Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1845-04-29
From the National MtcLligencer.
The UNITED STATES AND BRAZIL.

liiE UNITED STATES AND BRAZIL.
We are now enabled to place before our
readers a statement complied from New York
papers, of the leading facts of the difference
winch arose early in February tast, the Rio
Janelro, between the Minister of the United
States OF Brazil, and the authorities of that
country. These facts, as follow, are
mainly derived IRON "a letter originally pub
llshed as 1t appears, i'm the New York Herald
On the 18th OF this month, which entirely es-
capped our attention at the time, and does not
much appear TO have attracted any body else's
or, II 1t did, was couched i'm terms of such
1isparaSenent To our Minister and naval of.
hCers AT hio Janelro, as To be suppose To be-
preJudiced and exaggerated throughout.
From this letter II would seem that an Am
erican merchant brig, by name the Porpoise-
n OF those spoken of in MIR. WIsE's cores
po~ndence--having been chartered by "a Brazil
IAN merchant ior u year, To proceed to any
part oil the world, was on the 23i ultimo seiZ-
ed in a forciblc manner ON her arrival from
Quilemane, by two boats crews of the United
States vessels of war, i'm all thirty two men.
with drssNn cutlasses, upon suspicion that the
captain and crew had been aiding and abetting
the slave trade. The seizure was alleged to
nave been made by permission of the Brazilian
boarding officer; and upon application o the
Minister OF Foreign Affairs by the American
Minister, ne, it is said, received verbal con.
sent To hold vessel and crew until the case had
been investigated. The Porpoise was consc.
quently anchored under the guns of the u. S
irigatc Raritan.
Wmle~ correspondence was being carried ON
between our Minister and the Brazilian For
eiSn Minister, on the subject, the Minister o.
justice gave instructions for an armed force.
consisting OF six gun boats and one hundred
men tn nFnrnnI IN, lan.l Al. d -
demand the relese of vessel, crew, and pas
sengers. The Commodore refused TO deliver
up the vessel and crew, but gave up the pas.
sengers, with which the Brazilian officer wa.
Obliged to be satisfied, not having a force suf-
fcient To execute. the remainder of his com.
mission.
In consequence of some apprehension that
the American Naval Commander intended
taking the vessel and crew out of the harbor
by force, the Brazilian Government is said 10
have reinforced its forts at the mouth of the
harbor with five hundred men, on the night of
Tie y Z January, with the intent to resist
such a proceeding.
The American authorities upon further con-
slderatlon, gave to the Government both YES
sci and crew. The Brazilian Government.
C IN possession of the brig and crew. not
understanding the sequest of the American
Minister Tor their re-delivery, (under the plea
that the vessel was forfeited to the United
States for violating its laws refused to accede
to his demand, and it was said would liberate
both vessel and crew. 1t is supposed. now,
ever, that the vessel will be held until instruc
lions come out from the owner respecting her
The city OF Rio %Janeiro, ii is said, was in
a state OF great excitement while this aues.
ton was pending; Government stocks fell IN
Two days SIX per cent and every gun that wa.
. tIFnH nF hntaI $3.50,
thought To be the commencement of hostili.
: ties between the American vessels of war and
. the forts"
1t was also rumored that during the excite
ment the American Minister had demande,
ms passports, and retired on board the fripat,
Raritan. %
III New York Commercial Advertiser q
tuesday contains a statement, by an apparent
y well-lniormed person, confirming the mair
idcts as above, but representing the Ministe
OF Justice to have ''actcd very ioolishlv.' an,
to have been influenced by the slave dealers
concluding as follows:
"A lew days after the Porpoise was relcas
ed' as but little could be proved against her
so well was her business hidden, and no law
or treaty authorizing Americans to seize i'm
Brazilian port any vessel without the con
sent OF the Brazilian authorities. They. he
ing all in favor of the slave-trade. insisted n,
Their right, and she was given up. She wa,
first held by their courtesy, and that woul,
have lasted Till now Oh any other subjects: bu
tle slaVe-tradc, that is a sore one.
"Mr. WISE will no doubt 90 on with hi.
investigation, and may yet have difficulty
win The Brdzilians, but the Porpoise case !,
probably low rcmembered by few at Rio. A,
the last date, March / few appeared to tbinI
oilt besides those Immediately Interested
: and they feared no difficulty"
This is, we believe, the true state of the
case: our Minister having erred, if at all. in
carrying too lar his purpose to stop the slave.
trade IN American hands, by any power which
he could bring to bear upon il.
we nave reason to suppose that the Brazil.
IAN Government has not considered the brief
misunderstanding between our Minister and
us authorities OH this occasion as of sufficient
consequence to be made subject of remonr-
stance to this Government.
10 show our readers however,. what is said
OH thls subject by those who have not the
same disposition as we have to- rcspect the
mOtipcS oil Mr.. WlsEs action i'm the case. we
translate Tor our readers the subjoincd notice oI
the ALTAR from a paper published in the Span.
isn language in the city of New York. (the
passage in italics being so marked ia the orr
ginal.)
me NOttctoSO dc 1WbOS. DIVHbfS dDTH %
BRAZIL ANDTHE UNITED STATES
The Government OF the United States, which
has TIL now thought to exercise with impunity
d maritime ~despOtism towards all the other
new Governments of this continent. seems to
have begun to get itself into difficulties. by
displaying ~ alt quarters It's unjust exactious.
ITS %tyDmical pretensions, and its rapacious
tendencies.
Just now ii happens that the Anglo-Am-
erlcan Commodore Mr.. Daniel Turner. com
handing on the Brazilian station has. within
the port of Rio dc J%aneiro, seized upon the brig
Porpoise, under the pretext that she is Anglo
American aud has slaves on board. The claim
exercising to such a point jurisdiction I'M =
ion1gn harboris one impossible except to the
arroS'nce OF people accustomed to scon all
lhc rights OF nation whom they consider too
leeble to think of not permitting themselves
to be uod upon. But, luckily, Brazil is a
rover not quite so impOtent. Her Govern
Inent Is a solid one, and destitute neither Of
means more Of the energy TO use them. The con
3 quence was an immediate intimation to