Maranham, March 16th, 1825.
I beg to acquaint your Excellency, for the satisfaction of the Imperial government, that I have caused the provinces which required military assistance, to furnish pay and provisions for the ships immediately under my command; and further, that I have required the government of Maranham to pay, as a recompence to the officers and seamen, one-fourth part of the amount of money and bills, and one-fifth part of the value of the military stores surrendered by the Portuguese authorities on the 28th of July, 1823. Thus the Imperial government at Rio de Janeiro will be relieved from considerable disbursement, and the officers and seamen—notwithstanding the great additional trouble to which they have been put—will be satisfied, so far as regards their claim to the value of their captures in compensation for their services at Maranham.
I cannot refrain from drawing the attention of the Imperial government to the abuses which exist in every department of the provincial government, where, notwithstanding the great revenue derived from various sources, the Junta of Fazenda possess so little credit, that their bills have actually been sold at 30 per cent. discount, and I am credibly informed that no money can, at any time, be received from the treasury without a heavy per centage being given to the inferior officers; but how such per centages are afterwards disposed of, is to me unknown.
The price at which provisions were being purchased by the Intendente for the use of the squadron being exorbitant, I instituted a minute inquiry, the result of which was the discovery of a fraudulent system which I abolished by purchasing our own provisions. American salt beef, for which the Provincial Government charged 25 milreis the barrel, I have purchased for 12 milreis—pork charged 32 milreis, I buy for 15-1/2 milreis. Bread is charged 10 milreis the quintal, whilst the English sloop-of-war Jaseur is purchasing it at 5 milreis, for bills on England. Indeed, the abuses here of all kinds are too numerous to be detailed by letter, and to endeavour to put a stop to them, unless under the express authority and protection of the Imperial Government, would be a thankless task.
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No. 291.
Maranham, March 17th, 1825.
The difficulties with which I have had to contend in this province have been greatly increased by the arrival of Pedro José de Costa Barros on the 5th of last month—when intrigue within intrigue was set on foot by different parties, and which—if Barros were placed in power—I clearly foresaw would end in anarchy and bloodshed—and probably in the destruction of all the Portuguese part of the community, whose unequivocal reception of a partisan President excited at once the jealousy and distrust of the Brazilians.
Under these circumstances, I felt that the only course to be adopted, for the prevention of serious evils, was to defer the introduction of Barros into authority, and to leave Lobo as President interino, until further directions from the Imperial Government. This additional degree of responsibility I took upon myself with the less reluctance, as Barros had no other authority to assume the Government than a letter to Bruce, whom I had previously been compelled to suspend from office and send to Rio—to whom, therefore, such letter could not be delivered. Besides which, having appointed Lobo to be President interino, until His Majesty's pleasure should be known, I could not consistently consent to his removal from office until His Majesty was acquainted with his appointment, and had expressed his pleasure thereon.
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