invaded Bahia, and six years later made a second invasion, in which they took possession of the whole coast from the Rio de San Francisco to Maranham, and made their seat of government at Pernambuco. It was not written, however, that portly burgomasters should there make their permanent New Amsterdam. In 1640 Portugal and her colonies threw off the Spanish yoke, and then came a conflict with the Dutch, who were badly worsted at the battle of the Guararap ́s, and finally, in 1661, abandoned all claim to Brazil.

We pass over the intervening events and come to 1763, when Rio de Janeiro superseded Bahia as the seat of government, and became the residence of the Portuguese viceroys. Under their sway government was arbitrary and despotic. The hand of power clutched the treasures, but did not wisely develop the resources of the country. And so it remained, but not always. It is difficult for Europe to rule America either North or South. Self-government, or at least home-government, is sure to be demanded and obtained. The old forms, the cumbrous usages, the ancient follies of the Old World royalty, suit not the restless blood of young America. Spain, Portugal, France, and England, have been taught this fact more than once, and there are still other lessons to be given. Perhaps the maps of A. D. 1900 may letter large portions of this continent as "British America," and "Russian Possessions;" perhaps so, and perhaps not.

It was long ago prophesied that Brazil would eclipse the glory of Portugal, but when men said so, near the close of the eighteenth century, they did not foresee the nearness of a revolution, the ultimate effects of which should be the accomplishment of those predictions. A cloud had long been gathering over Europe, the iron hand of Napoleon tore it open, and as to the results hear our authors: "The French Revolution, and the leading spirit which was raised up by it, involved the slumbering kingdom of Portugal in the troubles of the continent. Napoleon determined that the Court of Lisbon should declare itself against its ancient ally, England, and assent to the continental system adopted by the imperial ruler of France. The prince regent, Dom John VI., promised, but hesitated, delayed, and finally, too late, declared war against England. The vacillation of the prince regent hastened events to a crisis. The English fleet, under Sir Sydney Smith, established a most rigorous blockade at the nouth of the Tagus, and the British embassador left no other alternative to Dom John VI., than to surrender to England the Portuguese fleet, or to avail himself of the British squadron for the protection and transportation of the royal family to Brazil. The moment was critical; the army of Napoleon had penetrated the mountains of Beira: only an immediate departure would save the monarchy. No resource remained to the prince regent but to choose between a tottering throne in Europe and a vast empire in America. His indecisions were at an end. By a royal decree he announced his intention to retire to Rio de Janeiro until the conclusion of a general peace. The

archives, the treasures, and the most precious effects of the crown, were transferred to the Portuguese and English fleets, and on the 29th of November, 1807, accompanied by his family and a multitude of faithful followers, the prince regent took his departure, amid the combined salvos of cannon of Great Britain and of Portugal. That very day Marshal Junot thundered upon the heights of Lisbon, and the next morning took possession of the city. Early in January, 1808, the news of these surprising events reached Rio de Janeiro, and excited the most lively interest.

What the Brazilians had dreamed of only as a remote possible event, was now suddenly to be realized. The royal family might be expected to arrive any day, and preparations for their reception occupied the attention of all. The viceroy's palace was immediately prepared, and all the public offices in the Palace Square were vacated to accommodate the royal suite. These not being deemed sufficient, the proprietors of private houses in the neighborhood were required to leave their residences and send in their keys to the viceroy.

66

The fleet having been scattered in a storm, the principal vessels had put into Bahia, where Dom John VI. gave that carta regia which opened the ports of Brazil to the commerce of the world. At length all made a safe entry into the harbor of Rio on the 7th of March, 1808. In the manifestations of joy upon this occasion the houses were deserted, and the hills covered with spectators. Those who could, procured boats, and sailed out to meet the royal squadron. The prince, immediately after landing, proceeded to the cathedral, and publicly offered thanks for his safe arrival."-Pp. 64, 65.

The house of Braganza had found a sanctuary in the New World. No wonder the people were wild with excitement. We will add to the above somewhat lengthy extract enough to show the commercial relations of Brazil at that time, and the policy inaugurated by Dom John:

"Up to the period now under consideration all commerce and intercourse with foreigners had been rigidly prohibited by the narrow policy of Portugal. Vessels of nations allied to the mother country were permitted to come to anchor in the ports of this mammoth colony, but neither passengers or crew were allowed to land except under the superintendence of a guard of soldiers. The policy pursued by China and Japan was scarcely more strict and prohibitory.

"To prevent all possibility of trade, foreign vessels, whether they had put in to repair damages, or to procure provisions and water, were, on their arrival, invested with a custom-house guard, and the time for their remaining was fixed by the authorities according to the supposed necessities of the case. As a consequence of these oppressive regulations, a people who were rich in gold and diamonds were unable to procure the essential implements of agriculture and of domestic convenience. A wealthy planter, who could display the most rich and massive plate at a festival, might not be able to furnish each of his guests with a knife at the table. A single tumbler, at the same time, might be under the necessity of making repeated circuits through the company. The printing-press had not made its appearance. Books and learning were equally rare. The people were in every way made to feel their dependence.

"On the arrival of the prince regent the ports were thrown open. A printing-press was introduced and a royal gazette was published. Academies of medicine and the fine arts were established. The royal library, containing sixty thousand volumes of books, was opened for the free use of the public. Foreigners were invited, and embassies from France and England took up their residence at Rio de Janeiro."-Pp. 65, 66.

European manners and customs soon predominated. This was apparent, first in the city, in its streets and residences, and thence extended to the country, which rapidly "put on city airs." Business was changed; commercial houses, having European correspondents, sprang up, and European artists thronged the cities. In December, 1815, the colony was merged in the kingdom, and Brazil was raised to regal name, and declared an integral part of the "United Kingdom of Portugal, Algarves, and Brazil." This was hailed with an enthusiastic outburst. The whole land from the La Plata to the Amazon was garlanded and illuminated. Following this was the death of the queen mother, and a year later the coronation of the prince regent, under the title of Dom John VI.

There had been a jealousy between the Brazilians and the Portuguese, and this was increased by the action of the government. It had twenty thousand or more who had followed it to Brazil, to provide for, and they received the places of profit. The Brazilians had also claims; they had opened house and purse, and would not be forgotten. The government paid them off in honors, in stars and decorations. Cavalheiro or Commendador became the title of nearly all who asked it, and soon the land swarmed with nobles without nobility, and knights without chivalry. But here a new difficulty arose. These men having been ennobled could not return to labor. They must have more than honor. With portly Sir John Falstaff, they soon inquired, "Can honor set to a leg? or an arm? or take away the grief of a wound? What is honor? Who hath it?" And like him they added, in act if not in word, "We'll none of it. Honor is a mere scutcheon, and so ends our catechism." They clamored for the substance. Murmurs spread, but there was no free press or free pulpit to echo them.

But the outbreak came. In 1821 occurred the revolution in Portugal in favor of a constitution, and at once there was a similar demand for Brazil. Dom John VI. was no hero. He saw the tempest and determined to fly.

"He conferred upon his son, Dom Pedro, prince royal, the office of Regent and Lieutenant to his Majesty in the Kingdom of Brazil. He then hastened his departure for Portugal, accompanied by the remainder of his family, and the principal nobility who had followed him. The disheartened monarch embarked on a line-of-battle ship, on the 24th of April, 1821, leaving the widest and fairest portion of his dominions to a destiny, not indeed unlooked for by his majesty, but which was fulfilled much sooner than his melancholy forebodings anticipated."-P. 69.

Changes were to crowd rapidly upon each other. Young Dom

Pedro was in the twenty-third year of his age. It is said when the old king bade him farewell, he pressed him to his bosom and said: "Pedro, Brazil will, I fear, ere long, separate herself from Portugal, and if so, place the crown upon thy head, rather than allow it to fall into the hands of any adventurer."

The young regent was at first highly esteemed by the masses, and with this personal popularity, he united decision of character, a trait much needed in his time. An instance of this combination is the fact of his having given the populace, when highly excited, and the king in his palace of San Christovam, only three miles distant, a decree whereby an unreserved acceptance of the constitution of the Portuguese Cortes was guaranteed. His consort shared his popularity. Leopoldina by name, she was an archduchess of Austria, and sister to Maria Louisa, the wife of Napoleon.

He was surrounded with difficulties. The national feuds were deepening, and while perplexed with these, the home powers, fearful of his rising influence, ordered him to Europe, and issued a decree abolishing the royal tribunals at Rio. The people were highly incensed, and pleaded with him to remain. After due reflection he determined to do so. The royal troops made some show of resistance, but cowered before the aroused people, capitulated, and were permitted to sail for Portugal. More and more exacting grew the demands of Portugal, until dispatches reached the prince while journeying, (he had reached the margin of Ypiranga, in sight of San Paulo,) which he read, and indignantly exclaimed, "Independencia ou morte!" That expression was thenceforward the Brazilian watchword, and from the day of its utterance, September 7, 1822, dates Brazilian independence.

In October Dom Pedro was declared Constitutional Emperor and Perpetual Defender of Brazil. In December he received a public coronation, and three years later the new emperor was recognized at Lisbon.

But the boiling caldron was not yet to be quieted. The revolution had been complete and almost bloodless. The new emperor sought to give his people a constitution worthy of him and adapted to them, and convened an assembly which ultimately declared itself permanent, but which his majesty speedily dissolved, and called another. Mr. Fletcher thus describes it:

"A special commission of ten individuals was convened on the 26th of November, 1823, for the purpose of forming such a constitution as might meet with the imperial approval. The members of this commission immediately commenced their labors under the personal superintendence of Dom Pedro I., who furnished them the basis of the document he wished to be framed, and gave them forty days for the accomplishment of the object. The ten council

ors. as a body, were badly qualified for the important task before them; yet several of their number were noted for the excellence of their private characters, and two only for their erudition. One of these two, Cameiro de Campos, was fortunately intrusted with the drawing up of the constitution, and to him, it has been said, Brazil is principally indebted for a number of the most liberal provisions of the code--provisions which he insisted upon introducing in opposition to the wishes of many of his colleagues.

"Its most important features may be stated in a few words. The government of the empire is monarchical, hereditary, constitutional, and representative. The religion of the state is the Roman Catholic, but all others are tolerated. Judicial proceedings are public, and there is the right of habeas corpus and trial by jury. The legislative power is in the General Assembly, which answers to the Imperial Parliament of England, or to the Congress of the United States. The senators are elected for life, and the representatives for four years. The presidents of the provinces are appointed by the emperor. There is a legislative assembly to each province for local laws, taxation, and government: thus Brazil is a decentralized empire. The senators and representatives are chosen through the intervention of electors, as is the president of the United States, and the provincial legislators are elected by universal suffrage. The press is free, and there is no proscription on account of color. The constitution thus framed was accepted by the emperor, and on the 25th of March, 1824, was sworn to by his imperial highness, and by the authorities and people throughout the empire. ....

"The Brazilian Constitution has, to a great extent, secured equality, justice, and consequently national prosperity. She is to-day governed by the same constitution, with which more than thirty years ago she commenced her full career as a nation. While every Spanish-American government has been the scene of bloody revolutions; while the civilized world has looked with horror, wonder, and pity upon the self-constituted bill of the people's rights again and again trampled under foot by turbulent faction and priestly bigotry, or by the tyranny of the most narrow-minded dictators; the only PortugueseAmerican government (though it has had its provincial revolts of short duration) has beheld but two revolutions, and those were peaceful; one fully in accordance with the constitution, (the abdication of Dom Pedro I. in favor of his son Dom Pedro II., the present emperor,) the other the proclamation of the majority of Dom Pedro II., which was by suspending a single article of the government compact."-Pp. 75, 77.

Passing over many events of interest, we condense the historic résumé into a few paragraphs. The Imperial Prince, Dom Pedro II., was born December 2, 1825. On the death of King Dom John VI., the Emperor of Brazil, heir-apparent to the crown of Portugal, abdicated that crown in favor of his eldest daughter, Donna Maria. The same year witnessed the final separation of Monte Video from Brazil, that province becoming the Cisplatine Republic.

There were internal dissensions, which continued until Dom Pedro I., wearied above endurance, abdicated in favor of his son, Dom Pedro II., then hardly six years of age. And now the regency was the prize for which ambitious schemers plotted and worked, until in 1840 the dispute was settled by the declaration of the majority of the young prince, made in the following words by the President of the Assembly: "I, as the organ of the representatives of this nation, in General Assembly convened, declare that his majesty, Dom