The Sun.
London, England, 1824-01-24 00:00:00

PROCLAMATION.

" Brazilians !---One will unites us. Let us continue to pre-
serve our country. Your Emperor, your perpetual defender,
will assist you as he has hitherto done, and as he will always
do even at the hazard of his life. The extravagances of men,
led away by pride and ambition, were on the eve of precipitat-
ing us into the most horrible abyss. It is necessary, now that
we are safe, that we should be as vigilant as Argos. The bases
of our felicity, which we are going to lay, are the independence
of the empire, its integrity, and the constitutional system. By
resting on these bases without rivalships, which are always
odious, and which may. overwhelm this colossal empire, we
have nothing to fear. These truths are undeniable. You know
them well by your good sense, and unfortunately you were on
the eve of knowing them better by anarchy. If the Assembly
had not been dissolved, your holy religion would have been de-
stroyed, and your garments would have been drenched in blood.
A new Assembly has been convoked ;'it will soon meet to de-
liberate on a project of constitution which I shall shortly pre-
sent to you. I should think that it will be so conformable to
your opinions, that, if possible, we ought to be directed by it as
a provisional constitution. Be assured that the only ambition
by which your Eniperor is inspired, is the desire of acquiring
additional glory, not for himself, but for you and for this great
empire, which will be respected by the whole world. The ar-
, rests which have taken plade Will be considered by the enemies.
of the empire as despotic. They are not so. You see tha
they are measures of police, caleulatectto ii-voidanarchy, and
to save the lives of the unfortunate persons themselves--that
they may enjoy theirs in tranquillity, and that we may enjoy
ours in security. Their families will be'protected by the .Go-
vernment. The safety of the country which has been confided
to me as perpetual defender of Br*, is the supremo law Wkiiielt
requires it. Place your cOnfidenee in me;. as I place mine in
you ; and you will see our internal and external enemies at our
feet supplicating mercy. Let union, firmer union, bind Bra-
zilians. lie who adhered to our sacred cause—who swore the
independence of this empire, is a Brazilian.

" THE EMPEROR."

FINANCES or BRAZIL.

We have received what may be reckoned an important docu-
ment, respecting the financial situation and resources of Bra-
zil. It is a report of the Minister of Finance of that em-
pire, made to the Emperor on the 26th of September last,
for the purpose of being, by his order, laid before the Le-
gislative Assembly. The following are the more important

passages :

" If, in 1812, in spite of intrigue and cabal, I dared to tear
the thick and mysterious veil which covered the then Royal
Treasury, persuaded that the extinction of patriotism, and pub-
lie disquietude, keep pace with the public distress, and that the
ruin of States and the fall of Emapires, are the consequences of
financial disorders, while there is never any cause. for appre-
hension as long as by a wise administration on the publicrevenue
is sufficient to defray the public charges ; I now feel the rigor-
ous obligation, in this season of our independence and liberty,
to give an account of the state in which I found the public
treasury, when on the 21st of :July last I entered on my func-
tions as chief of that department. In doing so, I shall not con-
fine myself to a bare exposition of the state of the national fin-
ances, but, impelled by the desire of contributing to the public
welfare as far as my talents and experience allow rne, I shall
point out the means which sug:;-est themselves to my mind for
extricating us from our present embarrassments, and for en-
abling us to raise this nascent empire to the strength, opulence,
splendour, and consideration of which it is susceptible, and for
which it has so many capabilities. The General Constitution-
al and Legislative Assembly- will afterwards have to deliberate
on my report, and to adopt such measures as it may deem ex-
pedient. Nor ought the delay which has occurred between the
21st of July and the present time in presenting my ideas to ex-
cite surprise. My report embraces accornpts which I imme-
diately required of all branches of the Treasury. It was neces-
sary to learn the state of the receipts and the expenditure as far
as it could be ascertained; the amount of the public debt,
active and passive ; the extraordinary resources which had
been provided to meet extraordinary demands ; but as no state-
ments had as yet been drawn up to favour the prompt execu-
tion of my order, notwithstanding the 'assiduity and the zeal
of the officer.; of the Treasury, it is not long since I received
the documents which form the necessary elements of my report.
By this means I could not till now present to your Imperial
Majesty the state of the Treasury of Rio Janeiro in the end of
June, in any thing like a correct form, or detail the informa-
tion which the same Treasury supplies, respecting the public
finances of the other provinces of the Empire of Brazil.
" By the schedule of receipt and expenditure for the first six
months of 1823, which appears under the head of No. 1, your
Majesty will perceive all the expences of that half year, and the
amount of monies that have been paid into the public coffers,
he sum remaining in the Treasury at the end of June being

278,103 milreas. By the account, however, which is numbered
2, your Majesty will see that on the 30th of June, when the
balance was made up, there was only in the Treasury a dis-
posable sum of 210,014 inilreas, comprising in that amount
132,658 milreas on the books of the customs, and deducting a
sum of 70,000 milreas of the decirna, and of the interest of the
loan which was about to be paid, besides other indispensable
and extraordinary charges. By No. 3, your Majesty will
learn that the total proceeds of the loan, voluntary gifts,
subscription for the navy, and sequestrations, up to the 30th
of June, amounting to 596,304 milreas, there has been ex-
pended of these extraordinary resources the sum of 386,289
milreas.

No. 4 will make known to your Majesty, that, according to
the estimate of the various receipts which may be expected in
the next half-year, we shall obtain from the ordinary income
of the public treasury the sum of 1,767,000 milreas. By the
estimate of the expences in No. 5, your Majesty will find the
application to be made of this sum. By the estimate in No. 6,
the extraordinary charges will amount to 900,000 milreas.
The estimate No. 7, of the public debt, at the end of 1821,
shows that the Treasury lay then under obligations for
9,870,918 milreas.

" By the state of the public debt, presented in No. 8, your
Majesty will see, that in June, 1822, this debt amounted to
10,176,580 milreas, being an increase of 305,662 milreas-in six

:,ionths.

" No. 12 shows, that by the end of June, 1823, this debt
amounted to 12,055,582 milreas, to which adding the sum .of
100,560 milreas, when entered into the Treasury, as the pro-
ceeds of sequestrations, the amount will be. -12,156,145 mil-
reas, being an increase in one year of 1,979,565,mi11-cps.
" By the acConipts No. 11, the income and expenditure of
the respective provinces of Minas Geraes, Goiaz, Matto Grosso,
Santa Catherina, Rio Grande do Sul, and S. Paulo, will ap-
pear. The annual deficit of Minas Geraes ' amounts to near
60,000 milreas ; that of Goiaz to near 20,000 ; that of Matto
Grosso to 10,544 milreas ; that of Santa Catherina to 34,870;
making in all more than 125,000 milreas. The other provin-
ces of Spirit() Santo, Bahia, Pernambuco, Rio Grande, Alagoas,
Paraiba, Maranho, &c., are likewise in arrear. Santo Spirit()
is subject to an annual deficit of 33,172 milreas.
" By this simple and clear statement, your Majesty will per-
ceive that I have been placed at the head of a treasury, indebted
at the end of June to the amount of nearly 30,400,000 of cru-
sadoes (or about 4,000,009 sterling), daily beset with its credi-
tors, who justly demand the money due to them, and without
possessing any extraordinary resources to meet the extraordin-
ary charges, which at a moderate calculation amounts to 900,000
milreas. And from none of the provinces of this empire can
we at present expect assistance. Nay ; we shall be obliged to
extend assistance to them as has already- been done to the
amount of 2110,000 annually. Notwithstanding their activity in
levying the taxes, and an exact controul of the expences it has been
necessary to recur to loans, donations, forced contributions, and
even sequestrations,
that
esttrati° nsyieldingin all a million of crusadoes. It is
also vinotwithstanding the hope of the happiest results
from the systemof administration which the wisdom of the Gene-
ral Constituent Assembly will doubtless establish, these results
will be sufficient for the payment of 30 millions of crusadoes,
and at the same time provide for the ordinary and extraordinary
charges necessary for the consolidation of an empire where every
thing has to be created, and where it is necessary to extend a
liberal and generous hand if we desire to establish our inde-
pendence, and be counted among nations of the first order.—
etqlnisieeqsuences of not paying its obligations are
to states, but more especially must they be
Finally,
terrible
at the
al
so in the dangerous season of our political regeneration, when
the public servants and the national creditors.
•` Leaving
foring which out of view the payment of the future ordinary
wd
distress
st.r oughtess f
rto o avoid creating disgusts, and ward off misery and
m
expence,provision will, no doubt, be made by the
imposition of taxes, I shall point to the operations of credit
which I think indispensable in our present circumstances:—
Great resources are necessary to enable the Constitutional
Chief of this rising empire to consolidate our independence, to
defend us from our enemies, to promote instruction and public
prosp:xity, according to the laws and constitution of the State.
These means are offered us by the English capitalists, without
our solicitations.. Like other nations of Europe, and America,
so high isaliiitlei'which they form of the resources and ex-
uberant wealth ,of the new empire, and such if the interest they
take in the estal?lishment of Brazilian independence.
" in the propoial, No. 13,
opfay2m,5e0iT010001:011010rela. mb,eiaongd
promised
July, your Majesty will see the offer of a loan of the great sum
cwo hn i
dciht
a lons
mr erequiredmonth foro nf
ofit
rhv the
ea
prompt2oth
f
sive months, as soon as the contract is sanctioned by the Ge-
neral Constituent and Legislative Assembly, and even before
the whole systein of the . loan is definitively arranged in the
market of London. When so concluded, the rest of the
loan will remain at the disposal of the Brazilian nation. The
conditions are so clear, that I think an explanation unnecessary.
It is no less clear, that the Assembly may have at its disposal
20 million of crusadoes to employ in any way that it may
think proper to support the independence of, and to develope
the riches, of Brazil. Without means, and great means too,
we cannot accomplish so mighty an undertaking. The United
States and the old Governments of Europe have resorted to
loans in critical circumstances like ours. Let us not succumb
from distress or poverty in the country of gold and diamonds.
Let us profit by our resources, let us take auvantage of the pre-
cious commodities which belong to us, to defend ourselves
against our enemies.
This being the first and most essential part of the opera-
tions, a prospectus of a loan has been prepared by an expe-
rienced London banker, adopted and proposed by Edward
Oxenford and other English capitalists. According to their
plan, 2,500,000/. sterling to be advanced by them, will be em-
ployed in the following manner :
X 416,666 (The Bth part 0f3,333,333/. the sum in stock to be
sold to obtain 2,500,0001., at 75 per cent.) to be
employed as a sinking fund.
200.000 To pay the two first six months' interest.
1,883,334 For the public service of Brazil.

£2,500,000
" It would be of great consequence to us to have this article
altered in the following manner :--
£60,000 For sinking fund the first year.
200,000 To pay the interest the two first half years.
2,240,000 For the public service of the Empire of Brazil.
£2,500,000

"his clear. that ifthe 416,666/., the Bth of 3,333,3331., is
necessary fur a sinking fund at compound interest of 4 per cent.
to pay up the capital in 54 years, the same effect would follow
in 30 years, according to the above alteration, by an annual
grant of 60:000/. laid out at compound interest of 4 per cent.
" It is likewise clear, that in the beginning of the 7th year,
the sinking fund, by my plan, would reach 473,8961., which
exceeds the 416,666/., reserved the fund of the London plan.
" It is easy to perceive, that were this change adopted, with-
out altering essentially the terms, we should obtain an advan-
tage of 27 millions of crusadoes.

" ItIANUEL JACINTO NOGUEIRA I).A. GAMA.
" Rio Janeiro, Sept. 26."
[From the above statement of the proposed loan, it appears
that the contractors are to obtain 8 per cent. on the money ad-
vanced, though no part of the 2,500,0001. was reserved for a
sinking fund and that, deducting the sinking fund, the inte-
rest on their advances would be about 10 per cent. In addition
to this high interest, they gain an increase of a fourth, by the
conversion of their money into stock, at 75 per cent.]
[ln looking at the tables referred to in the above report, we
find some curious items, both of income and expenditure.
Nearly 200,000 milreas or 50,0001. of the revenue of the Em-
pire arises from duties on slaves, or the slave trade. This is
about the amount of the various branches of the imperial civil
list, or the sums expended in support of the imperial dignity,
for the half year to which the table of expenditure extends.
It is curious to observe with what minuteness the Mini-
ster states and calculates all the sums advances in support of
the Emperor or his household. He does not, indeed, give us
the price of " cock-turkies" for the Imperial table, (as Mr.
Burke once required to be stated before a Committee of the
House of Commons), but we learn from his account that the
expences incurred at the christening of the Emperor's daughter
amounted to 5,006 milreas (about 1,2001.); that there was paid
for books and the charges of the imperial library, about 250/.
(pray is the Emperor his own librarian ?); and that a new
tiling to the Emperor's palace and to the adjoining houses cost
the empire of Brazil 800/. Coronations, too, would appear to
be cheaper in that new hemisphere than in our old Europa,
probably owing to the unhappy circumstance of the Brazilian
nobility being withoutancestors, and therefore having through
them no claim to perform honourable services about the Em-
peror's person at the ceremony. Be that as it may, the Emperor
Don Pedro's coronation cost only 67,200 milreas, or somewhat
less than 17,0001. The sum paid for a coronation nearer home
is almost equal to the sum total of the revenue of Brazil forithe
half year mentioned in these tables.]