E ORDER AND GOOD GOVERNMENT.--THEIR RESULT IN FURTHER
TROUBLE TO HIMSELF.--HIS CRUISE IN THE "PIRANGA," AND RETURN TO
ENGLAND.--THE FRESH INDIGNITIES THERE OFFERED TO HIM.--HIS RETIREMENT
FROM BRAZILIAN SERVICE.--HIS LETTER TO THE EMPEROR PEDRO I.--THE END
OF HIS SOUTH AMERICAN EMPLOYMENTS.

[1824-1825.]

The political turmoils which Lord Cochrane found to be prevalent
in Rio de Janeiro, on his return from Maranham, were, as he had
anticipated, very disastrous to the whole Brazilian empire. The
unpatriotic action of men in power at head-quarters encouraged yet
more unpatriotic action in the outlying and newly-acquired provinces.
Portuguese sympathizers in Pernambuco, in Maranham, and in the
neighbouring districts, following the policy of the Portuguese faction
at the centre of government, and acting even more unworthily,
induced serious trouble; and the trouble was aggravated by the fierce
opposition which was in many cases offered to them. Before the end of
1823 information arrived that an insurrection, having for its object
the establishment in the northern provinces of a government distinct
from both Brazil and Portugal, had broken out in Pernambuco, and
nearly every week brought fresh intelligence of the spread of this
insurrection and of the troubles induced by it. The Emperor Pedro I.
was eager to send thither the squadron under Lord Cochrane, and so to
win back the allegiance of the inhabitants; and for this Lord Cochrane
was no less eager. To the Portuguese partizans, however, whose great
effort was to weaken the resources of the empire, the news of the
insurrection was welcome; and perhaps their strongest inducement to
the long course of injustice detailed in the last chapter was the
knowledge that by so doing they were most successfully preventing the
despatch of an armament strong enough to restore order in the northern
provinces. Herein they prospered. For more than six months the Emperor
was prevented from suppressing the insurrection, which all through
that time was extending and becoming more and more formidable. Not
till July was anything done to satisfy the claims of the seamen for
payment of their prize-money and the arrears of wages due to them,
without which they refused to return to their work and render possible
the equipment and despatch of the squadron; and even then only 200,000
milreis--less than a tenth of the prize-money that was owing--were
granted as an instalment of the payment to be m