The Sun.
London, England, 1822-10-16 00:00:00

MANIFESTO
OF THE PRINCE REGENT OF BEAZIL TO
FRIENDLY GOVERNMENTS AND NATIONS.

I, and the people who recognize me as their Prince Regent,
wishing to preserve the political and commercial relations sub.
sisting with the governments and nations in friendship with
this kingdom, and to secure the continuance of that approba-
tion and esteem which is due to the Brazilian cliaracter,"it be-
hoves me to state succinctly, but truly, the series of facts and
motives which have induced me to accede to the general will of
thepeople of Brazil, who have proclaimed in the face of the
Universe their political independence.; and who desire, as
forming a sister kingdom and a great and powerful nation, to
maintain, unimpaired and in vigour, their impresdriptible
'rights, which Portugal has always sought to infringe, and
which she now more than ever, since the celebrated political re.
generation of the Monarchy ,by the Cortes of Lisbon, endea.
yours to assail.

Soon after the rich and vast regions of Brazil presented them-
selves by accident to the eye of the adventuroUs Cabral, avarice
,and religious Proselytism, the great motives to modem discove-
ries and colonization, took possession of them by means of con-
quest ; and laws of . blood, dictated by furious passions and
sordid interests, confirmed the tyranny of Portugal. The un-
civilized native and the European colonist were compelled to
drag out a like existence of misery and servitude. The moun-
tains were excavated, and gold extracted, but absurd laws and
the Quinto, impeded labours which were but just commenced.
While the Portuguese Government, with insatiable voracity,
devoured the treasures which beneficent nature so liberally sup-
plied, it oppressed the unfortunate provinces whence the wealth
was drawn by the most odious of all imposts—the capitation
tax. It was wished to make the Brazilians pay for the air they
breathed, and for liberty to tread the soil of their native land.
If the induitry of some active man was directed to the giving
a new form to certain native productions, in order that Brazil
might clothe the nakedness of her own children, tyrannical
laws soon prohibited and punished these praiseworthy ef-
forts. • The object of the Europeans has constantly been to re-
tain this fine country in the most rigid and abject dependence
on the mother country, because they Judged it necessary to the
security of their dominion that the perennial sources of our
riches shoald be obstructed or impoverished. If an enterpriz-
ing colonist held out to his fellow-citizens the flattering prospect
of the cultivation of some new branch of ruial t.economy by the
introduction of useful and valuable exotics, burdensome im-
posts soon put an end to commencements made under the most
' favourable auspices. If men boldly attempted to turn the
course of rivers in order to rescue from the waters the diamonds
deposited in their beds, they were quickly stopped by the
agents of monopoly and punished by inexorable laws. If the
superfluity of her productions invited and demanded their barter
for other foreign productions, Brazil was shut out from the ge..-
neral market of nations, 'and consequently from all commercial
competition ; thus no other course was left than to confine her
trade to the ports of the mother country, and thereby to stimu-
late more powerfully the cupidity, and add to the undue pre-
ponderance of her tyrants. Finally, when the Brazilian, on
whom bountiful nature had bestowed talents, 'wished, for the
better knowledge of his rights and duties, to obtain instruction
in science or in arts, or to improve the excellentqualities with
which Providence has endowed his native land, he was obliged
to go to Portugal to beg what little scraps of information were
to he found there, and from that country helvas often not per-
mitted to return.

Such has been the fate of Brazil for. about three centuries—
such the wretched policy by which Portugal, always unjust in
her views always greedy and tyrannical, endeavoured .to con-
firm her dominion and her factious splendour. The Colonists
and the Indians, the conquerors and the conquered, their chil-
dren and their children's children, have all, without distinction,
been made subject to one general anathema. And, forasmuch
as the ambition of power and the thirst of gold are always in-
satiable and unbridled, Portugal never ceased to send hither
merciless bashaws, corrupt magistrates, and swarms of fiscal
agents of every description, who in the delirium of their pas-
sion and avarice, tore asunder all moral ties, both public and
private ; thus did they lacerate the bowels of Brazil, which
supported and enriched them, in order that its people, reduced
to the last state of desperation, might, like submissive Mus-
sulmans, make pilgrimage to the new Mecca, to purchase, with
rich gifts and offerings, an existence which was only support-
table in proportion as it was obscure and languid. If Brazil re-
sisted this torrent of evils—if she improved under such shame-
ful oppression, she was indebted for her success to her ani-
mated and vigorous sons, whom nature has formed gigantic.
She owes it to that kind mother who has always given them
renovating strength to overOnne the physical and moral ob-
stacles which her ungrateful parents and brothers have spite-
fully opposed to\her growth and prosperity...
Brazil being naturally good and generous, though still filled
with anguish at the recollection of her past misfortunes, did not
fail to receive the august person of Don Joam VI., and all the
Royal Family, with the greatest joy. She did more—she opened
her hospitable arms to the nobles and people who emigrated in
consequence of the invasion of Portugal by the despot of Europe.
She contentedly took on her shoulders all the weight of the throne
of my august father—she preserved in splendour the diadem which
incircled his forehead—the generously and profusely supplied
the expences of a prodigal Court ; and what is still more,
without any particular interest, but merely on account of the
simple ties of fraternity. She also contributed to the expenses
of the war which Portugal so gloriously maintained against
her invaders. What has Brazil gained for all those sacrifices ?
The continuation of old abuses and the addition of new ones,
introduced partly by weakness, partly by immorality and crimes.
Such a state of things loudly called for a prompt reform of the
Government--a reform fully authorized by the increase of
knowledge, the violated sights of a country which forms the
greater and the richer portion of the Portuguese nation ; which
nature has peculiarly favoured by its geographical and centrical
position in the midst of the globe, by its vast ports and mari-
time stations, and by the natural riches of its soil. But senti-
ments of excessive loyalty, and an extreme love for Portu-
gal stifled the complaints of Brazil, made her suppress her
anxious wish, and yield the glorious palm to her brethern of
Europe.
When the cry of the political regeneration arose in Portugal,
the people of Brazil, confident in the inviolability of their rights,
and incapable of suspecting different sentiments and less gene-
rosity in their brethren, they abandoned to those ungrateful
brethren the defence of their most sacred interests, and the care
of their complete reconstitution. In the most perfect good faith,
they.slumbered tranquilly on the brink of a dreadful precipice.
Tiff-sting entirely to the wisdom and justice of the Lisbon Con-
gress, Brazil expected to receive from it all that was by right
her due. How far was she then from presuming that that very
Congress would be capable of basely betraying her hopes and
her interests—interests closely entwined with the general in-
terest of the nation

Brazil now knows the error into which she had fallen ; and
had not the Brazilians partaken of that generous enthusiasm
which often confounds transient phosphorous sparks with the
true lights of reason, they would have seen in the first mani-
festo which Portugal addressed to the Powers of Europe, that
one of the concealed objects of the proclaimed regeneration con-
sisted in artfully re-establishing the old colonial system, with-
out which Portugal always believed, and still believes, that
she cannot be rich and powerful. Brazil did not perceive that
her Deputies, in passing to a foreign and remote country,
would have to struggle against inveterate prejudices and ca-
prices, and, destitute of the support of friends and relatives,
would inevitably sink into the state of nullity in which we
have seen theni. But these several lessons of experience were
necessary to make Brazil recognize the delusive nature'of her
ill-founded hopes.
But the Brazilians deserve to be excused; for it would have
been extremely difficult for candid and generous minds to con-
ceive that the boasted regeneration of the monarchy was to
commence by the re-establishment of the odious colonial sys-
tem. No less difficult, and indeed almost impossible, was it to
reconcile this absurd and tyranniCal plan, with the philosophy
and liberalism so loudly proclaimed by the Portuguese Cortes !
And still more incredible was it that there should be men suf-