The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-19 00:00:00

BRAZIL.

31r B. ORR__I3I3:IsIE rose, pursuant to notice, to call Wen•
tion to the state of our political relations with Brazil. He
said ho felt that Some apology was due, not only to the
house, bat also to the holders of Brazilian stock, and to all
those who were engaged in the immense commercial trans •
actions with that empire, for bringing on this question at
the present hour of fatigue, when the house was exhausted
with the labours of the session. But if the house was ex-
hausted with these labours, I,
—e thought they were bound
to remember the great issue that was at thisstake'n
ques-
tion of Brazil, and the relations which had existed
a considerable period with that empire, What
now fir
tCause
sow I.as'n the
cause of this Brazilian question ? It was a
tant, that he thought it would be well, at any rate, for P°
thr'
Chancellor of the Exchequer to interrupt the private co
ne
vorsation in which he was then engaged and listen to
the
-question now before the house, because it was a question
which most assuredly affected her Majesty's Government,
as he would show. He believed the empire of Brazil was
the one solitary example in the world of a state with which
we had many commercial transactions of various kinds, and
with whom we had not a single treaty of any kind, except
the convention of 1826 between that country and England.
The commerce carried on between that country and Eng-
land was not less than £12,000,000 a year—the Brazilian
dealings in this country were £9,ooo,ooo—and there were
no fewer than three English companies making railways in
Brazil. Besides these, there were various companieswhich
had undertaken to light Brazilian towns and to drain their
lands. Was it not strange that wa had no sort of treaty

with that country ? That was a state of things so unsatis-
frActory that we were entitled to ask what was the present
policy of her Majesty's Government towards B fazil. The
case rested, he was obliged to say, on that mede ling and
mischievous policy—(hear, hear, from the Cc naervatives)
—which was never content except wa,n interfering
with small States to subject thorn to trou'-)le and injustice.
This was not only tyrannical to Brazil, but was
injurious to England. From 1822 to 1844 Brazil
was in such a state, from the disorder of its finances
and the weakness of the executive, that the slave trade
was carried on to a considerable extent ; but he was pre-
pared to show that since that period the policy of Brazil
was essentially anti-slavery. By the convention of 1826 the
Brazilian Government agreed that any slaver found in their
waters should be deemed guilty of piracy. This provision
remained in force until 1845, when such was the repugnance
of the Brazilian Government to the right of search that it
was resolved that this rule should cease and terminate, and
to this the British Government agreed. The first act of
the convention of 1826 still remained. At this time the
Aberdeen Act was framed, authorising British cruisers to
seize Brazilian ships on suspicion of their being engaged in
the slave trade, and to carry them before a British Admiralty
Court for condemnation. This was extensively put in prac-
tice, and several ships were carried into the Admiralty courts,
producing extreme ',Ad feeling in BrP;i11 towards this coun-
try. The act w condemned 1)y Sir Thomas Wilde, the
Lord High COtancellor of England, who said that so mon-
strous was that act that it was impossible to enforce it
against any power except one that was unable to resist.
Anotlier ornament of a Whig Government, his lion friend
the member for Ashton-under-Lyne (Mr M, Gibson) had
also resisted that act. Would that he would do so now, and
use his influence on the noble lord (Lord Palmerston) to
bring about amicable relations between this country and
Brazil. If he raised his voice against that act when the
slave trade was carried on to a considerable extent in Brazil,
how could he reconcile himself now to sit cheek by jowl
with the noble lord? (A laugh.) Some time after this
Lord Aberdeen, recognising the steps taken by the Brazilian
Government against the slave trade, said the English Go-
vernment, as soon as they were able to do so, would recom-
mend to Parliament the repeal of that act. The Brazilians
were in a weak state, they had no navy, and all they could
do was to protest against this act as a violation of the law
of nations. Well, what did the noble lord (Lord Palmer-
ston) do when he came into office ? Not content with
what existed, the noble lord in 1850 ordered our cruisers
to do an act which had never been done before—actually
to invade Brazilian ports and waters. They did so,
and for two years did this system continue. The British

cruisers went into Brazilian ports, and taking out ships
from there sent them to St. Helena to be adjudicated upon,
creating the greatest ill feeling against England. Now the
slave trade was not carried on by the Brazilian Government
themselves, who were greatly opposed to it, but by Ameri-
cans, Spaniards, Portuguese, and he believed by some Eng-
lish—because it had been whispered that Liverpool mer •
chants, at least, were engaged in it—while the Brazilian
Government, disgusted with their experience of the Eng-
lish Government, probably winked at it. An effort was
afterwards made by the Brazilian Government to put down
the slave trade. and so much was this so, that the noble
lord at the head of the Government complimented the
Brazilian Government upon it, and said there could be no
doubt that in another twelvemonths the slave trade with
Brazil would be entirely extinguished. That was in 1851,
and so far were the efforts of the Brazilian Government
successful, that in 1852 Lord Malmesbury withdrew the
order authorising British ships to enter Brazilian waters,
and he must say the whole conduct of Lord Malmesbury in
this Brazilian business had been immensely to his credit.
The Brazilian Government continued to put down the slave
trade, and since the year 1858 he (Mr Osborne) was pre-
pared to prove, on undoubted authority which could not be
disputed, that no slaver had been run on the coast of Brazil,
and that the slave there was entirely extinct. (Hear.)
Nearly 200 miles of railway had been made by English
companies in Brazil, and no such thing as a single slave had
been employed on those railways. The slave trade there
had received a blow which it never could recover. It was
thought, therefore, that this house would repeal the act of
1845. But the house did nothing of the sort. The house
had been content to wait year after year, to leave the enor-
Inoue trade of England with Brazil without any protection,
and they never took any steps to repeal the act of 1845.
They all knew the case of the British frigate which made
severe reprisals on the Brazils, the question arising from
which was referred to the King of the Belgians, who decided
that the British officers were altogether in the wrong. (Lord
Palmerston intimated that the hon. member was mistaken.]
Did the noble lord contradict that ? He had the face to
contradict anything. He (Mr Osborne) had not provided
himself with the despatch, and this showed how careful
one ought to be. (A. laugh.) At any rate the decision was
not in our favour. The noble lord would not say that. He
might get off in some quibble of words ; but the decision
was not in our favour ; and in 1862 the British Charge
d'Affaires was empowered to apologise, that being the first
apology he believed the noble lord had ever made. They
had had debates on the subject; but why or wherefore,
after the question of mediation had been referred to the
Portuguese Government, irritating and offensive language
should be used, passed his comprehension to understand.
(Hear, hear.) He should like to ask the noble lord whether
he thought the Portuguese Government would eontinue
their mediation in the face of such language. (Hear. hear.)
He held in his hand a document which he should quote
for the information of the Foreign Office, which was at, once
ignorant and insolent. (Laughter.) By a decree of Decem-

ber, 1858, the Brazilian Government torbade altogether that

any emancipated negro should be apprenticed to private
individuals. That was a most material step ; and it further
appeared, from the report of the Brazilian Minister of
Justice, that in 1860-61, 201 "emancipedoes" were set free;
in 1862-63, 147; and down to May, 1364, 71—upwards of
400 altogether since 1860. It was stated by the noble lord
at the head of the Government that there were twenty re-
quirements which the Brazilian negro should satisfy before
he could obtain his freedom ; but what would the house
think, when he told them that those requirements were
taken from an opposition paper, which was a sort of half
Otce, half Punch—(laughter)—and that they were written
to ridicule the delays of the law in Brazil f (Hear, hear, and
laughter.) What would the noble lord say if the Brazilian
Government quoted in their house "Punch's Essence of
Parliament?" (Laughter.) And yet, if they did so, they
would simply parody the proceedings of the noble lord him-
self. (Hear, hear.) But what was the policy of the noble
lord with regard to Brazil ? Was it a hostile policy ? Let
him tell the noble lord that so great was the feeling in this
country at the irritating and mischievous policy which was
pursued towards Brazil, that it had only to resist to upset
his Ministry and to repeal the act of 1845. Language of
menace and irritation was not the way to treat a country
like Brazil, which was no longer in its infancy, but which
ought to be treated on terms of perfect equality—(hear,
hear)—and if we wished to get on, not only with Brazil,
but with any other country, we should employ terms of
conciliation, and not terms of irritation, (Hear, hear.) In
conclusion, the hon. member declared that if the act of 1845
had been repealed, Brazil would have at once entered into
a consular and postal convention ; and that so long as the
present policy of irritation was continued the result would
be injurious to the commerce of this country. (Hear, hear.)
Lord PALMERSTON—The hon. gentleman recom-
, mends mildness of language. Sir, he is not himself a great
master that way—(laughter) --and it is my intention rather
to follow his precept than imitate his example. (Hear,
hear, and laughter.) The hon. gentleman says that lam a
great hand at denying. If I may be allowed to return the
compliment, I would say that he is a very great hand at
asserting. He knows—everybody knows—the source from
which the hon. gentleman draws his information—
Mr OSBORNE—I do not. Name, name.
Lord PALMERSTON—He knows whom I mean.
Mr OSBORNE—I deny that; name, name. (Cries of
" Order, order.")
Lord PALMERSTON—Everybody knows that there is
an active Brazilian agent ready to supply information to
those who are anxious to undertake the cause of Brazil. I
do not blame him; but I wish that those who adopt hie
statements would, in their duty as members of Parliament,
be quite sure that the facts which they repeat are correct.
There was much in the speech of the hon. gentleman that
would provoke me to go into an angry discussion.
Mr OSBOItNE—Be provoked. (Laughter, and loud
cries of " Order.")

Lord PALMERSTON—Never mind—l will not bepro-
yoked. (Laughter.) Her Majesty's Government are now
engaged, through the Portuguese, in negotiations, the ob-
ject of which is to re-establish diplomatic relations between
this country and Braz.l. Now, I don't think the hon.
gentleman has shown great judgment—(hear, hear)--In
endeavouring to bring on a controversial discussion upon
such a matter at such a moment. The necessary conse-
quence would be if I were to go through his statements,
that I might be led to say things which he would again
condemn—(laughter)—as being unfavourable to the success
of the negotiation. Therefore I trust the house will think
I am better performing my duty in abstaining from going
into his statements. (Hear, hear.) In reference, however,
to the commercial disadvintages which he says not only
our present relations with Brazil, but also those which
have existed for some time, impose upon our merchants,
I will take our exports from, and imports to, Brazil for a
certain period of time, and see how that matter stands.
From 1850 to 1852 the imports from Brazil varied from two
millions to two millions some hundred thousands, and the
exports from two millions to three millions. Bat from
1866 to the present present time our imports from Brazil
have been : in 1860, S 2,200,000; 1861, £2,600,000 ; 1862,
£4,400,000; and 1863, £1,500,000. That is not a state of
things which shows that our commerce has suffered. Our
exports have been : in 1860, £4,000,000 ; 1861. £4,500,000 ;
and in 1862-63, £3,700,000. So far, therefore, as our com-
mercial interests go, I do not think that they have suffered
in consequence of this matter. It is quite true that the Bra •
zilian Slave trade ceased in 1852, and that the Brazilian
Government have since that time passed laws and estab-
lished regulations which have, I believe, prevented any
material importation of slaves into Brazil—(hear)—but still
it must be remembered that out of her population,seven and
a half millions, there are three million of slaves, only one
million short of the number in the Southern States of Ame-
rica. Of these 10,000 have been emancipated.
Mr OSBORNE—More,
Lord PAL NI E RSTON —That ainst the
makes rather ag