The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-04 00:00:00

MORAL AND POLITICAL STATE
OF BRAZILS.
(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.)
In the Revue des deux Mondes, published at Paris
in July last, was inserted an article with the above
title, and in September appeared another, under the
aame head, purporting to contain an account of the
travels in' Brazils of a Monsieur de Chavagnes, with
his observations on the state of society in that empire.
Some idea may be formed of his fitness for such a task,
fr©m the short time he had to collect his materials.
After a residence of a fortnight. or three weeks at Rio
de Janeiro, he proceeded to Curo Paeto, the capital
town of the province of Minas Geraes—and came
back again. Veni, vidi, vici. He acknowledges that
he met with the kindest treatment and the most hos-
pitable reception every where, particularly at the houses
of the farmers and gentlemen in the country : every
foreign traveller that has made that journey speaks
highly of the universal hospitality he experienced
from the inhabitants, amply compensating them for
the want of inns and taverns. But not so Mr. Cha-
vagnes ; for, out of gratitude, he says, " that the
accommodation in the meanest pot-house in France is
superior to that afforded in the dwellings of the most
vesrctablo and richest gentleman or faxmer in
Brazils 1"

With more than an average share of the vanity of
his cppatrymen, he appears to consider France a
standard of perfection as to maulers and morals, reli-
gion anti politics ; therefore, comparing everything
he saw or heard in Brazils with what he vva.s
accustomed to see and hear in his own country,
he turns all in the New World into ridicule,
and caricatures all the inhabitants, from the Emperor
on his throne to the slave in the street; nay, not even
the fair sex has escaped his calumnies and jeers.
Statesmen, senators, deputies, merchants, and shop-
keepers, are all treated with equal contempt and ridi-
eule by this young and hasty traveller, who, dis-
appointed, perhaps, in not finding at Rio a Valais
lloyale, or the Boalevards of Paris, and the class of
society to be found.there, condemns the reserve and
seclusion of the ladies of Brazil ; and, making no
allowance for the heat of the climate, ridicules the
dishabille they appear in in their own homes, as
if he had never seen a Frenchwoman in a neglige
dress!

All foreigners who have hitherto explored the in-
terior of the vast empire of Brazils, or visited its
capital, have described the former as presenting the
most magnificent scenery in the world, and the latter
as rivalling the first cities in Europe, the productions
of the arts and sciences being as perfect in the one,
as those of nature were grand and sublime in the
etheia The inhabitants, likewise, have been pour-
*eyed as conspicuous for their hospitality and atten-
tion to strangers and foreigners respectably connected,
and furnished with the requisite introduction; whilst
the Emperor, though young in years, displays all that
urbanity and complaisance consistent with the high
station he occupies, and fulfils all his moral, political,
and religious obligations with a zeal and ability that
would do credit to more mature heads and hearts.
I'4. de Chavagnes, by his extravagant and outrt
assertions, gross exaggerations, and perverse mis-
statements, has astonished all France, and offended all
Brazils. If his object were to gain notoriety, he has
succeeded to the utmost of his wishes; and though
loth to add to his unenviable reputation as a writer,
yet it is perhaps necessary to expose his absurdities
and glaring errors, to prevent the public from being
imposed upon, and that an antidote should accompany
the poison.
I-favitg giren a proof of his ingratitude, the Bra-
%Than press give the following specimens of his accu-
racy, veracity, and humanity :
it was in November, 1842, that M. de C. visited
la) Janeiro. lie says the Emperor was then 20
years of age, when, in fact, he was only 16, having
been declared competent at that age to assume
the reigns of government, although the age of
ssighteen had been prescribed by the con4titution.
lie further asserts that the Ministry were dismissed
for having saluted Mr. Ellis (our late negotiator)
with a roll of the drums; that there was not any one
deserving the name of a statesman in all the empire ;.
that at Rio they were entirely ignorant of what was
passing in the provinces; that the Government
could raise no more loans, because the holders of
bonds found great difficulty in establishing their
claims to the dividends ; finally, that the consump-
tion of wine had fallen off to that degree, that
whereas the importation in 1841 consisted of 8,570,000
pipes, in 1842 it amounted to only 4,650,000 pipes :
and attributes the deficiency to the Brazilians no
longer drinking French or Portuguese wines. These
extracts are from his first number ; his second will
be noticed hereafter.

COURT OF ALDERMEN.
Yesterday a Court was held for the dispatch o
haziness.

THE CITY FREEDOM.

The Chamberlain's list of applications to be made
free, from wholesale as well as retail dealers, con-
tained the names of several merchants and bankers o
eminence in the City. The freedoms were granted.
The inquests of many of the wards made present-
ments of numbers of persons carrying on wholesale
and retail trades who had not taken up their freedoms.
In presenting the non-freemen of the ward of
Cripplegate Within, the foreman said that he and
kis brethren hail been at great pains to obtain the
roll of those of whom they had to complain, and he
expressed a hope that the Court would not prosecute
any retail dealers until the question with respect to
the wholesale dealers should be settled.
In malag the presentment of the inquest of the
ward of Farringdon Without, the foreman stated that
of two persons who had been presented as wholesale
dealers, not having taken up their freedom, one had
been elected an inquest-man and refused, but after-
wards consented to serve. That inquest-man, how-
ever, declined putting his signature to the present-
ment of the non-freemen, upon the ground that by
signing the document he would he consenting to his
own conviction. The jury were, in such difficulty,
'obliged to borrow an inquest-man from another dis-
trict to make, by his signature, the presentment
legal. The inquest trusted that the wholesale dealers
would be dealt with by the Court as well as the
retell dealers; that the most humble individuals
would not be treated with less indulgence than the
most elevated ; and that neither wealth nor poverty
ooubl influence the decisions in any of the cases
subject to adjudication.—(Hear.)
The several presentments were, so far as related to
the nen-freemen, referred to the Chamberlain.