THE BRAZILS, 127 
are conveyed bj smugglers from Bahia, Rio cle Janeiro and 
St. Catharine's to Monte Video. It is not easy to calcuiate 
what the price, to the real consumer, would be of English 
broad cloth, sent from London to Lisbon, from Lisbon to the 
Brazils, and thence to the Spanish colonies ; but high as it 
must necessarily be, the inhabitants of these colonics would 
be exceedingly glad to obtain ten times the quantity at the 
same rate. 
Few of the Brazilian colonists entertain the idea of ever 
returning to Portugal. Their condition in South' America is 
very different from that of our countrymen in foreign settle- 
ments. These exert their utmost energy to amass a fortune, 
in the hope of enjoying it at home ; while those see as little 
prospect of returning to Europe with the means of a comfort- 
able subsistence as a convict can expect to return with a for- 
tune from Botany Bay. Even the military officers, vvliose 
turn of duty requires their being sent to the Brazils, seldom 
if ever return. Being kept beyond their time of service, 
they are induced to marry, beget a progeny, and settle 
in die country; thus losing sight in a great degree of the 
mother country, and naturally becoming less indisposed to 
separate from it. Some of the leading men spoke very freely 
on this subject when we were there, and I should conclude 
that circumstances have not changed much in favour of the 
government since that time. There is little doubt that a man 
of skill, of spirit and reputation, might at this moment easily 
spur them on to declare their independence. Still, however, 
I am inclined to believe that one of their own countrymen 
from Europe would be more acceptable as a chief than either 
