yed, as I had every
reason to believe it would be--and as it afterwards in reality was.

On the 27th of September, the Brazilian Envoy forwarded to me an order
from the Imperial Government at Rio, dated June 27th, and addressed to
me at Maranham; the order directing me to proceed from that port to Rio
immediately on its receipt, to give an account of my proceedings
there--though despatches relating even to minute particulars of every
transaction had, as the reader is well aware, been sent by every
opportunity. His Majesty, when issuing the order, was ignorant that I
had quitted Maranham, still more that on the day the order was issued at
Rio de Janeiro, I had anchored at Spithead, so that obedience to His
Majesty's commands was impossible.

Acting on this order, the Chevalier Gameiro took upon himself to
"require, in the name of the Emperor, the immediate return of the
_Piranga_, so soon as her repairs were completed, and her complement of
men filled up." As I knew that the order in question would not have been
promulgated by the Emperor, had he known the effect produced by the
presence of the _Piranga_ in the vicinity of Portugal; and as, in
everything I had accomplished in Brazil, His Majesty had placed the
fullest confidence in my discretion, I felt certain that he would be
equally well satisfied with whatever course I might deem it necessary to
pursue, I did not therefore think it expedient to comply with the
requisition of the Envoy, assigning the following reasons for using my
own judgment in the matter:--

Edinburgh, Oct. 1, 1825.

MOST EXCELLENT SIR,

I have this day been favoured with your letter containing
a copy of a _portaria_ dated June 27th, wherein His Imperial
Majesty, through his Minister of Marine, directs my immediate
return from Maranham to Rio de Janeiro, leaving only the small
vessels there; which order you will observe I had anticipated on the
20th of May, when I left the Imperial brig-of-war _Cacique_ and the
schooner _Maria_ in that port. Since then, His Excellency the
Minister of Marine is in possession of duplicates of my correspondence
mentioning the arrangements I had so made in anticipation
of the Imperial order; and of my official communications--also in
duplicate--transmitted on my arrival at Portsmouth, by your
Excellency's favour, with your despatches.

These will have acquainted His Imperial Majesty with the cause
and necessity of