Marine, commands that the First Admiral, Lord Cochrane,
Commander-in-Chief of the Squadron, shall, to-morrow morning,
proceed from this port with such vessels as he shall judge proper
to the port of Bahia, to institute a rigorous blockade, destroying
or capturing whatever Portuguese force he may fall in with--doing
all possible damage to the enemies of this Empire, it being left to
the discretion of the said Admiral to act as he shall deem
advantageous, in order to save that city from the thraldom to which
it is reduced by the enemies of the cause of Brazil; for this
purpose consulting with Gen. Labatu, commanding the Army, in order
to the general good of the service, and glory of the national and
Imperial arms.

Palace of Rio Janeiro, March 30, 1823.

LUIZ DA CUNHA MOREIRA.

To the Brazilian party and the mass of the people generally, the
approaching departure of the squadron was a matter for congratulation,
but to the Portuguese faction it presented a cause for fear, as tending
to destroy their hopes of re-establishing the authority of the mother
country. Their influence, as has before been said, was as great, if not
greater, than that of the patriots, and being more systematic, it had
been effectually employed to increase the disaffection which existed in
the Northern provinces to the--as yet--but partially established
authority of his Imperial Majesty.

It is not my intention for a moment to impute malicious motives to the
Portuguese faction in Brazil. The King of Portugal, Don John VI. had,
within twelve months, quitted their shores to resume the throne of his
ancestors, so that they had a right to the praise of loyalty, and the
more so, as at that time few calculated on separation from the mother
country. The Empire itself was not six months old, and therefore they
were not to be blamed for doubting its stability. The Cortes at Lisbon
had sent a large force for the protection of the more remote provinces,
and in an attack upon these at Bahia, the Brazilian troops had been
unsuccessful, so that no great confidence was to be reposed on any
future _military_ efforts to eject the Portuguese troops.

Where the Portuguese party was really to blame, consisted in
this,--that seeing disorder everywhere more or less prevalent, they
strained every nerve to increase it, hoping thereby to paralyse further
attempts at independence, by exposing whole pr