The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1878-07-23
PARA.

PARA.
Something About ias History and In
}, habitanis..A Hot he'd or Ins"rrec'
Cores. N. Y. World.
) On my return to Para endeavored 10
[ learn something more about the city and
its history, as well as the character OF its
inhabitants; and | deem it interesting
enough to communicate to the W0rids
readers the result of my researches and
, observations. AS is well known, Santa
Marie de Belem de Grasu Para--such
! being the full name of the city commonly
called Para--is the capital of the prov
! ince of the same name. 1t was founded
by Francisco Caldeira, who, in 1915, was
dispatched by the encouragement of
y Brazil, Alexandra de Moura, to build a
fort at the mouth of the Amazon, in
tss4er to elrs.,i..k-, ks 1es,7ssgners who
had begun to trade with the Indians
along the river. On the southern bank
of the Guajara or Marajo Bay-the Bra
zilians are famous for giving a score OF
names to their things-by the Fort da
Barza, thus arose the city of Belem, i'll
the locality where the rivers Tagypurus,
Guania and Moju Join. Lazy, quiet and
nearly unmindful Of everything as it
seems, this city was more than
once the scene of a dreadful events
Since the year in which its founder was
recalled to Lisbon (1622) for having
i Justly inflicted a severe punishment
upon the instigator of crime against
the life of a gallant captain, Belem has
been the centre Of two military and mon
astic factions, which abandoned them
selves to all kinds of disorders and retail
iations. The unhappy natives were
dealt with most cruelty by the highest Of
fice-holders in the provincial government.
The history of Brazil will ever expose
the names of Fragoso d'Albukerque,
Juan Velho da Vale and the three Maciels
as those of the men whose excuses were
most shameful. Next to them came the
Jesuits, those "apostles of the Gospel"
who advocated Indian slavery. To their
efforts to perpetuate it and make it hard
er should be accounted in great part the
bloodshed which wasted province.
Hatz I'd stf1a i 5engo having naturally
been provoked by their unlawful abuses,
the Indians in their turn knew no
bounds when chance presented.
When independence was proclaimed
in the province of Para the Portuguese
authorities intended to hold the capital,
but on the summons of the English Cap
tain Grenfell, Lord Cochrane's lieuten-
ant, the city was given up to a munic-
ipal commission, and the government of
Dom Pedro l. was regularly installed.
Taken, however, rather by surprise than
vanquished, the Portuguese soon at
tempted to overthrow the government,
but Grenfell having landed once more
with his men, the instruction was
broken down. A great number of the
rebels fell into the hands of the govern
ment; five Of their leaders were shot, and
$50 of the most prominent members i'm
prisoned in ship lying in the harbor.
Packed in a hole in which they
had scarcely sufficient air to breathe,
nearly dying of thirst, the wretches
determined to gain the deck and
fight for freedom or death, but their at
tempt was unsuccessful. The Brazilian
soldiers drove them back into the hold
by their deadly fire, mailing afterwards
even the windows by which the rebels
received the little quantity of air which
kept them alive. The wretched beings
nearly all perished-some from asphyxia-
ton, others, attacked by madness, de-
voured one another after the fashion of
wild beasts. During the whole night
their desperate cries filled the air; then
the noise insensibly diminished and the
silence of death followed. On the NOR
row, when the windows were opened, it
was found that only four, who had hid
den behind some barrels, had survived
The last great revolution of Para oc-
Cured in 1885. On January of that
year, the guard of the palace rebelled,
the president Of the province, the com
mander of the fort and the captain of
the port were slaughtered as well as
about thirty Portuguese residents of the
city. A sergeant became master of Pa
"a; the prisons were opened to political
prisoners, and one of them-Felix ALI
tonic Clementa Malcher-who had suf-
fered long detention as the leader of
the insurrection of Acara, was pro.
claimed president after binding himself
to obey no order from the general gov
eminent until Dom Pedro II. was of age.
Under this worthy magistrate order was
re. established, but did not last long
Pedro Vinagre, the newly-appointed
commander Of the military force in the
city, learning that he was to be arrested
for certain crime, aroused the majority
of his men and the lowest crowd of the
city against the president, and another
instruction commenced. Malcher was
taken, after losing about 200 men. He
was sentenced to be imprisoned in the
Fort of Barra, but he was slaughtered
on his way thither, and, as no one doubt
ed, by Vinagre's secret order. Popular
instability, however, rewarded the muir
derer by electing him to the presidency
The city and the province of Para still
bleed from these wounds. Although
tranquility has now reigned for time
/ sufficiently long, agriculture and trade
are still paralyzed. The i'll government
of the conservatives has checked the
| ripening of the fruits of peace. During
the last twelve years Para has had moi
one but twelve Tweeds, who have freely
i plundered the provincial treasury, one
Of them finally setting fire to the archives
| to destroy the proofs of his crime as well
as those Of his confederates
! Aneedote Of J. B. Booth.
Mr.. James Freeman Clarke, in his
recently published volume of Memorial
and Biographical Sketches" relates an
anecdnta If Tunius Prutus Roofb nh; ~