252 



NOTES ON BRAZIL. 



to the prosecution of their own views, when they laid him in the grave. 

 His successors in office possessed neither the head nor the heart, to 

 resume and carry forward his plans. The best among them was imdoubtr- 

 edly the Conde de Barcos, a sickly and short-lived man. The worst 

 was Don Joan d' Almeida, whose moral and political character sunk 

 below the range of any common scale of humanity. Fortunately, he 

 had it not long in his power to interdict improvement, though in his 

 short ministry and life he did the country indescribable mischief. 



The foreign political relations of Brazil had become more settled and 

 firm. The Court of St. Sebastian's had received Ambassadors from Great 

 Britain, fi-om Spain, and the United States of America. Consuls too 

 were sent by each of these powers, and Brazil had established in their 

 countries officers of the same class, to facilitate her commerce. She had 

 also entered into a friendly communication with the Independents of 

 Buenos Ayres ; and though the treaty concluded by her Envoy had not 

 been ratified, she was set at ease with regard to the safety of her most 

 important Province, that of Rio Grande do Sul. The Government had 

 so far recovered its proper tone as to send a few^ ships of war to sea, to 

 cruise with the British Fleet ; and had laid down the keels of several 

 new ones. Its Arsenals were enlarged and furnished ; an Admiralty and 

 War-Office were established, and a Nautical Almanack published. The 

 British Packets, in which Brazil has a share, maintained for us a regular 

 correspondence with the European States, and kept up our knowledge of 

 general politics. The Packets of Bahia communicated with all the 

 Northern parts of Brazil, and gave us some commercial facilities. It was 

 a great object with the Government to connect the disjointed members of 

 the kingdom, to strengthen its power at home, and to render it respec- 

 table abroad. Under the supposition that the decree of the French 

 Tyrant, — " The Bourbons have ceased to reign," — would be carried into 

 effect, the Princess Regent had demanded that the Spanish Provinces 

 should submit to her as their lawful Sovereign, and began to fancy that 

 her wish was about to be accomplished. When this haughty woman felt 

 herself checked in her progress, and was driven to other measures, some 



