu g al in R io de

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N O T E S . 3 3 9

the superficies of B ra zil , bu t society had as ye t no ex ist

ence. Sca rcely could any elem en ts of sociability be dis

covered."

I t may be w orthy of rem ark , th at the in hab itants of

Bahia w ere gene rally rep ute d the m ost intelligent of

Brazil , those of Pernambuco the most ardent and indepen

dent in character, those of Minas the most pacific and in

dustriou s, and those of S an Pa ulo the mo st inflexible and

persev ering,— charac teristics, probably arising from the

respective pec uliarities of the ir physical con dition. B ah ia

had been the ancient metropolis; in Pernambuco the

Dutch had left behind them traces of their republican

institutions; in Minas the perpetual search for gold was of

itself a circu m stan ce calc ulate d to give rise to t h e hab its

pointed out; and in San Paulo the wild and roving habits

of the early E uro pe an population we re well calcu lated to

engraft upon them th e disposition no ted abo ve. A s a fear

ful exemp lification of th e hab its of their fore fathers , the

traditional story of " Sete Orelhas," or seven ears, is often

cited by the Pau listas them selves. A you ng man, a nativ e

of San Pau lo, had succeeded in sedu cing a youn g lady in

the same province, which circumstance coming to the

ears of her relations, seven of her cousins, who considered

the h onour of the family as imp licated , took an oath of

revenge, entrapp ed the sed ucer into their pow er, and

flayed him alive. A pp reh en din g, how ever, some act of

retributive ju st ice on the part of a broth er of their victim,

to whom he was m uch att ac he d, mo st of them soon after

retired into dis tan t province s. T he precaution was, how

ever, take n in vain. T h e broth er pu rsued and assassinated

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340 NOTES.

and hence th e appellation of " Se te O re lh as ," by which he

is still spoken of.

Page 9 .— Pro vid ed for by the labour of slaves, inc.

In music, an art which not even the Court of Portugal

could rega rd as da ng ero us , B raz il had even surpassed

the mother country, a circumstance, perhaps, owing to

the more indolent and quiescent habits of the population,

and to the comparative isolation of the dwellers in the

interior . R eg ard in g the popular Brazilian Modinhas,

M r. Be ckfo rd, in his " Tra ve ls in Italy , Spain, and Por

tugal," speaks in the following enthusiastic strain of eulo-

gium :—

" T ho se who have n eve r heard this original sort of

music, must and will remain ignorant of some of the most

be w itchin g melodies th at ever existed since the days of

the Sy bar ites. T he y consist of langu id, interrup ted mea

sures, as if the b rea th we re gon e with excess of raptu re,

and the soul panting to meet the kindred soul of some

beloved object; with a childish carelessness, they steal

into the he art before it has time to wa rn itself against

their enervating influence ; you fancy you are swallowing

milk, and are ad m itting the poison of voluptuousn ess into

the closest recesses of your existence;—at least such

bein gs as feel the pow er of h armo nious sou nds a re doing

so ; I w on't answ er for hard -eared phleg m atic northern

animals."

It. is possible that the merits of the performers (two

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NOTES. 341

place in Brazil, and that cumbrous-looking instrument,

the piano-forte, has qu ite supersed ed the gu itar. T h e

science of music has thus advanced, and the ear may

receive add itional gratification from the ch a n g e; yet all

that could en rap tu re alike the eye and the m ind , the

expression of th e fea tu res , th e easy, graceful, half-reclin

ing att itu de , and the coun tless associations of poetry and

romance connected with the latter instrument, have, at

the same time, disappeared, to the infinite regret, amongst

others, of the author, who, on this point at least, acknow

ledges himself a partizan for " things as they were."

Page 9 .—

Ed uca tion had as yet,

&c.

As am ongst all peo ple in th e infancy of civilization ,

there w ere, in conjunction with an imp licit belief in

signs and omens, many pop ular sup erstitions. F o r every

malady the re was some pa rticu lar saint, whose inte r

cession was supposed to be more available than that of

any othe r. I n all diseases of th e th ro at, for ins tan ce,

St. B raz was the saint appealed t o ; in case of wo unds

and scars, St . R o q u e ; for protection against l igh tning,

Sta. Ba rbara and St. Je ro ny m o ; against the plague, St .

Se ba stia o; again st vermin in the habit of atta ck ing the

cattle, St. Mark ; in case of suffering caused by fire, St.

Louren§o, (who, by-the-bye, was roasted on a gridiron); in

behalf of bachelors, S t. Jo ao E v an g el is ta ; and in the

affairs of H y m en , S t. Gonc,alo. F o r the recove ry of all

lost and stolen property, St. Antonio was usually invoked,

for

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3 4 2 N O T E S .

s l ave w as to a pp ea r a t a l l , he w a s ex pe c te d to show h im

se l f e r e the ex p i ra t ion of the a l lo t t ed pe r io d , S t . A n to n io

a lso he ld , and up to th e p re se n t day s t i ll ho lds , in R io de

Jane i ro , t he pos t o f co lone l in the a rmy ,* and r ece ives h i s

pay a s su ch th ro ug h th e ha nd s o f h i s t e r r e s t r i a l de leg a te s

t h e F r a n c i s c a n m o n k s , w h o p r o fe s s to a p p ly t h e s u m e x

c lus ive ly to th e i l lum ina t ion of th e a l t a r o f the i r ch urc h , on

occas ion of the i r re l ig ious fes t iva ls .

S i n c e , h o w e v e r , t h e o p e n i n g o f t h e p o r t s , a n d t h e c o n

se qu en t ing ress o f he re t ic s f rom a ll q u a r t e rs , th e efficacy

o f sp i r i tua l in t e rce s s ion appea r s to have g rea t ly aba ted ,

an d , to th e in f in it e r e g r e t o f th e p ious , aneu r i sm s o f the

h e a r t a n d o t h e r d i s e a s e s , t h e e x i s t e n c e a n d n a t u r e o f

w h i c h w e r e u n k n o w n t o t h e o ld P o r t u g u e s e p r a c t it i o n e r s ,

ha ve no t a s ye t been en t r u s t ed to the ch a r ge o f any

t u t e l a r s a i n t w h a t e v e r .

P a g e 1 0 . — D u r i n g the Viceroyalty of the Count deRezende.

O n e of th e me m be rs was in the hab i t o f rece iv ing

t h e " C o u r r i e r d ' E u r o p e , " a F r e n c h n e w s p a p e r , p r i n te d

in Lo nd on . A s the co nd uc to r s o f th i s pe r iod ica l w e re

p r i n c i p a l ly F r e n c h e m i g r a n t s , i t s p a g e s w e r e n a t u r a l l y

o f a con se rv a t ive , r a t h e r than of a d i so rgan iz ing t en

den cy ; ye t , t he ind iv idu a l in qu es t io n w as sum m oned

be fore th e t r ibun a l s , ch a r ge d in th e ind ic tm en t w i th r e

ce iv ing r evo lu t ion a ry pa pe r s w i th a r ed seal ( th e s t am p)

upon the m . T h e r ed sea l w as a lon e r e ga rd ed by the

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NOTES. 343

auth orities as un question able evidence of the dem ocratic

tendency of the p ap er, and its fut ur e receptio u was in

consequence rigidly prohibited.

Page 10 .— During the year 1789, a conspiracy, fyc.

In the number of the conspirators was Gonzaga, one of

the most elega nt Lus itanian poets of th e last ce ntu ry.

He was a Portuguese by birth, but had been appointed

to the office of J u iz de F o ra , in V illa R ic a, w he re

he became deeply enam oure d of a yo un g lad y, to whom»

under the name of Marilia, nearly all his poems are ad

dressed. H is sentence was banishment to M ozam bique,

on the coast of Africa, whither he was sent, and where he

died in wretc hed nes s. M any of his lyrical poem s may be

found in the " Pa rnass o Lu sit an o ." H is style is often

incorrect, but his language is harmonious, and his ideas

are characterized by a depth of feeling and a tenderness

unrivalled by any of the poetical writers of the present

day . M arilia, the on ce-ch erished object of his affections

is still living, at an advanced age, in the province of

Minas Geraes .

Regarding the grounds of his condemnation, the elo

qu ent w ords of Mr. So uthey may be qu ote d. " Th om az

An tonio G on za ga ," observes this auth or, " was one of

those who were condem ned to ban ishm ent for life. T h er e

was a do ubt con cerning the part w hich he had take n :

both Tira de ntes and P Carlos Co rreia denied tha t he had

appea red a t any of their m eeting s, or take n any pa rt in

their designs; they had used his name, they said, without

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344 NOTES.

pose of screening Gonzaga, because there was a personal

enm ity betw een the m . T h e re was no direc t proof to

countervail this positive testimony in his behalf; but there

was stro ng grou nd for su spicion : he had u rge d the

Intendant. to levy the tax, not for the deficiency of one

year's fifths alone (which appears to have been what the

G ov ernm ent inte nd ed ) , but for the whole arrears. H is

defence was, tha t he believed t ha t the " J u n ta de F a-

zenda," when they tried this, would be convinced of its

u tte r imp racticability, and tha t, by rep ortin g accordingly to

the Q ue en , they would obtain a remission. B u t this

policy app eared too fine to be ho ne st; the ju dg es believed

that he acted in collusion with the conspirators for the

purpose of exc it ing discontent and tu m u lt ; and upon that

opinion they condemned him ."— Se e Sou they's History of

Brazil, vol. iii . chap. 43.

Page 11 .—

By the same sentence it was, among other igno

minious provisions, enacted, fyc.

As a further instance of the barbarity of the judicial

institutions at this period, it may also be mentioned

that Joze de Rezende Costa, one of the officers at present

in th e T re as ur y (in 18 35 ), was senten ced to de ath for not

having come forward to give evidence against his own

fathe r. T h e father was certain ly in the list of conspirators,

yet, the only charge of w hich he could be proved gu ilty ,

an d, inde ed, the only one noted in th e act of accusation,

was, tha t he had said th at he would not send his son to

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N O T E S .

3 4 5

dea th, a sen tenc e which was, how ever, afterw ards m erci

fully commuted into banishment to the coast of Africa.

For further particulars relative to the manner in which

justice was habitually administered, the reader is referred

to the Appendix (Document No. 1.)

Page 12.—

Yet the tyranny exercised over them was of a

nega tive, rather than of a positive charac ter, inc.

Sufficient confirmation of this m ay be found in the in

structions of the Marquis de Lavradio to his succes

sor (D oc um en t N o . 1) . Arb itrary acts were of every-day

occurrence, yet, the direct exercise of cruelty was ex

tremely ra re . T h e memory of several of the Viceroy s and

Captains Gen eral is still respe cted even by the advoc ates

for the repre sen tative system of go vern m ent. Lu iz de

Vasconcellos e Sou za was univ ersally esteem ed for his

urbanity, his probity, and his unceasing anxiety for the

public welfare. Don Fern an do Jo ze de Po rtug al was also

a prom oter of th e arts and a patron of ta le n t; and at a

subsequent period, when M inister of Sta te , und er D on

Joao V I. , he published a translation of Po pe 's " Essay on

Man," and of the " Essay on Criticism" of the same author

in Portuguese prose, with many notes, evincing extensive

erudition. Targini, Barao deSao Lourengo, the chief officer

of the royal treasury, afterwards took advantage of the

literary predilections of Don Fernando in a manner evincing

conside rable adro itnes s. H e acqu ired a sufficient kn ow

ledge of the English language for the purposes of transla

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3 4 0 N O T E S.

ject, but resplendent with quotations from both the Greek

and German languages, neither of which Targini himself

un de rsto od . T his artful flattery had its effect, and from

this period until the departure of the royal family, or

rath er du ring all the t ime which Do n Jo ao V I . resided in

B raz il, the influence of T arg in i o pera ted unrestrainedly

thro ug ho ut all the financial m easures ado pted. Th ou gh ,

how ever, en dow ed with both tact and vivacity, he proved a

mo st m iserable financier, as m ay be ga th ere d from many

passages in the preceding history.

P a g e 1 3 . —

During the voyage the vessels were dispersed.

One of the vessels of the squadron having on board

some ladies of the court, arrived in Rio de Janeiro

on the 17th January, yet , such was the r igorous etiquette

in observ ance, th at from mo tives of respect to th e P rin ce ,

the poor creatures remained pent up in the vessel for more

than a m onth , not daring, u nd er any pret ex t, to disem

bark before his Royal Highness.

P a g e 1 4 . —

A printing press, denominated a Royal one, was

established.

So m e y ears after the estab lishm ent of th e royal press

in Rio de Janeiro, another was established in Bahia

under the protection of the go vern m ent. Th ese were

the only two in existence when the Po rtug ue se Con

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NOTES. 347

the m on arc h, the re was a list of th e works, the entry of

which m igh t be safely allowed . All not comp rised in this

were rigidly prohibited.

Page 15 .— The Regent Don John.

The Por tuguese wr i te Dom Jo ao , and prefix to the nam es

of females Dona. T h e au tho r has, how ever, followed the

English orthography, and writ ten Don and Donna.

Page 32 .—

Three individuals were killed on the spot, and

upwards of twenty wounded.

The number of victims on this occasion has been much

exa gge rated. M rs. G raha m also, in her " Jo urn al of a

Voyage to Brazil ," asserts that the electors were as

sembled for the purpose of nominating their representa

tives to the Co rtes ; but th e fact is, tha t the individuals

assembled were only the parochial electors who were not

invested with any powers whatever for this object.

D r. W al sh , in his " N otice s of B razil," has also fallen

into the same error. In fact, the en tire work of this latter

writer is so extremely incorrect, that but little dependence

can be placed upon either the historical or the topographi

cal details with which h e has favoured his rea de rs. T h e

revolt of the auxiliary division on the 26th February, 1821,

is, by the D octo r, fixed on the 25 th of tha t m onth ; the

relation given (Vol. i. p. 191.) of the exhibition of the

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N O T E S . 3 1 9

stables of the royal establishment to one hundred and

fifty-six. A ll my linen is washed by my own slav es ;

my e xp ens es are less than formerly, and if I can eco no

mize still fur ther, I inte nd to do so for the good of the

nat ion ."— Le tter of Don Pe dro to the K ing of Po r tug al ,

da ted 17th July, 1821.

Page 42 .— T he colonial system w hich the merchants in

Bahia, inc.

The commercial policy of the Cortes of Lisbon, and the

m eddling spirit by which they w ere actu ate d, as well in

the dom estic con cerns of Po rtu ga l as in those of Bra zil,

are so fully exemplified in the following decree, which the

author has s elected from a nu m ber of similar do cum en ts,

that any comment upon it, or attempt at subsequent

exposition would be idle.

T R A N S L A T E D C O P Y .

" The Regency of the Kingdom, in the name of the

King Don Joao V I . , m ake known tha t the Genera l Ex

traordinary and C on sti tuen t C ortes of the Po rtu gu es e

Nation, have decreed the following :—

" Th e G enera l Ex traordin ary and Con st i tuent C or tes

of the Portuguese nation, taking into consideration the

heavy loss which the free entry of foreign swine has caused

in this k ingd om , not only to the bree de rs of national

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3 5 0 N O T E S .

" 1s t. Fr om the publication of this de cree henceforw ard,

the en try of foreign swine into this kingdom of Po rtu ga l

and Algarve is prohibited, under pain of seizure.

" 2d . A ny autho rity, or any priv ate individu al, may

apprehend them, and one-half of the product will be given

to the ap pre he nd er, and th e othe r half to the poor of the

place where the seizure is effected.

" 3 d. A fter seiz ure , they will be sold by auction before

the Municipal Chamber of the Magistrate of the place,

wh o, w ithin t he space of tw en ty-fo ur ho urs, will de cide ,

verbally and in a summary manner, any doubts which may

arise ; and the m un icipalities will afterwa rds pass sentenc e

according to the terms of the preceding article.

" Let the Regency of the Kingdom thus understand i t ,

and cause i t to be executed.—Palace of Cortes, 24th

May, 1821.

" H erm an o Jo ze Braam champ de Sobral, President .

" Jo ao Ba bt is ta Fe lgu era s , D eputy Secre tary.

" Agost ino de Meudonga Falcao, Deputy Secre tary."

Page 55 .— It is also gratifying to

record

inc.

The secular clergy are also (as the author can abun

dantly testify), in general, kind-hearted, hospitable, and

alto ge the r free from tha t persecuting spirit , which is

in E ng lan d too often reg ard ed as the invariable cha

racteristic of the catholic pries tho od . A s to the re

gular clergy residing in the monasteries, they are too

thinly scattere d to h ave much w eigh t in the social scale ;

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N O T E S . 3 5 1

The contrast between the condition of the Brazilian

clergy and that of the same body in the Spanish Viceroy-

alties,

was striking and worthy of intere st. T h e A rchbish op

of M exico enjoyed an income of upw ards of one h un dr ed

and tw enty thou sand silver do llars, or fully ten times the

amount of the revenue allotted to the Archbishop of Bahia,

and the other ecclesiastical dignitaries in the respective

colonies were paid in like pro po rtion. T his disp arity ten de d

to render the temporal interests of the two bodies essentially

different, an d, as m ight natu rally be exp ecte d, led to a

different modification of clerical influence during the revo

lutions which have subseq uently taken place. W h il e the

Brazilian clergy w ere ever the foremost in prom oting liberal

princip les, t he S pan ish clerical b ody, influenced by the ir

spiritual heads, were the firmest supporters of the old

ins titutio ns ; nor w as it until the C orte s of the m othe r

country undertook to reform the ecclesiastical establish

ment of the peninsula, that they declared against their

former ru ler s, and espoused the cause of the revo lution ;

doubtless from an apprehension lest the new regulations in

Spain would soon be enforced in Mexico.

I t is also w orthy of no te, th at while in Braz il the ex er

cise of all religions is permitted, the intolerance prevailing

in M exico is sti ll extre m e. " W h ile ," observes an intel

l igent American writer on the present state of Mexico,—

" while the revolution has regenerated Mexico, and swept

off colonial despotism, with all its train of corruptions and

abuses, it has yet done little to relieve the nation from the

thrald om of an established hier arch y, and the wo rst of all

despotisms, that, of superstition."

" In the third arti cle of the M exic an con stitutio n, it is

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352 NOTES.

ju s t and wise laws, and proh ibits the e xe rcise of an y

oth er. ' Th is prov ision," con tinues the w riter, " bu t little

accords with th e free, ju s t, and liberal principles of the

con stitution of which it forms a p ar t, and casts the only

dark shade on the luminous political horizon of the nation,

and its fair pro spec ts of a splen did caree r of m oral, poli

tical, and social advancement."

P a g e 73 .— Where he was seized and retained a prisoner by

the Dictator, Dr. Francia.

"

After Artigas had been confined a few days in the

Convent of Mercy, he was sent, without being able to

obtain an au die nc e from the D icta tor , to the village of

Ca rugu aty, e ighty-five leagues N . E . of Assumption.

From that place it was impossible for him to escape but

by a desert on the Portuguese side, of which there was

bu t little probab ility after th e excesses which he had com

m itted against tha t nation. T h e D icta tor assigned him a

house and lands, with thirty-two piasters a month, his

former pay as lieute nan t of Ch asse urs, and ordered the

Governor of the Circuit to furnish him besides with what

ever accomm odations he req uired , and to tre at him with

resp ect. H e r e , at the age of sixty, he cultivated his farm

with his own hands, and, as if to make amends for his past

life, became the father of the poor of Curuguaty: he

distributed the greater part of the produce amongst them,

and afforded all the assis tance in his pow er to such of

them as laboured u nd er sickness. In this m anner termi

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N O T E S . 3 5 3

Page 78 .—

The successful policy pursued informer days

by the Marquis de Pombal.

T h e M arquis de Po m bal was Chief Minister of Po rtug al

during the greater part of the reign of Don Joze 1st, and

was certainly an able, th oug h somew hat despotic states

m an. In his adm inistration of ju st ic e he was rigid : h e

restrain ed and pun ished the defrauders of the stat e, and,

relying on his own energy and his great personal influence

over the M onarch , he frequ ently set alike th e clergy and

the nobility at defiance. H is chief aim w as to resto re

Po rtug al to all her pris tine greatn ess, and in the pu rsu

ance of this object, he m ade every sacrifice. In his com

mercial policy, however, (and it was to this principally

which the C orte s of Lisbon allude d in their eulog ies) he

was not at all in advance of his neighbours, as may be

gathered from the following trait.

By a treaty of commerce with Portugal, dated in 1703,

the English and Dutch obtained an exemption in their

favour, of a law pro hib iting th e im porta tion of w oollens.

In return, they agreed to take the wines of Portugal, and

in consequence of the dem and thus crea ted, many ex ten

sive corn districts w ere conv erted into viney ards. O n the

accession of Pombal (then Count de Oeiras) to the mi

nistry, he immediately ordered a third part of the vines in

the kingdom to be rooted up, in order to prevent any

future scarcity of corn,—" a measure," continues the Por

tugu ese chro nicler,* " which was certainly one of the

gre ate st benefits th at this m iniste r eve r conferred on his

country, and which renders more pardonable the despotism

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354 NOTES.

It was under the administration of Pombal, that the

expulsion of th e Je su its from B razil w as effected,— a

measure fatal to the civilization of the Indians, as may be

amply educed from So uthe y's H isto ry. B u t Pombal was

not a man for half-mea sures. H a v in g once adopted a

resolution, he was seldom known to swerve from it, what

ev er m igh t be th e d an ge rs or difficulties of carryin g it

into execution.

P a g e 7 4 . — T h e Buenos Ayreans who had hitherto ab

stained from all interference, now most vehemently

declared against this secession, inc.

Th is intimation on the pa rt of the Bueno s Ayrean

G ov ern m en t was officially notified in th e " A rg o s, " a

periodical of that city, and gave cause to an angry re

joind er, penned by a Po rtug ue se, residen t in the lately

incorpo rated stat e. F in di ng , how ever, no one on the spot

who would print his effusion, the writer was compelled to

transmit it to Rio de Janeiro, where it was published,

along with a po stscript, complaining bitterly that the

liberty of the press,—that fundamental institution in all

free countr ies,—had no existence in Monte Video.

P a g e 8 7 . — It was on the 1th September, 1822.

I t was th e in tention of the inhab itants of San Pau lo to

have erected a m onum ent com mem orating the event on

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N O T E S . 3 5 5

Page 90 .—

That queen of the

world

as Don Pedro himself

styled her.

In his let ter of the 22d January, 1822.

P a g e

9 8 . —

A

pamphlet was then published, denominated

an Analysis, inc.

B ara to , formerly a dep uty to the C ortes of Lisbon. O f

the spirit of this singular treatise, sufficiently rational in

the ab stract, yet sing ularly inapplicable in the existin g

sta te of intellig enc e a nd civilization in Bra zil, a very fair

idea may be formed from the following extract, worthy,

perh aps , of insertion, as in some m easure illustrating th e

democratic spirit which soon after burst out in actual

insurrection in the provinces of the North.

" ' W i t h my Im pe ria l munificence ' H ow is it possible

that free and honourable citizens can restrain their indig

nation, on learning t ha t our Em pero r after having sum

moned a legislative body , has ye t continued to m ake use

of the terms My Imperial munificence.' The means of

remunerating services rendered to me ' I t is necessary th at

Brazil look to these pretensions and put them all to flight.

Whoever renders services, renders them to the nation and

never to the Emperor, who is but a part of the nation: al l

decre es for the recom pense of such services ou gh t th er e

fore to em ana te from the depu ties of the nation. W h e n

formerly the chief of a people, through the ignorance and

blindn ess of his subjects and his own us urp atio n of th e

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3 5 6 N O T E S .

these subjects, as if they had been as many beasts of bur

den , he m ight natu rally m ake use of the terms my im

perial mu nificence,' bu t, at pre sen t this is not the cas e;

our Emperor is a constitutional Emperor, and not our pro

prietor. H e is a citizen, E m pe ror thro ug h our favour, and

chief of the ex ec ut iv e pow er, but not, therefore, autho

rized to arrogate to himself and usurp such powers as

belong to the nation."

" This absolute language clearly indicates the existence

of occult intrigues with the end of overruling Congress;

and it is on this account, that the public murmurs and

apprehends evil from the elections of certain Deputies,

who appear to have been designated as fit members for the

en su ing leg islat ure , solely for the pu rpose of intro du cing

into the new Em pire the principles of an aristocratical

despotism . W e are friendly to the E m pe ror as our P e r

petu al D efend er, and on this accoun t desire tha t his minis

ters may uot illude and ove rthrow him by m eans of th eir

servile adu lation . L et us hope tha t the exam ple of

Jam es the Second of En gla nd , of Buonap arte Em pero r of

the French, and of many other such, may open the eyes of

P ed ro the F ir st , and tha t he will check these fantasies of

his ministers. H e o ug ht to look to every thing , and to

ponder upon every thing; for the inhabitants of Brazil

wish to be well go ve rne d, but not to subm it to arbitrary

dominat ion."

Page 111.—

Und er the plea of ill health, the Queen de

manded a respite of a few months, inc.

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NOTES.

3 5 7

which have ev er com e before the pu bl ic , an d ev in ces in a

r e m a r k a b l e m a n n e r h ow m a t e r i a l l y t h e i d e a s of s o v e r e i g n s

and sub jec t s a t t im es d if fe r on q ues t io ns o f G o ve rn m en t .

Let, how eve r , t he r ea de r fo rm h is ow n ju d g m e n t on the

m a t t e r .

T R A N S L A T E D C O P Y

" S l R E ,

" I las t n ig h t rec e iv ed , by th e ha nd of one of you r

m in i s t e r s , t he o r de r to d ep a r t from your t e r r i to r i e s . I t s

p u r p o r t w a s t o b a n i s h m e ; y o u h a v e r e q u e s t e d m e t o

desce nd f rom the th ro ne to w h ich you once e l ev a ted m e

I pa rd on yo u , I com pass io na te you from my inm os t h ea r t .

A l l m y co nt em pt , a ll m y ha t r ed sha l l be res e rv ed for tho se

w ho su r ro un d you , and w h o hav e be t r ay ed you . I sha l l be

m ore f r ee in my ban i s hm en t than you in you r pa la ce . M y

l ibe r ty , a t leas t , w i ll a t te n d m e. M y sou l h a t h ne ve r been

ens laved , i t ha th neve r humi l i a t ed i t s e l f i n the p re sence o f

those reb e l vassa ls who ha ve da red to im pose laws on yo u ,

and w ho ha ve en de av ou red to com pe l m e to t ak e an oa th

tha t my con sc ienc e r e j ec ted . I ha ve no t ca re d fo r the i r

th re a t s , I have obey ed t he vo ice o f H ea v en , w h ich has

ann oun ced to m e tha t i f t he epoch o f g re a tn es s had pas sed ,

th a t o f g lo ry was now to be g in . T h e wor ld sha l l ye t

e x c l a i m , ' T h e Q u e e n h a s p r e s e r v e d u n s p o t t e d t h e m a j e s ty

of th e d i ad em , she has no t suffered th a t i t s sp len do ur

s h o u l d b e d i m m e d . W h i l e t h o s e p o t e n t a t e s w h o h e ld

a l ike the sce p t r e and the sw ord , have c rou che d dow n

befo re the s to rm , she a lone ha th r em a in ed f irm and un -

q u a i l i n g . '

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3 5 8 N O T E S .

impossible. They have not as yet required that you should

pass the sentence of my de at h. I will go soon, yet wh i

ther shall I find a place of rest ? w hith er, al as shall I

direct my steps ? M y co un try, our cou ntry is a prey to

the spirit of revolutions: my brother, like you, is a crowned

ca pt iv e I n vain will be th e tears of his you ng and beau

tiful bride to share her grief with mine in some kind

solitude Y e shall not the n deny me leave to take my

dau gh ters with m e. A m on g the laws that ye have im

posed, there is none that separates a parent from her

children ; and though the r ights of a Q ueen may be des

pised, surely some regard will be paid to those of a mother.

W it h the arrival of sprin g I will qu it these states, this

land w herein I have reign ed, an d in w hich I have done

some goo d. I will ta k e pa rt in th e perils of my bro the r,

and tell him th at they can nev er vanq uish me I am a

ban ished wo m an, bu t my conscience is un stain ed , for I

have ever rem em bered the blood th at run s in my v eins.

Farewell , S ire I leave you old, sick and on a vacillating

throne, and extreme indeed is the grief which I experience

in being thus compelled to forsake you . Y ou r son (D on

M igu el) is abs ent from you . T h e ill-intention ed beings by

whom you are surrounded, have kept him apart from you,

even with mo re care than from his m oth er. M ay H e who

reigneth over kings watch over you, and confound the

machinations of your enemies

Wherever the wife whom

you thus banish from you may go, she will always pray for

yo u. S he will ev er s up plica te from Go d a long life for

yo u, and peace and pro spe rity for th e land w hence she is

banished.

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N O T E S .

3 5 9

august H ou se of Bra gan za . D onn a M aria B enedic ta ,

the aun t of Do n Jo ao the S ix th , and the sister to the

Do wag er Q uee n, a lady who had accompanied the Roy al

Fam ily in their em igration to B raz il, was so ex trem ely

irritated on hea ring of the proclamation of th e C on stitu

t ional G ove rnm ent in Po rtu ga l, tha t she immediately sum

moned all her domestics into the drawing-room, crying out

at the same time with mock hum ility, " Be sea ted, ladies

and gentlem en, pray be seated, you are at prese nt the

governo rs of the world, if you w ant any t hin g, comm and

me ; I am he re at your ord ers." ( " Assentem-se meus Sen-

hores, assentem-se, vos sois agora que governais o mundo,

•

—

de

querem alguma cousa, mandem -me, que aqui estou as

suas ordens.")

Unlike , however , Donna Car lot ta , Donna Benedic ta was

a lady of exem plary priva te chara cter . H e r talents w ere

also of a superior order, a circumstance tending to render

the transition to entire nu llity mo re m ortifying. A s to

such of th e family as had hi the rto been n ote d only for

their incapacity, the privation was less, and it cannot

therefore be surprising th at they should have borne the

change with more equanimity.

P a g e 1 3 8 . — A special commission or council of state, con

sisting, inc.

T h e m em bers of this Co uncil w ere the following indivi

duals :—

f Joa o Sever iano Macie l da Costa M arquis de Q ueluz

* L uiz Jo ze de Ca rvalho e M ello V iscount de Cachoeira

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3 6 0 N O T E S .

M arianno Jo ze Pere ira de Fonseca M arquis de M arica

* Joa o Gom ez de Si lveira M endonga Cou nt de Fan ado

Francisco Villela Barb oza M arquis de Pa rana go a

t Barao de Santo A m aro M arq. de San to Am aro

An tonio Lu iz Pere ira da Cunha M arquis de Inham bupe

Manoel Jac in to Nog ueira da G am a M arquis de Baependy

Jo ze Jo aq uim Carneiro de Cam pos M arquis de Caravellas

T he en tire nu m ber also took their seats as S enators,

after being of course nominated in the triple list.

In the p lace of th e th re e first who died were sub stitu ted the

Count de Valenga,

Viscount de Sao Leopoldo,

Marquis de Sao Joao de Palma.

Se veral of their nu m be r w ere noted for th e excellence

of their private characters ; and one or two, as for instance,

P er ei ra de Fon seca, and Carneiro d e Cam pos, for the

ex ten t of their erudition . A s a body, how ever, they w ere

but ill qualified for the task to which they were appointed.

Fo rtun ate ly Carneiro de Campos was intrusted with the

draw ing up of the con stitution, and to this individual is

Brazil principally indebted for a number of the most

liberal provisions of the code,—provisions which he insisted

on int ro du cin g in opposition to the wishes of many of his

colleagues.

On the other hand, Clem ente Fe rre ira Fran ga was

abo ut the m ost obseq uious, abject, and time-serving of

th e en tire coun cil. H e , ho w eve r, defended himself from

the charge with w arm th. " M y colleagues (observed he)

have not hesitated to tax me with servility, but the charge

is ut ter ly un foun ded . I am not one wh it mo re servile

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NOTES. 361

time he had been created a M arqu is) proposed tha t they

should rise and advance

two steps.

T h e fairest estim ate

of the united talents of the Council may, however, be

derived from the subsequent history of the administra

tion.

Page 187.—

H e, nevertheless, proceeded directly to Ports

mouth, inc.

T h e plea alleged by Lo rd C oc hran e, in his official

despatch to the Brazil ian Government, for thus returning

to En glan d was, tha t his top-masts spru ng when in about

20° no rth la t i t u d e: and tha t he pu t into P ortsm ou th, as

th e n ea res t po rt to refit, an allegation which was at least

found ed on fact, and w hich (conside ring t ha t he was to the

leeward of Cape S. R oq ue ), and had a very strong cur

ren t runnin g against him, would, u nder any circumstances,

warrant the step.

P a g e 2 0 0 . — A lady of the name of Castro, to whom , inc.

Often sarcastically denominated the Nova Castro, a

sobriquet, tak en from th e title of one of the most popu lar

dram as of the P or tu gu es e thea tre. T he tragical story of

Inez de Castro, the beautiful but unfortunate bride of

Don Pedro the First, of Portugal, has been selected as the

theme of two different dramas,* of which the latest written

has, by way of contra-distinction, been termed the Nova,

or New Castro, and this somewhat singular appellation

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3 6 2 N O T E S .

was, from an assumed parity of c ircum stan ce, maliciously

applied to th e M archioness de Sa nt os . O n a certain occa

sion, the directors of an amateur theatre having refused to

admit her ladyship to their representations, on the ground

of her character not being sufficiently spotless, an order was

imm ediately issued, whereby th e th ea tre was closed and

the directors indicted, on the ground that as their statutes

had never been submitted to the sanction of the Govern

ment, they were liable to the penalties imposed by law on

all secret societies. T h e prosecution was afterw ards aban

doned ; bu t th e th ea tre was not perm itted to be re-opened .

" Pray," inquired an individual, unacquainted with the

facts of th e case , " w ha t was th e reason for w hich you r

thea t re was so suddenly c losed?" " W h y , " rep l ied the

director interro ga ted , " for no other earthly reason, tha t I

can discover, ex cep t th at we had refused to admit the

Nova Castro on our l ist ."

Page 220 .— H a vi ng on this day discovered the Imperial

army, inc.

I n a m anuscript account of this eng agem ent, drawn up

by the individual who officiated as aide-de-camp to Laval

leja, on this occasion, and s ub sequ ently com m unicated to

the author, the writer observes : " T h e enemy awaited us

with firmness, and reserved their fire until we were within

th e distance of twenty-five paces. La valleja 's body of

horse, however, charged them with such impetuosity, that

their ranks were broken ere they could draw their sabres,

and bu t few of the ir nu m be r w ere sufficiently for tun ate to

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NOTES. 363

prisoners at upw ards of seven hu nd red. T h e loss of the

G auch os was only two hu nd red altog ethe r, killed and

wounded.

Page 228 .—

The Diario Fluminense assailed him as an

anarchist, inc.

Ch apu is appears to hav e anticip ated this atta ck . " I t

may be asked (rem ark ed he in his preface to th e reflec

tions) who authorised me to discuss and to analyze the

acts of the government ? T h e answer is obvious. A s a

citizen of th e w orld, and not as th e inh abita nt of this or

that spot of earth, I voluntarily undertake to publish the

result of my reflections on the present relations of the Em

pire of Brazil in connexion with the Kingdom of Portugal.

T h e task I impose on myself is a pa triotic o ne, and I will

execute i t with the Consti tution of the Empire in my hand.

Th is alike ins truc ts me in my righ ts and in my duties ; I

will no t abu se th e first, ne ith er will I exc eed t he second :

thu s, I shall h ave nothin g to fear." T h e resu lt, how ever,

proved that his opinions in this last respect were erroneous.

Page 229.—

M isled by a decree of the minister of the

empire.

T h e de cree allud ed to may be quo ted as worthy of

interest.


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3 6 4 N O T E S .

where is related the proceeding adopted towards Joao

Antonio Gargia de Abranches, editor of the periodical

en title d the " C en sor ," he being violently compelled to

embark for Lisbon, and this incompetent and absolute

m eas ure bein g by no m eans justified by th e exposition in

the above m entioned desp atch, of the na tu re of the doc

trines published in that periodical, although tending to

ove rthrow the established ord er of affairs; and even less

by the extravagant motive that the said editor attacked

the co ndu ct of the M arqu is de M aranha m , as thou gh it

w ere prohibited by law to cen sure him : H is Majesty has

deemed fit to disapprove of this unjust and arbitrary act,

which discovers, on the part of the individual who put it

in force, either a perfect ign orance of the legal m easures

applicable in such ca ses, or a dete rm inatio n to overthrow

the r igh ts gu aranteed by the con sti tution; and he com

mands the Secretary of State for the affairs of the Empire

to m ake this known to the said P res id en t, and to reprov e him

severely for having, in this transaction, acted in a manner

which could only be approved of by a government where

will

has the precedence over law.

" Palace of Rio de Janeiro, 3rd September, 1835.

" (Signed) Estevao Ribeiro de Rezende."

I t had been repeatedly urged to C hapuis t ha t this re

proof of the President of Maranham had been issued solely

in consequence of the coalition existing between Ministers

and the Po rtu gu ese pa rty, and not from any real regard

for the con stitutional doc trines avow ed. T his assumption

he how ever refused to cre dit . H e even quoted the fore

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N O T E S . 3 6 5

P a g e 2 8 5 . —

T o such a pitch had this system been

carried inc.

D isco ura g in g a s th i s r ep re se n ta t ion may app ea r , i t is an

un d i s pu ted f ac t th a t , on the w ho le , t he cond i t ion of th e

s l ave p opu la t ion in th e co un t ry is mu ch l es s one ro us th an

in the c i t i e s . O n the p la n ta t ion s (un le s s an e s t a t e shou ld

hap pen to ch an ge han ds ) the y bec om e v i r tua l ly p raed ia l

s laves , and th e i r con di t ion wi ll be found to ass im i la t e ,

in m any re sp ec t s , to tha t o f the R us s ia n

Serf.

B ot h in

the c i ti e s and on the p la n ta t ion s they a re un ive r sa l ly bap

t i zed , and a m on g the old P o r t u g u es e f ami li e s they a re

i n s t r u c t e d in t h e e x t e r n a l c e r e m o n i e s a n d l e a d i n g d o g m a s

o f the Ca t ho l i c r e l ig ion .

Sho u ld the de sce nd an t s o f the ex i s t in g r ace ob ta in the i r

l iber ty in the s am e gradual m a n n e r in w h i c h t h e p e a s a n t r y

o f E u r o p e h a v e o b t a i n e d t h e gradual re l ax a t io n of the feu

d a l s y s t e m , i m p o r t a n t a d v a n t a g e s m u s t n e c e s s a r il y a c c r u e

both to B ra z i l an d to the c lass in qu es t ion . In ca se , ho w ev er ,

o f e i the r in su r rec t ion o r o f any in jud ic ious in t e r f e re nc e on

the par t o f fo re ign na t ions , the reverse would , in a l l p robabi

l i ty , en su e . E v e n i f i t we re poss ib le th a t a paci fic l ibera t io n

c o u l d i n s t a n t a n e o u s l y b e e ff ec te d t h r o u g h o u t B r a z i l , t h e

newly co ns t i tu ted f reem en wo uld be found so u t te r ly unfi t

for the ex erc ise o f c iv il p r iv i le ge s , th a t an arc hy w ould in

e v i t a b l y a n d i m m e d i a t e l y e n s u e ; a n a b s o l u t e g o v e r n m e n t

w ou ld t ake the p lace o f the p re sen t cons t i tu t iona l one , and

the en t i r e a s soc ia t ion w ou ld , in a ll p rob ab i l i ty , r e t ro

g r a d e .

I t is per fec t ly co r r ec t th a t a se rv i le wa r h as been of ten

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366 NOTES.

no corre ct cen sus,) th e free pop ulation in the prov inces is

estimated as follows:—

Rio Grande ,

San ta Ca thar ina ,

Rio de Jane i ro ,

S . Pau lo ,

Minas ,

Goyaz,

M at to Grosso , -

Espir i to Santo ,

Bahia ,

Sergipe ,

Alagoas ,

Pe rnambuco ,

P a r a h i b a ,

Rio Grande de Norte ,

Ceara ,

P iauhy ,

Maranha5 ,

Pa ra ,

*

160,000 souls

35,000

320 ,000 $

I n c

(_ tri

270 ,000

600 ,000

50,000

30,000

40 ,000

400 ,000

50,000

100,000

400 ,000

100,000

30,000

150,000

70,000

120,000

110,000

3,035,000

And the slave population was, at the same time, computed

at ab ou t two millions. In th e principal cities, R io de

Janeiro, Bahia , and Pernambuco, the s laves prepondera te

decidedly in number over the freemen; but there are some

provinces tolerably populous, where the bulk of the popu

lation consists almost exclus ively of free peo ple. I n C ear a,

w here the inhab itants are state d at one hu nd red and fifty

thousand, there are not ten thousand slaves, and in Rio

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NOTES. 367

In gen eral there is bu t little feeling of fraternity am ongst

the n eg ro es ; ex cep t in Ba hia, wh ere tney are all of one

nation, inhabitants originally of the coast of Mina, who are

at once the most intelligent and the most athletic race

hithe rto imported into Brazil . H er e many revolts have

tak en, and will, in all proba bility continue to tak e plac e;

but it does not follow, on this account, that the same

spirit will ex ten d itself thro ug ho ut the cou ntry. I n t h e

other provinces the variety of nations is so great, and the

plantations are situated so far apart, that any attempts at a

general insurrection m ust prove altogether nu ga tory . T he

probabilities of this will also be diminished by the gradual

am elioration in th e cond ition of th e slaves, the B razilian s

being almost universally far less severe task-masters than

their predecessors the Portuguese.

T h e nations principally im po rted into R io , previous to

the cessation of the traffic, are Cabindas, (including under

this name Congos of all the various tribes as far as Angola),

Be ngu elas , An golas , M ozambiques, Inham banes, Q ui l i-

manes, and Ca gang es. O f these the Cabindas and oth er

nations from th e W es ter n coast are generally tat to oe d;

those from the E as te rn coast are m ostly distinguishe d by

punctures, whereby the skin is raised in a peculiar manner.

B y virtu e of a law passed du rin g the session of 1 8 3 1 ,

th e forfeiture of both ship and cargo is entailed on all

found guilty of con tinuing the im po rtatio n; yet, a large

contraband traffic is still carried on in many instances

through the connivance of the local authorities, who, being

elec ted on th e spot of the ir juris dic tion , a re bu t too often

imbued alike with the prejudices and short-sightedness

of their constituents.

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3 6 8 N O T E S .

long, have been almo st unan imo us in the ir repro batio n of

the traffic in qu esttp n. Jo z e Bon ifacio ha d, at the period

of his banishment in 1823, already drawn up a memorial,

or rather an essay, on the topic, which it was his intention

to lay before the Co nstitu ent Assem bly, w ith the end of

inducing them to take some prohibitory measures.

Since this period all the leading journalists, at the head

of whom may be placed Evaristo Ferreira de Veiga, have

ado pted similar views, and the " Soc iedad e De fensora" of

Rio de Janeiro, the most influential patriotic association in

B raz il, in the m onth of Fe br ua ry , 18 34, offered a premium

of Rs.400| |000, to the individual who should produce the

best analy tical mem oir on the sub ject. A s ye t, it m ust be

acknowledged, that these philanthropic ideas are by no

means generalized, yet they are day by day making

progress.

It is also worthy of note, that in Brazil, where the poli

tical association is composed of such heterogeneous ma

terials, and w here hon ours are open to all alike, distinctions

of caste have necessarily less w eight than in any oth er civi

lized cou ntry . H e re , since the first revolution in 18 22 ,

men of colour have been admitted to the highest offices in

the S ta te . Sev eral of the De pu ties are of mixed blood,

and in one or two instances, individuals who bear in their

physiognomy indubitable traces of a similar origin, have

been found even in the Cabinet.

P ag e 286 . — Concerning the augmentation of the sum

allotted to the Emperor, inc.

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N O T E S . 3 6 9

fiftieth pa rt of the reve nu e ; th at of th e K in g of F ra n ce

one th ir t y -s ix th ; and that al lotted to Don P ed ro , in 182 6,

(400 contos) , one thir ty-fou rth, the entire rev enu e of Bra zil

being estimated at 34 millions of cru zad es, or 13.600

contos.

Page 289.—

The result ivas a decision on the part of the

House, that a force of thirty thousand men, the number

at present authorized, inc.

In this nu m be r the militia we re not includ ed. Accord

ing to the repo rt of the M iniste r of W a r, the arm y of

Brazil at this period consisted of 27 ,81 5 reg ular troop s, and

in addition to thes e, th ere w ere 99 ,77 3 m ilitia and " o rd i-

nangas," a l together 127,588 men.

Page 290 .— B u t with the exception of a few confirmed

royalists and the Marchioness de Santos, inc.

T h e following do cum ent, w hich is ex trac ted from the

columns of the " D iario F lu m in en se ," may perhaps prove

an object of curiosity to the European reader :—


" Articles of Office."

Department of Finance.

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3 7 0 NOTES.

dressed to him , in which yo ur Exc elle nc y offers tow ard s

the war in the South, a conto of reis gratuitously, and forty

m ilreis as a mo nthly loan, withou t any int ere st, as long as

the war co nt in u es ; and all which you possess, in case

it be necessary to the S ta te . H . I . M . orders me to

thank you especially for this trait of your distinguished

patr io tism ; and in order to make kn ow n more generally

the estimation with which he regards the patriotic proceed

ing of your Excellency, particularly on account of your

Ex cellenc y being the first B razilian lady who has thus

acted , he has orde red m e, that along with this le tter,

I should also cause that which your Excellency addressed

to his Imperial person, to be published in this journal.

" May God guard your Excellency.

" M A R Q U I S D E Q U E L U Z .

" Palace, 17th October, 1827.

" T o the M archioness de Santos.

" S I R E , — A s a Brazilian, and an inhabitant of San

P au lo , and , con sequ ently, a friend of my cou ntry, of its

honour, and of the glory and august person of your Imperial

Majesty, to whom I owe all my fortune, I come before the

thro ne of you r Im pe rial M ajesty , to offer gra tuito usly

a conto of reis for th e w ar in the S ou th , and forty m ilreis

m onthly, as a loan , for the sam e object, w ithout any inte

rest, following in this step the generous example given

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N O TES.

3 7 1

" May God guard and bless the days of your Imperial

M ajesty, as I and all Bra zilians have need. I am, Si re,

the very faithful, grateful, and obliged subject of your

Imperial Majesty,

" M A R C H I O N E S S D E S A N T O S .

" To H. I . M. Don Pedro 1st ."

E N D O F V O L . T .

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