Narrative of Services in the Liberation of Chili, Peru and Brazil, / from Spanish and Portuguese Domination, Volume 2

by Earl of Thomas Cochrane Dundonald

My next endeavour was to organise an effective force at Cearà, and this was accomplished by the embodiment of more than a thousand men, though we had not a soldier in the squadron. Various corps were also raised in the towns and villages of the province, and were active in pursuit of the scattered remains of the republican army.

Having thus assured myself of the complete restoration of order in the capital and province of Cearà, and addressed a proclamation to the inhabitants, pointing out to them the folly of being misled by designing persons, who could have no accurate knowledge of matters which formed the ground of complaint against the Imperial Government, we sailed on the 4th of November for Maranham, which province was found in a state of even greater anarchy than had prevailed at Cearà.

CHAPTER IX.

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 OF 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 FOB MY GUIDANCE—LETTER TO THE MINISTER OF MARINE—THE MINISTRY HAD PREVIOUSLY DEPOSED BRUCE—BUT TURNED ON ME FOR ANTICIPATING THEIR OWN ACT.

We arrived at Maranham on the 9th of November, and ascertained that the city and province—as had been reported—were in a complete state of anarchy, arising from causes almost incomprehensible. The leaders of the army had risen against the authority of the president, Miguel Bruce, and fighting was going on when we entered the river. The strangest part of the affair was, that both parties declared themselves supporters of the Imperial authority, whilst each accused the other of plotting to form a republic. Bruce kept possession of the city by means of negro troops, from amongst whom he had also picked his officers, conferring upon them regular commissions; the result being, that their excesses kept the respectable inhabitants in a state of constant terror, so that my arrival was hailed with the greatest satisfaction, and addresses of congratulation were sent in from all quarters, even the ladies adopting the unusual course of sending a deputation to welcome me.

I immediately demanded from the president a report of the condition of the province; but before this was presented, memorials from every part put me in possession of the causes of disorder universally prevailing. The general complaint was, that the president had established an autocracy, refusing the co-operation of a council, as required by the constitution, and that under his individual authority, military disorders of all kind prevailed, even to murder, whilst outrages of the most revolting nature were committed amidst cheers of "Long live His Imperial Majesty;" thus using the Imperial name as a sanction to the perpetration of acts the most unlawful and injurious.

The President Bruce was the same individual whom, on the expulsion of the Portuguese in the previous year, I had temporarily appointed President to the first provisional Junta under the Empire, which body was quickly superseded by a Government elected by the people. Possessing influence amongst the Portuguese, of which faction—as afterwards appeared—he was a prominent supporter, he had contrived to get himself reinstated as head of the provincial Government, and was apparently following the policy of the Portuguese faction in power at Rio de Janeiro, viz. that of keeping his province in a state of confusion with a view to disgust the populace with the Imperial rule, and so dispose them, should opportunity offer, to favour the views of the mother country. This policy, as has been said, was marked out by the agents of Portugal; but Bruce, with every disposition to favour the views of the parent state, was not the man to be entrusted with political strategy of this nature. The fact being that, though possessed of a certain amount of cunning, Bruce was unfit to be entrusted with authority at all—much less to exercise that which recognises no control—so that the disorder which prevailed was rather a natural consequence of his own want of capacity, and arbitrary system of government. Finding every one against him, he was gradually throwing himself on the black population for support, promoting emancipated slaves to the rank of officers; and it was generally acknowledged that had it not been for our opportune arrival, both himself and the whites who remained in the city might speedily have fallen a sacrifice to the force which had been organised for his especial protection.

On the other hand, the opponents of the president were not only in arms against him, but there were two or three family parties fighting each other under the Imperial flag! and carrying their revengeful animosities to an outrageous extent, which threatened the extermination of one, at least, of the contending parties, if not the total ruin of the province. To deal with these parties was, from their mutual recriminations, more difficult than had they declared themselves inimical to the Imperial Government. In one thing, however, they were all agreed, viz. in opposition to the president; but as his was the constituted authority, this was precisely what I did not intend to sanction.

It was clear to me that the first remedy was the appointment of a proper military authority, and as none could be trusted, I apprised the president of my intention to assume the chief military command during my stay, or at least until order was restored, issuing a proclamation to that effect.

As hostilities were still going on, I sent an order to both parties to lay down their arms, with which mandate the anti-president party immediately complied, and dispersed; but as the savage blacks under the authority of the president attacked their now unarmed adversaries, and committed great excesses, I seized and put them on board some vessels, anchoring these under the guns of the flagship, and retained the whole as prisoners, thus keeping them out of the way of further mischief.