40 PARA. Chap. I. 



the greater part of the male white inhabitants. The 

 victorious native party endeavoured to establish a 

 government of their own. After this state of things 

 had endured six months, they accepted a new President 

 sent from Kio Janeiro, who, however, again irritated 

 them by imprisoning their favourite leader, Vinagre. 

 The revenge which followed was frightful. A vast host 

 of half-savage coloured people assembled in the retired 

 creeks behind Para, and on a day fixed, after Vinagre's 

 brother had sent a message three times to the President 

 demanding, in vain, the release of their leader, the whole 

 body poured into the city through the gloomy pathways 

 of the forest which encircles it. A cruel battle, lasting 

 nine days, was fought in the streets ; an English, 

 French, and Portuguese man-of-war, from the side of 

 the river, assisting the legal authorities. All the latter, 

 however, together with every friend of peace and order, 

 were finally obliged to retire to an island a few miles 

 distant. The city and province were given up to 

 anarchy ; the coloured people, elated with victory, pro- 

 claimed the slaughter of all whites, except the English, 

 French, and American residents. The mistaken prin- 

 cipals, who had first aroused all this hatred of races, 

 were obliged now to make their escape. In the interior 

 the supporters of lawful authority, including, it must be 

 stated, whole tribes of friendly Indians and numbers of 

 the better disposed negroes and mulattos, concentrated 

 themselves in certain strong positions and defended 

 themselves, until the reconquest of the capital and 

 large towns of the interior, in 1836, by a force sent 

 from Rio Janeiro, after ten months of anarchy. 



