The Coconino weekly sun., 1894-02-08
DA GAMA'S BLUFF.
He Said Groat Britain Would
 Back Him Up.
A LONG DRAFT ON HIS IMAGINATION.
He Is Said to Have Realized tho Fact That Adm. Benham Is In Earn. est aud Is Now Do-
 clIe.

RIO DE JANEIRo, Feb. 5--Thc press correspondent here has made as thor ough an investigation as is possible un- der the circumstance of the causes which led up to the recent demonstra- tion by Adm. Benham in the harbor in defense of American shipping, which has been subjected for long time to the reckless iriug of the insurgents. As result of the inquiries the follow ing facts have been obtained:
 So long as Adm. de Mello was in charge of the insurgent vessels at Rio, no blockade was permitted in this har- Dor. Vessels of foreign nations were permitted freely to enter the bay, dis charge their cargoes at the wharves, reload and quietly depart When da Cana, after issuing his pronunciamento against Peixoto, deserted the govern ment joined de Mello and issued his famous imperial manifesto, he declared with good deal of emphasis that he meant from that time forth to stop all commerce with Rio Janeiro and by this means practically destroy the revenue which the Brazilian government was receiving from this source.
 England, he announced, as if on the authority of British officials, was anxious for the return of monarchy throughout Brazil and the overthrow of reciprocity. With this powerful backing he appeared to think he was fully warranted in his autocratic ac' tions. Following close upon this dec. laration he issued warning to all ves' sels, no matter to what nationality they belonged, that they must not at tempt to discharge their cargoes or they would rue it. Following this eX' ample set by their superior officer, the other insurgent leaders made use of the same threats
 When information of what they had done had reached the ears of the United States minister, Mir. Thompson, he i'm mediately made a vigorous protest, in which he insisted that Adm da Cana had no right to institute such block ade. No matter what the minister of the other countries thought of the or der, Mir. Thompson said he felt 1t his duty to demand ample protection for all vessels flying the flag of his coun- try. He did not rest satisfied with this protest, but promptly paid visit to Com. Henry F, Picking who was then in command of the warships here, and asked him in the most decided manner to afford protection to all American vessels.
 In reply to Minister Thompson, Com. Picking said if an American sailor was shot while his vessel was in the act of discharging her cargo, he would promptly prosecute the captain of the rebel war ship which was responsible for the sailors death. Beyond this he seemed unwilling to go, and Minister Thompson was thus rendered powerless to do anything more for the protection of American ships.
 Now, everything is changed owing to the determined action of Adm Ben ham, who has assured the captains of American vessels he will protect their ships sand lighters SO far as he is able to do so. At the same time, however, he has warned these captains he can not prevent them from running the risk of chance shots at the wharves. It is impossible to discharge cargoes elsewhere
 All the tugs used In towing the yes. sels are owned by Brazilians, and Adm. da Cana threatens to promptly seize them if they tow lighters which are discharging cargoes Adm. Benham thinks the risk at the wharves Is slight, but he refuses at present to advise American captains how they should act. He is determined, however, to afford them all the protection he can.
 The reported sinking of torpedo boat on Monday last was uniounded.