Finding that Lieutenant Shepherd would not fly in the face of my authority, the Envoy finally resorted to the extraordinary measure of stopping the seamen’s wages and provisions.  On the 6th of October, Lieutenant Shepherd wrote to me, that “in consequence of their wages not being paid they had all left off work, and though Clarence did all he could to pacify them, and get them to return to their duty, they had determined not to go to work until they were paid.”  On the 8th, Lieutenant Shepherd again wrote, “that Gameiro having ceased to supply the frigate with fresh provisions, he had, on his own responsibility, ordered the butcher to continue supplying them as usual.”  On Lieutenant Shepherd waiting upon the Envoy to remonstrate against this system of starvation, he replied—­and his words are extracted from Lieutenant Shepherd’s letter to me, that as “His Lordship did not think proper to sail at the time he wished, he would not be responsible for supplying the frigate with anything more—­nor would he advance another shilling.”  In all this, Gameiro—­acting, no doubt, on instructions from the Portuguese faction at Rio—­resorted to every kind of falsehood to get the officers to renounce my authority and to accept his!  Of the character of the man and his petty expedients, the following extract from Lieutenant Shepherd’s letter of the 8th of October, will form the best exponent:—­

I have had another visit from General Brown, when he began a conversation by mentioning the evils which would arise from the feeling between your Lordship and Gameiro, who was at a loss how to act, as he had no authority over you—­Gen. Brown suggesting how much better it would be for me to place myself under Gameiro’s orders.  Finding that I refused—­on the following morning he called again, and told me that he had seen Gameiro, and had heard that the misunderstanding between your Lordship and him was at an end, but that Gameiro wanted to see me.  On this I waited on Gameiro, who after some conversation told me that if I had any regard for His Imperial Majesty’s service, I should never have acted as I had done.  I told him that all I had done had been for the good of the service, and that I was ready to put to sea as soon as I received your Lordship’s orders.  He then asked me if I was the effective Captain of the ship? and whether I was not under the orders of Captain Crosbie?  I told him that I was not acting under the orders of Captain Crosbie, but that I was Captain of the ship by virtue of a commission from the Emperor, and by an order from Lord Cochrane.  He then said—­Are you authorised to obey the orders of Captain Crosbie? and I said, I was not.  Suppose you were to receive an order from Captain Crosbie, would you obey it?  I said I would not.  Then you consider yourself the lawful Captain of that ship?  I do.

Upon this Gameiro remarked, “You are not an officer of Lord Cochrane’s, but of the Imperial Government.  It is impossible for