furniture of the room consisted of nine seats of different sizes and
forms, placed in a semicircle fronting the sofa, and on each of these
sat one of the members of the junta of the provisional government, who
act the part of senators or generals, as the occasion may require. To
each of these I was introduced; the names of Albuquerque, Cavalcante,
and Broderod, struck me, but I heard imperfectly, and forget most of
them: some wore handsome military coats, others the humbler dress of
farmers. They politely told me they would not read the letter while I
was waiting below, but as soon as we were seated, the secretary read it
aloud. Instead of taking any notice of its contents, the secretary began
a long discourse, setting forth the injustice of the Portuguese governor
and government towards Brazil in general, and the Pernambucans in
particular; that in order to resist that injustice, they had formed the
present respectable government, pointing to the junta, without intending
the least detriment to the rights of the king. That surely they could
not be called rebels, as they marched under the royal flag of Portugal;
but Luis do Rego might be reasonably stigmatised as such, for he had
fired on that banner. He then went off into a long harangue upon the
general principles of government; but as I understood little of the
language, much of it was lost upon me, as well as on my companions; but
I have no doubt that it served to impress the respectable junta with a
higher idea of their secretary's understanding and eloquence:
altogether, the speech reminded me of some of the best written of the
Carbonari addresses of Italy; and there was something in the air,
manner, and scene, not unlike what one imagines of the Barraca meetings
of those ill-guided, misused people.[54] We then talked a great deal in
French to the secretary, who repeated every word to the respectable
junta, and at length got him to attend to a proposal for releasing our
linen, and another for supplying the ship with fresh provisions. We had
been paying forty dollars per bullock in the town; they agreed that
their price should not exceed ten, if we sent boats to the Rio Doce, or
Paratije[55] for them. This is the mouth of a small stream on the
northside of Olinda. And I must not omit to mention, that they offered
to allow us to take off fresh provisions for our English or French
friends in the town.

[Note 54: I regret exceedingly that I was then so ignorant of the