270 



FOREIGNERS IN BARRA. 



rock-fish, as it is called in the Southern States. Cut into pieces, fried, 

 and potted, with vinegar and spices, it makes capital provisions for a 

 voyage of a week or two. 



Williams is the only American resident in Barra. He was in partner- 

 ship with an Irishman named Bradley, who died a few months ago of 

 vellow fever, in Para ; he, however, had been very sick, but a short 

 time before, of the tertiana of the Rio Negro, and had not fairly recov- 

 ered when he went to Para. There had been another American in 

 Barra a year ago. This was a deaf mute named Baker, who was trav- 

 elling in this country for his amusement. He carried with him tablets 

 and a raised alphabet, for the purpose of educating the deaf, dumb, and 

 blind. He died on the 29th of April, 1850, at San Joachim, the fron- 

 tier port of Brazil, on the Rio Branco. 



I heard some muttered suspicions that the poor man had possibly 

 met with foul play, if not in relation to his death, at least in relation to 

 his property ; and understanding that the soldier in whose house he 

 died was then in prison in Barra, I directed a communication to the 

 President, requesting an interview with this soldier. His Excellency 

 did not think proper to grant that, but sent for the soldier, and himself 

 examined him. He then replied to my communication, that he could 

 find nothing suspicious in the matter of Mr. Baker's death, but enough 

 in regard to his property to induce him to send for the commandant of 

 the port of San Joachim, and bring the whole matter before a proper 

 tribunal, which he should do at the earliest opportunity, and communi- 

 cate the result to the American Minister at Rio. 



Enrique had told me that he saw in Mr. Baker's possession a rouleau 

 of doubloons, which he judged amounted to two thousand dollars, 

 besides a large bag of silver. A military gentleman whom I was in 

 the habit of meeting at Enrique's house, told me that he himself had 

 heard the soldier say that he should be a rich man when he got back 

 to San Joachim; all of which I communicated to the President. The 

 soldier's imprisonment at Barra was on account of some military offence, 

 and had nothing to do with this case. 



The President also sent me a list of the personal effects of Mr. Baker, 

 which had been sent down by the commandant of San Joachim to Col. 

 Albino, the Commandante Geral of the Comarca. Amongst them were 

 some things that I thought might be valuable to his family — such as 

 daguerreotypes, maps, and manuscripts ; and I requested his Excellency 

 to place them at my disposal for transportation to the United States ; 

 but he replied that by a law of the empire the effects of all foreigners 

 belonging to nations who have no special treaty upon the subject, who 



