Having, therefore, but a choice of evils with respect to myself, I have—without further care as to my personal responsibility—pursued that course which, on full consideration, appeared to me to be most conducive to the interests of His Imperial Majesty, and best adapted to secure the tranquillity of this province; and I have reserved for my own security such original documents as will satisfy the mind of His Imperial Majesty on the subject of my conduct in suspending the functions of the President of Maranham.
A few of the many reasons which have induced me thus to take upon myself a heavier responsibility than would have attached to the adoption of either of the measures before alluded to, will be found on the printed paper which I enclose. In that paper, however, I did not consider it proper to set forth all the facts which have come to my knowledge; such as his tampering through various agents with the troops, artillery, and police, and above all with the disbanded "Pedestres;" and the sending of emissaries to the distant quarters of the province to excite the people again to rise in arms for his support—though no legal prerogative which the President does, or ought to possess, had been in any way infringed by me or any person acting under my authority. The fact is, that this gentleman, bred up under the despotic Captains-General, accustomed to their arbitrary proceedings, to the mal-administration of colonial law, and the absence of everything like fair trial, cannot brook any limitation to his power, and has demonstrated his desire, if not to establish an independent sway, at least to act solely according to his will and pleasure. I am anxious to ascribe his faults rather to the circumstances under which he has unfortunately been brought up, and to his advanced age, than to premeditated evil intentions.
I have the satisfaction of adding, that, by the course I have adopted, a desolating civil war has been terminated—the treasury saved further expenditure—and the persons and property of the people have been rescued from destruction, and placed under the protection of the laws.
(Signed) COCHRANE AND MARANHAÕ.
Such was the history of an affair, which would not have been thus minutely detailed, but for the obloquy against me to which it subsequently gave rise; the ministry afterwards declaring that, to serve my own purposes, I had deposed Bruce, and appointed Lobo in his place—the facts being, that I never deposed him at all, but suspended his functions merely till His Majesty's pleasure should be known—and that, at the very period when this took place, the Administration, unknown to me, had deposed him for the same causes which led me to suspend him! as will appear in the next chapter. Nevertheless, when they found that—acting under the discretion accorded to me by His Imperial Majesty—I had partially only anticipated their own act, and that vituperation against me in my absence might be turned to their own account, they took up the cause of the very man whom they had deposed, and loaded me with abuse for having outraged the feelings and position of a most excellent person nominated by His Majesty to one of the highest offices in the state.
CHAPTER X.
MISREPRESENTATIONS MADE IN ENGLAND—LETTER TO THE EMPEROR—TENDERING MY RESIGNATION—REPAYMENT DEMANDED FROM THE JUNTA—CONDUCT OF THE PRIZE TRIBUNAL—NO ADJUDICATION OF PRIZES INTENDED—LETTER TO THE INTERIM PRESIDENT—DEMANDING THE SUMS OWING TO THE SQUADRON—DISTURBANCE IN PARA—STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT TO THE JUNTA—OFFER OF COMPROMISE—IMPERIAL DECREE—RIGHT OF THE SQUADRON TO THE CLAIM.
Worn down in health by the harassing duties of the naval, military, and civil departments, the conduct of all these wholly devolving upon me, whilst the Ministry at Rio, by withholding instructions, neither incurred trouble nor responsibility—and aware that my character was being traduced by every species of malignity which could be devised by the party whose views were destroyed by the successful manner in which those duties had been performed, I was heartily sick of the ingratitude and misrepresentation with which the service of having twice secured the Northern provinces to Brazil was met on the part of the Administration, in addition to their now apparent determination that neither myself nor the squadron should reap any benefit from the prize property taken in the preceding year, notwithstanding that, under the Andrada ministry, both had been solemnly guaranteed to the captors.
I was, however, even more annoyed on another account, viz. from being apprised that the vilest misrepresentations of my conduct were being sedulously circulated in England by the partisans of the Administration. Their vituperation in Brazil could, to some extent, be met; but the petty meanness of attacking a man in a distant country, without the possibility of his defending himself, was a matter against which no prudence or foresight could guard.
Determined no longer to contend with an Administration, which could thus conduct itself towards an officer whose exertions had been deemed worthy of the highest honours from the Emperor, and the warmest thanks from the National Assembly, I resolved to request permission from His Imperial Majesty to retire from so unequal a contest, for I did not choose spontaneously to abandon the command, without at least some compensation beyond my ordinary pay. Even setting aside the stipulations under which I had entered and continued in the Imperial service—this was at least due to me from the unquestioned fact that to my twice rendered exertions—first as naval Commander-in-Chief; and, secondly, as a pacificator—the empire owed its unity and stability, even in the estimation of European governments, which, now that the provinces were tranquillized and the empire consolidated, exerted themselves to promote peace between Brazil and the mother country.