&c. &c.
COCHRANE AND MARANHAÕ.
His Excellency Joao Severiano Maciel de Costa,
Chief Minister of State, &c. &c.
One effect of the preceding letter was—that the Court of Admiralty requested my consent to give up certain prize property, the object being to construe my acquiescence as regarded a small portion—into a precedent for giving up the remainder. This was firmly refused on the ground of its being a fraud on the captors.
CHAPTER VII.
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 REGARDED 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.
Having failed in inducing the Administration to withdraw the portaria issued with a view to nullify the commissions conferred upon me by His Imperial Majesty,—I waited upon the Emperor to beg his interference in a matter no less derogatory to his authority, than unjust to myself. His Majesty regretted the circumstance, but having alluded to the difficulties in which he was placed with regard to the Administration, begged me to rely on him for justice, assuring me that he would take care that nothing was done which should practically alter my original compact.
His Majesty was exceedingly anxious that the expedition to Pernambuco should not be delayed, but I could only represent to him that nothing whatever had been done to satisfy the seamen, who, in consequence, would not re-enter—that several of the best officers were either in prison on frivolous accusations, or under arrest—that the necessary repairs to the ships were not completed—that no steps had been taken to provide for their equipment—and that, in fact, the greater was His Majesty's anxiety to put down the revolution, the more obstructive were the obstacles interposed by the Ministry to the accomplishment of his wishes.
The Ministers now resorted to a clumsy system in order to lower me in popular estimation, by imposing, for my guidance in naval matters, stringent orders about trifles which were absurd or impracticable, non-observance of these being followed by printed reprimands such as were never before addressed to a Commander-in-Chief, whilst my refutations and remonstrances against such treatment were refused publication. This course was succeeded by another still more unworthy, the ministers so far forgetting the dignity of their position, as to write or cause to be written against me a series of scurrilous articles in the newspapers under the feigned signature of "Curioso," these containing matters which could only have come from the Minister of Marine's office; but as I was able to reply to anonymous attacks through the same channel, I took care that the refutation signally recoiled on the writers, who, finding the course pursued more detrimental to their objects than to mine, relinquished this mode of attack. Pamphlets of an atrocious description were then resorted to, the more noticeable of which, was one purporting to emanate from Chili, and representing that not only had I effected nothing for that country or Peru, but that my very presence in the Peruvian waters had been the greatest obstacle to the speedy attainment of independence!
A circumstance however occurred which alarmed even the Ministers themselves. On the 20th of April, I received a despatch from Captain Taylor, commanding the naval force before Pernambuco, stating that on the 7th, the Camara of that province had unanimously resolved that they would no longer obey the Imperial authority—that the Governor appointed by His Imperial Majesty had been deposed—and that they had elected a President from amongst their own body.
This was an extremity upon which the Portuguese faction in the Administration had not calculated—their object being to encourage disturbance in remote provinces, in order to further their own purposes at Rio de Janeiro. An attempt to institute a Republican form of Government was, however, another thing, it being well known that this movement was fostered by merchants and influential citizens with republican tendencies.