94 



NOTES ON BRAZIL. 



lost ; and her state of mind was such as prevented her from feehng the 

 whole extent of her misfortune. Her person was in Rio, but her imagi- 

 nation, it was said, generally presented Lisbonian scenes. 



Her son, the Prince Regent, has often been accused of apathy ; 

 to me he appeared to possess more feeling and energy of character than 

 friends, as well as accusers, usually attributed to him. He was placed in 

 new and singularly trying circumstances, and submitted to them with 

 patience ; when roused, he acted with vigour and promptness. Perhaps 

 he was too often guided by the timid and insincere ; he was certainly 

 surrounded by such as are always dangerous to rulers, by cowardly 

 S3'cophants and hypocritical priests ; and it is no less certain that they 

 possessed great influence over his mind. Yet the firmness with which 

 he refused to stop at Bahia, in opposition to the wishes of some of his - 

 followers, ought not to be forgotten. Without pleading that he displayed 

 any great degree of heroism and devotedness to his country, without 

 denying that he congratulated himself on what has been called his escape, 

 we are surely not obliged to coincide with those who charge him with 

 insensibility and baseness ; and it is well remembered, with respect to 

 some who thus charged him, how lively and open their rejoicings were, 

 that they also had placed the Atlantic between themselves and their 

 invaders. 



There was not, I am persuaded, a British subject in Brazil, who 

 did not most sincerely feel for the distressing situation in which the 

 Prince was placed, and who would not willingly have done all they 

 could to assist and protect him. He was truly kind and attentive to all, 

 and warm in his gratitude to the British nation. His tenderness towards 

 his companions in banishment was unaffected and paternal. 



Little circumstances often showed his regard for our countrymen. 

 On one occasion a very young midshipman had drawn his dirk upon 

 the royal guard, close to the palace, and was boyishly defying the whole 

 of it. An elderly Portuguese, indignant at the sight, exclaimed to the 

 soldiers, " why don't you cut him down ?" " He is an Englishman," 

 was the reply, " and we should disobey the Prince's orders were we to 



