SOCIAL CONDITION OF PARA 27 



dured six months, they accepted a new President sent 

 from Rio Janeiro, who, however, again irritated them by 

 imprisoning their favourite leader, Vinagre. The revenge 

 which followed was frightful. A vast host of half-savage 

 coloured people assembled in the retired creeks behind 

 Para, and on a day fixed, after Vinagre's brother had sent 

 a message three times to the President demanding, in 

 vain, the release of their leader, the whole body poured 

 into the city through the gloomy pathways of the forest 

 which encircles it. A cruel battle, lasting nine days, was 

 fought in the streets ; an English, French, and Portuguese 

 man-of-war, from the side of the river, assisting the legal 

 authorities. All the latter, however, together with every 

 friend of peace and order, were finally obliged to retire 

 to an island a few miles distant. The city and province 

 were given up to anarchy ; the coloured people, elated 

 with victory, proclaimed the slaughter of all whites, ex- 

 cept the English, French, and American residents. The 

 mistaken principals, who had first aroused all this hatred 

 of races, were obliged now to make their escape. In the 

 interior the supporters of lawful authority, including, it 

 must be stated, whole tribes of friendly Indians and 

 numbers of the better disposed negroes and mulattos, 

 concentrated themselves in certain strong positions and 

 defended themselves, until the reconquest of the capital 

 and large towns of the interior, in 1836, by a force sent 

 from Rio Janeiro, after ten months of anarchy. 



Years of conciliatory government, the lesson learnt by 

 the native party and the moderation of the Portuguese, 

 aided by the natural indolence and passive goodness of 

 the Paracuses of all classes and colours, were only be- 

 ginning to produce their good effects about the time 1 

 am speaking of. Life, however, was now and had been 

 for some time quite safe throughout the country. Some 

 few of the worst characters had been transported or 

 imprisoned, and the remainder after being pardoned were 

 converted once more into quiet and peaceable citizens. 



I resided at Para nearly a year and a half altogether, 

 returning thither and making a stay of a few months 

 after each of my shorter excursions into the interior 1, 



^ The following were the excursions alluded to : Aug. 26 

 to Sept. 30, 1848, I went to the Arroyos cataracts on the 

 Tocantins. Dec. 8, 1848, to Feb. 11, 1849, I visited Caripi 



