The Express.
London, England, 1863-02-04 00:00:00

THE BRAZILIAN AND RIVER PLATE

MAILS.

SERIOUS COLLISION WITH THE BRITISH
LEGATION.
SOUTHAMPTON, WZDNIADAY.

The Royal Mail Company's steamship Magdalena,
Captain Woolward, with the above mails, has
arrived. Sbe brings 85 passengers, 6,7441. in specie,
and 795 packages of general cargo.
She experienced fine weather throughout the
passage, with occasional N. E. winds and head seas.
The difficulty at Rio between Mr. Christie, the
British Minister, and the Brazilian government,
arising from the refusal of the latter to admit cer-
It/An claims which he had made, had up to the sail-
ing of the Magdalena been to a certain extent
arranged. Tranquillity had been restored, and a
special messenger from the Brazilian government
has arrived by the Magdalena with despatches
for the Brazilian Minister in London, who it is
said will treat with her Majesty's government and
make every reasonable concession. Her Majesty's
.

shipping were at Rio, Bahia, and Pernambuco, to
prevent any injuries being committed either on
British property or British subjects.

RIO DE JANEIRO, J AX. 8.
(per Magdalena)
The following are the details of the collision
which has occurred here between the Brazilian
government and the British Legation.
It appears that in June, 1881, the British ship
Prince of Wales was wrecked on the coast of Albar-
dao, to the south of the port of Rio Grande. A
portion of her cargo, which bad been brought ashore,
was pillaged. This outrage was the first cause of
complaint. The second was comprised in the fact
that two officers and the chaplain of her Britannic
Majesty's frigate Forte, who had gone ashore out of
uniform, were ill-treated by a sentinel, and con-
fined for forty-eight hours first in the guard
house, afterwards at the central police station.
Upon the sth of December Mr. Christie sent In an
ultimatum requiring the Brazilian government to
pay an indemnity for the cargo and freight of the
Prince of Wales, and a further indemnity to the
relatives of those of the crew whose bodies were
stated to have been plundered. Mr. Christie also
demanded that the Brazilian officer who had ar-
rested the English officers should be cashiered
that the sentinel should be punished ; that satis-
faction should be given for the insult to the British
navy, and that the chief of the police and a subal-
tern should be publicly reprimanded.
The Foreign Minister of the Brazils replied that
the Imperial government could not accept any re-
sponsibility in the matter of the Prince of Wales,
and protested against it energetically and catego-
rically. The government refused to pay any in-
demnity, adding, however, that if compelled by
force, it should pay whatever was required, under
protest against the violence used. With regard to
the question of the officers of the Forte, the I
minister said that the Brazilian authorities had
done their duty, and that there was no ground for
giving the required satisfaction.
In consequence of this reply Mr. Christie signi-
fied to the government that Admiral Warren would
proceed to reprisals upon Brazilian property, which
would be retained as guarantee until the satisfaction
demanded was obtained.

At night on the 30th January the English war
steamers Stromboli and Curlew quitted the Bay of
Rio. The preceding evening the telegraph had
signalled the capture of a Brazilian vessel outside
the bar by an English steamer. Popular indigna-
tion at this intelligence ran very high, and
large numbers of excited but inoffensive groups

collected iu the streets. On the sth it transpired I
that the Stromboli had re-entered the Bay during
the pert night, bring news of the capture of
five vessels, ova being a steamer, their entire
cargoes being- rained at 30,0001. sterling. The
irritation of the populace now became extreme.
Meetings were organised in the open street,
the speakers imploring the people to make no
reprisals upon English property, and to refrain
from molesting English residents, but at the same
time to encourage the government to resist. Public
opinion, both among natives and foreigners, was
strongly opposed to the proceedings of the English
minister. It was pointed out that none of
the circumstances relating to the Prince of Wales
had been proved, and that it was impossible
to demand in good faith the freight of a ship-
wrecked vesseL In reference to the affair of the
officers of the Forte, people remarked that the
heat of the day when the arrest took place, coupled
with the time—immediately after dinner—and
above all, the well-known habits of one of the
officers, perfectly accounted for what had pained.
The excitement of the people reached so great •
pitch, that upon the Emperor returning from his
summer residence to the capital, his carriage was
surrounded, and he was forced to make a speech to
the multitude, inviting them to have confi-
dence in the members of the government.
Lists of volunteers were opened, and immediately
filled ; deputations were formed to congratulate the
Ministry upon its attitude, and enoourage it
not to recede ; a patriotic subscription was
commenced, and liberally responded to by the
citizens, some giving 5001., others 1,000/. ;
the shareholders of the bank demanded that a reso-
lution should be passed not to discount the paper
of English houses, and proclamations were issued
inviting the people to abstain henceforth from every
description of English goods.
There can be little doubt that in the prevalent
excitement acts of violence would have been
committed, if the 6th had passed without a solution
of the difficulty. In the course of that day, how-
ever, the Brazilian Government by advice of the
Council of State, determined to accept the new
propositions of Mr. Christie, according to which
the following arrangement was concluded :
The prizes are to be restored. The Brazilian
minister in London, if so required by the British go-
vernment, will pay under protest whatever sum may
be demanded for the owner of the Prince of Wales.
With respect to the treatment sustained by the
officers of the Forte, it shall be submitted to the
arbitration of the King of the Belgians to decide
whether or not such treatment can be regarded as
an outrage upon the honour of the British navy.