Independence Of Brazil.
The Times, 1824-12-08T00:00:00

When his Faithful (then Prince Regent) set sail .iom the Tagus, in 1807, and l-at Portugal as an arena of. combat for foreign hostile troops, Brazil-became virtually indep adent. ThePortitguese Monarchy. being transplanted- fromh Lisbon.to Rio Janeiro, the eolony be- came at once the kitigdom and the psother country the subordinate state. From -at moment the trade of the fotiner colonial establishment shookoff its shackles, and a new commercial intercourse was opened with foreign nations. 'The Government and the Court, considering Brazil as their probable residence for many years, if not their permanent abode, adopted measures which in- creased the importance and flattesed the pride of the new state. A land and iaval force, thongh of a limited amount, was created, and councils and tribunals were established to s-jt the new order of things. Ambassadoks from the independent Courts of Europe were accredited to his Faithful Majesty on the other-side of the Atlantic, with all the state and tfrmalities that would have been observed in Europe. The Regency of Lisbon pretended to consult the King of Brazil, and orders were eisued from Rio Janeiro to the African and'Asiatic posses- sions of' the Portuguese Crown, Mosambique, Goa, and Manilla, as if the Government of Brazil held supreme ,sway over all the dominions of the Portuguese Monarchy. Here then, we have every requisite of an independent lkingnom-a King, a Court, and a Government-an army and navy, councils and tribunals, and inde- pen ent coVnmerce and distant colonies. Nay, more; on the 16th of December, 1815, when King John had recovered the Crown of Portugal, he issued a decree, efevating Brazil I to the dignity, pre-eminence, and denomination of a kingdomn"-an aspect, he adds, under which it had been considered by the Plenipotentiaries who formed the Congress of Vienna. This state of things continued from the beginning of the year ISO;R to the end of the year 1820-a period of nearly thirteen years, during the earlier part of which his Faithful Majesty was uncer- taini whether he could ever re-cross the Atlantic to the seat where his forefathers had reigned, and in the latter part of wlhich he soemed to be indifferent on the subject. The Brazilians hailed this change in their condition with enthusiastic joy. They felt themselves ennobled by the dignity conferred on their country, and found themselves enriched by the new activity and xigour which unrestrict- ed freedom conferred on their commerce. Was it likely, then, that they would ever be induced voluntarily to return to their former colonial thraldom, or that Portugal should ever possess the means of restoring it by force? We rnay answer "' No," without hesitation; and may add, that though such a re-subjection were possible, it would neither be desirable for Portugal, Brazil, nor Eurepe. If it Was found impracticable or disadvantageous to govern Por- tugal from Rio Janeiro, It is equally so to govern Brazil from Lisbon. We have a French work before us, written by a MI. Alphonse de Beauchamp, a well-known book--maker at Paris, who modestly styles himself the Historian of Bra- zil; in wllich these questions, and several others connected with Brazil, are discussed. This Historian of Brazil is an ultra-Royalist in polities, and the independence of his fa- vourite trans-Atlan tic state seemns principally to please himn, because it has been brougltt about by the son of a King, and because American freedom will thus in a certain sense be in- grafted on European legitimacy. In speaking on this sub- ject, he tells us that King John, ;N giTing his farewell in- structions to his son Don Pedro, desired him to be on " his guard against allowing Brazil to become a prey to factious parties, or to a single adventurer; and rather than see its fine crown seized by usurpation, to place it on his own hcad." Leaving out of view the political prejudices of this author, we may say that his work contains a considerable stock of useful information. He proves incon- testably that the Government of Portugal has behaved with great imprudlence in its conduct towards Brazil; that Bra- zil never can be conquered by Portugal ; and that conse- quently the best policy for both wo-ald be the formation of a cordial union, on the footing of mutual independlence and reciprocal adyantage. Sprung from the same origin, speaking the same language, and lirorssing the same reli- gion, the Portuguese in Europe and the Poi'tuguese in America might thus enjoy a beneficial commercial inter- course, and form a secure andl useful political alliance. Portugal will hencet'orward be unable to obtain gold and diamonds from Brazil without an equivalent; but she may procure them in exchange for the products of her intustry. She -will be unable toforce her oil, her wines, or her cloths on a trans-Atlantic population, by having a monopoly of the market, but she will have her fair share of that trade if she sells as reasonably as other nations. In the conclusion of the pamphlet of M. de Beau- champ,we find some statistical facts which we think not incorrectly stated,- and which, if correct, evince the weal2th, the ~power, and the resources of the Bra- zilian empire. The population of the 19 provinces which compose it amounts to upwards of 4,000,000. In this census, it is to be lamented that t-hre are more than 2,000,000 of slaves. The regular army of Brazil amounts to between 25,000 and 30,000 men; its militia force to 50,000 men. The revenue of the empire is estimated at nearly 3,000,000 sterling; in tlhe year 1824-, it is estimated at 95,000,000 of francs, or nearly 4,000,000 sterling. 'I'he vast extent of lands belonging to tile nationi permits Brazil, by their sale, to redeeni its debt without imposing burdenis on the people. '1hie following is the progressive state of the revenue of Brazil, from the Kii g's arrival in 1808, to his departure in 1820. comnuted in Freneh monev *_ I Il<NDBPENDEANCE OF BRAZIL.