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BRAY-BRAZIL.

was first a Papist, then a Protestant, then a Papist, and finally a Protestant again. Being accused of inconstancy, "It is not so," he replied; "for I always keep to my principle, which is this-to live and die vicar of Bray." A well known song is founded on this incident.

BRAY, François Gabriel, count de; in 1809, Bavarian ambassador at St. Petersburg; since 1820, at Paris; was born in Normandy, where his father belonged to the nobility of the province; assisted, as knight of St. John of Malta, in a bloody attack upon Algiers. He prepared himself for the diplomatic career at Ratisbon, where, previous to the overthrow of the German empire, French diplomatists were bred for the courts of Northern Europe. In the revolution, he entered the Bavarian service, and, while ambassador at St. Petersburg, wrote his able work, Essai Critique sur l'Histoire de la Livonie, suivi d'un Tableau de l'État actuel de cette Province (1817, Dorpat, 3 vols.)

BRAZIL; a country of vast extent, and one of the richest regions of the earth, comprising the eastern and central parts of South America; bounded N. by Colombia, Guiana, and the Atlantic ocean, E. and S. E. by the Atlantic ocean, and W. by Buenos Ayres, or the United Provinces of La Plata, Bolivia and Peru.-The following table exhibits the population of the several capitanias, or provinces, as stated by Mr. Brackenridge, who visited South America in the years 1817 and 1818. Chief Towns. Pernambuco...550,000... Pernambuco. Bahia .... 500,000... St. Salvador. Minas Geraes..380,000... Villa Rica. Rio Janeiro 400,000... Rio Janeiro. St. Paul.. 300,000... St. Paul. 250,000... Portalagre. 200,000... St. Luis.

Provinces.

Rio Grande

Maranham

...

Pop.

Para....... 150,000... Para.

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100,000... Cuyaba. 170,000... Villa Boa.

Matto Grosso..100,000 Goyas.........170,000

Total, 3,000,000

In 1826, the country was divided anew, so as to constitute nineteen provinces. Of the population, as stated by Mr. Brackenridge, 1,000,000 are supposed to be of European origin or descent, 1,200,000 Negroes, and 800,000 subdued Indians; the unsubdued Indians not being included. A later estimate makes the number of Negro slaves, 1,800,000. MalteBrun estimates the population of B. at 3,800,000; Hassel and Humboldt, at 4000,000.—The principal rivers are the

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Amazon, Madeira, Topayas, Xingu, Tocantins, Negro, St. Francisco, Paraguay, Parana, and Uraguay.-There is scarcely to be found on the globe a finer country than B.; one blessed with a more genial climate, or a more fertile soil; more happily diversified with wood and water, or with abundance of navigable rivers; or more famed for its precious produce of gold and diamonds. It comprises within its limits nearly all the most valued productions of the earth. Viewed from the sea, the country appears rugged and mountainous; but, on a nearer approach, its appearance is highly romantic and picturesque, clothed as it is with the most luxuriant vegetation, its hills covered with thick woods, and its valleys with a verdure which never fades. Towards the interior, the land rises, by gentle gradations, to the height of from 3 to 6,000 feet above the level of the sea; and, in these temperate regions, European fruits and grain are raised in abundance, while the intermediate valleys are extremely favorable to the production of sugar, coffee, and all kinds of tropical produce. A large part of the interior is overspread with an impenetrable forest, the trees being closely interwoven witli brushwood and shrubs, and covered with creeping plants, adorned with beautiful flowers, thus giving a peculiar and rich appearance to the scenery. The forests abound in a great variety of useful and beautiful wood, adapted for dyeing, cabinet-work and ship-building. They contain numerous wild animals. The climate, in the neighborhood of the Amazon and in the northern parts, is hot, but tempered by the humidity of the air; in the southern parts, it is temperate, and generally healthy.-B. has been long celebrated for gold and diamonds, which abound in the higher regions of the interior, and are chiefly found in the beds of the mountain torrents, where the stream is most rapid. Most of the streams that rise from the chain of mountains which extend through the province of Minas Geraes are rich, especially near their sources, in gold and diamonds. The towns of St. Paul, Villa Rica, Cuyaba, and others in the interior, have grown out of mining establishments. Tejuco is the chief town of the principal diamond distri.-Brazil was discovered by Pedro Alvarez Cabral. Emanuel, king of Portugal, had equipped a squadron for a voyage to the East Indies, under the command of Cabral. The admiral, quitting Lisbon, March 9, 1500, fell in accidentally, April 24, with the

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continent of South America, which he at first supposed to be a large island on the coast of Africa. In this conjecture he was soon undeceived, when the natives came in sight. Having discovered a good harbor, he anchored his vessels, and called the bay Puerto Seguro. On the next day, he landed with a body of troops, and, having erected the cross, took possession of the country in the name of his sovereign, and called it Santa Cruz; but the name was afterwards altered by king Emanuel to that of Brazil, from the red-wood which the country produces.--The Portuguese entertained, for some time, no very favorable opinion of the country, not having been able to find there either gold or silver; and, accordingly, they sent thither none but convicts, and women of abandoned character. Two ships were annually sent from Portugal, to carry to the new world the refuse of the human race, and to receive from thence cargoes of parrots and dye-woods. Ginger was af terwards added, but, in a short time, prohibited, lest the cultivation of it might interfere with the sale of the same article from India. In 1548, the Jews of Portugal, being banished to B., procured sugar-canes from Madeira, and began the cultivation of that article. The court of Lisbon began to perceive that a colony might be beneficial without producing gold or silver, and sent over a governor to regulate and superintend it. This was Thomas de Souza, a wise and able man. De Souza found it very difficult to succeed in inducing the natives to fix on settled habitations, and to submit to the Portuguese government. Dissatisfaction ensued, which at length terminated in war. De Souza did not bring with him a sufficient number of men to conclude hostilities speedily. By building St. Salvador, in 1549, at the bay of All Saints, he established a central and rallying point for the colony; but the great object of reducing the Indians to submission was effected by the Jesuits, who gained their affections by presents and acts of kindness.-The increasing prosperity of B., which became visible to Europe at the beginning of the 17th century, excited the envy of the French, Spaniards and Dutch, successively. The latter, however, were the principal enemies with whom the Portuguese had to contend for the dominion of B. Their admiral, Willekens, in 1624, took possession of the country in the name of the United Provinces. Having plundered the people of St. Salvador, he returned to Europe, leaving a

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strong garrison. The Spaniards next sent out a formidable fleet, laid siege to St. Salvador, and compelled the Dutch to surrender. When the affairs of the Dutch assumed a more favorable aspect at home, they despatched admiral Henry Lonk, in the beginning of 1630, to attempt the entire conquest of B. He succeeded in reducing Pernambuco, and, on his return to Europe, left behind him troops which reduced, in 1633, 1634 and 1635, the provinces of Temeraca, Paraiba and Rio Grande. These, as well as Pernambuco, furnished yearly a large quantity of sugar, a great deal of wood for dyeing, and other commodities. The Dutch now determined to conquer all B., and intrusted Maurice of Nassau with the direction of the enterprise. This distinguished officer reached the place of his destination in the beginning of 1637, and subjected Seara, Seregippe, and the greater part of Bahia. Seven of the fifteen provinces which composed the colony had already submitted to them, when they were suddenly checked by the revolution, which removed Philip IV from the throne of Portugal, and gave to the Portuguese independence, and a native sovereign. The Dutch, then, as enemies of the Spaniards, became friends to the Portuguese, and the latter confirmed the title of the Dutch to the seven provinces, of which they were in possession. This division gave rise to the name of the Brazils, in place of the former appellation. The Dutch government soon began to oppress the Portuguese colonists, who, after an obstinate contest, drove them out of several of the provinces. Finding they were not able to retain possession of the country, the Dutch ceded all their interest to the Portuguese for a pecuniary compensation. The dominion of Portugal was now extended over all B., which, during the 18th century, remained in the peaceful possession of the Portuguese.

The value of B. to Portugal has been on the increase since the discovery of the gold mines, in 1698, and the discovery of the diamond mines, in 1782. Up to the year 1810, B. had sent to Portugal 14,280 cwt. of gold, and 2100 pounds of diamonds, which foreign countries, and especially Great Britain, at last succeeded in purchasing, at the Lisbon market. Rio Janeiro now became the mart for the proceeds of the Brazilian mines and native productions. But the administration was any thing but adapted to promote the prosperity of the country. The attention of the government was turned almost ex

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clusively to the gold washings, and to the working of the diamond mines; and the policy of the administration consisted in the exaction of taxes and duties, which were collected from the fortified ports, to which trade was solely confined. Foreigners were excluded, or jealously watched, and trade was paralysed by numerous restrictions. In the interior, the lands situated on the great rivers, after being surveyed, were frequently presented, after the year 1640, by the kings of the house of Braganza, to the younger sons of the Portuguese nobility, whom the system of entails excluded from the prospect of inheritance. These grantees enlisted adventurers, purchased Negro slaves by thousands, and subjected the original inhabitants, or drove them from their districts, and ruled their dominions with almost unlimited sway. The missions of the Jesuits also received similar donations from the kings. They organized a brave militia from the converted savages and their descendants, and bore the sword and the cross farther and farther into the interior. Equally independent with the secular lords of the soil, they united the converted savages in villages and parishes along the rivers. The celebrated Jesuit Vieyra introduced the cultivation of spices, in which Holland alone had hitherto traded. As these Brazilian proprietors defrayed, from their own means, the above-mentioned indemnifications made to the Dutch, the Portuguese government, in return, confirmed and enlarged all the privileges of the ancient planters, extending them to the present and future possessions of these noble families. But, in the end, the government multiplied its own monopolies, and assumed prerogatives interfering with the interests of the ancient and rich landlords. Even from 1808 to 1821, as long as the court resided in Rio Janeiro, the Portuguese by birth continued to have the preference, in the high offices of state, before the chief native families; and the system of taxing the productions of B., and the importation of articles needed by the Brazilian nobility for themselves and slaves, was even extended. The government finally placed obstacles in the way of increasing the number of the latter, which the rich landlords deemed indispensable for the establishment of new plantations. The vassals, moreover, always had a stumbling-block in their way in the fiscal prerogative of the court, that the land which the vassal called his own, but which he had hitherto neglected to search

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for gold, or for diamonds, in case of any future discovery of such treasures, should be the property of the crown, or, at least, the object of high taxation. In the grants of the ancient plantations, the crown had not indeed provided for such a contingency, and had reserved no such rights. Even the humanity of the government, in attempting to ameliorate by laws the condition of the slaves, was a subject of offence, because it appeared to the lords to be an injury to their legal property to proceed in such a matter without their consent. Out of Rio Janeiro, in the more northerly and more fertile section, the number of young merchants in the large maritime cities and their vicinity was greatly increased by emigrations from states where more freedom of thought was enjoyed than in B. Many came even from Germany. These adventurers, bent on gain, naturally felt burthened by the heavy system of taxation, and by the monopolies of the crown. They carried on the smuggling trade to such a degree, that they lived, in fact, in open war with the government. In addition to these malcontents, there were many disbanded soldiers, who had embarked from Portugal, in the hope of being rewarded by the court for their services, but, from the poverty of the finances, found that they could obtain nothing but land, which was of no value to these warriors. Moreover, many Europeans emigrated to Bahia and Pernambuco, who, though destitute, were not altogether uninformed, and who desired to make their fortune there, some way or other. The lower class of the native clergy, too, were very much dissatisfied, because, even while the court resided in B., Portuguese noblemen received the most important ecclesiastical offices. Without ascribing to the Brazilians any democratic propensities, all these circum stances must have awakened the desire of independence in their breasts, as much as it augmented their hatred of the Portuguese. From these two causes, a conflict of parties of several years' duration has lately taken place, the result of which is the new empire.-The removal of the Portuguese government to B., Jan. 19, 1808), when the royal family landed in Bahia, whence it transferred its residence to Rio Janeiro in March, till the departure of king John VI to Lisbon, April 26, 1821), was the commencement of the prosperity of B. As early as Jan. 28, 1808, all the ports of B. were open.. ed for the unconditional entrance of all friendly and neutral vessels, and for

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the exportation of Brazilian productions, under certain duties, with the sole exception of Brazil wood. B. now entered, also, into an immediate connexion with Germany, which had an equally beneficial influence on its agriculture, intellectual improvement and commerce. The treaty of alliance and commerce concluded with England at Rio Janeiro, Feb. 19, 1810, permitted the British even to build and repair vessels of war in the harbors of B.; and the then prince-regent of Portugal promised never to introduce the inquisition into B., and to co-operate in earnest to effect the abolition of the slave-trade, excepting such as was carried on in the Portuguese possessions in Af rica. The decree of Nov. 18, 1814, next allowed all nations free intercourse with B. In 1815, the prince-regent promised B. independence and equal privileges with Portugal. Dec. 16, 1815, he made it a monarchy. Finally, by the marriage of the crown-prince (now emperor) of B., don Pedro, with the archduchess Leopoldine, daughter of Francis I. of Austria, Nov. 6, 1817, Germany was in various ways brought into contact with B. The government in Rio Janeiro now allowed the free prosecution of natural researches. Thus Mawe, an Englishman, was permitted to examine the diamond mines; the chevalier Eschwege, afterwards overseer of the cabinet of minerals in Rio, was enabled to examine the mountains of Minas Geraes at Villa Rica; and the latest work on B., by Martius and Spix, contains similar evidence how zealous even a royal minister, Conde da Barca, in promoting scientific investigations. As B., by reason of its soil and climate, may become the chief mart of all colonial commodities, the government has encouraged, since 1809, the settlement of strangers, and has granted to foreigners, at a small price, large tracts of land (cismarias), of a league (22,500 feet) in breadth, and three leagues in length, for the cultivation of sugar, coffee, cotton, &c., as well as wheat, rice and maize, which afford here annually two crops. Swiss and Germans (such as Freyreiss, the baron Busche, and Paycke of Hamburg) have therefore founded large set tlements here. According to Langsdorf, who published Observations on Brazil, at Heidelburg, 1821, Welsh corn generally yields in B. 130 fold, and rice 80 fold. The coffee-tree, which, in the West Indies, yields annually, on an average, 15 pounds of coffee, in B., yields at least 2 or 3, and not unfrequently 5 or 6 pounds.

But the want of industry, at that time, rendered the means of living in the capital and neighborhood extremely dear, while the total absence of highways, and other means of facilitating transportation, deprived the products of the interior of almost all their value. Without a considerable capital, no foreigner can cultivate the land bestowed on him, and B. is as yet far removed from that equality of rights, which secures to each one the full use of his means, as well as from that toleration, which affords protection and freedom of conscience to every creed. The royal decree of March 16, 1820, which encourages the settlement of foreigners, by an exemption from taxes for four years, will never, therefore, while these impediments exist, produce the results which have followed the colonization of North America-a country, in other respects, less inviting. The foreign relations of B., of late years, have not been altogether of a peaceful nature. After the conclusion of the congress of Vienna, Spain refused to cede Olivenza to Portugal; on which account, the Banda Oriental, with its capital, Monte Video, an important portion of the Spanish province of Buenos Ayres, was taken possession of by B., and maintained with effect against the claims of the republic of Buenos Ayres, after it had attained independence. An insurrection in Pernambuco, in April, 1817, where a party raised the republican standard, was suppressed by the Portuguese troops stationed in B. But when the revolution broke out in Portugal, Aug. 1820, having for its object the establishment of a constitution, the Portuguese troops in B. also obtained a constitution in behalf of the latter country. Don Pedro, the crown-prince, proclaimed the acceptation of the Portuguese constitution in the name of himself and father, Feb. 26, 1821. King John VI now commanded, the choice of deputies (March 7th) to meet with the cortes assembled in Lisbon, and was desirous to embark with them for that city. But, the bank being unable to make the necessary advances of money, a bloody insurrection ensued. The king therefore changed the bank into a national bank, and, to defray the sums loaned, appropriated to it the charge of the diamond mines, and the regulation of the trade in diamonds. The king soon after (April 21 and 22) saw himself compelled to order the military to disperse the assembly of electors, who demanded the adoption of the Spanish constitution. On the other hand, he repeated the rati

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BRAZIL.

fication of the (then incomplete) Portuguese constitution, and, April 22, appointed his son don Pedro prince-regent of B. He now embarked for Portugal, April 26. But, as the Portuguese cortes was not willing to grant the entire equality of civil and political relations demanded by the Brazilians, and, without waiting for the arrival of the Brazilian deputation, had framed the articles of the constitution which related to B., and subsequently rejected the additional articles proposed by the Brazilian deputies, and, finally, had expressly declared, that B. was to be divided into governments, and ruled by the ministry of state at Lisbon, and the princeregent was to be recalled to Portugal,such violent convulsions were excited in Rio Janeiro, and various parts of B., Dec., 1821, that it was explicitly declared to the prince-regent, that his departure would he the signal for establishing an independent republic. The prince, therefore, resolved to remain in B., and gave a public explanation of his reasons, Jan. 9th, 1822, to his father, to the cortes in Portugal, and to the people of B. The Portuguese troops were removed from B. The princeregent assumed, May 13th, 1822, the title of perpetual defender of B., and, in June, convened a national assembly, composed of 100 deputies, to frame a separate constitution for the country. The cortes in Lisbon, on the other hand, declared this constitution void, Sept. 19th, 1822, and demanded the return of the prince-regent to Europe, on pain of forfeiting his right to the throne. Meanwhile, the national assembly of B. had declared the separation of that country from Portugal, Aug. 1, 1822, and, Oct. 12, appointed don Pedro the constitutional emperor of B. The new emperor retained, at the same time, the title of perpetual defender of B. -Soon after the establishment of the empire, began the struggle with the republican party. In this party were many free-masons. Don Pedro, who had proclaimed himself, shortly before, grand master of all the free-masons in B., ordered that all the lodges should be closed, and the congress, which he had promised to assemble for the purpose of framing a constitution, was not convened. At that time, the two brothers Andrade, Jose Bonifacio, minister of foreign affairs and of the interior, and Martin F. Ribeiro, minister of finances, especially the former, possessed the entire confidence of the emperor. The most difficult matter was to effect his recognition in Europe; for ion Pedro had acquired the new dignity

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in consequence of the principle of the sovereignty of the people in a colony separated from the mother country; and it was also made a question, whether he should not renounce his claims to the crown of Portugal. His father, indeed, when he left B., April 26, 1821, had given him full powers to do all that might be necessary to preserve this country to the house of Braganza. The mission, nevertheless, of major Schäffer to Vienna, could not procure the acknowledgment of the new emperor by his father-in-law, the emperor of Austria. The Brazilian troops, in the meantime, conquered Monte Video, which still had a Portuguese garrison, in Dec., 1823, after which the Banda Oriental was united with B., under the name of Cisplatino, as also Bahia, which was defended by a Portuguese garrison, under general Madeira. Lord Cochrane, the Brazilian admiral, blockaded the harbor from March 26, 1823. Madeira, compelled to surrender by famine, sailed, during the negotiation, in the night of July 2, to Europe, and the Brazilian troops entered the place. At home, don Pedro had two parties to contend with-the ancient Portuguese, which was the weaker, and the republican, the stronger. The latter was especially powerful in Pernambuco. The brothers Andrade sought to gain both parties by the proposal of a free constitution, formed after the model of the English; but the obstacles of all kinds, and the violent opposition with which their administration was harassed, compelled them to resort to arbitrary measures and arrests. They treated the malcontents as Carbonari, and thereby excited the suspicion, that the emperor aspired to absolute authority. They finally convoked the cortes of B., the session of which was opened by the emperor, May 3, 1823. Of the 20 members, who constituted the opposition, out of the 60 (instead of 160) present, Aranjo Lima was the most eloquent. The ministers succeeded in causing secret societies to be prohibited, by which means they gained a pretence for imprisoning many, whose sentiments were republican. This augmented the public dissatisfaction, and, when the emperor, having been severely injured by a fall from a horse, did not appear in public for a month, the enemies of the ministers became more bold in their outcries, and even sent threatening representations to the emperor. The imprisoned were acquitted by the supreme court of justice, and the emperor found himself compelled to dismiss the two Andrade, July 16,

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