Army. — Navy. — Schools. 



THE BRAZILS. 



National debt. — Trade with the United 

 Stales — Kvcnu in ihe KQtmdrun. 



17 



and iu it nil males from eighteen to forty-five years 

 of age are enrolled. They are crmipped nt their 

 own cost, the nation furnishing arms ami ammuni- 

 tion only. Detachments of this i;uard are on duty 

 daily at the palace ami public offices. 



The navy is not effective; they want seamen, and 

 are not likely to have any. A naval academy is 

 established fur the education of cadets or midship- 

 men. Hero they enter at twelve years of niic, re- 

 ceiving some of the first rudiments of education, 

 and remain four years. After passing an exami- 

 nation, they are sent to sea, serve there four years, 

 and if found qualified are then promoted to Beeond 

 licutmnii ts. 



The military academy they enter later, remain 

 seven years, poising through various courses of 

 study, and if found competent, they arc made lieu- 

 tenants. From wliat 1 understood, the system of 

 education is very imperfect. 



Schools for educating tho people have been 

 established, and the female sex are now allowed to 

 lie educated. 



Agriculture is extending; and the slave-trade, 

 since the treaty with England, has been prohibited; 

 hut targe numbers of slaves are still easily smug- 

 gled, by the connivance of the authorities, and 

 although many are captured by British cruisers, 

 vet it is said that more than one-half of the vessels 

 escape, and smuggle the slaves into the small 

 livers and harbours, bribing the collectors, who 

 permit them to be landed. After landing, the 

 slaves are driven into the woods, where ihey are 

 sereted until they are sold to the planters in the 

 interior. 



The slaves do not increase, as procreation is 

 prevented as much as possible. The two sexes are 

 generally locked up at night in separate apart- 

 ments. The number of slaves iiu|*irted into Rio 

 itinl Uahia previous to the prohibition or the slave- 

 trade in 1830, was about forty thousand a year 

 for the former, and ten thousand for the hitter, us 

 follows : — 



mo. 



1838 . . 41.913 

 1829 . , 40,ul5 

 18.10 half yenr 2!>.7?r 



BARIA. 



8,600 

 IJ.80S 

 8.SSS 



About one-third of these were hM by death, 

 leaving two-thirds as an accession to the labour of 

 the country. 



The number annually imported since 183(1, con- 

 trary to law, is estimated at seven to ton thousand. 



In speaking of the apprehension of a ri^> of the 

 blacks in the provinces, the well-iuformod seemed 

 to entertain no kind of fear of such an event. 1 

 was told that Rahia was the only point nt which 

 insurrections were ever likely to occur, and (his 

 was from the prevalence of the Minas slaves, w ho 

 are very intelligent, and capable of forming orga- 

 nized bodies, which they occasionally have doue. 

 The staves of the other provinces atv ,,f a mixed 

 character, incapable of any organization, ami from 

 having been taken from dim-rent tribes on the 

 .■oust, they nre to.. re or less hostile to earh oilier, 

 ami would be opposed to any such union. 



The Brazilians have great respect for foreigners 

 who are not Portuguese. The hitter are detesied. 

 They have a strong bias in favour of the United 

 States and the American government generally. 

 They think the time is approaching which will 

 unite the people of thin continent in a distinct 



national policy, in rontrn-disiinetioii to that of 

 Europe, and in rivalry to it. They tiro vain of 

 their own country and its institutions, and firmly 

 believe that a high destiny awaits Brazil. The 

 government, in its political relations with other 

 Coiiiitrn h. is si-i-iniiigly eotifutijig and liberal. 



The population of the empire, taking the last 

 returns of the nu tubers of the C hamber of Depu- 

 ties as a e;uide, is estimated at live mil I ions. No 

 census lias yet been taken, but it is thought to 

 exceed this number. The scrutiny formerly exer- 

 cised by the government into their domestic affairs, 

 it is said, caused them to conceal the actual num- 

 ber of persons in their families. Of the above 

 number, about two millions are slaves. The popu- 

 lation or Jitn in 1UI0 was estimated at forty thou- 

 sand, in 1038 it was two hundred and fifty thou- 

 sand. 



The national debt of Br.iy.il amounts to one 

 hundred million inilrees, or sixty million dollars. 

 The revenue was about sixteen millions of dollars 

 for 1838. It is derived principally from exports 

 and imports. 



Tin imports amounted to over twenty million* of 

 dollars, but the amount of exports ts variously 

 stated. Coffee is the great staple, and more than 

 one hundred and twenty millions of pounds were 

 exported in 1838. It is derived from the central 

 provinces, and the exports of it have more than 

 doubled within the last ten years. The exports of 

 the southern provinces are mostly confined to hides 

 ami tallow; those of the northern, to sugar, cotton, 

 and tobacco. 



The trade with the United States has greatly 

 increased. Within the lust few years, from one 

 hundred and sixty to one hundred and seventy 

 American vessels take and bring cargoes to and 

 from the United States, and some foreign vessels 

 are engaged in the same trade. The consumption 

 of American flour in Rio and the neighbouring 

 country has been, during the samo year, about one 

 hundred and twenty thousand barrels. 



Tho delays in Uio had no effect upon the general 

 health of the squadron, although 1 was fearful 

 such might be the case, not only from the heat of 

 the climate, but the copious draughts of aguardiente 

 with which the foreigners supply the sailors. 



On the . r )th of January, 1831), the I*..rp.o- was 

 ordered to drop down near a slaver, on lnjard of 

 which it was reported some of our men hud been 

 smuggled, to form a part of her crew. She was 

 boarded, and though the captain ih-nhd that they 

 w.-re on board, after a search two were found. Due 

 of them was a black, who had himself been n slave, 

 yet he had been induced to enter for th« purpose 

 of carrying on this nefarious traffic. This was the 

 brij: Fox, ansl though undoubtedly fitted for a 

 slaver, sin? sailed under English colours. It MM 

 given out that she was hound for New Zealand. 



On the (lib. or January, every thing being rvady, 

 wo weighed anchor, and dropped down the har- 

 bour. 



There is no difficulty, 1 may add, in beating out 

 of the harbour of Rio, with a ship of any class, 

 all hough vessels sail generally in the morning, 

 with the land-breeze. 



The winds proved light and variable during our 

 passage to Rio Negro, and we occasionally expe- 

 rienced a south-westerly current, of little strength. 

 Oti the 18th of January, when seventy -eight miles 



c 



