88 POLITICAL STATE OF BRAZIL. 
supported, with a large corps of military police, and a national guard. 
The national guard is organized by law, 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 ammunition 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 midshipmen. Here they enter at twelve years of age, 
receiving some of the first rudiments of education, and remain four 
years. After passing an examination 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 they are found competent, 
they are made lieutenants. From what I understood, the system of 
education is very imperfect. 
Schools for educating the people have been established, and the 
female sex is 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 smuggled 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 
apartments. 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. 
BAHIA. 
1828 . . 41,913 . .- . 8j860 
1829 . . 40,015 . . . 12 ,808 
1830 half year, 29,777 . . . 8)588 
About one-third of these were lost by death, leaving two-thirds as 
an accession to the labour of the country. 
