shalled his troops to uphold his evil ministers, he fell
with them. Had he adopted the policy of Cromwell, and delivered
to justice those who merited punishment, he would have saved
himself.

Permit me to say, in conclusion, that the Ministers of His Imperial
Majesty are identified with the Court of Admiralty, and with
the officers whom they maintain in the different departments.
Let them--I repeat--take heed that the operation of similar causes
does not produce like effects; for if the conduct of these individuals
shall cause the naval service to be abandoned, and shall thereby--as
a necessary consequence--occasion great disasters to the Empire,
I am convinced that in a short period, all the troops in Rio de
Janeiro will not be able to repress the storm that will be raised
against the factious Portuguese.

It is my fervent hope--that His Imperial Majesty, by gloriously
adhering to the cause of independence and to Brazil, will save and
unite the largest portion of his royal patrimony in defiance of the
blind efforts of Portugal, and in spite of the cunning intrigues of the
Portuguese faction here, to prolong civil war, and create dismemberment
and disunion.

I have the honour to be,

&c. &c.
COCHRANE AND MARANHAO.

His Excellency Joao Severiano Maciel de Costa,
Chief Minister of State, &c. &c.

One effect of the preceding letter was--that the Court of Admiralty
requested my consent to give up certain prize property, the object being
to construe my acquiescence as regarded a small portion--into a
precedent for giving up the remainder. This was firmly refused on the
ground of its being a fraud on the captors.

CHAPTER VII.

MINISTERIAL MALIGNITY TOWARDS ME--DANGERS IN PERNAMBUCO--PORTUGUESE
THREATS--MY ADVICE THEREON--FAILURE IN MANNING THE SQUADRON--PLOT FORMED
TO SEARCH THE FLAGSHIP--TIMELY WARNING THEREON--I DEMAND HIS MAJESTY'S
INTERFERENCE--WHICH WAS PROMPTLY GRANTED--PROTEST AGAINST PRIZE
DECISIONS--MY ADVICE SOUGHT AS REGARDED PERNAMBUCO--LETTER TO HIS
IMPERIAL MAJESTY--POINTING OUT THE ANNOYANCE PRACTISED--AND TENDERING MY
RESIGNATION--THE EMPEROR'S INTERVENTION--HIS MINISTERS NEGLECT TO FULFIL
HIS ENGAGEMENT--CONFIRMATION OF MY PREVIOUS PATENTS--BUT WITH AN
UNJUSTIFIABLE RESERVATION--PRIZE MONEY DEVOTED TO ADVANCE OF
WAGES--PROOFS THEREOF--BASELESS IMPUTATIONS ON ME--EXTRACTS FROM
LOG--FURTHER DISTRIBUTION OF PRIZE MONEY.