Army. Navy. Schools. 



THE BRAZILS. 



National debt. Trade with the United 

 States. Events in the squadron. 



17 



and in it all males from eighteen to forty-five years 

 of age are enrolled. They are equipped at their 

 own cost, the nation furnishing arms and ammuni- 

 tion only. Detachments of this guard are on duty- 

 daily at the palace and public offices. 



The navy is not effective; they want seamen, and 

 are not likely to have any. A naval academy is 

 established for the education of cadets or midship- 

 men. Here they enter at twelve years of age, re- 

 ceiving some of the first rudiments of education, 

 and remain four years. After passing an exami- 

 nation, they are sent to sea, serve there four years, 

 and if found qualified are then promoted to second 

 lieutenants. 



The military academy they enter later, remain 

 seven years, passing through various courses of 

 study, and if found competent, they are made lieu- 

 tenants. From" what I understood, the system of 

 education is very imperfect. 



Schools for educating the people have been 

 established, and the female sex are now allowed to 

 be educated. 



Agriculture is extending; and the slave-trade, 

 since the treaty with England, has been prohibited; 

 but large numbers of slaves are still easily smug- 

 gled, by the connivance of the authorities, and 

 although many are captured by British cruisers, 

 yet it is said that more than one-half of the vessels 

 escape, and smuggle the slaves into the small 

 rivers and harbours, bribing the collectors, who 

 permit them to be landed. After landing, the 

 slaves are driven into the woods, where they are 

 secreted until they are sold to the planters in the 

 interior. 



The slaves do not increase, as procreation is 

 prevented as much as possible. The two sexes are 

 generally locked up at night in separate apart- 

 ments. The number of slaves imported into Rio 

 and Bahia previous to the prohibition of the slave- 

 trade in 1830, was about forty thousand a year 

 for the former, and ten thousand for the latter, as 

 follows : 



RIO. 



1828 . . 41,913 



1829 . . 40,015 



1830 halfyear 29,777 



3AHIA. 



8,860 

 12,808 

 8,588 



About one-third of these were lost by death, 

 leaving two-thirds as an accession to the labour of 

 the country. 



The number annually imported since 1830, con- 

 trary to law, is estimated at seven to ten thousand. 



In speaking of the apprehension of a rise of the 

 blacks in the provinces, the well-informed seemed 

 to entertain no kind of fear of such an event. I 

 was told that Bahia was the only point at which 

 insurrections were ever likely to occur, and this 

 was from the prevalence of the Minas slaves, who 

 are very intelligent, and capable of forming orga- 

 nized bodies, which they occasionally have done. 

 The slaves of the other provinces are of a mixed 

 character, incapable of any organization, and from 

 having been taken from different tribes on the 

 coast, they are more or less hostile to each other, 

 and would be opposed to any such union. 



The Brazilians have great respect for foreigners 

 who are not Portuguese. The latter are detested. 

 They have a strong bias in favour of the United 

 States and the American government generally. 

 They think the time is approaching which will 

 unite the people of this continent in a distinct 



national policy, in centra-distinction to that of 

 Europe, and in rivalry to it. They are vain of 

 their own country and its institutions, and firmly 

 believe that a high destiny awaits Brazil. The 

 government, in its political relations with other 

 countries, is seemingly confiding and liberal. 



The population of the empire, taking the last 

 returns of the members of the Chamber of Depu- 

 ties as a guide, is estimated at five millions. No 

 census has yet been taken, but it is thought to 

 exceed this number. The scrutiny formerly exer- 

 cised by the government into their domestic affairs, 

 it is said, caused them to conceal the actual num- 

 ber of persons in their families. Of the above 

 number, about two millions are slaves. The popu- 

 lation of Rio in 1810 was estimated at forty thou- 

 sand, in 1838 it was two hundred and fifty thou- 

 sand. 



The national debt of Brazil amounts to one 

 hundred million milrees, or sixty million dollars. 

 The revenue was about sixteen millions of dollars 

 for 1838. It is derived principally from exports 

 and imports. 



The imports amounted to over twenty millions of 

 dollars, but the amount of exports is variously 

 stated. Coffee is the great staple, and more than 

 one hundred and twenty millions of pounds were 

 exported in 1838. It is derived from the central 

 provinces, and the exports of it have more than 

 doubled within the last ten years. The exports of 

 the southern provinces are mostly confined to hides 

 and tallow; those of the northern, to sugar, cotton, 

 and tobacco. 



The trade with the United States has greatly 

 increased. Within the last few years, from one 

 hundred and sixty to one hundred and seventy 

 American vessels take and bring cargoes to and 

 from the United States, and some foreign vessels 

 are engaged in the same trade. Thdkjonsumption 

 of American flour in Rio and the neighbouring 

 country has been, during the same year, about one 

 hundred and twenty thousand barrels. 



The delays in Rio had no effect upon the general 

 health of the squadron, although I was fearful 

 such might be the case, not only from the heat of 

 the climate, but the copious draughts of aguardiente 

 with which the foreigners supply the sailors. 



On the 5th of January, 1839, the Porpoise was 

 ordered to drop down near a slaver, on board of 

 which it was reported some of our men had been 

 smuggled, to form a part of her crew. She was 

 boarded, and though the captain denied that they 

 were on board, after a search two were found. One 

 of them was a black, who had himself been a slave, 

 yet he had been induced to enter for the purpose 

 of carrying on this nefarious traffic. This was the 

 brig Fox, and though undoubtedly fitted for a 

 slaver, she sailed under English colours. It was 

 given out that she was bound for New Zealand. 



On the 6th of January, every thing being ready, 

 we weighed anchor, and dropped down the har- 

 bour. 



There is no difficulty, I may add, in beating out 

 of the harbour of Rio, with a ship of any class, 

 although vessels sail generally in the morning, 

 with the land-breeze. 



The winds proved light and variable during our 

 passage to Rio Negro, and we occasionally expe- 

 rienced a south-westerly current, of little strength. 

 On the 18th of January, when seventy-eight miles 



