BEAZIL— GENERAL SURVEY. 81 



de Janeiro, however, was captured in 1711 by the French filibuster, Duguay- 

 Trouin, who levied a heavy ransom on the inhabitants. 



During the eighteenth century the Paulistas, that is, the people of S. Paulo, most 

 enterprising of all the Brazilians, continued, their excursions towards the Far 

 West, whence they brought gold, diamonds, and other treasures. Stations were 

 established at the mountain passes, at the entrance of the valleys, at the conflu- 

 ences of the rivers, and. Goyaz and Matto Grosso were thus gradually annexed to 

 the colony. The Paulistas even encroached on the Spanish domain, invading the 

 " Missions " in the Parana and Paraguay basins, and extending their expeditions 

 beyond the Mamore to Bolivia and the Peruvian foot-hills. Thus was continually 

 enlarged the domain of Portuguese speech, while the " buffer " zone separating 

 the Brazilian uplands from the spurs of the Andes was gradually narrowed to the 

 advantage of the Brazilian sertanejos. These pioneer squatters and backwoodsmen 

 had explored, if not the whole course, at least the upper reaches and headwaters 

 of the Amazons affluents, and the whole region began to assume a certain geo- 

 graphical unity. 



Political Pei.ations, 



After the rout of the Dutch, the sturdy Brazilians had many occasions of 

 resisting the exactions of the Portuguese themselves, who came to be gradu- 

 ally regarded as forasteiros (" foreigners," " aliens "). About the beginning 

 of the eighteenth century, several risings took place with varying success in the 

 provinces of S. Paulo, Minas Geraes, and Pernambuco ; but after the North 

 American revolution, the national movements become more serious, and the year 

 1789 witnessed the defeat of the first republican consjDiracy in Brazil ; followed 

 by the execution of Tiradentes, one of the chief conspirators, in 1792, the date 

 chosen by the Brazilians as the starting-point of their new national era. 



Although the Portuguese rule was maintained some years longer, the prince 

 regent Dom Joao, on escaping from Portugal to Brazil, had to make Rio de 

 Janeiro the capital of the' Monarch}'. Brazil itself took the title of a kingdom, 

 and distant Portugal began to be regarded as a dependency of its former 

 colony. In 1817 a republican insurrection broke o\it in Pernambuco, and in 1821 

 the Brazilian Cortes (" Chambers ") opposed the departure of Dom Joao VI. for 

 Portugal. Although the deputies were dispersed at the point of the bayonet, 

 the regent Dom Pedro had next year to choose between the imperial throne of 

 an independent Brazil or a return to Portugal. He chose the throne, and 

 thus was accomplished almost without bloodshed the final severance of Brazil 

 from the mother country. 



Having thus become master of her own destinies, Brazil developed a marked 

 individuality in strong contrast to that of the Spanish republics. Although 

 Brazil, like the neighbouring States, contains hundreds of little-known indepen- 

 dent tribes, her mixed white and Indian populations present more unity, a more 

 complete fusion of the racial elements, than do the H ispano- American mestizoes. 

 Most of the aborigines, to whatever stock they may belong, have also been merged 



