Jess as the planters 4 tese Pernel Aeans to slavery, Garments 2 ccver them.

Her manaut D. ver; but let Deres de dem, in my rate, give lists 12 ani pace in fedcm all those The Brizkun grement, however, ADULT my diet, mi chim to be blameSami male de folving statements on

the 't f Terms. 11

-The resigned & has the bracer to inform Mr. Činste, &t that the Carperiment, desirous, as it 1 VITS MIS 7291, at puce the free Africans in a more adVLIZAR OS PONTOL Es pamtel and continues to promote la å leve sa ne cipation of those who, Laring wreplisted the term of service fixed in the decree of the 26th of December, 1883. are entitled to the full enjoyment of their berry. And in order that this measure may be generally extended to all who are entitled to it, the same Ministry has ordered the Judge of the Orphans' Court to furnish a list of all the free Africans who were first captured and adjudicated as such by the Mixed Brazilian and English Commission, and who were distributed for service. The Undersigned has the satisfaction to assure Mr. Christie that the Imperial government, in the performance of its duty, moved by its own sentiments of justice, will do all it can within the sphere of its attributions

to better the condition of these Africans by promoting their emancipation and the most suitable measures for procuring useful and profitable employment for them."

The writer blames the English government for want of foresight in handing over these liberated Africans to the Brazilian government, and says that arrangements should have been made for carrying them to our own tropical colonies or to Africa. The regulations of the Conventions with Portugal and Brazil were reciprocal and equitable, and Brazil would probably have been dissatisfied with any other arrangement. The Africans were to be "delivered over to the government on whose territory the Commission. which shall have so judged them shall be established." There were two Mixed Commissions, one at Sierra Leone, the other at Rio de Janeiro; those judged at Sierra Leone were to remain with the British government, and those judged at Rio with the Brazilian. "Each of the two governments binds itself to guarantee the liberty of such portion of these individuals as shall be respectively consigned to it." Here is a solemn guarantee given by Brazil in a treaty. Great Britain may or may not have shown want of foresight, but that does not nullify or excuse breach of faith on the other side. Mr. Canning appears to be blamed for want of foresight, because he did not expect that Brazil would be faithless to treatyengagements.

The writer in the Daily News has found fault with the manner and temper" of the English government. The correspondence on the subject of the free Africans in the Blue-books of 1861 and 1862 was reviewed in July, 1862, in one of the leading papers of Rio de Janeiro, the Cor

reio Mercantil, edited by a well-known Deputy of the Liberal party, Dr. Octaviano, who expressed a different opinion. I sent Dr. Octaviano's article to Lord Russell, July 21, 1862, and said, "The writer observes that no information as to this correspondence has been given in the annual Report of the Foreign Minister of Brazil, and commends the courteous tone of your lordship's despatches and of the notes of this Legation."*

But a conciliatory tone had no effect on the Brazilian government, and Lord Russell's language afterwards became strong.

The writer in the Daily News thinks that the English government should have made arrangements for carrying these released Africans to our own tropical colonies. Some were so disposed of while Sir James Hudson and Mr. Southern were our Ministers at Rio. In a despatch of mine to Lord Russell, of May 27, 1861, I said, "In former years many of these blacks were taken to British West India colonies, among others, Demerara and Jamaica; and perhaps Her Majesty's government may be glad to consider whether some of them might not now be transported to the colonies which are demanding coolies." This suggestion of mine was altogether ridiculed in 1862 by the paid London correspondent of the Jornal do Commercio of Rio.

*As this goes through the press, I receive an article in the same Brazilian newspaper by the same writer, September 8, 1864, relating the most recent proceedings of the Brazilian government for emancipation of free Africans, stating that in the previous seven months, while Senhor Zacarias was Minister, 848 letters of emancipation had been given,-about as many as had been given in the preceding ten years. The writer ascribes the little done in the preceding ten years to "the pride and inconvenient language of uncourteous English Ministers; " he refers to his article of 1862 mentioned in the text, but seems to forget that he there praised the courteous tone of my notes, which, like Sir James Hudson's, were unavailing.

CHAPTER III.

THE STORY OF THE FREE AFRICANS.

RECENT EMANCIPATIONS OF FREE AFRICANS-INATTENTION OF BRAZILIAN GOVERNMENT TO BRITISH REPRESENTATIONS-EFFECT OF THE REPRISALS -BRAZILIAN DECREES-COMPLAINTS BY BRAZILIAN SENATORS AND DEPUTIES-MR. SEYMOUR FITZGERALD- REVUE DES DEUX MONDES."

66

APPEAL was made, in a letter in the Daily News of July 29th, from "quotations from English diplomatic despatches," to "Brazilian documents quite as authentic," which, the writer said, show that the Brazilian government "is doing its duty" about the emancipados. The writer stated from these Brazilian documents that in the last four years four hundred emancipados had received freedom, and that Senhor Zacarias, the present Minister of Justice,* has said that he is completing arrangements begun by his predecessor, and "hopes to have the information ready by the next session of the Legislature.”

The information as to the emancipados freed in the three years from April 30, 1859, to April 30, 1862, is all faithfully given, and I think with no unfairness to the Brazilian government, in my despatches to Lord Russell, published in the Slave-trade Correspondence, Class B.

On February 4, 1861, I reported to Lord Russell that

* Senhor Zacarias, having become President of the Council and Minister of Justice in January, 1864, resigned, with all his colleagues, in the beginning of September. A new Ministry has been formed.

с

the provisions of a decree of December, 1853, for giving freedom, on their petition, to privately employed emancipados after fourteen years' service, had been extended to emancipados employed in government-establishments. I wrote as follows

"Your lordship will see that the Minister of Justice announces that the Council of State had, on his application, interpreted the decree of December, 1853, in such a manner as to extend its benefits to free Africans employed in government-establishments. Your lordship is aware that Mr. Howard strongly remonstrated at the time against that decree, as enabling only such of the free Africans as served private individuals to obtain emancipation after fourteen years' service. I am happy to be able to state that the Minister of Justice is giving some effect to the new interpretation of the decree, and that generally he is granting more letters of emancipation. During the whole of the twelve months from April 30, 1859, to May 1, 1860, letters of emancipation were granted only to thirty-eight. I have been furnished with a list of such letters granted from December 28, 1859, to July 17, 1860, less than eight months. The total number is sixty-four, of which thirtynine are free blacks employed in government-establishments."

On June 20, 1861, I informed Lord Russell from the annual Report of the Minister of Justice :

:

"It is stated that during the past year letters of emancipation have been given to one hundred and ten free Africans. This is a larger number than in previous years, but still a very small number."

On July 21, 1862, I reported :

"Letters of emancipation have been given to one hundred and five free Africans during the past year,-not a very