eir sessions, with respect to the Prince, was highly
indecent. Such commanders either by sea or land as obeyed him, unless
by force, were declared traitors, and he was ordered home anew within
four months, under pain of submitting to the future disposition of the
Cortes; and they decreed that the whole means of government should be
employed to enforce obedience. The Brazilian members did indeed
remonstrate and protest formally against these proceedings; but they
were over-ruled; and the spectators in the galleries, on one occasion,
went so far as to cry, "Down with the Brazilian!"

In the months of June and July, Madeira began to make sallies into the
country around Bahia, as if it had been possessed by an enemy; and,
indeed, he quickly found one most formidable. The town of Cachoeira,
large and populous, and intimately connected with the hardy inhabitants
of the Certam, soon became the head-quarters of crowds of patriots, who
assembled there, and resolved to expel the Portuguese from their
capital.

They began to form regular troops; but though they were abundantly
supplied with beef and other provisions, they were in want of arms and
ammunition, and sent to Rio de Janeiro to represent their situation to
the Prince, and request assistance. They were also in great distress for
salt to preserve their provisions; and as to accoutrements, raw hides
supplied the place of almost every thing. An apothecary, in Cachoeira,
shortly began to boil sea-water in sugar-coppers, to make salt, and soon
reduced the price of that article, so that the quantity at first sold
for ten pataccas (eighteen shillings) fell to seven vintems (seven
pence). The same apothecary, collecting all the salt-petre in the
neighbourhood, applied himself to making of gunpowder, and a fortunate
discovery of some hundred barrels smuggled into Itaparica by some
English, was of essential use to them. But they had no cannon, no lead
for ball for their muskets and matchlocks; the lead, indeed, and a
quantity of gun-locks, their friends within the city contrived to
smuggle to them; and their guns were supplied in the following manner.
In each engenho, there was an old gun or two for the purpose of
balancing some part of the machinery; these were at once sent to
Cachoeira, where, being cleaned and bushed by an ingenious blacksmith,
they were rendered serviceable; and the patriots ventured to take the
field against Madeira's parties, even before the arrival of any