ther hand, the opponents of the president were not only in arms
against him, but there were two or three family parties fighting each
other under the Imperial flag! and carrying their revengeful animosities
to an outrageous extent, which threatened the extermination of one, at
least, of the contending parties, if not the total ruin of the province.
To deal with these parties was, from their mutual recriminations, more
difficult than had they declared themselves inimical to the Imperial
Government. In one thing, however, they were all agreed, viz. in
opposition to the president; but as his was the constituted authority,
this was precisely what I did not intend to sanction.

It was clear to me that the first remedy was the appointment of a proper
military authority, and as none could be trusted, I apprised the
president of my intention to assume the chief military command during my
stay, or at least until order was restored, issuing a proclamation to
that effect.

As hostilities were still going on, I sent an order to both parties to
lay down their arms, with which mandate the anti-president party
immediately complied, and dispersed; but as the savage blacks under the
authority of the president attacked their now unarmed adversaries, and
committed great excesses, I seized and put them on board some vessels,
anchoring these under the guns of the flagship, and retained the whole
as prisoners, thus keeping them out of the way of further mischief.

The surrender of the arms was effected by the following proclamation,
which also explains my motives for this measure:--

Whereas, it is essential to the interests of the empire in general
and to the province of Maranham in particular, to put an end to
all public disturbances, whether arising from the contentions of
individuals, or from other causes; and whereas, the Constitution
has provided not only for the administration of justice in civil cases,
but also for the summary trial of military offences.

Be it henceforth known that--all persons armed, or commanding
or acting with men in arms, or aiding and assisting any body of
armed men in the support or defence of any persons assuming or
pretending to authority as chieftains, or attempting to alter the
Constitution by force--are hereby subject to military jurisdiction
and shall be tried by military law accordingly. But this regulation
is not intended to prohibit individuals from meeting t