The Andradas were soon afterwards arrested, and exiled—­a proceeding impolitic and unjust to men who had laid the foundation of Brazilian independence, and who were no less distinguished by their honesty than their ability.  By consenting to their exile, His Majesty lost three valuable servants, and at the same time placed himself in the hands of a faction which he never afterwards controlled, and which eventually forced him from his throne.

As the expulsion of the Assembly—­whether justifiable or not, it is not my province to inquire—­was decisive, it was obviously of the greatest importance to follow it up by some measure which should convince the public that so extreme a course was intended for their good.  As yet no permanent constitution had been declared This, therefore, was clearly the moment for its proclamation, no less to satisfy the people—­who were heart and soul with the Emperor—­than to prevent retaliation by the faction which had been thus summarily dealt with.

Seeing that nothing was promptly acted upon in an emergency involving the stability of Government, I addressed to His Imperial Majesty the following letter:—­

   Rio de Janeiro, November 14, 1823.

   SIRE,

My sense of the impropriety of intruding myself on the attention of your Imperial Majesty, on any subject unconnected with the official position with which your Majesty has been pleased to honour me, could only have been overcome by an irresistible desire, under existing circumstances, to contribute to the service of your Majesty and the Empire.

The conduct of the late legislative assembly, which sought to derogate from the dignity and prerogatives of Your Majesty—­even presuming to require you to divest yourself of your crown in their presence—­who deprived you of your Council of State—­denied you a voice in the enactment of laws and the formation of the constitution, and who dared to object to your exercising the only remaining function of royalty—­that of rewarding services, and conferring honours—­could no longer be tolerated; and the justice and wisdom of Your Imperial Majesty in dissolving such an assembly will be duly appreciated by discerning men, and by those whose love of good order and their country supersedes their ambition or personal interests.  There are, however, individuals who will wickedly take advantage of the late proceedings to kindle the flames of discord, and throw the empire into anarchy and confusion, unless timely prevented by the wisdom and energy of Your Imperial Majesty.

The declaration that you will give to your people a practical constitution, more free than even that which the late assembly professed an intention to establish, cannot—­considering the spirit which now pervades South America—­have the effect of averting impending evils, unless Your Imperial Majesty shall be pleased to dissipate all doubts by at once declaring—­before