THE WAR OF THE CABANOS. 



341 



southern wars; and the yellow-fever*- and small -pox, in one year, carried 

 off between four and five thousand more. 



The war of the Cabanos was a servile insurrection, instigated and 

 headed by a few turbulent and ambitious men. The ostensible cause 

 was dissatisfaction with the provincial government. The real cause 

 seems to have been hatred of the Portuguese. 



Charles Jenks Smith, then consul at Para, writes to the Hon. John 

 Forsyth, under date of January 20, 1835 : 



" After the happy conclusion of the war on the Acara, this city has 

 remained in a state of perfect tranquility, until the morning of the 7th 

 instant, when a popular revolution broke out among the troops, which 

 has resulted in an entire change of the government of this province. 



The President and the General-das- Armas were both assassinated at 

 the palace, by the soldiers there stationed, between the hours of 4 and 

 5 a. m. Inglis, Commandant of the Defensora corvette, and Captain 

 of the port, was also killed in passing from his dwelling to his ship. 

 The subaltern commissioned officers on duty were shot down by the 

 soldiery, who, placing themselves under the command of a sergeant 

 named Gomez, took possession of all the military posts in the city. 



" About fifty prisoners were then set at liberty, who, in a body, pro- 

 ceeded to a part of the city called Porto de Sol, and commenced an 

 indiscriminate massacre of all the Portuguese they could find in that 

 neighborhood. In this manner about twenty respectable shop-keepers 

 and others lost their lives. 



" Guards were stationed along the whole line of the shore, to prevent 

 any person from embarking ; and several Portuguese were shot in making 

 the attempt to escape." 



A new President and General-das- Arm as were proclaimed ; but they 

 quarrelled very soon. The President, named Melchor, was taken pris- 

 oner and murdered by his guards ; and Vinagre, the General-das- Armas 

 took upon himself the government. In the conflicts incident to this 

 change about two hundred persons were killed. The persons and prop- 

 erty of fll foreigners, except Portuguese, were respected. Many of 

 these were insulted, and some killed. 



Vinagre held the city, in spite of several attempts of Brazilian men- 

 of-war to drive him out, until the 21st June, when, upon the arrival of 

 a newly-appointed President, he evacuated it. During these attempts 

 the British corvettes Racehorse and Despatch, a Portuguese corvette, 

 and two French brigs o£war, offered their services for protection to the 

 American consul. 



On the 4th of August, Vinagre again broke into the city. The 



