THE ANTECEDENTS OF BRAZILIAN INDEPENDENCE.—PEDRO I.'s ACCESSION.—THE
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL TROUBLES OF THE NEW EMPIRE.—LORD COCHRANE'S
INVITATION TO BRAZIL.—HIS ARRIVAL AT RIO DE JANEIRO, AND ACCEPTANCE
OF BRAZILIAN SERVICE.—HIS FIRST MISFORTUNES.—THE BAD CONDITION OF
HIS SQUADRON, AND THE CONSEQUENT FAILURE OF HIS FIRST ATTACK ON THE
PORTUGUESE OFF BAHIA.—HIS PLANS FOR IMPROVING THE FLEET, AND THEIR
SUCCESS.—HIS NIGHT VISIT TO BAHIA, AND THE CONSEQUENT FLIGHT OF THE
ENEMY.—LORD COCHRANE'S PURSUIT OF THEM.—HIS VISIT TO MARANHAM,
AND ANNEXATION OF THAT PROVINCE AND OF PARÀ.—HIS RETURN TO RIO DE
JANEIRO.—THE HONOURS CONFERRED UPON HIM.
[1823.]
In 1808, King John VI. of Portugal, driven by Buonaparte from his
European dominions, took refuge in his great colonial possession of
Brazil, and the result of his emigration was considerable enlargement
of the liberties of the Brazilians. Thereby the immense Portuguese
colony in South America was prevented from following in the
revolutionary steps of the numerous Spanish provinces adjoining it.
In Brazil, however, during the ensuing years party faction produced
nearly as much turmoil as attended the struggle for independence in
Chili and the other Spanish, colonies. Those Brazilians who were
still intimately connected with the inhabitants of the mother country
rallied under Portuguese leaders, and did their utmost to maintain
the Portuguese supremacy over the colony. Quite as many, on the other
hand, were eager to take advantage of the new state of things as a
means of consolidating the freedom of Brazil. Plots and counterplots,
broils and insurrections, lasted, almost without intermission, until
1821, when King John returned to Portugal, leaving his son, Don Pedro,
as lieutenant and regent, to cope with yet greater difficulties. The
Cortes of Portugal, able to get back their king, desired also to bring
back Brazil to all its former servitude. So great was the opposition
thus provoked that the native or true Brazilian party induced Don
Pedro to throw off allegiance to his father. In October, 1822, the
independence of the colony was publicly declared, and on the 1st of
December Don Pedro assumed the title of Emperor of Brazil.
Only the southern part of Brazil, however, acknowledged his authority.
The northern provinces, including Bahia, Maranham, and Para, were
ruled by the Portuguese faction and held by Portuguese troops. A
formidable fleet, moreover, swept the seas, and the independent
provinces were threatened with speedy subjection to the sway of
Portugal.
That was the state of affairs in the young empire of Brazil during the
months in which Lord Cochrane, having destroyed the Spanish fleet
in the Pacific, was being subjected to the worst ingratitude of his
Chilian employers. Don Pedro and his advisers, hearing of this, lost
no time in inviting him to enter the service of the Brazilian nation.
Equal rank and position to those held by him under Chili were offered
to him. "Abandonnez vous, milord," wrote the official who conveyed the
Emperor's message, on the 4th of November, 1822, "à la reconnaisance
Brésilienne, à la munificence du Prince, à la probité sans tache de
l'actuel Gouvernement; on vous fera justice; on ne rabaissera
d'un seul point la haute considération, rang, grade, caractère, et
avantages qui vous sont dûs." In yet stronger terms a second letter
was written soon afterwards. "Venez, milord; l'honneur vous invite;
la gloire vous appelle. Venez donner à nos armes navales cet ordre
merveilleux et discipline incomparable de puissante Albion."
Lord Cochrane, as we have seen, accepted this invitation; not,
however, without some misgivings, which, in the end, were fully
justified. Having quitted Valparaiso on the 18th of January, 1823, he
arrived at Rio de Janeiro on the 13th of March. He had not been there
a week before he discovered that, while all classes were anxious to
secure his aid, the Emperor Pedro I. stood almost alone in the desire
to treat him honourably and in a way worthy of his character and
reputation. Vague promises were made to him; but, when a statement
of his position was asked for in writing, very different terms were
employed. He was only to have the rank of a subordinate admiral, with
pay of less amount than the Chilian pension that he had resigned. His
employment was to be temporary and informal, subjecting him to the
chance of dismissal at any moment. When, however, resenting these
trickeries, he announced his intention of proceeding at once to
Europe, and accepting the Greek service offered to him, a different
tone was adopted. Under the Emperor's signature he was appointed, on
the 21st of March, First Admiral of the National and Imperial Navy,
with emoluments equal to those he had received from Chili.
He did not then know, though he was soon to learn it by hard
experience, how strong, even at the imperial court, was the influence
of the Portuguese party, and by what meanness and trickery it sought
to maintain and augment that influence. "Where the Portuguese party
was really to blame," he afterwards said, "was in this,—that, seeing
disorder everywhere more or less prevalent, they strained every nerve
to increase it, hoping to paralyze further attempts at independence by
exposing whole provinces to the evils of anarchy and confusion. Their
loyalty also partook more of self-interest than of attachment to the
supremacy of Portugal; for the commercial classes, which formed the
real strength of the Portuguese faction, hoped, by preserving the
authority of the mother country in her distant provinces, to obtain as
their reward the revival of old trade monopolies which, twelve years
before, had been thrown open, enabling the English traders—whom
they cordially hated—to supersede them in their own markets. Being
a citizen of the rival nation, their aversion to me personally was
undisguised—the more so, perhaps, that they believed me capable
of achieving at Bahia, whither the squadron was destined, that
irreparable injury to their own cause which the imperial troops had
been unable to effect. Had I, at the time, been aware of the influence
and latent power of the Portuguese party in the empire, nothing would
have induced me to accept the command of the Brazilian navy; for to
contend with faction is more dangerous than to engage an enemy, and a
contest of intrigue is foreign to my nature and inclination."
Having entered the Brazilian service, however, Lord Cochrane applied
himself to his work with characteristic energy and success. He hoisted
his flag on board the _Pedro Primiero_ on the 21st of March, and
put to sea on the 3rd of April. His squadron consisted of the _Pedro
Primiero_, a fine and well-appointed ship, rated rather too highly for
seventy-four guns, commanded by Captain Crosbie; of the _Piranga_, a
fine frigate, entrusted to Captain Jowett; of the _Maria de Gloria_,
a showy but comparatively worthless clipper, mounting thirty-two
small guns, under Captain Beaurepaire; of the _Liberal_, under Captain
Garcaõ. He was accompanied by two old vessels, the _Guarani_ and
the _Real_, to be used as fireships. Two other ships of war, the
_Nitherohy_, assigned to Captain Taylor, and the _Carolina_, were left
behind to complete their equipment, and the first of these joined
the squadron on its way to Bahia, which, being the nearest of the
disaffected provinces, was the first to be subdued.
The coast of Bahia was reached on the 1st of May, and Lord Cochrane
was arranging to blockade its capital and port, on the 4th, when the
Portuguese fleet came out of the harbour. It comprised the _Don Joaõ_,
of seventy-four guns; the _Constitucaõ_, of fifty; the _Perola_, of
forty-four; the _Princeza Real_, of twenty-eight; the _Regeneracaõ_,
the _Dez de Fevereiro_, the _San Gaulter_, the _Principe de Brazil_,
and the _Restauracaõ_, of twenty-six each; the _Calypso_ and the
_Activa_, of twenty-two; the _Audaz_, of twenty; and the _Canceicaõ_,
of eight; being one line-of-battle ship, five frigates, five
corvettes, a brig, and a schooner. Lord Cochrane did not venture with
his small and as yet untried force to attack the whole squadron, but
he proceeded to cut off the four rearmost ships. This he did with the
_Pedro Primiero_, but, to his disgust, the other vessels, heedless
of his orders, failed to follow him. "Had the rest of the Brazilian
squadron," he said, "come down in obedience to signals, the ships cut
off might have been taken or dismantled, as with the flag-ship I
could have kept the others at bay, and no doubt have crippled all in
a position to render them assistance. To my astonishment, the signals
were disregarded, and no efforts were made to second my operations."
The _Pedro Primiero_, after fighting alone for some time, and during
that time even doing but little mischief, by reason of the clumsy way
in which her guns were handled, had to be withdrawn.
At that failure Lord Cochrane was reasonably chagrined. Worse than the
fact that the Portuguese had escaped uninjured for this once, was the
knowledge that he could not hope thoroughly to punish them without
first effecting great reform in the materials at his disposal. On the
5th of May he wrote to the Government to complain of the miserable
condition of the ships and crews provided for him by the Brazilian
Government. "From the defective sailing and manning of the squadron,"
he said, "it seems to me that the _Pedro Primiero_ is the only one
that can assail an enemy's ship-of-war, or act in the face of a
superior force so as not to compromise the interests of the empire and
the character of the officers commanding. Even this ship, in common
with the rest, is so ill-equipped as to be much less efficient than
she otherwise would be. Our cartridges are all unfit for service,
and I have been obliged to cut up every flag and ensign that could
be spared to render them serviceable, so as to prevent the men's arms
being blown off whilst working the guns. The guns are without locks.
The bed of the mortar which I received on board this ship was crushed
on the first fire, being entirely rotten. The fuses for the shells are
formed of such wretched composition that it will not take fire with
the discharge of the mortar. Even the powder is so bad that six pounds
will not throw out shells more than a thousand yards. The marines
understand neither gun exercise, the use of small arms, nor the sword,
and yet have so high an opinion of themselves that they will not
assist to wash the decks, or even to clean out their own berths, but
sit and look on whilst these operations are being performed by seamen.
I warned the Minister of Marine that every native of Portugal put on
board the squadron, with the exception of officers of known character,
would prove prejudicial to the expedition, and yesterday we had clear
proof of the fact. The Portuguese stationed in the magazine actually
withheld the powder whilst this ship was in the midst of the enemy,
and I have since learnt that they did so from feelings of attachment
to their own countrymen. I enclose two letters, one from the officer
commanding the _Real_, whose crew were on the point of carrying that
vessel into the enemy's squadron for the purpose of delivering her
up. I have also reason to believe that the conduct of the _Liberal_ yesterday in not bearing down upon the enemy, and not complying with
the signal which I had made to break the line, was owing to her being
manned by Portuguese. The _Maria de Gloria_ also has a great number
of Portuguese, which is the more to be regretted as otherwise her
superior sailing, with the zeal and activity of her captain, would
render her an effective vessel. To disclose to you the truth, it
appears to me that one half of the squadron is necessary to watch over
the other half. Assuredly this is a system which ought to be put an
end to without delay."
Other indignant complaints of that sort, which need not here be
repeated, were reasonably made by Lord Cochrane. The bad equipment
of his squadron, both in men and in material, had hindered him, at
starting, from achieving a brilliant success over the enemy, and
though his subsequent achievements were of unsurpassed brilliance,
he was to the end seriously hindered by the wilful and accidental
mismanagement of his employers.
Lord Cochrane lost no time, however, in correcting by his own prudent
action the evil effects of this mismanagement. Not choosing to run the
risk of a second failure, and believing that two good ships would be
more serviceable than any number of bad ones, he took his squadron to
the Moro San Paulo, where he transferred all the best men and the most
serviceable fittings to the flag-ship and the _Maria de Gloria_. There
he left the other vessels to be improved as far as possible, directing
that instruction should be given in seamanship to all the incompetent
men who showed any promise of being made efficient, and that several
small prizes which he had taken on his way from Rio de Janeiro should
be turned into fireships for future use. With the two refitted ships
he then went back to Bahia, to watch its whole coast and blockade the
port.
The wisdom of this course was at once apparent. Several minor captures
were made; the supplies of Bahia were cut off, and the enemy's
squadron was locked in the harbour for three weeks. Lord Cochrane went
to the Moro San Paulo on the 26th, leaving the _Maria de Gloria_ to
overlook the port, and then the Portuguese fleet ventured out for a
few days. It dared not show fight, however, and was driven back by the
flag-ship, which returned on the 2nd of June. "On the 11th of June,"
said Lord Cochrane, "information was received that the enemy was
seriously thinking of evacuating the port before the fireships were
completed. I therefore ordered the _Maria de Gloria_ to water and
re-victual for three months, so as to be in readiness for anything
which might occur, as, in case the rumour proved correct, our
operations might take a different turn to those previous intended.
The _Piranga_ was also directed to have everything in readiness for
weighing immediately on the flag-ship appearing off the Moro and
making signals to that effect. The whole squadron was at the same time
ordered to re-victual, and to place its surplus articles in a large
shed constructed of trees and branches felled in the neighbourhood of
the Moro. Whilst the other ships were thus engaged, I determined to
increase the panic of the enemy with the flag-ship alone. The position
of their fleet was about nine miles up the bay, under shelter of
fortifications, so that an attack by day would have been more perilous
than prudent. Nevertheless, it appeared practicable to pay them a
hostile visit on the first dark night, when, if we were unable
to effect any serious mischief, it would at least be possible
to ascertain their exact position, and to judge what could be
accomplished when the fireships were brought to bear upon them.
"Accordingly," the narrative proceeds, "having during the day
carefully taken bearings at the mouth of the river, on the night
of the 12th of June, I decided on making the attempt, which might
possibly result in the destruction of part of the enemy's fleet, in
consequence of the confused manner in which the ships were
anchored. As soon as it became dark we proceeded up the river; but,
unfortunately, when we were within hail of the outermost ship, the
wind failed, and, the tide soon after turning, our plan of attack was
rendered abortive. Determined, however, to complete the reconnoisance,
we threaded our way amongst the outermost vessels. In spite of the
darkness, the presence of a strange ship under sail was discovered,
and some beat to quarters, hailing to know what ship it was. The
reply, 'An English vessel,' satisfied them, however, and so our
investigation was not molested. The chief object thus accomplished, we
succeeded in dropping out with the ebb-tide, now rapidly running,
and were enabled to steady our course stern-foremost with the stream
anchor adrag, whereby we reached our former position."
That exploit was more daring than Lord Cochrane's modest description
would imply; and, though the bold hope that it might be possible for
a single invading ship to conquer the whole Portuguese squadron in its
moorings was not realized, the effect was all that could be desired.
The Portuguese Admiral and his chief officers were at a ball in
Bahia while Lord Cochrane was quietly sailing round and amongst their
squadron, and the report of this achievement was brought to them in
the midst of their festivities. "What!" exclaimed the Admiral,
"Lord Cochrane's line-of-battle ship in the very midst of our fleet!
Impossible! No large ship can have come up in the dark." When it was
known that the thing had really been done, and that the construction
of fireships at the Moro San Paulo was being rapidly proceeded with,
the Portuguese authorities, both naval and military, considered that
it would be no longer safe to remain in Bahia Harbour. They were
seriously inconvenienced, moreover, by the success with which Lord
Cochrane had blockaded the port and all its approaches. "The means
of subsistence fail us, and we cannot secure the entrance of any
provisions," said the Commander-in-Chief, in the proclamation
intimating that the so-called defenders of the province were
thinking of abandoning their post. This they did after a fortnight's
consideration. On the 2nd of July the whole squadron of thirteen
war-vessels and about seventy merchantmen and transports, filled with a
large body of troops, evacuated the port.
That was a movement with which Lord Cochrane was well pleased. He had
been in doubt as to the prudence of leading his small fleet into a
desperate action in the harbour, by which the inexperience of his
crews might ruin everything, and which might have to be followed
by fighting on land. But now that the Portuguese, both soldiers and
sailors, were in the open sea, he could give them chase without much
risk, as, in the event of their turning round upon him with more
valour than he gave them credit for, the worst that could happen would
be his forced abandonment of the pursuit. The valour was not shown.
No sooner were the Portuguese out of port, with their sails set for
Maranham, where they hoped to join other ships and troops, and so
augment their strength, than Lord Cochrane proceeded to follow them
and dog their progress.
His scheme was a bold one, but as successful as it was bold.
Attended first by the _Maria de Gloria_ alone, and afterwards by the
_Carolina_, the _Nitherohy_, and a small merchant brig, the _Colonel
Allen_, in which he had placed a few guns, he pursued and harassed
the cumbrous crowd of Portuguese warships, troop-ships, and trading
vessels, about eighty in all, through fourteen days. The chase,
indeed, was practically conducted by his flag-ship, the _Pedro
Primiero_, alone. The other vessels were ordered to look out for any
of the enemy's fleet that lagged behind or were borne away from the
main body of the fugitives, either to the right hand or to the left.
Of these there were plenty, and none were allowed to escape. The
pursuers had easy work in prize-taking. "I have the honour to inform
you," wrote Lord Cochrane in a concise despatch to the Brazilian
Minister of Marine, on the 7th of July, "that half the enemy's army,
their colours, cannon, ammunition, stores, and baggage have been
taken. We are still in pursuit, and shall endeavour to intercept the
remainder of the troops, and shall then look after the ships of war,
which would have been my first object but that, in pursuing
this course, the military would have escaped to occasion further
hostilities against the Brazilian empire."
Most of his prizes and prisoners Lord Cochrane sent into Pernambuco,
the port then nearest to him, and he despatched two officers to hold
Bahia for Brazil. With his flag-ship he continued his pursuit of the
enemy, losing them once during a fog, and, when, he found them,
being prevented from doing all the mischief which he hoped, as a calm
enabled them to keep close together and present a front too formidable
for attack by a single assailant. The Portuguese, however, continued
their flight as soon as the wind permitted. Lord Cochrane did not
trouble them much during the day, but each night he swept down on
them, like a hawk upon its prey, and harassed them with wonderful
effect. They were chased past Fernando Island, past the Equator, and
more than half way to Cape Verde. Then, on the 16th of July, Lord
Cochrane, after a parting broadside, left them to make their way in
peace to Lisbon, there to tell how, by one daring vessel, thirteen
ships of war had been ignominiously driven home, accompanied by only
thirteen out of the seventy vessels that had placed themselves under
their protection.
Lord Cochrane would have continued the pursuit still farther, had not
some of the troop-ships contrived to escape; and as he was anxious
that these should not get into shelter at Maranham, or, if there,
should not have time to recover their spirits, he deemed it best to
hasten thither. He reached Maranham before them, and thus found it
possible to carry through an excellent expedient which he had devised
on the way.
Maranham, the wealthiest province of the old Brazilian colony, was
best guarded by the Portuguese, and now served as the centre and
stronghold of resistance to the authority of the new Emperor. Lord
Cochrane's plan had for its object nothing less than the annexation of
the whole province singlehanded and without a blow. With this intent,
he entered the River Maranham, which served as a harbour to the port
of the same name, on the 26th of July, with Portuguese colours flying
from the mast of the _Pedro Primiero_. The authorities, deceived
thereby, promptly sent a messenger with despatches and congratulations
on the safe arrival of what was supposed to be a valuable
reinforcement from Portugal. The messenger was soon undeceived, but
Lord Cochrane at once made him the agent of a much more elaborate
and altogether justifiable deception Announcing to him that the swift
sailing of the _Pedro Primiero_ had brought her first to Maranham, but
that she was being followed by a formidable squadron, intended for the
invasion of the province, he sent him back with letters to the same
effect, addressed to the Portuguese commandant and to the local Junta
of Maranham. "The naval and military forces under my command," he
wrote to the former, "leave me no room to doubt the success of
the enterprise in which I am about to engage, in order to free the
province of Maranham from foreign domination, and to allow the people
free choice of government. Of the flight of the Portuguese naval and
military forces from Bahia you are aware. I have now to inform you of
the capture of two-thirds of the transports and troops, with all their
stores and ammunition. I am anxious not to let loose the imperial
troops of Bahia upon Maranham, exasperated as they are at the injuries
and cruelties exercised towards themselves and their countrymen, as
well as by the plunder of the people and churches of Bahia. It is
for you to decide whether the inhabitants of these countries shall be
further exasperated by resistance, which appears to me unavailing, and
alike prejudicial to the best interests of Portugal and Brazil," "The
forces of his Imperial Majesty," he said to the Junta, "having freed
the city and province of Bahia from the enemies of independence, I now
hasten—in conformity with the will of his Majesty that the beautiful
province of Maranham should be free also—to offer to the oppressed
inhabitants whatever aid and protection they need against a foreign
yoke; desiring to accomplish their liberation and to hail them
as brethren and friends. Should there, however, be any who, from
self-interested motives, oppose themselves to the deliverance of their
country, let such be assured that the naval and military forces which
have driven the Portuguese from the south are again ready to draw the
sword in the like just cause, and the result cannot be long doubtful."
Those mingled promises and threats took prompt effect. On the
following day, the 27th of July, after a conditional offer of
capitulation had been rejected, the members of the Junta, the Bishop
of Maranham, and other leading persons, went on board the _Pedro
Primiero_ to tender their submission to the Emperor of Brazil. The
city and forts were surrendered without reserve, and in less than
twenty-four hours from Lord Cochrane's first appearance in the river
the flag of Portugal was replaced by that of Brazil. A great province
had been added to the dominions of Pedro I. without bloodshed, and
with no more expenditure of ammunition than was needed for the volleys
discharged in honour of the triumph.
The liberation of Maranham was publicly celebrated on the 28th of
July, and on the following day the Portuguese troops embarked for
Europe, special concessions being made to them by Lord Cochrane, who
deemed it well that they should be out of the way before the device
by which he had outwitted them was made known. No resentment was to
be expected from the civilians, as even those most hearty in their
adherence to the Portuguese faction in Brazil would not dare to offer
direct opposition to the sentiments of the majority. But Lord Cochrane
wisely set himself to conciliate all. "To the inhabitants of the
city," he said, "I was careful to accord complete liberty, claiming
in return that perfect order should be preserved and property of all
kinds respected. The delight of the people was unbounded at being
freed from a terrible system of exaction and imprisonment which, when
I entered the river, was being carried on with unrelenting rigour by
the Portuguese authorities towards all suspected of a leaning to
the Imperial Government. Instead of retaliating, as would have been
gratifying to those so recently labouring under oppression, I directed
oaths to the constitution to be administered, not to Brazilians only,
but also to all Portuguese who chose to remain and conform to the new
order of things; a privilege of which many influential persons of that
nation availed themselves."
With the capture of Maranham alone, however, Lord Cochrane was not
satisfied. Without a day's delay, he despatched a Portuguese brig
which he had seized in the river and christened by its name, under
Captain Grenfell, to follow at Parà, the only important province of
Brazil still under the Portuguese yoke, the same course which he
had just adopted with such wonderful success. He himself found it
necessary to remain at Maranham for more than two months, where he had
to curb with a strong hand the passions of the liberated inhabitants,
eager to use their liberty in lawless ways and to retaliate upon the
Portuguese still resident among them for all the hardships which they
had hitherto endured.
On the 20th of September, having heard that Captain Grenfell had
entirely succeeded in his designs on Parà, he started for Rio de
Janeiro, and there he arrived on the 9th of November. "I immediately
forwarded to the Minister of Marine," he said, "a recapitulation of
all transactions since my departure seven months before; namely,—the
evacuation of Bahia by the Portuguese in consequence of our nocturnal
visit, connected with the dread of my reputed skill in the use of
fireships, arising from the affair of Basque Roads; the pursuit of
their fleet beyond the Equator, and the dispersion of its convoy; the
capture and disabling of the transports filled with troops intended
to maintain Portuguese domination on Maranham and Parà; the device
adopted to obtain the surrender, to the _Pedro Primiero_ alone, of
the enemy's naval and military forces at Maranham; the capitulation of
Parà, with the ships of war, to my summons sent by Captain Grenfell;
the deliverance of the Brazilian patriots whom the Portuguese had
imprisoned; the declaration of independence by the intermediate
provinces thus liberated, and their union with the empire; the
appointment of provisional governments; the embarkation and departure
of every Portuguese soldier from Brazil; and the enthusiasm with which
all my measures—though unauthorised and therefore extra-official—had
been, received by the people of the northern provinces, who, thus
relieved from the dread of further oppression, had everywhere
acknowledged and proclaimed his Majesty as constitutional Emperor."
Lord Cochrane's services had, indeed, been, many of them,
"unauthorised and therefore extra-official." He had been sent out
merely to recover Bahia; but, besides doing that, he had gained for
Brazil other territories more than half as large as Europe. For this,
however, nothing but gratitude could be shown, and the gratitude was,
for the time at any rate, unalloyed. On the very day of the _Pedro
Primiero's_ return, the Emperor went on board to offer his thanks in
person. Further, thanks were voted by the legislature, and tendered by
all classes of the people.
"Taking into consideration the great services which your excellency
has just rendered to the nation," wrote the Emperor on the 25th of
November, "and desiring to give your excellency a public testimonial
of gratitude for those high and extraordinary services on behalf
of the generous Brazilian people, who will ever preserve a lively
remembrance of such illustrious acts, I deem it right to confer upon
your excellency the title of Marquis of Maranham." The decoration
of the Imperial Order of the Cruizeiro was also bestowed upon Lord
Cochrane, and on the 19th of December he was made a Privy Councillor
of Brazil, the highest honour which it was in the Emperor's power to
grant. On the same day he also received from the Emperor a charter
confirming his rank and emoluments as First Admiral of Brazil, "seeing
how advantageous it would be for the interests of this empire to avail
itself of the skill of so valuable an officer," and in recognition of
"the valour, intelligence, and activity by which he had distinguished
himself in the different services with which he had been entrusted."