ty, to punish the captors for the execution of their duty,
and by means of pains and penalties to deter them from the performance
of it in future.

It is even more unjust and inconsistent, that although His
Majesty's late ministers held out that ships of war were to be prize
to the captors, they are now declared to be the property of the state!
Do those narrow-minded persons who prompted such a decree,
imagine this to be a saving to the country? or do they expect that
seamen--especially foreign seamen--will fight heartily on such
terms? The power which the British navy has acquired arises
from the wisdom of the government in making the interests of the
officers and men identical with the interests of the state, which
gives bounties and premiums even in addition to the full value of
the prizes; whilst the insignificance and inefficiency of the navies
of governments which adopt opposite principles, sufficiently
indicate whether such liberality, or the want of it, is the best policy
in maritime affairs.

Having said thus much on public matters, I shall very briefly
trouble you with respect to myself, by stating that, as regards all
which does not depend on the uncontrolled exercise of the Imperial
functions--there has been no respect paid to the written stipulations
entered into with me on accepting the command of the Brazilian
navy, and that since my return from freeing the Northern provinces
and uniting them to the Empire, every promise--written and verbal--has
been evaded or set at nought, which facts I am prepared to
prove beyond the possibility of contradiction.

My nature is not suspicious, nor did I ever become doubtful of
promises and professions of friendship till after the third year of
my connection with Chili--when, having swept every ship of war
belonging to the enemy from the Pacific, the Chilian ministers
imagined that they could dispense with my services. They had
not, indeed, the candour which I have experienced here, for, after
appointing me to a command without limitation as to time, _they did
not publicly restrict the duration of that command to the earliest
moment that they could dispense with me_. It was their
plan--while
openly professing kindness and gratitude--to endeavour, by secret
artifices, to render me odious to the public, and to transfer to me
the responsibility which they th