In the interval between this recognition of my services and my return to Rio de Janeiro, an unfortunate change had taken place in the Councils of His Imperial Majesty, introductive of persons more favourable to the interests of Portugal than to furtherance of the judicious measures contemplated by His Majesty for the consolidation of the newly-constituted empire.  To the obstructive aspirations of these persons—­in ill-concealed concert with the designs of the parent state—­my annexation of the Northern provinces necessarily proved fatal; and they ever afterwards regarded me with an animosity which appeared to increase as the empire became, by these, and my subsequent exertions, more firmly established.

Sailing from Maranham on the 20th of September, the Pedro Primiero arrived at Rio de Janeiro on the 9th of November—­the Emperor doing me the honour to come on board to welcome me.  I immediately forwarded to the Minister of Marine a recapitulation of all transactions since my departure seven months before; viz. the evacuation of Bahia by the Portuguese in consequence of our nocturnal visit, connected with the dread of my reputed skill in the use of fireships, as arising from the affair of Basque Roads; the pursuit of their fleet beyond the Equator, and the dispersion of its convoy; the capture and disabling of the transports filled with troops intended to maintain Portuguese domination in Maranham and Para; the device adopted to obtain the surrender to the Pedro Primiero alone of the enemy’s naval and military forces at Maranham; the capitulation of Para with the ships of war to my summons sent by Captain Grenfell; the deliverance of the Brazilian patriots whom the Portuguese had imprisoned; the declaration of independence by the intermediate provinces thus liberated, and their union with the empire; the appointment of Provisional Governments; the embarkation and final departure of every Portuguese soldier from Brazil; and the enthusiasm with which all my measures—­though unauthorised and therefore extra official—–­ had been received by the people of the Northern provinces, who—­thus relieved from the dread of further oppression—­had everywhere acknowledged and proclaimed His Imperial Majesty “Constitutional Emperor.”

The powers which I had taken upon myself to exercise during this eventful period, were, no doubt; in excess of those conferred by my orders, but, knowing that everything depended upon the annexation and pacification of the Northern provinces by the expulsion of the enemy—­setting aside my own interests—­I considered it better for the welfare of the empire to exceed my instructions, than to entail the continuance of civil war by confining my operations within their scope.  In the exercise of this self-imposed duty it may be said that I had also exercised Imperial functions, but this was only in the unavoidable absence of Imperial instructions, which it was my constant endeavour to anticipate rather than to exceed; that