Narrative of Services in the Liberation of Chili, Peru and Brazil, from Spanish and Portuguese Domi | Page 6

very
questionable description,--consisting of the worst class of Portuguese,
with whom the Brazilian portion of the men had an evident
disinclination to mingle. On inquiry, I ascertained that their pay was
only eight milreas per month, whereas in the merchant service, eighteen
milreas was the current rate for good seamen,--whence it naturally
followed that the wooden walls of Brazil were to be manned with the
refuse of the merchant service. The worst kind of saving--false
economy--had evidently established itself in the Brazilian Naval

Administration.
The captains complained of the difficulties they had to contend with as
regarded the crews, particularly that the marines were so much
gentlemen that they considered themselves degraded by cleaning their
own berths, and had demanded and obtained attendants to wait on them!
whilst they could only be punished for offences by their own officers!
or, to use the words of one of the captains, "They were very much their
own masters, and seemed inclined to be his!" It was, indeed, evident to
me that neither seamen nor marines were in any state of discipline.
Not having as yet had experience of political party in the Empire, it
struck me as an anomaly that Portuguese should be employed in such
numbers to fight their own countrymen, though I afterwards became
but too well acquainted with the cause of a proceeding at the time
beyond my comprehension. In the course of our visit of inspection, the
phrase "attacking the Portuguese parliamentary force," was frequently
used by the Emperor, and was no less singular, as implying that the
Brazilian Government did not make war against the King or country of
Portugal, but merely against the Cortes; the distinction, as regarded the
conduct of hostilities, being without a difference.
A curious circumstance occurred after this visit of inspection. On
landing--hundreds of people of all ages and colours, crowded round to
kiss His Majesty's hands--paternally extended on both sides to rows of
devoted subjects, who, under no other circumstances, could have come
in such familiar contact with royalty. To this ceremony the Emperor
submitted with the greatest possible good humour and affability, his
equanimity not even being ruined by familiarities such as I had never
before seen taken with King or Emperor.
On the 17th, a visit was paid to me by the Minister of Marine, Luiz da
Cunha Moreira, relative to the terms of my appointment, he being
evidently desirous that my services should be obtained at as cheap a
rate as possible, notwithstanding the concurrence of the Prime Minister
with the offers which had been made through the Consul-General at
Buenos Ayres. The pay now offered was that of an admiral in the
Portuguese service,--notoriously the worst paid in the world. On

enquiring what this might be, I found it less than half what I had
received in Chill! My pay there being 8000 dollars per annum, with
permission from the Supreme Director to appropriate another 4000
from the Government moiety of captures made.
By way of reply, I produced a letter from the Chilian Minister of
Marine, counter-signed by the Supreme Director, acknowledging the
receipt of an offer subsequently made to the Chilian Government
voluntarily to give up to public exigencies a portion of my pay greater
than the amount now tendered--at the same time telling the Minister,
that by accepting such an arrangement I should lose more annually by
entering the Brazilian service than the whole sum offered to me.
Without condescending to chaffer on such a subject, I added that His
Imperial Majesty had invited me to Brazil on specific promises, which,
if my services were required, must be strictly fulfilled; if not, it would
be candid in him to say so, as it was not the amount of pay for which I
contended; but the reflection, that if the first stipulations of the
Brazilian Government were violated, no future confidence could be
placed in its good faith. If the State were poor, I had no objection,
conditionally, to surrender an equal or even a greater proportion of pay
than I had tendered to the Chilian Government; but that it was no part
of my intention to be placed on the footing of a Portuguese admiral,
especially after the terms, which, without application on my part, had
been voluntarily offered to induce me to accept service in Brazil.
The Minister of Marine seemed hurt at this, and said the State was not
poor, and that the terms originally offered should be complied with, by
granting me the amount I had enjoyed in Chili; a decision the more
speedily arrived at, from an intimation on my part, of referring to the
Prime Minister, as requested in cases of difficulty. This the Minister of
Marine begged me not to do, saying that there was no occasion for it.
He