Narrative of Services in the Liberation of Chili, Peru and Brazil, from Spanish and Portuguese Domi | Page 5

of His Majesty and the nation.
(Signed) COCHRANE.
To Don ANTONIO MANUEL COEREA DA CAMARA, His
Brazilian Majesty's Consul at Buenos Ayres.
Having obtained the unqualified consent of the Chilian
Government--there being now no enemy in the Pacific--- I chartered a
vessel for my own conveyance, and that of several valuable officers
and seamen who, preferring to serve under my command, desired to
accompany me. Knowing that the Portuguese were making great efforts
to re-establish their authority in Brazil, no time was lost in quitting
Chili.
We reached Rio de Janeiro on the 13th of March, 1822, barely six
months after the declaration of Independence. Despatching a letter to
the Prime Minister Bonifacio de Andrada--reporting my arrival in
conformity with the invitation which His Imperial Majesty had caused

to be transmitted to me through his Consul-General at Buenos Ayres--I
was honoured by the Imperial command to attend His Majesty at the
house of his Minister, where a complimentary reception awaited me.
The Emperor assured me that, so far as the ships themselves were
concerned, the squadron was nearly ready for sea; but that good
officers and seamen were wanting; adding, that, if I thought proper to
take the command, he would give the requisite directions to his
Minister of Marine.
On the following day, the Prime Minister--after a profusion of
compliments on my professional reputation, and an entire concurrence
with the invitation forwarded to me by the Consul at Buenos
Ayres--which invitation he stated to have arisen from his own influence
with the Emperor--desired me to communicate personally with him,
upon all matters of importance, the Minister of Marine being merely
appointed to transact subordinate business. As nothing more positive
was said in relation to my appointment, it struck me that this also might
be included amongst the subordinate duties of the Minister of Marine,
to whose house I repaired; but he could say nothing on the subject, as
nothing specific had been laid before him. Being desirous to come to a
proper understanding, I wrote to the Prime Minister, that the officers
who had accompanied me from Chili would expect the same rank, pay,
and emoluments as they had there enjoyed; that, as regarded myself, I
was prepared to accept the terms offered by His Imperial Majesty,
through the Consul at Buenos Ayres, viz. the same position, pay, and
emoluments as had been accorded to me by the Chilian Government;
and that although I felt myself entitled to the customary remuneration
in all well-regulated states for extraordinary, as well as ordinary,
services, yet I was more anxious to learn the footing on which the naval
service was to be put, than the nature of any stipulations regarding
myself.
On the following day His Imperial Majesty invited me at an early hour
to the palace, in order to accompany him on a visit to the ships of war,
with some of which I was much pleased, as demonstrative of the
exertions which must have been made within a short time to get them
into such creditable condition. Great care had evidently been bestowed

upon the Pedro Primiero, rated as a 74--though in the English service
she would have been termed a 64. She was evidently a good sailer, and
was ready for sea, with four months provisions on board, which
scarcely half filled her hold, such was her capacity for stowage; I had
therefore reason to be satisfied with my intended flagship.
Another showy vessel was the Maria da Gloria--a North American
clipper; a class of vessels in those days little calculated to do substantial
service, being built of unseasoned wood, and badly fastened. Though
mounting 32 guns, she was a ship of little force, having only
24-pounder carronades, mixed with short 18-pounder guns. As a
redeeming feature, she was commanded by a Frenchman, Captain
Beaurepaire, who had contrived to rally round him some of his own
countrymen, mingled with native Brazilians--in which he displayed
considerable tact to free himself from the unpromising groups
elsewhere to be selected from.
The history of this vessel was not a little curious: she had been built in
North America at the expense of the Chilian Government, and sent to
Buenos Ayres, where an additional 40,000 dollars was demanded by
her owners. Payment of this was demurred to, when, without the
slightest consideration for the expense incurred by Chili in her building
and equipment, her captain suddenly got under weigh, and proceeding
to Rio de Janeiro, sold her to the Brazilian Government.
I was further much pleased with the Piranga, a noble frigate mounting
long 24-pounders on the main deck. Not to enter into any further details,
with regard to the ships, a brief notice must be taken of the men, who,
with the exception of the crew of the Maria da Gloria, were of a