onal Government of Maranham had
been used for the benefit of that province, and as no part of it had
ever been repaid, I determined that those to whom it was due should not,
at least, be defrauded of that portion of their claims, or of a
reasonable compromise thereof; and therefore I addressed to the
interim-president the following letter:--

TO HIS EXCELLENCY MANOEL TELLES DA SILVA LOBO,
PRESIDENT INTERINO.

SIR,

The public duties which I had to perform for the
service of His Imperial Majesty, and the pacification of this province,
being now happily brought to a termination, it becomes my duty, as
Commander-in-chief, to call your Excellency's attention to some
facts concerning the interests of the officers and seamen under my
command.

On the occasion of my former visit, in 1823, which was so happily
instrumental in rescuing this province from the yoke of Portugal
and annexing it to the Empire, I was desirous of rendering the
service performed still more grateful to the people by voluntarily
granting, in the conditions of capitulation, not only my guarantee for
the inviolability of all Brazilian property then under the Portuguese
flag, but also of all the property belonging to resident Portuguese
who should subscribe to the independence of the Empire, and the
authority of His Imperial Majesty. These conditions were most
scrupulously observed and fulfilled on my part, without the slightest
infringement in any one instance.

But--on the other hand--it was expressly set forth in the terms
of capitulation, that all property belonging to those who remained in
hostility--that is to say, property belonging to the crown or government
of Portugal, or to absent Portuguese (though with respect to
the latter a commutation was subsequently consented to) being,
according to the laws of war, subject to condemnation to the captors
--should be delivered to the captors accordingly, to be, by themselves,
subjected to the customary investigation in the prize tribunals of
His Imperial Majesty.

Amongst other articles of property of this description were, of
course, included the money due on the balance of public accounts
to the crown of Portugal, and this amount--partly in specie and
partly in bills--was held in readiness by the capitulating authorities
to be delivered when required. But, as my attention was for some
time sole