The whole dispute raised by the Brazilian Administration as a pretext for evading my claims, has been—as the reader is now aware—about the sum of 200,000 dollars, given out of the proceeds of our own captures, which cost nothing to the Government; but were made to serve as a substitute for the usual advance of wages! Also about 40,000 dollars ordered by His Imperial Majesty as compensation for the Imperatrice frigate, captured by Captain Grenfell at Parà—but never paid, and therefore never accounted for. Finally, with regard to 106,000 dollars reimbursed by the authorities of Maranham, as a compromise for four times the amount generously surrendered by the squadron to the necessities of the province in 1823—on promise of repayment. As regards the whole of the sums, it is alleged that I never furnished accounts of their expenditure, and therefore they are charged against me, as though not expended at all.
For the disbursement of the first item of 200,000 dollars, I have already stated sufficient to satisfy any reasonable person. The accounts set forth at page 169, shews that a balance remained in hand from the 200,000 dollars put on board at Rio de Janeiro, of 39,538 dollars. I shall now state what became of this sum. And first let me adduce the following proclamation:—
By His Excellency the Marquis of Maranhaõ, First Admiral, &c. &c.
WHEREAS, many officers and seamen are here employed who were not present, last year, at the capitulation of the hostile authorities, and seizure of Portuguese funds and property at Maranhaõ;
And whereas it is condusive to the interests of His Imperial
Majesty, that all those officers and seamen who have now contributed
to the restoration of tranquillity, good order, and obedience to His
Imperial Majesty, shall receive encouragement and reward;
It is hereby directed that three months additional pay shall, without deduction, be distributed as a gratuity to the said officers and men.
Given under my hand, this 8th day of February, 1825,
COCHRANE AND MARANHAÕ.
I had, it is true, no authority for making this extra payment, but at the same time, I had the authority of His Imperial Majesty to devote the 200,000 dollars to the good of the service—thus clearly leaving its disbursement to my discretion; and this appeared to me to be properly exercised in rewarding those who had been performing double duty afloat and ashore, in the arduous task of putting down, and keeping down revolt and anarchy. On this principle, I had previously doubled the pay of some of the officers, without whose incessant exertion, I could not have effected the tranquillization of the province. It is true that the principle adopted was opposed to that pursued by the Administration, viz. neither to acknowledge these extra services nor reward them; but such a course neither accorded with my judgment nor discretion. The sums paid as above were entered in the usual manner in a pay book, acknowledged by the signatures of the recipients—attested by the officers—and, as has been said, duly forwarded to the Imperial Government.
I shall now give some extracts from the log before quoted in reference to these and other transactions:—