Read Ebook: Narrative of Services in the Liberation of Chili Peru and Brazil from Spanish and Portuguese Domination Volume 2 by Dundonald Thomas Cochrane Earl Of

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Brazilian and Portuguese factions--Don Pedro ordered to quit Brazil--Appointed "Perpetual Protector"--Proclaimed Emperor of Brazil--Efforts to obtain foreign officers and seamen--The naval command offered to me--Acceptation thereof--Arrival at Rio de Janeiro--Visit of inspection to the squadron--Condition of the vessels--Inferiority of seamen--Imperial affability--Attempt to evade the terms offered me--This failing, to reduce the value of my pay--Pretended commission conferred--And refused--The point argued--I decline the command--The Prime Minister gives in--Explanatory Portaria--Formal commission--Orders to blockade Bahia--Portuguese faction--Averse to me from the outset.

Attempt to cut off the enemy's ships--Disobedience to orders--Letter to the Prime Minister--Worthlessness of the men--Their treachery--Blockade established--Equipment of fireships--Enemy's supplies cut off--Portuguese untrustworthy--Demonstrations of the enemy--His pretended contempt for us--The enemy returns to port--Their consternation at the fireships--Portuguese contemplate attacking us--Flagship reconnoitres enemy at anchor--Excessive alarm at my nocturnal visit--Proclamation of the Commandant--Consternation in the city--The authorities decide on evacuating Bahia--Instructions to the Brazilian Captains--Warnings addressed to the authorities--Enemy quits Bahia--Readiness for chase--Numbers of the enemy--Capture of the Convoy--Prizes disabled--Attempt of troops to escape--Prizes sent to Pernambuco--Pursuit discontinued--Reasons for going to Maranham--Reasons for not taking more prizes--Advantages to the Empire.

Capture of the Don Miguel--Summons to the authorities--Reasons for threats held out--Proposals for capitulation--Proclamations--Terms granted to Portuguese garrison--Declaration of Independence--Portuguese troops ordered to embark--Symptoms of disobeying the order--Delight of the people on becoming free--Election of a Provisional Government--Letters to the Minister of Marine.

Captain Grenfell sent to summon Par?--The Junta demands the prize property--My refusal--Imperial approval of my services--Realisation of prize property--Turi Assu sends in its adhesion--Money captured lent to the Junta--Its return to the squadron expected--Possession taken of Par?--Insurrection at Par?--Misconduct of the Maranham Junta--Their persecution of the Portuguese--Steps in consequence--Manifestation of the national delight--The Marquisate conferred on me--Vote of thanks by the Assemblea Geral--My arrival at Rio de Janeiro--Satisfaction with my services--Lady Cochrane joins me.

First effort to curtail the Imperial power--Portuguese intrigue--Dismissal of the Andradas--The Assembly dissolved by force--Exile of the Andradas--Letter to his Imperial Majesty--My advice partly adopted--and causes ministerial enmity towards me--Ratification of my patent--I demand the adjudication of prizes--Letter to the Minister of Marine--Offer of personal advantage to foreign claims--Squadron remained unpaid--I am appointed a Privy Councillor--The prize vessels plundered--Shameful treatment of Captain Grenfell--Troubles in Pernambuco--Hostility of the Prize Tribunal--Condemns me to the restitution of prizes--Forbids making any capture at all.

Remonstrance against decree of Prize Tribunal--Settlement of prize question by the Emperor--His Ministers refuse to conform to it--Obstacles thrown in the way of equipment--My services limited to the duration of war--My remonstrance on this breach of faith--Ministers refuse to pay the squadron anything--A fresh insult offered to me--Offer to resign the command--My resignation evaded--Letter to the Prime Minister--Letter to the Minister of Marine.

Ministerial malignity towards me--Dangers in Pernambuco--Portuguese threats--My advice thereon--Failure in Manning the squadron--Plot formed to search the flagship--Timely warning thereon--I demand his Majesty's interference--Which was promptly granted--Protest against prize decisions--My advice sought as regards Pernambuco--Letter to his Imperial Majesty--Pointing out the annoyance practised--And tendering my resignation--The Emperor's intervention--His Ministers neglect to fulfil his engagement--Confirmation of my previous patents--But with an unjustifiable reservation--Prize money devoted to advance of wages--Proofs thereof--Baseless imputations on me--Extracts from log--Further distribution of prize money.

Arrival at Maranham--Character of disturbances there--I assume the military command--Proclamation commanding surrender of arms--Condition of the people--Corruption of the authorities--Murderous propensities--Difficulty in detecting assassins--Letter to Minister of Marine--Pacification of Parahyba--Doubts as to the President's sincerity--He establishes secret agencies--Extraordinary memorials--Public complaints of the President--Bruce endeavours to intercept them--My reply to the memorialists--Letter to the Minister of Marine--Enclosing complaints of the Consuls--Bruce prepares to resist my authority--Complaints of the British Consul--He considers my presence necessary--Letter of the French Consul--Detailing shameful atrocities--Danger of collision with foreign states--Suspension of the President--Provision for future Government--Conduct of the faction at Rio de Janeiro--No instructions sent for my guidance--Letter to the Minister of Marine--The Ministry had previously deposed Bruce--But turned on me for anticipating their own act.

Misrepresentations made in England--Letter to the Emperor--Tendering my resignation--Repayment demanded from the Junta--Conduct of the Prize Tribunal--No adjudication of prizes intended--Letter to the interim President--Demanding the sums owing to the squadron--Disturbance in Par?--Statement of Account to the Junta--Offer of compromise--Imperial decree--Right of the squadron to the claim.

Imperial approval--Continued enmity of the Administration--Junta refuses to pay the squadron's claim--I persevere in the demand--Junta agrees to pay the amount in bills--This refused--Arrival of a new President--But without authority for the assumption--Intrigues to establish him in office--I order him to quit the province--And send him to Par?--Letter to the President of Cear?--International animosities--The squadron left to provide for itself--Abuse of authority--Explanations to Minister of Marine--Of transactions at Maranham--Letter to Carvalho e Mello--Anticipating ministerial displeasure--The Junta reimburses part of its debt.

I quit Maranham for a cruise--Bad state of the frigate--Connivance at illicit trade--We are compelled to proceed to England--The frigate reported to the Brazilian Envoy--Who cheats me of ?2,000--His assumption that I had abandoned the service--My contradiction thereof--Order to return to Rio--Reasons for not doing so--Brazilian Envoy tampers with my Officer--Who acquaints me therewith--Envoy stops pay and provisions--Declares that the Brazilian Government will give me nothing!--Captain Shepherd's reply--I prepare to return to Rio--The Envoy dismisses me from the service--Without reason assigned--He declares that I voluntarily abandoned the service--Receipts for accounts transmitted to Brazil--These denied to have been sent.

I am dismissed the service by the Brazilian Government--Without any acknowledgment of my services--Inconsistency of this with former thanks--Though dismissed I am tried as a deserter--And am refused all compensation--Report of recent Commission on the subject--False representations--But partially true conclusions--My original patents never set aside--Untrue assumptions as to my dismissal--My claims founded on the original patents--Less than half the interest due paid--Opinions of eminent Brazilians thereon--My services tardily acknowledged--No act of mine had annulled them--The Estate conferred, not confirmed--Promises on account of Chili unfulfilled--The whole still my right.

BRAZILIAN AND PORTUGUESE FACTIONS--DON PEDEO ORDERED TO QUIT BRAZIL--APPOINTED "PERPETUAL PROTECTOR"--PROCLAIMED EMPEROR OF BRAZIL--EFFORTS TO OBTAIN FOREIGN OFFICERS AND SEAMEN--THE NAVAL COMMAND OFFERED TO ME--ACCEPTATION THEREOF--ARRIVAL AT RIO DE JANEIRO--VISIT OF INSPECTION TO THE SQUADRON--CONDITION OF THE VESSELS--INFERIORITY OF SEAMEN--IMPERIAL AFFABILITY--ATTEMPT TO EVADE THE TERMS OFFERED ME--THIS FAILING, TO REDUCE THE VALUE OF MY PAY--PRETENDED COMMISSION CONFERRED--AND REFUSED--THE POINT ARGUED--I DECLINE THE COMMAND--THE PRIME MINISTER GIVES IN--EXPLANATORY FORTARIA--FORMAL COMMISSION--ORDERS TO BLOCKADE BAHIA--PORTUGUESE FACTION--AVERSE TO ME FROM THE OUTSET.

Although these memoirs relate to personal services in Brazil, it is nevertheless essential, in order to their comprehension, briefly to recapitulate a few events which more immediately led to my connection with the cause of independence in that country.

Twelve months previous to my arrival in Brazil, His Majesty returned to Portugal, leaving his son and heir-apparent, Don Pedro, regent of the Portuguese possessions in South America, which had been for some time in a state of disaffection, arising from a growing desire throughout the various provinces for a distinct nationality. Hence two opposing interests had arisen,--a Brazilian party, which had for its object national independence; and a Portuguese party, whose aim was to prevent separation from the mother country--or, if this could not be accomplished, so to paralyse the efforts of the Brazilians, that in case of revolt it might not be difficult for Portugal to keep in subjection, at least the Northern portion of her South American Colonies. It will be necessary, in the course of the narrative, to bear these party distinctions clearly in mind.

As the Regent, Don Pedro, was supposed to evince a leaning to the Brazilian party, he gave proportionate offence to the Portuguese faction, which--though inferior in number, was, from its wealth and position, superior in influence; hence the Regent found himself involved in disputes with the latter, which in June 1821 compelled him to submit to some humiliations.

Shortly previous to this, the Cortes at Lisbon--aware of what was going on in Brazil, and disregarding the temperate views of the King--issued a declaration inviting the Brazilian municipalities to repudiate the Regent's authority at Rio de Janeiro, and to adhere to the immediate administration of the Cortes alone--thus indicating a course to be pursued by the Portuguese faction in Brazil. The result was--as had been anticipated--disunion amongst the people, consequent on the formation of petty provincial governments; each refusing to pay revenue to the central Government at Rio de Janeiro, for the alleged reason that the Regent was only waiting an opportunity to invest himself with absolute power. This opinion was eagerly adopted by the commercial class--consisting almost exclusively of native Portuguese--in the hope that the Cortes would reinvest them with their ancient trade privileges and monopolies, to the exclusion of foreigners, whom they considered as interlopers--the English especially, who, protected by a treaty of commerce, were fast undermining the former monopolists. Amidst these difficulties Don Pedro, though nominally Regent of Brazil, found himself, in reality, little more than Governor of Rio de Janeiro.

In July 1821, the Lisbon Cortes passed a decree, that thenceforth the Brazilian and Portuguese armies should form one body; the object being to ship the Brazilian troops to Portugal, and to send Portuguese troops to Brazil, thereby ensuring its subjection. The Regent was, moreover, ordered to return to Portugal.

These rash steps greatly irritated the native Brazilians, who saw in them a subversion of all their hopes of nationality. With scarcely less rashness, they issued proclamations declaring Brazil independent, with Don Pedro as Emperor; but he repudiated the act, and prepared to quit Brazil in obedience to orders.

The approaching departure of the Regent caused a general ferment, when a popular leader arose in the person of Jos? Bonifacio de Andrada e Silva, vice-president of the provisional Junta at San Paulo. Summoning his colleagues at midnight, they signed an address to the Regent--to the effect that his departure would be the signal for a declaration of independence--daring the Cortes at Lisbon to promulgate laws for the dismemberment of Brazil into insignificant provinces, possessing no common centre of union; above all, daring them to dispossess Don Pedro of the authority of Regent conferred by his august father. This address was conveyed to the Prince by Bonifacio himself, and was shortly afterwards followed by others of a similar nature from the Southern provinces, and from the municipality of Rio de Janeiro--all begging him to remain and avert the consequences of the late decrees of the Cortes. On more deliberate reflection Don Pedro consented, and was shortly afterwards invested with the title of "Perpetual Protector and Defender of Brazil."

Meanwhile the Cortes, confident in their own power, were enforcing their obnoxious decrees by the despatch of ships of war and troops to the Northern provinces. As the intention of this step was unmistakeable, His Royal Highness the Protector promptly issued a manifesto, declaring the wish of Brazil to maintain an amicable union with Portugal, but at the same time calling on the Brazilians to secure their independence by force, if necessary. In furtherance of this determination, an attack was made by the Brazilian troops upon General Madeira, the Portuguese commandant at Bahia, but from want of proper military organization, it proved unsuccessful.

Despatches now arrived from Portugal, which cut off every hope of reconciliation, and on the 12th of October, Don Pedro was induced to accept the title of "Constitutional Emperor of Brazil," with Bonifacio de Andrada as his Minister of the Interior, of Justice, and of Foreign Affairs.

The Southern provinces gave in their adhesion to the Emperor, but all the Northern provinces--including Bahia, Maranham, and Par?--were still held by Portuguese troops; a numerous and well appointed squadron commanding the seaboard, and effectually preventing the despatch of Brazilian forces to those localities by water; whilst by land there were neither roads, nor other facilities of communication with the Northern patriots, who were thus isolated from effectual aid, could such have been rendered from Rio de Janeiro.

His Imperial Majesty saw that, without a fleet, the dismemberment of the Empire--as regarded the Northern provinces--was inevitable; and the energy of his minister Bonifacio in preparing a squadron, was as praiseworthy as had been the Emperor's sagacity in determining upon its creation. A voluntary subscription was enthusiastically entered into; artisans flocked into the dockyard; the only ship of the line in the harbour required to be nearly rebuilt; but to man that and other available vessels with native seamen was impossible--the policy of the mother country having been to carry on even the coasting trade exclusively by Portuguese, who could not now be relied on by Brazil, in the approaching contest with their own countrymen.

His Imperial Majesty, having ascertained that the War of Independence in the Pacific had been brought to a successful conclusion by the squadron under my command, ordered his minister, Bonifacio, to communicate with me, through the Brazilian Consul at Buenos Ayres; judging that, from the termination of hostilities in the Pacific, I might be at liberty to organize a naval force in Brazil, which--if properly conducted--might successfully cope with the Portuguese fleet protecting the Northern harbours of the Empire.

Accordingly, whilst residing on my estate at Quintera, in Chili, I received from Antonio Manuel Correa, the Brazilian Consul at Buenos Ayres, a letter on the part of His Imperial Majesty, inviting me to accept service under the Brazilian flag, guaranteeing moreover rank and position in no way inferior to that which I then held under the Republic of Chili; the Consul exhorting me, in addition, "to throw myself upon the munificence of the Emperor, and the undoubted probity of His Majesty's Government, which would do me justice." The following is one of the letters of invitation:--

MILORD,

Le Br?sil, puissance du premier ordre devint un nouvel empire, une nation ind?pendente sous le l?gitime h?ritier de la monarchie, Pierre le Grand, son auguste defenseur.

C'est par son ordre--c'est de sa part, et en vertu des d?p?ches minist?riales, que je viens de re?evoir de Monseigneur Joseph Bonifacio de Andrada e Silva, Ministre de l'Int?rieur et des Relations Ext?rieures du Br?sil, en date du 13 Septembre dernier--que j'ai l'honneur de vous adresser cette note; en laquelle votre Grace est invit?e, pour--et de part le Gouvernement du Br?sil--? accepter le service de la nation Br?silienne; chez qui je suis d?ment autoris? ? vous assurer le rang et le grade nullement inf?rieur ? celui que vous tenez de la R?publique.

Abandonnez vous, Milord, ? la reconnaisance Br?silienne; ? la munificence du Prince; ? la probit? sans tache de l'actuel Gouvernement; on vous fera justice; on ne rabaissera d'un seul point la haute consid?ration--Rang--grade--caract?re--et avantages qui vous sont d?s.

ANTONIO MANUEL CORREA DA CAMARA, Consul de l'Empire du Br?sil, ? Buenos Ayres, 4 Novembre, 1822.

Annoyed by the ingratitude with which my services were requited in Chili, and disliking the inaction consequent on the capture of Valdivia, followed by the annihilation of the Spanish naval force at Callao, and elsewhere in the Pacific--whereby internal peace had been obtained for Chili, and independence for Peru--I felt gratified by the further terms of invitation, contained in a second letter--"Venez, milord, l'honneur vous invite--la gloire vous appelle. Venez--donner ? nos arm?s navales cet ordre merveilleux et discipline incomparable de puissante Albion" --and on mature consideration returned the following reply:--

Valparaiso, Nov. 29, 1832.

Sir,

The war in the Pacific having been happily terminated by the total destruction of the Spanish naval force, I am, of course, free for the crusade of liberty in any other quarter of the globe.

I confess, however, that I had not hitherto directed my attention to the Brazils; considering that the struggle for the liberties of Greece--the most oppressed of modern states--afforded the fairest opportunity for enterprise and exertion.

I have to-day tendered my ultimate resignation to the Government of Chili, and am not at this moment aware that any material delay will be necessary, previous to my setting off, by way of Cape Horn, for Rio de Janeiro, calling at Buenos Ayres, where I hope to have the pleasure of meeting you, and where we may talk further on this subject; it being, in the meantime, understood that I hold myself free to decline--as well as entitled to accept--the offer which has, through you, been made to me by His Imperial Majesty. I only mention this from a desire to preserve a consistence of character, should the Government differ so widely in its nature from those which I have been in the habit of supporting, as to render the proposed situation repugnant to my principles--and so justly expose me to suspicion, and render me unworthy the confidence of His Majesty and the nation.

COCHRANE.

To Don ANTONIO MANUEL COEREA DA CAMARA, His Brazilian Majesty's Consul at Buenos Ayres.

We reached Rio de Janeiro on the 13th of March, 1822, barely six months after the declaration of Independence. Despatching a letter to the Prime Minister Bonifacio de Andrada--reporting my arrival in conformity with the invitation which His Imperial Majesty had caused to be transmitted to me through his Consul-General at Buenos Ayres--I was honoured by the Imperial command to attend His Majesty at the house of his Minister, where a complimentary reception awaited me. The Emperor assured me that, so far as the ships themselves were concerned, the squadron was nearly ready for sea; but that good officers and seamen were wanting; adding, that, if I thought proper to take the command, he would give the requisite directions to his Minister of Marine.

On the following day, the Prime Minister--after a profusion of compliments on my professional reputation, and an entire concurrence with the invitation forwarded to me by the Consul at Buenos Ayres--which invitation he stated to have arisen from his own influence with the Emperor--desired me to communicate personally with him, upon all matters of importance, the Minister of Marine being merely appointed to transact subordinate business. As nothing more positive was said in relation to my appointment, it struck me that this also might be included amongst the subordinate duties of the Minister of Marine, to whose house I repaired; but he could say nothing on the subject, as nothing specific had been laid before him. Being desirous to come to a proper understanding, I wrote to the Prime Minister, that the officers who had accompanied me from Chili would expect the same rank, pay, and emoluments as they had there enjoyed; that, as regarded myself, I was prepared to accept the terms offered by His Imperial Majesty, through the Consul at Buenos Ayres, viz. the same position, pay, and emoluments as had been accorded to me by the Chilian Government; and that although I felt myself entitled to the customary remuneration in all well-regulated states for extraordinary, as well as ordinary, services, yet I was more anxious to learn the footing on which the naval service was to be put, than the nature of any stipulations regarding myself.

The history of this vessel was not a little curious: she had been built in North America at the expense of the Chilian Government, and sent to Buenos Ayres, where an additional 40,000 dollars was demanded by her owners. Payment of this was demurred to, when, without the slightest consideration for the expense incurred by Chili in her building and equipment, her captain suddenly got under weigh, and proceeding to Rio de Janeiro, sold her to the Brazilian Government.

The captains complained of the difficulties they had to contend with as regarded the crews, particularly that the marines were so much gentlemen that they considered themselves degraded by cleaning their own berths, and had demanded and obtained attendants to wait on them! whilst they could only be punished for offences by their own officers! or, to use the words of one of the captains, "They were very much their own masters, and seemed inclined to be his!" It was, indeed, evident to me that neither seamen nor marines were in any state of discipline.

Not having as yet had experience of political party in the Empire, it struck me as an anomaly that Portuguese should be employed in such numbers to fight their own countrymen, though I afterwards became but too well acquainted with the cause of a proceeding at the time beyond my comprehension. In the course of our visit of inspection, the phrase "attacking the Portuguese parliamentary force," was frequently used by the Emperor, and was no less singular, as implying that the Brazilian Government did not make war against the King or country of Portugal, but merely against the Cortes; the distinction, as regarded the conduct of hostilities, being without a difference.

A curious circumstance occurred after this visit of inspection. On landing--hundreds of people of all ages and colours, crowded round to kiss His Majesty's hands--paternally extended on both sides to rows of devoted subjects, who, under no other circumstances, could have come in such familiar contact with royalty. To this ceremony the Emperor submitted with the greatest possible good humour and affability, his equanimity not even being ruined by familiarities such as I had never before seen taken with King or Emperor.

On the 17th, a visit was paid to me by the Minister of Marine, Luiz da Cunha Moreira, relative to the terms of my appointment, he being evidently desirous that my services should be obtained at as cheap a rate as possible, notwithstanding the concurrence of the Prime Minister with the offers which had been made through the Consul-General at Buenos Ayres. The pay now offered was that of an admiral in the Portuguese service,--notoriously the worst paid in the world. On enquiring what this might be, I found it less than half what I had received in Chill! My pay there being 8000 dollars per annum, with permission from the Supreme Director to appropriate another 4000 from the Government moiety of captures made.

The Minister of Marine seemed hurt at this, and said the State was not poor, and that the terms originally offered should be complied with, by granting me the amount I had enjoyed in Chili; a decision the more speedily arrived at, from an intimation on my part, of referring to the Prime Minister, as requested in cases of difficulty. This the Minister of Marine begged me not to do, saying that there was no occasion for it.

He next proposed that, as my Brazilian pay was to be equivalent to that which I received in Chili, it should he numerically estimated in Spanish dollars, at the rate of 800 reis per dollar--though the Brazilian mint was then actually restamping those very dollars at the rate of 960 reis! thus, by a manoeuvre, which reflected little credit on a Minister, lessening the pay agreed on by one-fifth. To this proposition I replied that there was no objection, provided my services were also revalued--as he seemed disposed to revalue his dollar; so that, setting aside the offers which had induced me to leave Chili, I would make a new offer, which should not only compensate for the difference in dispute, but leave a considerable surplus on my side into the bargain. Alarmed at the sarcasm, and perhaps judging from my manner, that I cared little for a service in which such petty expedients formed an important element, he at once gave up the false value which he had attached to the dollar, and agreed to estimate it at 960 reis--a microscopic saving, truly!

As such a mode of proceeding had been adopted towards me, it became necessary on my part to look well after the interests of the officers who had accompanied me under the assurance that their position in Brazil should be at least equal to that which they had held on the other side of the continent. This was not more a duty than a necessity, for I saw that, unless supported by officers upon whose talent and courage reliance could be placed, it would be out of my power individually to accomplish any enterprise satisfactory to myself or beneficial to Brazil. I therefore required and obtained the same stipulations with regard to their respective rank and pay as had, in my own case, been insisted on. Of these, Admiral Grenfell is the only survivor.

On the 19th, a writing on a common sheet of letter paper was forwarded to me by the Minister of Marine, purporting to be a commission, with the rank of admiral; stating, however, inaccurately the amount of pay and table money agreed upon, by transposing the one for the other,--so that the table money was figured as pay, and the pay as table money; the effect being, that when on shore, my pay would have amounted to exactly one half of the sum stipulated! This proceeding could not be tolerated, so on the following morning I returned the commission to the Minister of Marine, who hastened to assure me that it was a mistake, which should be rectified.

This pretended commission was accompanied by the following order to take command of the squadron:--

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