EHAZIL. 



665 



years' duration has lately taken place, the result of 

 which is the new empire. 



The removal of the Portuguese government to B., 

 Jan. 19, 1808, when the royal family landed in 

 Bahia, whence, it transferred its residence to Rio 

 Janeiro in March, till the-departure of king John VI. 

 to Lisbon, April 26, 1821, was the commencement 

 of the prosperity of B. As early as Jan. 28, 1808, 

 all the ports of B. were opened for the unconditional 

 entrance of all friendly and neutral vessels, and for 

 the exportation of Brazilian productions, under cer- 

 tain duties, with the sole exception of Brazil wood. 

 B. now entered, also, into an immediate connexion 

 with Germany, which had an equally beneficial in- 

 fluence on its agriculture, intellectual improvement, 

 and commerce. The treaty of alliance and commerce 

 concluded with Britain at Rio Janeiro, Feb. 19, 

 1810, permitted the British even to build and repair 

 vessels of war in the liarbours of B. ; and the then 

 prince-regent of Portugal promised never to intro- 

 duce the inquisition into B., and to co-operate in ear- 

 nest to effect the abolition of the slave-trade, except- 

 ing such as was carried on in the Portuguese 

 possessions in Africa. The decree of Nov. 18, 1814, 

 next allowed all nations free intercourse with B. In 

 1815, the prince-regent promised B. independence 

 and equal privileges with Portugal. Dec. 16, 1815, 

 lie made it a monarchy. Finally, by the marriage 

 of the crown-prince of Brazil, don Pedro, with 

 the archduchess Leopoldine, daughter of Francis 

 I. of Austria, Nov. 6, 1817, Germany was in various 

 ways brought into contact with B. The government 

 in Rio Janeiro now allowed the free prosecution of 

 natural researches. Thus Mawe, an Englishman, 

 was permitted to examine the diamond mines ; the 

 chevalier Eschwege, afterwards overseer of the ca- 

 binet of minerals in Rio, was enabled to examine the 

 mountains of Minas Geraes at Villa Rica ; and the 

 latest work on B., by Martius and Spix, contains 

 similar evidence how zealous even a royal minister, 

 Conde da Barca, is in promoting scientific investiga- 

 tions. As B., by reason of its soil and climate, may 

 become the chief mart of all colonial commodities, the 

 government has encouraged, since 1 809, the settle- 

 ment of strangers, and has granted to foreigners, at a 

 small price, large tracts of land (tismarias), of a 

 league (22,500 feet) in breadth, and three leagues in 

 length, for the cultivation of sugar, coffee, cotton, 

 &c., as well as wheat, rice, and maize, which afford 

 here annually two corps. Swiss and Germans (such 

 as Freyreiss, the baron Busche, and Paycke of Ham- 

 burg) have therefore founded large settlements here. 

 According to Langsdorf, who published Observations 

 on Brazil, at Heidelburg, 1821, Welsh corn generally 

 yields in B. 130 fold, and rice 80 fold. The 

 coffee-tree, which, in the West Indies, yields annually, 

 on an average, one and a half pounds of coffee, in B., 

 yields at least two or three, and not (infrequently five 

 or six pounds. But the want of industry, at that 

 time, rendered the means of living in the capital and 

 neighbourhood extremely dear, while the total absence 

 of highways, and other means of facilitating convey- 

 ance, deprived the products of the interior of almost 

 all their value. Without a considerable capital, no 

 foreigner can cultivate the land bestowed on him, and 

 B. is as yet far removed from that equality of rights, 

 which secures to each one the full use of his means, 

 as well as from that toleration, which affords protec- 

 tion and freedom of conscience to every creed. The 

 royal decree of March 16, 1820, which encourages 

 the settlement of foreigners, by an exemption from 

 taxes for four years, wifi never, therefore, while these 

 impediments exist, produce the results which have 

 followed the colonization of North America a coun- 

 try, in other respects, less inviting. The foreign 



relations of B., of late years, have not been altogether 

 of a peaceful nature. After the conclusion of the 

 congress at Vienna, Spain refused to cede Olivenza to 

 Portugal; on which account, the Banda Oriental, 

 with its capital, Monte Video, an important portion 

 of the Spanish province of Buenos Ayres, was taken 

 possession of by B., and maintained with effect 

 against the claims of the republic of Buenos Ayres, 

 after it had attained independence. An insurrection 

 in Pernambuco, in April, 1817, where a party raised 

 the republican standard, was suppressed by the Por- 

 tuguese troops stationed in B. But when the revolu- 

 tion broke out in Portugal, Aug. 1820, having for its 

 object the establishment of a constitution, the Portu- 

 guese troops in B. also obtained a constitution in 

 Behalf of the latter country. Don Pedro, the crown- 

 prince, proclaimed the acceptation of the Portuguese 

 constitution in the name of himself and father, Feb. 

 26, 1821. King John VI. now commanded the 

 choice of deputies (March 7th) to meet with the cortes 

 assembled in Lisbon, and was desirous to embark 

 with them for that city. But, the bank being unable 

 to make the necessary advances of money, a bloody 

 insurrection ensued. The king therefore changed 

 the bank into a national bank, and, to defray the 

 sums loaned, appropriated to it the charge of the 

 diamond mines, and the regulation of the trade in 

 diamonds. The king soon after (April 21 and 22) saw 

 himself compelled to order the military to disperse the 

 assembly of electors, who demanded the adoption of 

 the Spanish constitution. On the other hand, he re- 

 peated the ratification of the (then incomplete) Por- 

 tdguese constitution, and, April 22, appointed his son 

 don Pedro prince-regent of B. He now embarked 

 for Portugal, April 26. But, as the Portuguese 

 cortes was not willing to grant Ihe entire equality of 

 civil and political relations demanded by the Brazil- 

 ians, and, without waiting for the arrival of the 

 Brazilian deputation, had Framed the articles of the 

 constitution which related to B., and subsequently re- 

 jected the additional articles proposed by the Brazil- 

 ian deputies, and, finally, had expressly declared, 

 that B. was to be divided into governments, and 

 ruled by the ministry of state at Lisbon, and the 

 prince-regent was to be recalled to Portugal, such 

 violent convulsions were excited in Rio Janeiro, and 

 various parts of B., Dec., 1821, that it was explicitly 

 declared to the prince-regent, that his departure 

 would be the signal for establishing an independent 

 republic. The prince, therefore, resolved to remain 

 in B., and gave a public explanation of his reasons, 

 Jan. 9, 1822, to his father, to the cortes in Portugal, 

 and to the people of B. The Portuguese troops were 

 removed from B. The prince-regent assumed, May 

 13, 1822, the title of perpetual defender of B., and, in 

 June, convened a national assembly, composed of 

 100 deputies, to frame a separate constitution for the 

 country. The cortes in Lisbon, on the other hand, 

 declared this constitution void, Sept. 19, 1822, and 

 demanded the return of the prince-regent to Europe, 

 on pain of forfeiting his right to the throne. Mean- 

 while, the national assembly of B. had declared the 

 separation of that country from Portugal, Aug. 1, 

 1822, and, Oct. 12, appointed don Pedro the consti- 

 tutional emperor of B. The new emperor retained, 

 at the same time, the title of perpetual defender of K. 

 Soon after the establishment of the empire, began 

 the struggle with the republican party. In this party 

 were many free-masons. Don Pedro, who had pro- 

 claimed himself, shortly before, grand master of all 

 the free-masons in B., ordered that all the lodges 

 should be closed, and the congress, which he had 

 promised to assemble for the purpose of framing a 

 constitution, was not convened. At that time, the 

 two brothers Andrade, Jose Bonifacio, minister ot 



