The late Prime Minister, José Bonifacio de Andrada e Silva, was pleased to express a desire that I should communicate directly with him in all extraordinary difficulties with respect to the naval service. If I have not had recourse to your Excellency until the present juncture, it has not been from any doubt of your readiness to accord me similar indulgence, but because the evils of which I had to complain were so palpable, that I conceived a remedy would—of necessity be applied in the ordinary course of things. But now that a system is adopted which must very soon bring the naval service of His Imperial Majesty to utter insignificance and ruin, I can no longer abstain from calling on your Excellency as Minister of State for the internal affairs of the empire, to interfere before it is too late.
Here follow complaints of the wretched state of the squadron—its want of repairs—the neglect of pay—the illegal imprisonment of officers for months without trial and on untenable grounds, &c. &c.
By the promises held out last year of punctuality in payment, and of other rewards, foreign officers and seamen were induced to enter the service—believing in the good faith of the Government. The result—in the short period that has elapsed—has been the complete expulsion of the enemy's forces, naval and military; all of whom would have been still in arms against the independence of Brazil, had it not been for the assistance of the foreign officers and seamen.
In the course of these important services, various captures were made and sent for adjudication to Rio de Janeiro, under the authority of His Imperial Majesty's orders to make war on the subjects and property of Portugal. The captures made in prosecution of the war were—according to the engagements under which the expedition proceeded—to be the reward of the captors in return for the benefits derived by the empire for their exertions.
Judge then, Sir, of the astonishment of the officers and seamen
at finding on their return to this port eight months afterwards, that
the Court of Admiralty (chiefly composed of natives of Portugal)
pretended to be ignorant whether the nation was at war or peace!
Under this plea they have avoided the adjudication of the
prizes—have
thrown every impediment in the way of the captors—by giving
sentences equally contrary to law, common sense and justice.
Great quantities of goods in the captured ships have decayed or wholly perished from lapse of time—great quantities more have been stolen—whilst whole cargoes, by the arbitrary authority of an auditor, have been given up without trial, to pretended owners, without even the decency of communication to the captors or their agents. In short, nothing has been done in furtherance of the gracious directions of His Majesty, given on the 12th ultimo, that the prize affairs should be instantly adjusted.
It is certainly a hardship to the Portuguese gentlemen in the Court of Admiralty, to be under the necessity of condemning property that belonged to their countrymen, friends, and relations; but if they have undertaken the duties of such an office, they ought not to be permitted to weigh their private feelings against their public duty—nor to bring upon the whole Government that character of bad faith, which has been so disgraceful, and has proved so injurious to all the Governments which have hitherto been established in South America.
Even the payment of wages was not made to the Pedro Primiero till nearly three months after her return, when the seamen— irritated by the evasion of their dues—had nearly all abandoned the ship; and if the crews of the Nitherohy and Carolina did not follow their example on their return to port, it was entirely owing to my perseverance before their arrival in procuring this tardy justice.
It was a maxim of the Emperor Napoleon, that "no events are trifling with regard to nations and sovereigns, their destinies being controlled by the most inconsiderable circumstances,"— though circumstances which have the effect of causing the Imperial marine to be abandoned, ought not—in a national point of view—to be regarded as inconsiderable; but whether this be of importance or not, the consequences of such abandonment by men who have so faithfully performed their duty, will be far from beneficial to those short sighted and vain individuals who imagine that the employment of foreign officers is an obstacle to their own advancement. If the present foreign officers are compelled to abandon their situations an explanation must be given of the cause, and public indignation must inevitably fall on the unreflecting heads of the prejudiced or selfish authors of such impolitic injustice.
I have heard it stated, as a motive for the delay in condemning the prizes, that the Government—in case of a treaty of peace— might be called upon to refund the value to the original owners. But, Sir, let me ask such wretched statesmen, what would have been the situation of Brazil, if foreign officers and seamen had refused to enter the service—as would have been the case, had no prize money been promised? In that case, it is true, the vessels in question would not have been taken—but it is equally true that the enemy's troops would not have been starved into the evacuation of Bahia, nor their squadron have been intimidated to flee from these shores. Military warfare would still have raged in the interior, and the hostile fleet might now have been engaged in the blockade of Rio de Janeiro itself. Would it not be infinitely better that the Government should have to pay the value of these prizes even twice over—than that such calamities should not have been averted?