Mr. Lidgerwood to Mr. Seward.
Sir: By the last American and Brazilian steam mail packet I had the honor to inform you of the birth of a son to their highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Saxe. I now have the honor to advise you that on the 8th of April, ultimo, in the imperial chapel, in the presence of the highest dignitaries of the Brazilian court and the members of the diplomatic corps, the infant prince was baptized, receiving the names of Pedro Augusto Luis Maria Miguel Gabriel Raphael Gonzaga. At the conclusion of the ceremony the Emperor and imperial family held a state levee at the imperial palace.
In my unofficial note of the 3d ultimo I enclosed an article from the Jornal do Commercio of that date, giving an account of the capture and bringing into this port by the Peruvian iron-clad steamer Huascar of the Spanish polacca Dorothea. This government intimated to the commandant of the Peruvian squadron that the prize must leave the port before 2 p. m. of the 6th of April. At 1 p. m. it was towed beyond the bar by a tow-boat, accompanied by a Peruvian steam-launch. The tow-boat and launch returned, leaving the polacca on fire near the island of Palos. At 8 p. m. the burning vessel was still visible, though wrapped in flames.
As a subject of interest to the commercial community, I have the honor to place before you a translation of a decree, No. 3631, of the 27th of March, 1866, from the minister of the treasury, granting to foreign flags the right to the coasting trade of the empire in common with vessels under the Brazilian flag, as follows:
“Ministry of Finance.—Decree No. 3631, of the 27th of March, 1866, permitting foreign vessels to take freights coastwise up to the end of December, 1867.—In virtue of the authority granted under paragraph 4 of Article 23 of the law No. 1177, of the 9th of September, 1862, we are pleased to decree the following:
“Article 1. Foreign vessels are permitted to perform the coasting trade between the ports of the empire where there may be custom-houses established, carrying merchandise of all descriptions, until the end of December, 1867, during which time the rules, as indicated in article 686 of the custom-house regulations, [Page 303] which accompanied the decree No. 2674, of the 19th of September, 1860’ shall be suspended.
“Article 2. All regulations to the contrary are hereby revoked.
“Joao da Silva Carrao, of our council, minister and secretary of state for financial affairs, and president of the tribunal of the national treasury, shall so understand and execute it.
“Palace of Rio de Janeiro, on the 27th of March, 1866, and forty-fifth of the independence of the empire.
[Signature of the Emperor.]
“JOAO DA SILVA CARRAO.”
In Congress the bill to subsidize a steam line from Belem do Para to the island of St. Thomas was not approved.
War with Paraguay.—The following items with regard to the war against Paraguay in which Brazil is at present engaged may be of interest, and I have the honor to send you by this mail a map of the seat of the late warlike operations, and three newspapers and one bulletin, containing ample details of the recent events, by which we are informed that on the 23d of March, ultimo, the vice-admiral in command of the fleet ordered a reconnoissance of the river, both to the right and left—one up the Paraguay, the other up the Parana. This division of the fleet found so many obstacles in the way, of shoals, &c., that they were obliged to return. Both going and returning they were fired into from the fort of Itapine, (vide map,) and by flatboats with 68-pounders mounted on them, which, sheltered by a reef of rocks running out from the fort, they succeeded in annoying the Brazilian vessels very much. The iron-clad monitors and gunboats being brought up within range of them, drove them back several times, and finally succeeded in destroying them all. A shell, however, from the fort entered the porthole of the iron-clad Tamandare, while discharging the gun, and bursting, killed ten or twelve men, and shattered the leg of the commander, a most gallant and distinguished young hero, the son of one of the late cabinet ministers, who died a few hours after amputation of the limb. The fighting lasted from the 23d to the 30th of March.
On the 10th of April, Lieutenant Colonel Carvallo, having gone on shore on the island, (marked in the map with a cross in pencil,) concluded that that was the first position to make use of before the troops could land on the Paraguayan side of the river, and that same night took nine hundred men, volunteers, with nine 12-pound La Hitte guns and several mortars, erected a battery, and next morning at daylight they made their presence known, and, aided by the fleet, continued to fire into the fort opposite, and into the camp of their enemies. On that night (the 11th) fifteen hundred men of the Paraguayans, in fifty large canoes and several flatboats, attempted to surprise the island; were warmly received, lost six hundred and forty men, killed, thirty canoes, about seven hundred muskets and rifles, on the island. Nearly all the rest were lost in attempting to cross over to the mainland, being fired into from the gunboats. The fort was totally destroyed, and, without much resistance, eleven thousand men passed over and made stand on the Paraguayan territory. General Lopez is at the encampment with about twenty thousand men. Barao do Porto Alegre, Brazilian, with eighteen thousand men, crossed the river some two hundred miles further up the Parana, with a view to take the enemy in the rear.
Subsequently to the baptism of the infant Prince Pedro, the news of the death of the former Queen of the French, Maria Amelia, put the imperial family and court into deep mourning.
Yesterday, the 3d instant, at the closing of the third and the opening of the fourth session of the twelfth legislature of the general legislative assembly, his [Page 304] Imperial Majesty Don Pedro II addressed the senate and members from the Chamber of Deputies as follows :
“August and most worthy representatives of the country :
“Your assembling to-day is more than ever a motive for the entertainment of flattering hopes on the part of Brazil as an aid of great reliance to the government. Most joyfully do we announce to you the birth of the Prince Don Pedro, happy fruit of the marriage of my very dear daughter, the Princess Leopoldina, and of my dear and highly esteemed son-in-law, the Duke of Saxe.
“We congratulate ourselves, in unison with yourselves, on the public tranquillity which has continued uninterrupted during this war. The exaction of satisfaction to the offended honor of the country from the President of Paraguay will not yet allow us to lay aside our weapons, but we are happy to acknowledge that the efforts of all have been incessant in aiding in the discharge of that most sacred duty.
“A treaty of alliance, offensive and defensive, has been entered into between this empire and the Argentine and Oriental Republics. That alliance has been sustained between the contracting parties with entire loyalty.
“The province of Rio Grande do Sul having been invaded by Paraguayan forces, we judged it to be our duty to go there so as to aid, by our presence and example, in the defence of the integrity of the empire. Our dearly beloved sons-in-law, moved by the same feelings, accompanied us. The surrender of Uruguayana, by subverting the plans of the invader, made our continued presence there unnecessary.
“The province of Matto Grosso, by its patriotic action, has preserved its capital and the greater part of its territory free from the enemy’s invasion. Our army, navy, national guard, patriotic volunteers, prove every day their courage and discipline so as to merit the thanks and gratitude of the nation. We regret and lament most profoundly the precious lives sacrificed in this war, but our pride cannot be expressed when we contemplate the heroism which accompanied the Brazilian name, and the glory which immortalizes the memory of so many valiant men. The allied flags are floating on the enemy’s territory. With the protection of Divine Providence and a firm reliance in the courage and discipline of our army and navy and in our allies, we hope to see this war brought to a close briefly.
“Our relations with all foreign nations continue unaltered. Diplomatic relations have been re-established between the empire and Great Britain. It is with sincere satisfaction that we communicate this important fact to you, brought about by the efforts and perseverance of the august mediator, the King of Portugal, our dearly beloved nephew.
“Deeply affected, we communicate to you the death of the King of the Belgians. It is a tribute of gratitude which we owe to the memory of that constitutional king and friend.
“The state of our finances is embarrassing. We call your special attention to this matter, and beg that you will earnestly endeavor to better our circulating medium, guarantee and secure our credit on a firm basis, and maintain an equilibrium between the revenue and the expense.
“August and most worthy representatives of the nation, we thank you for the means granted during the past session to the government for its public necessities, and, relying on your wisdom and patriotism, we hope that during the present one you will enable the government to meet its responsibilities both in its ordinary and extraordinary duties, taking into consideration at the same time those subjects which have reference to the administration of justice and the development of the public wealth. The third session is closed, and the fourth of the twelfth legislature is opened.”
[Page 305]Having had the honor of placing before your excellency the most important items of news that have occurred since my last,
I have the honor to be, sir, yours, most obediently and respectfully,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.