0 he had placed against it the amount advanced, the
transaction leaving me indebted to the Legation in the sum of L.25!"
Though the Legation could not have anything to do with the assumed error
arising from transactions at Maranham.

On the 21st of August, I received a letter from the Brazilian Envoy to
the effect that he had perceived in the newspapers a report that I had
accepted from the Government of Greece the command of its navy--and
wished to know if there was any truth in the assertion. To this inquiry
I replied that so long as I continued in the Brazilian service I could
not accept any other command; that the Greek command had been offered to
me whilst in Brazil, in the same manner as the Brazilian command had
been offered to me whilst in the service of Chili; and that, soon after
my return to Portsmouth, the Greek committee, zealous in the cause which
they had adopted, had renewed their offers, under the impression that my
work in Brazil was now completed. At the same time, I assured the Envoy
that as, in the case of Chili, I did not accept the Brazilian command
till my work was done, neither should I accept a Greek commission till
my relations with Brazil were honourably concluded, but that
nevertheless the offer made to me on behalf of Greece was not rejected.

This reply was construed by the Chevalier Gameiro into an admission that
_I had_ accepted the Greek command, and he addressed to me another
letter, expressive of his regret that I should have "come to the
resolution to retire from the service of His Imperial Majesty the
Emperor of Brazil, in the great work of whose independence I had taken
so glorious a part, (a grande obra da independencia, V. E'a teve tao
gloriosa parte) regretting the more especially that his august Sovereign
should be deprived of my important services (prestantes servicios) just
at a moment when new difficulties required their prompt application,"
&c. &c.

These expressions were probably sincere, for, since my departure from
Maranham, serious difficulties had arisen in the river Plate, which
afterwards ended with little credit to the Brazilian cause. But _I had
not accepted the Greek command_, and had no intention of so doing
otherwise than consistently with my engagements with Brazil. On the 6th
of September, I therefore addressed to the Envoy the following letter:--

Edinburgh, 6th Sept. 1825.

MOST EXCELLENT SIR,

I regret that your translator should have so far