BRAZIL 



1C9 



of an efficient system of recruiting, and of a 

 military code, provisions for meeting the deficit, 

 and the prolongation of the Don Pedro Rail- 

 way. 



Though a satisfactory arrangement of the 

 difficulty between Brazil and Great Britain 

 was not reached during the year 1864-, the 

 attention of the Brazilian people was divert- 

 from it by the threatening aspect which 

 the relations of the Empire to the Repub- 

 lic of Uruguay assumed. The Government 

 of Brazil maintained that the claims of Bra- 

 zilian residents in Uruguay for indemnification 

 for losses which they had suffered in the civil 

 war of Uruguay (See URUGUAY), had not been 

 properly considered. It began early in 186-4 

 to show marked sympathy with the chief of 

 the insurgents, General Flores, and to concen- 

 trate troops on the frontier of Uruguay. On 

 August 4, Brazil presented to the Government 

 of Uruguay an ultimatum, and demanded a 

 reply within six days. On October 11, the 

 commander of the Brazilian fleet, in a circular 

 despatch addressed to diplomatic agents re- 

 siding in Montevideo, announced his intention 

 to search all the vessels of foreign powers to 

 prevent the landing of contraband of war. 

 This measure called forth a joint protest from 

 the ministers of England, France, Italy, Spain, 

 and Portugal, as Brazil had not yet formally 

 declared war against Uruguay, and, in particu- 

 lar, had not notified the foreign powers of the 

 blockade of the ports of Uruguay. The con- 

 duct of Brazil produced in the adjacent States 

 the universal belief that it was her intention to 

 seize Uruguay. In such a scheme the State 

 of Paraguay and the upper provinces of the 

 Argentine Republic are deeply concerned, as 

 the possession of the mouth of the Uruguay 

 River would make their trade, to a large ex- 

 tent, dependent upon the Brazilian Govern- 

 ment. 



The President of Paraguay, consequently, on 

 August 30th, issued an earnest protest against 

 the threats uttered by Brazil against Uruguay. 

 When it became clear that Brazil persisted in 

 her policy, and had marched troops into the 

 territory of Uruguay, the President of Paraguay 

 declared war against Brazil. A despatch from 

 Mr. Seward to the United States Minister in 

 Paraguay expressed sympathy with the policy 

 of the President of that State. The excite- 

 ment in the provinces Corrientes and Entre 

 Rios of the Argentine Republic was also so 

 great, that it was expected that they would 

 support Paraguay, even if the Central Gov- 

 ernment of the Confederation should remain 

 on intimate terms with Brazil. On the pro- 

 gress of the war, see UBUGUAY. 



On October 7th the Confederate privateer 

 Florida was captured in the Bay of Bahia by 

 the U. S. steamer Wachusetts. Intelligence 

 of the fact reached Rio Janeiro on the 14th of 

 October. A council of ministers, presided 

 over by the Emperor, was at once held. The 

 Minister for Foreign Affairs, on the 13th of 



October, addressed a note to the Minister of 

 the United States, detailing to him the facts 

 in the case, and expressing a belief that he 

 would hasten to give the Imperial Government 

 assurances that the Government of the Union 

 would attend to the just remonstrances of the- 

 Empire. (See DIPLOMATIC CORRESI-OXDEXCE.) 



On the escape of the "Wachusetts with the 

 Florida from the port of Bahia becoming known 

 to the Brazilian Government at Rio Janeiro, 

 that Government at once removed the Presi- 

 dent of the Province of Bahia, and ordered to the 

 metropolis the officers of its naval squad- 

 ron and of the forts in that port, for the purpose 

 of submitting to a court of inquiry whether 

 they had used due exertion in repelling this 

 violation of the territorial waters of the Em- 

 pire, and in attempting to prevent the escape 

 of the Federal ship-of-war with its capture. 

 In addition, the Brazilian Government issued 

 orders inhibiting the admission of the Wachu- 

 setts to any port of the Empire. 



For several years the Government of Brazil 

 has endeavored to encourage European im- 

 migration. It has offered liberal inducements 

 to settlers, and as the stream of emigration 

 comes mostly from the Protestant countries of 

 Europe it has promised to Protestant settlers 

 not only freedom of their religious worship, 

 but the support of their ministers, churches, 

 and schools. A considerable number of colo- 

 nies have consequently been established by 

 emigrants, and Brazil is at present the only 

 country in South or Central America which 

 has a number of Protestant congregations. 

 On the progress and present condition of these 

 congregations interesting information has been 

 recently furnished by a German Protestant 

 missionary, from which the following are a 

 few extracts : 



The oldest and largest Protestant congregation in 

 Brazil is the English congregation of Rio Janeiro. 

 Its origin dates from the beginning of the present 

 century, and the number of its members is from 

 4,000 to 5,000. There are other English Protestant 

 congregations at Bahia and Pernambuco. 



The American Presbyterians have likewise a con- 

 gregation at Bahia. They also sustain missionaries 

 in Rio Janeiro and in the city and Province of Sao 

 Paulo. 



The German Protestant congregation in Rio Ja- 

 neiro was established in 1820. For sixteen years 

 the congregation, which has now also a school and 

 numbers about 2,500 members, has become self- 

 supporting. The Province of Rio Janeiro has, be- 

 sides the congregation in the capital, two others at 

 New Friburg and Petropolis. They have both a 

 church and a school, but have suffered greatlv from 

 the failure of the Brazilian Government to fulfil the 

 contract entered into with the colonists. The con- 

 gregation of Petropolis has received a missionary 

 From the Basle Mission-House, whose interest in the 

 fate of the German and Swiss emigrants to Brazil 

 was enlisted in 1861 bv Baron Von Tschudi, the 

 ambassador of Switzerland in Rio Janeiro. The 

 Basle mission-house has since sent out five more 

 missionaries to Brazil. The Protestants of Juiz de 

 Fora, a colony situated about twenty-four leagues 

 from Petropolis, are connected with the congregation 

 of the latter place. 



The province of Espirito has 4 German Protestani 



