Intelligence now arrived from Pernambuco that a strong party was there endeavouring to establish a Republic, and that preparatory steps were being taken to throw off allegiance to the Empire.

The expedition sent by the ministry to put down this rising at Pernambuco was a premeditated insult to me, as not having been at all consulted in the matter; and the reason why an inexperienced officer had been sent, doubtless was, that the ministry did not wish the insurrection to be put down.  In this respect the expedition fulfilled the wishes of those who despatched it, by having failed.  On its return I personally received His Majesty’s orders that the Pedro Primiero, Piranga, Nitherohy, and Atalanta, should be immediately equipped for important service.  It was easy thus to give orders to equip a squadron, but after the treatment received, not so easy to effect it.  All the foreign seamen had abandoned the ships in disgust, and to have shipped Portuguese would have been worse than useless.  I wrote to the Minister of Marine that the squadron could not be manned unless confidence was restored amongst the men, the shameful proceedings of the prize court having disinclined them to re-enter the service,—­even if they did, I could not be responsible for order and discipline, or for the safety of the ships, unless some definite adjustment as to pay and prize money took place before putting to sea.

In the face of these remonstrances the prize tribunal adopted an openly hostile course, by altogether denying the right of the squadron to the prizes taken at Maranham, or the property there seized in the custom house, and shipped by me on board the Pombinho and another vessel.  The Pombinho, as has been said, was declared an illegal prize, and given up to her Portuguese owner, together with all public property contained in her, though to this he had not the shadow of a claim, as the whole cargo belonged originally to others, and had been put on board this particular ship by my orders for transmission to Rio de Janeiro.  Numbers of similar decisions were made, on the false plea that Maranham previously formed part of the Brazilian empire, and consequently that all the seizures effected were invalid!

I remonstrated that, on our arrival at Maranham, the city and province were, and ever had been, in possession of Portugal—­that the Portuguese had by the ordinary capitulations of war delivered up both to an armed Brazilian force without question—­and that, by a previous decree of the Emperor, no less than by the customary usages of war, all enemy’s property fell to the captors.  The prize court not only overruled the objection, but condemned me to make restitution of all sums received in ransom for property taken at Maranham.  In one instance the tribunal declared me deserving of corporal punishment (pena corporal!) and would, had they dared, doubtless have enforced this, and the restitution to which I was condemned.