/> dependency. It was a marked instance of the tail wagging the dog. Brazil

became the one empire in America, and was destined not to become a

republic until many years later. Such are the themes with which we here

propose to deal.



To begin this tale we must go back to those stirring times in Europe when

Napoleon, the great conqueror, was in the height of his career, and was

disposing of countries at his will, much as a chess-player moves the king,

queen, and knights upon his board. In 1807 one of his armies, led by

Marshal Junot, was marching on Lisbon, with the purpose of punishing

Portugal for the crime of being a friend of the English realm.



John, then the prince regent of Portugal, was a weak-minded, feeble

specimen of royalty, who did not keep of one mind two days together. Now

he clung to England; now, scared by Napoleon, he claimed to be a friend of

France; and thus he shifted back and forward until the French despot sent

an army to his kingdom to help him make up his mind. The people were ready

to fight for their country, but the prince still wobbled between two

opinions, until Junot had crossed the borders and was fast making his way

to Lisbon.



Prince John was now in a pitiable state. He shed tears over the fate of

his country, but, as for himself, he wanted badly to save his precious

person. Across the seas lay the great Portuguese colony of Brazil, in

whose vast forest area he might find a safe refuge. The terrible French

were close at hand. He must be a captive or a fugitive. In all haste he

and his court had their treasures carried on a man-of-war in the Lisbon

harbor and prepared for flight. Most of the nobility of the country

followed him on shipboard, the total hegira embracing fifteen thousand

persons, who took with them valuables worth fifty millions of dollars. On

November 29, 1807, the fleet set sail, leaving the harbor just as the

advance guard of the French came near enough to gaze on its swelling

sails. It was a remarkable spectacle, one rarely seen in the history of

the world, that of a monarch fleeing from his country with his nobility

and treasures, to transfer his government to a distant colony of the

realm.



Seven weeks later the fugitives landed in Brazil, where they were received

with an enthusiastic show of loyalty and devotion. John well repaid the

loyal colonists by lifting their country into the condition of a separate

nation. Its ports, hitherto reserved for Portuguese ships, were opened to

the world's commerce; its system of seclusion and monopoly was brought to

a sudden end; manufactures were set free from their fetters; a national

bank was established; Brazil was thrown open freely to foreigners; schools

and a medical college were opened, and every colonial restriction was

swept away at a blow. Brazil was raised from a dependency to a kingdom at

a word. John, while bearing the title of prince, was practically king, for

his mother, the queen of Portugal, was hopelessly insane, and he ruled in

her stead.



He became actual king, as John VI., on the death of his mother in 1816,

and as such he soon found trouble growing up around him. The Brazilians

had been given so much that they wanted more. The opening of their country

to commerce and travel had let in new ideas, and the people began to

discover that they were the slaves of an absolute government. This feeling

of unrest passed out of sight for a time, and first broke out in rebellion

at Pernambuco in 1817. This was put down, but a wider revolt came on in

1820, and spread early in the next year to Rio de Janeiro, the capital,

whose people demanded of their ruler a liberal constitution.



A great crowd assembled in the streets, the frightened monarch taking

refuge in his palace in the suburbs, where he lay trembling with fear.

Fortunately, his son, Prince Pedro, was a man of more resolute character,

and he quieted the people by swearing that his father and himself would

accept the constitution they offered. Full of joy, the throng marched with

enthusiasm to the palace of the king, who on seeing them approach was not

sure whether he was to be garroted or guillotined. Forced to get into his

carriage, he quite mistook their meaning, and fell into a paroxysm of

terror when the people took out the horses that they might draw him to the

city with their own hands. He actually fainted from fright, and when his

senses came back, he sat sobbing and snivelling, protesting that he would

agree to anything,--anything his dear people wanted.



King John by this time had had quite enough of Brazil and the Brazilians.

As soon as he could decide on anything, he determined to take his throne

and his crown back to Portugal, whence he had brought them fourteen years

before, leaving his son Pedro--young, ardent, and popular--to take care of

Brazil in his stead.



But the people were not satisfied to let him go until he had given his

royal warrant to the new constitution, and just before he was ready to

depart a crowd gathered round the palace, demanding that he should give

his assent to the charter of the people's rights. He had never read it,

and likely knew very little what it was about, but he signed what they

asked for, all the same, and then made haste on shipboard, leaving Prince

Pedro as regent, and as glad to get away from his loyal Brazilians as he

had once before been to get away from Junot and his Frenchmen.



Brazil again became a colony of Portugal, but it was not long to remain

so. The Cortes of Portugal grew anxious to milk the colonial cow, and

passed laws to bring Brazil again under despotic control. One of these

required the young prince to leave Brazil. They were laying plans to throw

the great colony back into its former state.



When news of these acts reached Rio the city broke into a tumult. Pedro

was begged not to abandon his loving people, and he agreed--thus defying

the Cortes and its orders. This was on January 9, 1822. The Cortes next,

to carry out its work for the subjugation of Brazil, sent a squadron to

bring back the prince. This forced him to take a decided stand. On May 13

he took the title of "Perpetual Defender and Protector of Brazil;" and on

the 7th of September, when word came that the Cortes had taken still more

violent action, he drew his sword in the presence of a party of

revolutionists, with the exclamation, "Independence or Death." On the 12th

of the following month he was solemnly crowned as Pedro I.,

"Constitutional Emperor of Brazil," and the revolution was consummated.

Within less than a year thereafter not a hostile Portuguese soldier

remained in Brazil, and it had taken its place definitely among the

nations of America.



This is but half the story of Brazil's struggle for freedom. It seems

advisable to tell the other half, which took place in 1889, sixty-seven

years after the first revolution. The first made Brazil an independent

empire. The second made it a republic, and brought it into line with the

republican nations of America. And in connection therewith a peculiar fate

attended the establishment of monarchy in Brazil. We have seen how John,

the first emperor, "left his country for the country's good." The same was

the case with his two successors, Pedro I. and Pedro II.



Pedro I. took the throne with loud-mouthed declarations of his aspirations

for liberty. He was going to be a second Washington. But it was all empty

talk, the outpourings of a weak brain, a mere dramatic posing, to which he

was given. His ardor for liberty soon cooled, and it was not long before

he was treating the people like a despot. The constitution promised was

not given until it was fairly forced from him, and then it proved to be a

worthless document, made only to be disregarded. A congress was called

into being, but the emperor wished to confine its functions to the

increase of the taxes, and matters went on from bad to worse until by 1831

the indignation of the people grew intense. The troops were in sympathy

with the multitude, and the emperor, finding that he stood alone against

the country, finally abdicated the throne in haste in favor of his infant

son. He took refuge on a British warship in the harbor, and left the

country never to return. The remainder of his short life was spent as king

of Portugal.



Dom Pedro II. was a very different man from his father. Studious, liberal,

high-minded, he did not, like his father, stand in the way of the congress

and its powers. But for all his liberality, Brazil was not satisfied. All

around it were republics, and the spirit of republicanism invaded the

empire and grew apace. From the people it made its way into the army, and

in time it began to look as if no other emperor would be permitted to

succeed Dom Pedro on the throne. By this time he was growing old and

feeble and there was a general feeling that he ought to be left to end his

reign undisturbed, and the republic be founded on his grave. Unfortunately

for him, many began to believe that a plot was in the air to make him give

up the throne to his daughter, Isabel. She was unpopular, and her husband,

the Count d'Eu, was hated, and when the ministry began to send the

military away from the capital, as if to carry out such a plot, an

outbreak came.



Its leaders were Benjamin Constant, formerly a professor in the military

school, and Marshal Deodoro de Fonsaca, one of the leading officers of the

army. There was one brigade they could count on,--the second,--and all the

forces in Rio were republican in sentiment.



On the 14th of November, 1889, a rumor spread about that Constant and

Deodoro were to be arrested and the disaffected soldiers to be sent away.

It was time to strike. Early the next morning Constant rode out to the

quarters of the Second Brigade, called it out, and led it to the great

square in front of the War Department building. Deodoro took command and

sent an officer into the building to demand the surrender of the ministry.

They yielded, and telegraphed their resignation to the emperor, who was at

Petropolis, twenty-five miles away in the mountains.



The revolution was phenomenally successful. When the other troops in the

city heard of the revolt, they marched, cheering, through the streets to

join the Second Brigade, while the people, who did not dream of what was

afoot, looked on in astonishment. No one thought of resisting, and when

Dom Pedro reached the city at three o'clock in the afternoon, it was to

find that he was no longer emperor. A provisional government had been

organized, the chiefs of the revolution had named themselves ministers,

and they had taken possession of the public buildings. A decree was issued

that Brazil had ceased to be an empire and had become a federal republic.



So great a change has rarely been accomplished so easily. A few friends

visited the emperor, but there was no one to strike a blow for him. And

the feeble old man cared too little for power to wish to be kept on the

throne by the shedding of blood. That night word was sent him that he had

been deposed and would be compelled to leave the country with his family.

During the next night the royal victims of the revolution were sent on

shipboard and their voyage to Lisbon began. Thus was the third emperor

sent out of Brazil through a bloodless revolution.



Yet the reaction was to come. A federal republic was organized, with a

constitution closely like that of the United States. But the men at the

head of government had the army at their back and were rather military

dictators than presidents, and it was not long before rebellions broke out

in some of the states. For three years there was war between the two

factions of the people, with frightful destruction of life and property.

Then, in September, 1893, the navy rebelled.



The navy had always been officered by aristocrats, and looked with

contempt upon the army. At its head was Admiral Mello; his ships lay in

the harbor of Rio, and their guns commanded the city. It soon became

evident that it was the purpose of Mello and his fellows to re-establish

the empire and bring back Dom Pedro to the throne.



But the rebel admiral found himself in a difficult situation. He hesitated

about bombarding the city, which was full of his friends. Peixoto, the

president, filled the forts with soldiers, and the naval officers had much

trouble to obtain supplies. Mello, finding himself in a dilemma, left the

harbor with one of his ironclads and went to Santa Catharina. Saraiva, an

able chief of his party, invaded this and the neighboring districts, but

he was hotly pursued and his forces defeated, and Mello returned to Rio

without having gained any advantage. Here he found his position a very

awkward one. The rebels were all afloat. They had nothing to gain by

bombarding the city. The best they could do was to try and establish a

commercial blockade, so as to force the government to terms, and in doing

this Mello found himself running up against the power of the United

States.






RIO JANEIRO AND HARBOR.





We have given these incidents not so much for the interest they may have

in themselves, but because they lead up to a dramatic finale which seems

worth relating. There were warships of several nations in the harbor, the

officers of most of which accorded the rights of belligerents to the rebel

navy, though it had not a foot of land under its control. Saldana da Gama,

then in command of the ships, refused permission to any merchant vessel to

go to the wharves to deliver its cargo, threatening to fire on any one

that should venture. Thus the fleet of merchantmen was forced to lie out

in the bay and await the end of the war, in spite of the fact that yellow

fever was making havoc among the crews.



The captains of the American merchant ships applied for protection to the

senior American officer present, but he refused to interfere, and the

commercial blockade went on. Such was the state of affairs when the United

States Admiral Andrew E. Benham appeared in the harbor and took in the

situation. He was a man to accept responsibilities.



"Go in," he said to the American captains. "Trust to me to protect you

from attack or to revenge you if injured."



This promise put new spirit into the captains. Captain Blackford, of the

barque "Amy," and two other captains, gave notice on Sunday, January 29,

1894, that they would take their ships in to the wharves the next morning.

When Da Gama heard of this he announced that he would fire on any vessel

that dared attempt it.



When Monday morning dawned there was a state of excitement in Rio Janeiro

harbor. Da Gama might keep his word, and what would the American admiral

do in that event? The commanders of the other war-vessels looked on with

interest and anxiety. They soon saw that Benham meant business. The dawn

of day showed active movements in the small American squadron. The ships

were clearing for action, and the cruiser "Detroit" took a position from

which she could command two of Da Gama's vessels, the "Guanabara" and the

"Trajano."



When the "Detroit" was in position, the "Amy" began to warp in towards the

pier. A musket-shot came in warning from the deck of the "Guanabara."

Instantly from the "Detroit" a ball hurtled past the bow of the Brazilian

ship. A second followed that struck her side. Seeing that two Brazilian

tugs were moving inward as if with intent to ram his vessel, Captain

Brownson of the "Detroit" took his ship in between the two Brazilian

war-vessels, in a position to rake them and their supporting tugs.



This decisive act ended the affair. Da Gama's guns remained silent, and

the "Amy," followed by the other two vessels, made her way unharmed to the

wharves. Others followed, and before night all the British and other

merchantmen in the harbor were hastening in to discharge their cargoes.

Benham had brought to a quick end the "intolerable situation" in Rio

Janeiro harbor.



This ended the last hope of the naval revolutionists to bring Peixoto to

terms. Some of the ironclads escaped from the harbor and fled to Santa

Catharina, where they were captured by the republicans. A few months

sufficed to bring the revolt to an end, and republicanism was at length

firmly established in Brazil.