The National Register.
London, England, 1821-05-14 00:00:00

r-

No. 1,311.—V0L. XIA .]

REVOLUTION AT RIO JANEIRO.

Rio DE JANEIRO, FEB. 27.—Although it has
been long expected, we did not think the day of our
revolution was so neir. The King's decree of the
18th instant, in which be reserved to himself the
nomination of the Cortes, and assumed the nomi-
nation of the Junta, has brought on the crisis. I
give you a brief summary of the facts, as they have
come to my knowledge : of the greater part of them
I was an eye.witness. Amidst the general discon-
tent which sueceeded to the events at Lisbon, the
hope still existed that the King would voluntarily
accede to the general wish. That hope, however,
was destroyed by the publication, by authority, of
the pamphlet in which the policy of the House of
Braganza, with regard to Portugal, was discussed,
and in which the Portuguese were treated as rebels.
Some patriotic individuals determined on profiting
by the universal dissatisfaction, (placing their reli-
ance on the decided bias of popular opinion in favour
of the constitutional system), to effect a revolution.
They possessed no personal influence, except over a
handful of soldiers. They held their deliberations
on board a vessel in the harbour; and the Ist of
March was the day fixed for carrying their measures
into execution. The secret was intrusted by a son
to his father; and the result was, an order for their
arrest on the night of the 25th or 26th ; the execu-
tion of which was confided to the battalion of the
police. Their measures, however. had been so well
concerted, that this circumstance only hastened the
execution of their plans, without deranging any of
them. It is generally said that one of the leaders
even sent an intimation of their plot to the Prince
Royal, to guard against any alarm to the Princess,
who is far advanced in her pregnancy, assuring him
that no danger could accrue to any member of the
House of Braganza. Many respectable merchants
were included in the order of arrest, and all were
to have undergone deportation to Angola.
The principal conspirators were Goiz, who for-
merly served with reputation as lieut.-colonel; Da
Costa, major in the 11th regiment, much beloved by
the troops; Pimenta, formerly major in the southern
division, a sufferer by the injustice of the old mi-
nistry; Cipriano, lieutenant of artillery; Major
Padoa, son of Lieutenant Rey, who was massacred
in an attempt to make himself master of the fortress
of Almeida ; Father Silva, and Mocamboa, a man
of letters and an advocate.

At midnight, on the 25th, the regiment of chas-
sours left their barracks: their colonel, who attempt-
ed to restrain them, was arrested and placed under
a guard. On their arrival in the city they called
on the Brazilian chasscurs to make common cause
with them, which was acceded to, and they all re-
paired to the place du Rucio, where the depots of
ammunition were situated. It was three o'clock in
the morning of yesterday, when, the Prince Royal
received notice of what was passing, when he im-
mediately manifested the resolution of placing him-
self at the troops, with the view of sparing the
effusion of blood—the Prince is liberal; and the
great day, of which he from that moment became
the hero, owes its chief lustre to the frank, loyal,
and decisive manner iu which he has acted.

The Prince appeared wholly unattended. It is
said that a cannonier, whom he desired to extin-
guish his match, having related, he expressed his
approbation at his declining obedience to any but
his officers, On passing before the chnsseurs they
received him with cric. of " Live the constitution!"
to which he replied by repeating them. Alter a
short deliberation with the officers, surrounded by
the people, whom curiosity had drawn to the spot,
the Prince ascended the platform of the theatre
royal, which overlooks the place du Rocio, and read
the written act of adhesion to the constitution, in
the form to be decreed by the Cortes of Portugal.--
It was received with loud acclamations, which gra-
dually spread on all sides. The torts fired a royal
!elute, and all the bells of the churches were put
in motion to spread the happy news. The act of
adhesion was sipined by the officers, and by all who
could press sufficiently near to participate in that
honour. The Prince having asked it any thing fur.
ther was required, four students advanced to claim
the liberty of the press; but the Prince replied, that
at must of necessity follow the act he had just per-
forated, inasmuch as " a constitution without tha
liberty was a body without a soul."