Majesty.  Is it then justifiable, to suffer the engagements which produced such results to be evaded and set at nought?  Still more monstrous—­decrees have been passed, both by the Auditor of Marine and the Court of Admiralty, to punish the captors for the execution of their duty, and by means of pains and penalties to deter them from the performance of it in future.

It is even more unjust and inconsistent, that although His Majesty’s late ministers held out that ships of war were to be prize to the captors, they are now declared to be the property of the state!  Do those narrow-minded persons who prompted such a decree, imagine this to be a saving to the country? or do they expect that seamen—­especially foreign seamen—­will fight heartily on such terms?  The power which the British navy has acquired arises from the wisdom of the government in making the interests of the officers and men identical with the interests of the state, which gives bounties and premiums even in addition to the full value of the prizes; whilst the insignificance and inefficiency of the navies of governments which adopt opposite principles, sufficiently indicate whether such liberality, or the want of it, is the best policy in maritime affairs.

Having said thus much on public matters, I shall very briefly trouble you with respect to myself, by stating that, as regards all which does not depend on the uncontrolled exercise of the Imperial functions—­there has been no respect paid to the written stipulations entered into with me on accepting the command of the Brazilian navy, and that since my return from freeing the Northern provinces and uniting them to the Empire, every promise—­written and verbal—­has been evaded or set at nought, which facts I am prepared to prove beyond the possibility of contradiction.

My nature is not suspicious, nor did I ever become doubtful of promises and professions of friendship till after the third year of my connection with Chili—­when, having swept every ship of war belonging to the enemy from the Pacific, the Chilian ministers imagined that they could dispense with my services.  They had not, indeed, the candour which I have experienced here, for, after appointing me to a command without limitation as to time, they did not publicly restrict the duration of that command to the earliest moment that they could dispense with me.  It was their plan—­while openly professing kindness and gratitude—­to endeavour, by secret artifices, to render me odious to the public, and to transfer to me the responsibility which they themselves incurred by bringing the navy to ruin, and causing the seamen to abandon it, by withholding their pay, and even the provisions necessary for their subsistence.  As for the rest, my remonstrances against such conduct were treated in Chili just as my representations have been treated here.  Like causes will ever produce similar effects; but as there was no hostile